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Taipei (Keelung) Tours


Donyb
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We are on a Princess cruise in early Nov. In gathering lots and lots of info from this forum and the threads for Princess, I have written in my notes that maybe in this port we can book our tours on our own as there is a tourist booth right outside where the ship docks.

 

Has anyone been there recently and do you know if this is correct information? Any help that can be given would be appreciated.

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I did that trip in Nov of 2006. there was a bus to take you to town (keelung) but not a booth that I recall (I was not looking as I was on a tour) (let me know if you have other questions--it was a wonderful trip)

I did the trip that went to chaing hi sheck (spelling is wrong I know) memorial and a few other places and I really enjoyed it. others were not so happy with the port.

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We stopped in Taipei last October and thought the city was wonderful. I also don't recall a tourist booth but since we had a private tour, we weren't looking for tourist information. Our private tour company customized a tour for us that covered the city highlights and then some. We especially liked Taipei 101 and the Grand Hotel. If you want the name of the tour company, post and I'll give it to you (the rules of the cc board).

 

Sandy

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Yes Sandy, please give me the name of the person you used. We have about 4 couples who are interested in doing something there and the prices we have so far are pretty pricey. Will look forward to your reply.

 

Nancy

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We booked with Have Fun Travel - e-mail: service @hftravel.com.tw

Our contact was: Augustus (special assistant to vice general manager

It was a great tour... we were very pleased.

 

Our tour lasted about 7 hours

Our itinerary:

8:30 am - Pick-up from Keelung - 9:20 am - arrival Taipei

Sights: The Grand Hotel (amazing), Longshan Temple (extremely interesting), Chaing Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (very interesting), lunch (Dain-Shui-Lou Chinese Traditional Chinese food... great food!), Taipei 101 (not to be missed), handicraft center (disappointing, skip it & go elsewhere).

 

Not included was lunch. Cost: 2 persons: NT$8,000 - air-condition car with a driver/guide, 4 persons: NT10,000 - air condition van with driver and tour guide... these were last October 2006 prices.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi all,

 

Regarding if there is a Tourist Booth at the Keelung Harbor Bureau (Passenger Ship Terminal) the answer is "yes and no".

 

I'll explain. Recently the Tourist Board did have a booth set up on the 2nd floor of the PST embarkation hall. Photos below:

 

768773942_67eb9c8652.jpg?v=0

 

768774014_9364bf4f98.jpg?v=0

 

I believe this booth is only there when "foreign" ships call at Keelung. When I was there on 29 June for the maiden arrival of SuperStar Libra which is homeported now in Keelung, the booth was not there.

I will check again and inquire on the 22nd this month when I cruise aboard Libra.

 

Also, this booth is located at the main PST on the East harbor side. The berth number for ships there is E2.

Ships larger than 50,000 grt will most likely NOT dock here. They will dock further up the channel at one of the cargo terminals. I believe the Tourist Bureau does provide a table there for info about tours and transportaion.

 

Hope this info helps.

 

Regards,

Mike--in Taipei

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How far is the train station from the cruise ship terminal in Keelung? I could never find a decent answer to that question. I'm gonna onboard the Rhapsody of the Seas and thinking bout taking the train from Keelung to Taipei since its only like a 30 min train ride.

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The train station is right at the harbor. Maybe a 5 minute walk. This of course depends where your ship docks. If it is docked at the E2 or W2 berths it is 5 minutes. If you are at the cargo area, I suggest taking a taxi to the train station.

 

Also nearby is the "Airbus" that goes to Taipei. Appx, 40-45 minute ride.

 

Hope this helps.

Mike

 

P.S. If I can dig out a photo of the Harbor area with the train station in the shot, I'll post it.

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The train station is right at the harbor. Maybe a 5 minute walk. This of course depends where your ship docks. If it is docked at the E2 or W2 berths it is 5 minutes. If you are at the cargo area, I suggest taking a taxi to the train station.

 

Also nearby is the "Airbus" that goes to Taipei. Appx, 40-45 minute ride.

 

Hope this helps.

Mike

 

P.S. If I can dig out a photo of the Harbor area with the train station in the shot, I'll post it.

 

Thanks for the info! The Rhapsody of the Seas is well over 50,000 tons, its about 78,491 gross tonnage so I'm think its pretty safe to say it's gonna be at the cargo area.... any idea how much a cab ride might be to the train station? The scary part might be trying to get from the train station back to the ship since I think translation might be an issue. I can say train station and can say boat but I'm sure telling the taxi driver boat will do any good trying to get back to the ship hehe.

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I believe Rhapsody of the Seas will indeed berth at the cargo terminal.

 

Taxi fare should be about NTD$ 100-130 It is not that far in a taxi. Walking is another story.

 

Don't worry about not knowing what to tell the taxt drivers. The ship should give you a small paper that has the Berth # and location written in Chinese. At least this has been done in the past on foreign ships calling at Keelung. Also if in doubt, there should be a small Tourist table set up where any person there will be more than happy to assist you in writing down in Chinese anything you may request.

 

Best,

Mike

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  • 2 months later...

Janette hi, in my post just above yours, is some info that may help you.

 

Trains from Keelung to Taipei start running at 06:18am and the frequency is about every 25 minutes or so, until late evening.

 

There should be a tourist table set up when your ship arrives. They will be happy to give you info.

 

Mike

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Janette hi, in my post just above yours, is some info that may help you.

 

Trains from Keelung to Taipei start running at 06:18am and the frequency is about every 25 minutes or so, until late evening.

