Internet in Taiwan: How to Get Online (eSIM, Local SIM, Roaming)

Every time I plan a trip to Asia, there's one thing I sort out before packing my bags: how to have internet in Taiwan from minute one. And it's purely practical, because in Taiwan, without data, you miss half the trip: train schedules, subway maps, a camera translator for menus, and EasyCard payments all live on your phone. Here, I compare all the real options for tourists, with prices and drawbacks, so you can choose wisely and not just by default at the Taoyuan airport counter.

Taiwan, one of the best networks in the world

In Taiwan, you have four main ways to get connected: roaming (the most expensive), iTaiwan public Wi-Fi (free but limited), a local Taiwanese SIM (very cheap unlimited data), and eSIM (the most practical). For most travelers, eSIM wins for convenience, price, and being installable before flying.

Taiwan is, without exaggeration, one of the best places on the planet to be connected. Independent network reports place Chunghwa Telecom with an average 5G download speed over 300 Mbps, with Far EasTone and Taiwan Mobile above 180 Mbps. Translated: fiber speeds on your mobile, walking down the street.

The flip side is that a disconnected tourist suffers more here than in Europe, because all travel logistics assume you have data. These are the apps you'll use non-stop, and none work without a connection:

• Google Maps. Works perfectly here, with real-time metro, bus, and train routes.
• Taiwan High Speed Rail and Taiwan Railway. Bullet train and conventional train schedules and tickets are checked on your phone.
• Google Translate. The camera translator for deciphering menus and traditional Chinese signs is pure gold.
• Uber and payment apps. Taxis, LINE (the national messaging app), and EasyCard top-ups all require data.

The conclusion is simple: in Taiwan, connectivity is not a luxury; it's basic travel infrastructure.

All options, compared

This is the general picture: the four real ways a Spanish tourist can connect in Taiwan, plus pocket Wi-Fi, with what each costs and where it will hurt you.

What's interesting about Taiwan compared to other destinations is that the local SIM is so cheap it almost ties with the eSIM. Even so, the most convenient option (roaming) is still the most expensive, and the freest (Wi-Fi) is the least useful when you really need it, which is out on the street. A breakdown of why roaming costs skyrocket can be found in how much international roaming costs.

No option is bad for everyone: a group traveling together can make the most of pocket Wi-Fi, and someone staying for a month will want a Taiwanese number. The answer depends on your trip, not a fixed rule.

Roaming: convenient and extremely expensive

Let's start with the default option: doing nothing and letting your operator charge you. Within the European Union, "roam like at home" applies, and you use your Spanish plan without surcharge. Taiwan is outside the EU, so that protection doesn't exist, and you enter international zone rates, which are among the most expensive in Asia.

Major Spanish operators offer plans for Asia between 5 and 12 euros per day for 100 MB or 1 GB. Do the math: ten days with an 8-euro plan is 80 euros, and many run out faster if you make video calls or upload photos from the night market. When the plan runs out, some operators cut you off, and others charge by consumption, leading to triple-digit bills upon return. The classic post-trip shock.

There's an important nuance: keeping your Spanish line active is the only way to continue receiving your SMS, including bank codes. The sensible thing is to leave it only for messages and handle data through another means, which is exactly what an eSIM allows: your Spanish card remains in for verifications, and data is consumed by the Taiwanese profile. I elaborate on this in eSIM vs roaming. In short: as a safety net, it's fine; as a primary plan in Taiwan, it's a waste of money.

Public Wi-Fi: iTaiwan and the fine print

Taiwan boasts, rightly so, of its public Wi-Fi. The government maintains iTaiwan, a network with over 5,000 free hotspots in public offices, stations, tourist attractions, and cultural centers. The great news for travelers is that, since July 2020, registration is no longer required, nor do you need to be a resident: you connect and browse, even foreigners. Add to that the Wi-Fi in cafes, MRT, convenience stores, and hotels, which is everywhere.

