Taipei is a good student city: big universities close to the center, cheap food around the campuses, and an MRT that is cheap and easy to use. The short version:
- The student south. National Taiwan University is at Gongguan (Green Line, G07) and National Taiwan Normal University near Guting (G09, O05), both in or next to Da'an.
- Get an EasyCard the day you arrive. It covers the MRT, buses and YouBike, and frequent MRT riders get cashback.
- Bring an ISIC card. It gets you the student price at the National Palace Museum. Some discounts are for Taiwanese student IDs only.
- Eat where students eat: Gongguan and Shida.
The university areas
- National Taiwan University (國立臺灣大學, NTU). The big main campus on Roosevelt Road, with Gongguan's shops and night market beside it. MRT: Gongguan Station (Green Line, G07).
- National Taiwan Normal University (國立臺灣師範大學, NTNU, or Shida 師大). On Heping East Road, with the Shida food streets around it. MRT: Guting Station (Green Line, G09; Orange Line, O05), Exit 5, then about 8 minutes on foot along Heping East Road; or Taipower Building Station (Green Line, G08) and walk up Shida Road.
- National Chengchi University (國立政治大學, NCCU). In Wenshan District, at No. 64, Section 2, Zhinan Road. No MRT station: ride the Brown Line to Taipei Zoo Station (BR01), cross the street and take bus 236, 237, 282, 611, Brown 6 or Brown 11 to National Chengchi University.
Learning Mandarin
The universities run the best-known Mandarin programs for foreigners in Taipei. All four below teach in small classes; check each one's own site for terms, fees and how to apply.
- Mandarin Training Center, NTNU (國立臺灣師範大學國語教學中心, MTC). Four three-month terms a year plus summer terms, a three-week express program and online study. At No. 129, Section 1, Heping East Road. MRT: Guting Station (G09, O05), Exit 5. → MTC's English site
- Chinese Language Division, NTU Language Center (國立臺灣大學語文中心中國語文組, CLD). Courses for the public since 2000, in classes of about 6 to 8 placed by level. Spring, summer and autumn terms run 12 weeks, winter 10. In the Language Center building at No. 170, Section 2, Xinhai Road. → CLD's English site
- International Chinese Language Program, NTU (國際華語研習所, ICLP). An intensive immersion program, with one one-on-one class and three small group classes a day, in the same Language Center building on Xinhai Road. → ICLP
- Chinese Language Center, NCCU (國立政治大學華語教學中心). Regular, short-term, individual and online courses on the NCCU campus. → NCCU Chinese Language Center
For the NTU Language Center building on Xinhai Road, check the center's own directions for the best MRT station and bus before your first day.
Student discounts you can actually use
Many student prices in Taiwan are written for Taiwanese student IDs. A few accept foreign students, so carry both your home student card and an International Student Identity Card (ISIC), and ask at the counter.
- National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院). NT$150 instead of NT$350 with a valid ISIC; free for anyone 17 and under. MRT: Shilin Station (Red Line, R16), then bus Red 30. → National Palace Museum guide
- Taipei Fine Arts Museum (臺北市立美術館). NT$30, or NT$15 for students with valid ID, and free for everyone on Saturday evenings from 17:00 to 20:30. MRT: Yuanshan Station (Red Line, R14).
- Taipei Children's Amusement Park (臺北市立兒童新樂園). The student entry price (NT$15) is open to foreign students with an ISIC card. MRT: Jiantan Station (Red Line, R15), then bus Red 30. → Taipei with kids
- Not every discount applies. Yehliu Geopark's half-price ticket, for example, is for students with a Taiwanese student ID. → Yehliu day trip
Cheap eating near campus
Gongguan Night Market (公館夜市) is the student market beside NTU, in the lanes off Roosevelt Road, open about 17:00 to midnight. MRT: Gongguan Station (Green Line, G07). → Gongguan Night Market on NightMarket.tw
Shida (師大), the streets around NTNU centered on Shida Road, is full of cheap restaurants, cafes and small shops aimed at students. MRT: Taipower Building Station (Green Line, G08).
Convenience stores are on almost every block for cheap meals, drinks and snacks, most open 24 hours. → Da'an, Shida and Gongguan · The dishes to try · Taiwanese breakfast
Getting around cheaply
- EasyCard. One card for the MRT, buses and YouBike. On the MRT, it earns cashback the following month once you take more than 10 trips in a month. → The EasyCard
- YouBike. Members in Taipei ride the first 30 minutes free. Registering as a member needs a Taiwanese mobile number, which is one more reason to get a local SIM if you are staying a while. Short-term visitors can rent with a credit card in the app instead. → YouBike
- Buses. Tap the same EasyCard. → How the buses work
Phones
Get a local SIM or eSIM: you need a Taiwanese number for YouBike membership. Make sure your phone supports 4G calling, since Taiwan's 3G networks are gone. Carriers ask for your passport and a second ID. → Practical basics: phones, money and more
Cheap and free things to do
- Da'an Forest Park (大安森林公園). About 26 hectares of trees and lawns in the middle of the city, free. MRT: Da'an Park Station (Red Line, R06). → Parks and riverside paths
- Elephant Mountain (象山). A short, steep, free climb to the Taipei 101 view, open 24 hours. MRT: Xiangshan Station (Red Line, R02). → More easy hikes
- Treasure Hill Artist Village (寶藏巖國際藝術村), a walk from Gongguan Station (G07), Exit 1. → Da'an guide
- The culture parks. Huashan 1914 and Songshan Cultural and Creative Park are free to wander. → Museums and culture parks
Sources
Mandarin Training Center from its English site and directions. NTU language programs from NTU, the Chinese Language Division and ICLP. NCCU address and buses from the NCCU International Summer School; the NCCU Chinese Language Center. Museum prices from the National Palace Museum and the Taipei Fine Arts Museum; the amusement park from its fees page. EasyCard cashback from Taipei Metro's Frequent Passenger Program; YouBike from its fares and registration pages. Checked October 2026.