 

There should be a tourist table set up when your ship arrives. They will be happy to give you info.

 

Mike

 

Thanks for your help.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I live in Taipei, and it is a truly wonderful city. The posted sample itinerary is good, but I would recommend some changes.

 

You should not come to Taipei without visiting the National Palace Museum (Gu Gong). The greatest treasures of China are mostly here in Taipei at this museum. It has just undergone a renovation and is a must see. In fact, when you visit the Forbidden City you will see signs saying that the original artifact are at the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

 

As far as dumplings, you should go to Din Tai Feng. They have some of the best, and certainly the most famous, dumplings in Asia.

 

Skip the handicraft mart.

 

The Grand Hotel is impressive (beautiful lobby and restaurants), but not worth seeing over the National Palace Museum.

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I live in Taipei, and it is a truly wonderful city. The posted sample itinerary is good, but I would recommend some changes.

 

You should not come to Taipei without visiting the National Palace Museum (Gu Gong). The greatest treasures of China are mostly here in Taipei at this museum. It has just undergone a renovation and is a must see. In fact, when you visit the Forbidden City you will see signs saying that the original artifact are at the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

 

As far as dumplings, you should go to Din Tai Feng. They have some of the best, and certainly the most famous, dumplings in Asia.

 

Skip the handicraft mart.

 

The Grand Hotel is impressive (beautiful lobby and restaurants), but not worth seeing over the National Palace Museum.

 

Hi Doug,

 

How about this itinerary?

 

city tour to include National Palace Museum, Martyrs Shrine, Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Taipei 101 Building, Confucious Temple, Pao An Temple

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Donna,

 

That is a nice schedule that you have planned, but perhaps a bit aggressive. All your sites are worth seeing though. I have not been to the Martyr's Shrine, although I drive by it frequently.

 

I can't really say how far apart your stops are because I do not know the order. The farthest two points that you have are probably between the temple and the National Palace Museum and might be about 30-45 minutes. Traffic varies in Taipei and can be heavy at times.

 

mare s. - The National Palace Museum to Taipei 101 is about 35 minutes. There is a Din Tai Feng in NeiHu which is between the National Palace Museum and Taipei 101.

 

- Doug

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Thanks for the info, Doug. we were hoping to be able to see Taipei on our own, but the time/distance factor may limit us, unless taxis are easy to use. Otherwise I guess we'll look at independent tour operators or see what Princess has to offer.

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  • 1 month later...

Yes. Most of the sites that you want to visit are accessible by MRT, but the National Palace Museum is not.

 

However, taxis in Taipei are cheap, cheap, cheap. You can get around from one place to another in Taipei from about 100 NT to about 250 NT (3 dollars to 8 dollars). Taxis here are pretty nice (especially compared to China) and are easy to get (especially compared to Singapore).

 

The only problem with taxis is that the drivers do not speak English. However, you can hand them an address or location in Chinese and they will take you there without a problem.

 

Let me know where you are going, and I can send you a list of the names and addresses in corresponding Chinese.

 

One other thing that you could do is to hire a car. You can probably get a nice car for the day (Mercedes/Lexus) for about US $150.00

 

- Doug

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Back from our Sapphire back to backs and did use a private tour provider for both stops, different tours. We did the area around Keelung, the Yeliau (sp??) EcoPark and the gold rush town which I'm not even attempting to spell on the first stop and the Taipei tour on the second. I personally enjoyed the first tour more, and if I had it to do over again, with respect to the Taipei tour, I think I'd do it as an "on your own" type tour.

 

I'd have liked to have spent more time at the National Museum, with less commentary and control by our tour guide (there are ample descriptions and explanations in English at all the exhibits) and, other than the exterior, which is lovely, could easily have missed the Chang Kai Shek Memorial. The changing of the guard at the Martyr's Shrine, and the Shine itself were worth the stop. Had pretty much "done" temples by that time in the trip, so could have skipped one or more of these stops, and spent more time at Taipei 101, and done that, perhaps, earlier in the day when the air is likely to be more clear. Our group members, who also post here, may disagree, but that's my take on it.

 

Should note that some folks who did the train into Taipei did get left standing on the dock on our first stop, as the train was running late and they got back about 10 minutes late. They had to take the pilot boat, and I'm told that that isn't always an option, so if you DO take the train in, be sure and allow ample time for your return, and don't try and cut it too close.

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  • 9 years later...
We stopped in Taipei last October and thought the city was wonderful. I also don't recall a tourist booth but since we had a private tour, we weren't looking for tourist information. Our private tour company customized a tour for us that covered the city highlights and then some. We especially liked Taipei 101 and the Grand Hotel. If you want the name of the tour company, post and I'll give it to you (the rules of the cc board).

 

Sandy

 

Hi Sandy, We will be stopping in Taipei in October. We are looking for a private tour for 5 people. Please let us now the name of the tour company that you used. Thanks!

 

Larry

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We used Topology Travel for an eight-hour shore excursion to both Yehlie National Geological Park and the Gold-rush town of Jiufen. It's a bit expensive for one couple - 200 USD pp; but for two couples it's only 100 USD pp and for three couples 90 USD pp.

 

They were very flexible; modified their standard start and end times in accordance with our ship's schedule and picked us up right at the ship. Our tour guide, Mr Lee, was excellent and the included lunch at a Chinese restaurant in Jiufen was superb - with about 7 courses. Highly recommended. You can book online at topologytravel.com.

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