Taiwan
台灣
Taiwan is much more app-friendly to foreigners than mainland China. Google Maps works great, and LINE is the universal messenger.
🚖Rideshare & Taxi
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The most widely available rideshare service globally. Works in 70+ countries.
Works in major cities.
🗺️Navigation & Maps
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Works almost everywhere except mainland China. Offline maps are critical when roaming.
Works perfectly across Taiwan.
💬Translation
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The universal default. Camera mode translates signs and menus instantly.
Solid for Traditional Chinese.
📱Messaging
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Japan and Taiwan's dominant messaging app. Locals strongly prefer it over WhatsApp.
Universal messenger. You'll need it for bookings and shops.
✈️Travel Planning
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Activities, attractions, and SIM cards across Asia. Better than GetYourGuide in Asia.
Best for night market tours, train passes, and theme parks.
Is Taiwan one stop of several?
Add your other destinations and get one combined app list, with the adapters and currencies for the whole trip.
The practical basics
Power & plugs
- Plug type
- A / B
- Voltage
- 110V
- Frequency
- 60Hz
- Type A: Two flat parallel pins. Common in North America, Japan, parts of Central America and Asia.
- Type B: Two flat pins + grounding pin. Standard in North America for grounded appliances.
Same plugs as the US.
Tipping
Tipping is not customary in Taiwan and is generally not expected at restaurants, taxis, or hotels. Many sit-down restaurants already add a 10% service charge, so no extra tip is needed.
CurrencyTWD
Mandarin you'll actually use
Etiquette and scams to know
✓ Do
- Remove your shoes before entering homes, temples' inner halls, and some traditional restaurants or guesthouses.
- Receive and give business cards, money, and gifts with both hands as a sign of respect.
- Queue patiently and stand on the right side of MRT escalators, leaving the left side clear for people walking.
- Do not eat, drink, or chew gum on the MRT metro system, where it is prohibited and fined.
- In temples, dress modestly, speak quietly, and step over the raised door threshold rather than on it.
- When dining, wait for elders to begin and avoid sticking your chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice, which resembles funeral incense.
✕Don't
- Do not write someone's name in red ink, as it is associated with death and severing ties.
- Avoid giving clocks, umbrellas, or sharp objects as gifts, which symbolize death or cutting a relationship.
- Do not discuss Taiwan's political status or cross-strait relations bluntly with strangers.
- Avoid being loud and confrontational in public, which is seen as a loss of face.
⚠️ Common scams to know
- Some bars and 'tea houses' in Taipei lure tourists in with friendly hostesses and then present an enormous, inflated bill at the end.
- Unmetered or 'broken meter' taxis may quote a high flat fare, so insist on the meter or use a ride app.
- Street vendors and night-market stalls occasionally short-change foreign tourists or quote a higher 'tourist price', so count your change.
- Fake monks may approach you offering a blessing or amulet and then aggressively demand a donation.
This page was last reviewed in September 2026. Apps launch, rebrand and pull out of countries all the time, so confirm anything your trip depends on. Spotted something out of date? Tell us — here's how we check.