larger banks such as the International Bank of China (CBC) and Bank of Taiwan can change money. There are no legal private money changers in Taiwan, but if you’re stuck some jewellery shops will change cash. Major international credit cards can be used at big hotels and flashier restaurants or to get cash advances at your card’s offices.

Tipping is not the done thing in Taiwan. (However, at some nicer bars in Taipei the waitresses and waiters may expect a tip especially if they are used to Western customers.) The only people who really expect you to shell out are hotel bellhops and airport porters, who will expect about US$1.00 a bag. Big hotels and restaurants will stick 10% service charge and 5% value added tax on your bill. Taiwan is not a developing country, so don’t expect to haggle yourself a bargain – you may be able to get a slight discount (around 10%) in street markets and small shops.

Currency
Name New Taiwan Dollar
Symbol NT$ Sample Price Guide
2L bottled water NT$ 35 bowl of beef noodles NT$ 80 cup of coffee NT$ 80 basic fare on Taipei’s MRT (underground rail) NT$ 20 admission to National Palace Museum NT$ 100 paper umbrella NT$ 600 handmade Kinmen knife NT$ 800 Average Room Prices
Low Mid High
NT$300-1600 NT$1600-4000 NT$4000+
Average Meal Prices
Low Mid High
NT$50-150 NT$150-400 NT$400+

Taiwan: Getting there & around
Getting There
Taiwan has international airports at Taoyuan (near Taipei), Kaohsiung and Taichung. You can fly to Taiwan from just about anywhere in the world except, ironically enough, mainland China. Ferries run between Okinawa in Japan and Keelung and Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

Getting Around
Flights go between all the major cities and outlying islands, which are also serviced by regular ferries. With buses you can choose between government or private (cheaper and faster but more dangerous). A train line circumnavigates the island and the service is good. There are four classes – the first three are more expensive than buses, the fourth is cheap but slow. A high-speed rail (HSR) system on the west coast, from Taipei to Zuoying in Kaohsiung, opened in 2007. HSR stations are literally in the sticks – connecting shuttle services link to urban centres. Long-distance share taxis are expensive – there are several tourist trains with better facilities and service. Driving a car is not terribly difficult outside of the cities, especially on weekdays.

Taiwan: History
Pre-20th-Century History
Little archaeological evidence remains from Taiwan’s early history. People – probably from Austronesia (though there is serious speculation that Taiwan is the origin of all Austronesian peoples) – are thought to have inhabited the island since 10,000 BC with migration from China occurring much later in the 15th century. In 1517 Portuguese sailors reached Taiwan and named it Ilha Formosa (Beautiful Island). The Dutch invaded in 1624 and built a capital at Tainan – two years later they lost the island to a Spanish invasion but returned the favour by booting the Spanish out in 1641. During the 1660s the Ming and Manchu (Qing) dynasties arrived on the scene, kicking out the Dutch and wrestling one another for control of the island. The Manchus eventually won, making Taiwan a county of Fujian province and triggering a flood of Chinese immigration. At the end of the 19th century, the Japanese decided to weigh in as well: Taiwan was ceded to them in 1895 following China’s