Taiwan "no seat" train tickets

By liu_tw | Mar 22, 2018
Asia > Taiwan

In Taiwan, even when TRA trains are full, you can buy a "no seat" ticket. It costs 20% less than the regular price.

It means that you have no guaranteed seat, but if a place is free you can sit until someone arrives with this seat reservered.

Trains are quite spacious and each car comes with an empty area (it is labelled "keep clear" but sometimes it gets filled with luggage) where you can hangout and seat on the floor.

Curiously, a train "fully booked" (with only "no seat" tickets available) is not necessarily packed. Taiwan railways network is circular, it goes around all the island with plenty of stops, and a lot of passengers use it for small journeys. Between Taipei and Tainan for instance, there are around 60 stops (even though most trains won't stop everywhere). So if someone buys a ticket from the 24th to the 25th stop, the seat won't be available to go from Taipei to Taiwan, but possibly empty during 97% of the trip.

But keep in mind that trains can get packed (especially during the weekends and the holidays), so be prepared to spend the whole trip standing up if you show up with "no seat" ticket.

Asia Taiwan Train Budget Transportation

Share this tip:

Written by liu-tw

Thoughts? Questions?

See also

Accommodations

Tours and activities

Everest Base Camp Trek-16 Days

Everest Base Camp Trekking leads to beautiful scenery enclosed by world giant peaks. Adventure on the foot of Mt. Everest with close views of massive Khumbu Ice-falls. Scenic walk in Everest Base Camp trek leads you to explore fascinating Sherpa farm villages and world heritage sites.

Sarangkot sunrise and hike Day

Sunrise, mountains view, village tour and green landscape.