Population:  2.63 million

Time Zone: GMT + 8

Telephone: Country Code: +886;  Area Code: 2

Language:  Mandarin Chinese is the official language in Taiwan, though other dialects are also spoken. Many people can speak some English, but most taxi drivers do not speak English.

Average Temperatures: 

When to Visit:  Taipei experiences the tropical monsoon climate of the southern Chinese mainland.   More rain falls from May-September than at other times of the year.  From July-September typhoons are experienced over the South China Sea.  The summer heat is accompanied by high humidity.  Winter and Spring are usually very pleasant.  Sunshine averages 6 hours per day in winter, and of course longer in summer.

Holidays:

Founding Day                                       Jan. 1-3

Chinese New Year* (date varies)             Late January/early Feb.

Youth Day                                            March 29

Tomb Sweeping Day                             April 5

Dragon Boat Festival*                           June 13

Mid-Autumn Festival*                             Sept. 20

Teachers' Day                                       Sept. 28

National Day                                         Oct. 10

Taiwan Retrocession Day                       Oct. 25

Chiang Kai-shek's Birthday                     Oct. 31

Sun Yat-sen's Birthday                          Nov. 12

Constitution Day                                   Dec. 25

* Date varies based on Chinese lunar calendar

Currency:  Taiwan dollar (yuan).

Business Hours:  Monday-Friday, 9:00AM-5:00PM; Saturday:  9:00AM – Noon

Post Office:  Ai I Road

Shopping Specialties:  jewelry, carved stones, electronics.

Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz; two-pin plugs are standard

Internet:  At the end of 2005, half of Taipei had access to Wi-Fly, the city's public wireless Internet service; coverage is expected to be 90 percent by the end of 2006. Wi-Fly costs 100 Taiwan dollars a day. Zaka cafe, 37 Lane 177, Dunhua South Road, Section 1, (886-2) 2773-7009 will supply you with both internet café and coffee. 

Getting There:

By Air

Planes arrive and depart from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport just outside Taipei. 

Taipei's International Airport is well-served by international flights. All Asian countries have flights to Taipei, with many inter-continental flights available as well. It is customary for international airlines to reconfigure their names in Taipei to avoid offending the Chinese.   British Airways becomes British Asia Airways, etc.  

By Cruise Ship: 

Large cruise ships dock at the Port of Keelung in northern Taiwan, on the east China Sea.  This is about 40 minutes from Taipei.

Getting Around:  The Taipei Metro covers virtually the whole city and runs from 6 a.m. to midnight. Fares depend on how far you're going, and an all-day pass is a bargain.

By Taxi

Taxis are plentiful and fairly cheap.

By Bus and Train:  Taipei has an extensive city and regional bus service, and four major bus terminals.  There is excellent service to other parts of Taiwan. The bus and train networks are both extensive.   With frequent departures and arrivals and on-time service