Taiwan

Traveling

Passport and visa service: Bureau of Consular Affairs
Diplomatic representations: List of the embassies on the website of the Ministry of foreign affairs.

Recommendation: There are plenty of taxis (painted in yellow). All taxi drivers speak Chinese; many speak at least some English. In Taipei, you could take bus and metro. It’s convenient and safe. One bus ticket for adult is 15 NTD. One metro ticket is from 20 to 65 NTD (depends the distance). Language of the signalization in the urban transports: Chinese, English.
Maps of urban networks: Taiwan.net
Urmap
Taiwan Map

Recommendation: Driving or riding motorcycles is dangerous and should be avoided, even by experienced motorcyclists. Substandard road conditions and local disregard for traffic laws result in frequent accidents that cause serious and even fatal injuries to foreigners. Mountain roads are narrow, winding, and poorly banked.
Road maps: Freeway Map
Taiwan.net
Find an itinerary: Mappy
Live search

Historical: Temples, old Taiwanese Hakka, Chinese style house, and the heritages from colonial age. Visit the website of Taiwan.net.
Cultural: Temples, museums, historical sites, traditional arts and cuisine. Visit the website of Taiwan.net.
Nature: Natural parks, forest recreation areas, national scenic areas and ecotourism. Visit the website of Taiwan.net.
Religious: Taiwan's temples, of which there are more than 5,000, lie at the core of the island's religious life as active places of worship. Most temples are either of Taoist, Buddhist, or the less ornate Confucian styles. Visit the website of Taiwan.net.
Thermal: There are many geothermal hot springs throughout Taiwan. The warm waters of these springs, heated and charged by the earth's own energy, are believed to soothe, revitalize and reinvigorate the body. Visit the website of Taiwan.net.
Beach: In south and north of Taiwan. Visit the website of Taiwan.net.
Winter sports: No winter sports.
Outdoor activities: Climbing, mountain biking, rafting, scuba diving, golf, surfing, Sailing and Windsurfing. Visit the website of Taiwan.net.
Shopping: Taiwan is an excellent shopping destination, with everything from Ultra-modern shopping malls to traditional markets offering a wide array of goods. Visit the website of Taiwan.net.

Top 10 highlights of the capital city
Taipei 101 Tower
National Palace Museum
Yang Min Shan national park
Wulai hot spring region
MaoKong Gondola / MuZha tea garden
MaoKong Gondola / MuZha tea garden
LongShan Temple
National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall
Dan Shuei old street / Hongmau Castle
Jiou Fen old street
North coast and QuanYinShan National Scenic area

Top 10 highlights of the country
Taroko National park
Yushan National Park
Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area
Shei-Pa National Park
Alishan National Scenic Area
Kenting National Park
Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area
Penghu National Scenic Area
Tainan City/ Festival
Baihe lotus
Green Island

Health precautions: Routine vaccination: Hepatitis B vaccine, DTP(Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis), poliomyelitis vaccine(OPV), MMR, BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) vaccine, Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine.
Required vaccination: yellow fever, Cholera vaccine, Meningococcal vaccine.
Recommended vaccination: Hepatitis A vaccine, Rabies Vaccine, flu vaccine.
International hospitals: List of hospitals.
For further information on sanitary conditions: Department Of Health.
Center for Disease Control.
Bureau of Health Promotion.
For further information on safety conditions: US Department of state information.

Police	110
Ambulance and Fire	119

Fuseau(x) horaire

Type of climate: Subtropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year.
A subtropical climate with moderate temperatures in the north, where there is a winter season. The southern areas, where temperatures are slightly higher, enjoy sunshine every day, and there is no winter season. The typhoon season is from June to October.

Climate

Culinary specialties: Taiwan is famous for great seafood dishes like grilled or steamed squid, prawn or shrimp. Authentic Taiwanese cooking is also known as Holo or Minnanese. Ginger is the most common spice added. Other food specialties include shrimp rolls, fried eel, baked clams and crabs with rich ginger honey sauce. When frying, Taiwanese use pork fat which provide instant flavor to meats. Dumplings and dimsum are also common in Taipei.
Drinks
Dietary taboos: Culinary taboos are different from one religion to another.

Domestic currency: New Taiwan Dollar
ISO Code: TWD
To obtain domestic currency: Foreign currencies can be exchanged at government-designated banks and hotels.
Possible means of payment: Cash, major credit cards such as American Express, Master Card, Visa, and Diners Club are accepted and traveler's checks may be cashed at foreign-exchange banks, some tourist-oriented businesses, and (by room guests) most international tourist hotels.

Official language: Mandarin Chinese.
Other languages spoken: Official language: Chinese mandarin, although the Min Nan Hua Taiwanese (dialect of the South of Fujian) and the Hakka (indigenous language) are widely spoken.
Business language: English.
Business language: English
Getting some knowledge: Consult Go2taiwan.net.
Free translation tools: Yahoo Dictionnary -