Why isn't this enough? For four reasons you'll discover on the first day:

• Doesn't cover the street. iTaiwan operates indoors, and a good number of its points close outside office hours. Just when you need it most—looking for a subway exit or train platform—you won't have it.
• Captive portals. Some commercial networks do require phone number verification, and they don't always accept Spanish numbers.
• Irregular quality. An open network shared with hundreds of people at Taipei Station is not the 5G we were talking about.
• Security. Accessing banking from an open network without a VPN is a bad idea here and anywhere else.

My recommendation is to treat it as what it is: an excellent complement to your hotel, not a primary connection plan. Download offline maps, upload photos, and update apps while you eat, and save mobile data for moving around, which is where the trip really happens.

Pocket Wi-Fi: the rental router

A pocket Wi-Fi is a portable router the size of a bar of soap that creates its own network, connecting phones, tablets, and laptops. In Taiwan, you rent it by the day, pick it up at a counter at Taoyuan airport, and return it at another before flying.

Prices range from 2 to 4 euros per day with unlimited data and up to five connected devices. But the paperwork doesn't tell the whole story, and that's where it stops convincing me.

The first time I rented a pocket Wi-Fi on a trip, I ended up carrying two phones, a camera, and an external battery just for the router. The day I forgot it at the hotel, the entire group lost internet simultaneously.

The battery life is 8 to 12 hours, and on an intense day of sightseeing, that number melts away: you need an external battery for the router in addition to your phone. And there's the group's dependence: whoever carries the device sets the group's pace, and if someone separates, they lose data. Add to that the deposit, insurance for loss, and calculating the return on the day of the flight. I compare them in depth in eSIM vs pocket Wi-Fi: for groups that stick together, it makes sense; for the rest, it's outdated technology.

Local Taiwanese SIM: cheap unlimited plans

Here, Taiwan shines and deserves special mention: tourist prepaid cards with unlimited data are extremely cheap. The three operators—Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile, and Far EasTone—have counters in the arrivals areas of Terminals 1 and 2 at Taoyuan Airport, and they sell tourist-oriented daily plans. These are the reference prices for Chunghwa, the network leader:

It's a bargain hard to beat. The catch, as in almost all of Asia, is the process: it is mandatory to present your passport to buy and activate any SIM, and they usually ask for a second ID document. This means queuing and filling out forms just when you're fifteen hours into a flight. Also, these plans cannot be extended or recharged: when they expire, they're gone.

And there's a detail that people underestimate: to insert the Taiwanese SIM, you have to take out your Spanish card and store it where you won't lose it. While the Taiwanese SIM is in, your Spanish number is off, so goodbye to bank SMS. The full comparison is in eSIM vs local SIM.

eSIM: the option I recommend

An eSIM is a digital card you download to your mobile: it works the same way as a traditional one, but without plastic. You buy it from your couch at home, receive a QR code, scan it, and the profile is installed, ready to be activated upon landing. If you've never used one, start with what an eSIM is, which explains it from scratch.

For Taiwan, the advantages accumulate. Activation is immediate: you get off the plane, turn on data, and you're on the Taiwanese network before reaching the baggage claim, with no queues or passport checks. And crucially for me, dual line capability: your Spanish card remains in for SMS and calls while data travels via the Taiwanese profile, instantly solving those bank verification codes that cause so many headaches in Asia.

The only requirement is a compatible and unlocked phone: this includes almost all iPhones since the XS, Samsung Galaxy S20 and later, Pixel 3 and later, and most recent mid-to-high-end phones. These plans use the same Chunghwa, Taiwan Mobile, and Far EasTone networks, so you get the same network quality as a Taiwanese local: there's no second-class network for tourists. For a detailed step-by-step guide, see the eSIM guide for Taiwan.

