Route Briefing: Toronto to Taipei
There's a reason seasoned travellers keep coming back to Taipei — it's one of those cities that rewards you immediately, from the moment you land. The flight from Toronto to Taipei runs around 15 hours and 30 minutes with one stop, typically routing through an Asian hub, and carriers like EVA Air, China Airlines, and Korean Air cover this route year-round with solid reputations for service and comfort. If you can snag a roundtrip fare under $800, you're doing very well — standard pricing tends to land between $1,100 and $1,400 or more, so the savings are real and worth chasing.
To find those deals, book three to five months ahead and lean toward mid-week departures, which can shave a meaningful amount off the ticket price. EVA Air and China Airlines in particular frequently offer competitive fares on this route, and as Taiwan's flagship carriers, they bring a level of care to long-haul flying that economy travellers genuinely appreciate. Avoid travelling in July and August or around Lunar New Year in late January to early February if you want lower prices and thinner crowds — though if you can swing the Lunar New Year period, the city's festive energy is something else entirely.
Once you land at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the airport MRT connects you directly to central Taipei quickly and affordably, making it one of the easier airport-to-city transfers in Asia. No need to stress about taxis or navigating unfamiliar transit on arrival.
Taipei itself is endlessly liveable and endlessly fascinating. The night markets — Shilin being the most famous — are a full sensory experience: grilled squid, scallion pancakes, stinky tofu if you're brave, and bubble tea at every turn. The city essentially invented modern bubble tea culture, and drinking it here, fresh and made to order, is a small but genuine joy. Taipei 101, once the world's tallest building, still dominates the skyline and offers sweeping views of the surrounding mountains. Speaking of mountains, the Beitou district sits just outside the city centre and is famous for its geothermal hot springs — a perfect way to recover from jet lag after that long transpacific haul.
The one tip worth burning into your memory: get an EasyCard as soon as you arrive. This rechargeable transit card works on the metro, buses, and even at many convenience stores, and it makes getting around the city genuinely seamless. Taipei's public transport is clean, punctual, and cheap — lean into it and you'll spend far less than you expect on a city that already punches well above its weight for value.