'''Taoyuan'''(____) is an industrial city in northern Taiwan.
Understand
Taoyuan is primarily an industrial city and has few distinctive features. However, if you get stranded at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport overnight and don't want to pay over the odds at the airport hotel or travel the extra kilometers into Taipei, you might consider spending the night here. Despite lacking tourist sites, the city does have several large shopping malls, good coffee shops and, due to a large number of overseas workers employed at local factories, also boasts several cheap South Asian eateries.
Get in
Taoyuan is about a 25 minute taxi ride from the international airport and around 30 to 40 minutes from Taipei.
Get around
The down town area is small enough to cover on foot.
Taxi cabs are relatively cheap, starting at around 80NT plus 5NT per .3km.
The city has its own bus system which is decent and covers the major parts of town, but no where near as convenient as Taipei's MRT/bus system.
The train station is in the downtown, and fares are more than affordable.
The new High Speed Railway (HSR) has a stop near the outskirts of town and can shuttle people from Taoyuan to Taipei in around 12 minutes for around 120 NT. The HSR covers almost the entire length of Taiwan, but a trip spanning the entire length will cost around 2200NT.
Buses run to other cities as well. A bus trip to Taipei will cost 59NT.
See
Do
shopping - the city has some good department stores.
Buy
The town also has a large IKEA store.
Off of NanKan road is Taimall, one of the biggest malls in Taiwan.
Eat
Popcorn chicken is a local speciality sold from street corner stalls.
Drink
Sleep
'''KG Landmark Hotel''', 107 Mingshen Road. Tel:''+886 3'' 337-0888 - a good business hotel and the tallest building in the city.
'''Monarch Plaza Hotel''', 300 Chuang Ching Road. Tel:''+886 3'' 316-9900 - A five-star business hotel with several amenities and restaurants including a Teppenyaki grill.
Get out
'''Yuankuang'''. Founded in 1917, it is the earliest Buddhist academy in Taiwan. Yuankuang is located in the country-side near Taoyuan.
Yingge. Located between Taipei and Taoyuan is the interesting pottery town of Yingge. 'Old Street' is lined with stores selling the works of local potters and is a pleasant place to pass a few hours.