Coverage: Taipei, Taroko, Kenting, and the HSR

Is coverage equally good outside Taipei? Generally, yes, with a wide margin compared to what you're used to. Taiwan is a mountainous but densely populated island, and operators have covered almost all inhabited territory with 4G and much of it with 5G. These are the scenarios that often cause concern:

• Taipei and the MRT. Full coverage, including skyscrapers, commercial basements, and all subway tunnels and stations. You can watch a video between stops without interruption.
• High-Speed Rail (HSR). On the Taipei-Kaohsiung route, a connection of 60-90 Mbps is maintained for 95% of the journey, with micro-cuts of a couple of seconds in some tunnels that recover instantly.
• Taroko. There is 4G in the visitor center and at the main stops in the gorge, but the signal weakens in the deeper sections of the gorge. Download the offline map before entering.
• Sun Moon Lake. Very well covered: 50-60 Mbps in Shuishe and stable 4G on the bike path and at the temples.
• Kenting and East Coast. Here, your mobile is your primary connection, as there's less Wi-Fi. In cities like Hualien and Taitung, it's around 55-68 Mbps, dropping to 30-45 Mbps on roads between towns.

In short, you don't have to plan your route thinking about where there will be a signal. Unless you're serious mountaineering in the central mountain range, you'll be connected almost always.

How much data do you need?

This is the question I get asked the most, and where most people get it wrong, almost always by overestimating: anxiety leads to contracting huge plans that are then not even half used. Let's look at real daily consumption figures for a typical trip to Taiwan.

My advice: for a standard trip of 8 to 12 days, 10 GB is the sweet spot. It more than covers Google Maps, the camera translator, train schedules, and calls home. Keep in mind that you'll constantly be entering and leaving places with Wi-Fi—cafes, shops, hotels—so a good portion of heavy consumption will happen there.

A trick I always use: I download offline maps the night before flying, using home Wi-Fi. It saves me a gigabyte or more and gives me a Plan B on the first day. And if you run short halfway through your trip, recharging a digital plan takes two minutes from the app.

Arrive connected from landing

The goal is simple: when the plane touches down in Taoyuan and you turn off airplane mode, you have internet. No queues, no searching for counters, no relying on airport Wi-Fi. This is how I do it, and it works the same in Taoyuan, Songshan, or Kaohsiung.

1. At home, with Wi-Fi, before flying. Buy the plan, receive the QR code, and scan it. The profile is installed but inactive: it doesn't consume anything or start counting validity.
2. Check that your phone is unlocked. Settings > General > About on iPhone, or Settings > Connections > SIM Card Manager on Android. If the new line appears, it's ready.
3. Upon landing in Taoyuan. Turn off airplane mode, activate data, and select the Taiwanese profile as the data line. The network connects in less than a minute.
4. Leave your Spanish SIM for calls and SMS. Your number remains active for bank codes, without consuming data.
5. Disable data roaming on the Spanish line. I insist on this because it's where people make mistakes: a phone with active roaming in the background can cost you 30 euros while you wait for your luggage.

With this, by the time you take the MRT from the airport to Taipei, Google Maps will already be calculating your route, and you can let loved ones know you've arrived. I land with the map already open, and that feeling of arriving without relying on anyone is half the battle won for the trip.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

The picture is now clear. Taiwan has one of the best mobile networks on the planet and a digital infrastructure that assumes you're connected: maps, trains, translations, and payments all live on your phone. Getting connected isn't a luxury, it's part of the ticket.

iTaiwan Wi-Fi is a great complement but not a plan; roaming is convenient but disproportionately expensive; pocket Wi-Fi only pays off for groups that stick together; and a local Taiwanese SIM is very cheap, but it costs you a queue, your passport, and your Spanish number. The eSIM takes the best of all: you install it at home, activate it upon landing, and use the same Chunghwa, Taiwan Mobile, and Far EasTone networks that locals use, keeping your usual line for bank SMS.

At PuraSIM, I don't yet have an exclusive Taiwan plan, but the international eSIM covers the country perfectly. My practical recommendation: 10 GB for ten days, profile installed the night before flying, and data roaming deactivated on the Spanish line. With that, you can sort it out today in five minutes and land in Taoyuan with the map already open.

Written by Marc González Sáez Founder of PuraSim and a specialist in eSIM and connectivity for travelers. He has been helping people travel connected worldwide for years without overpaying for roaming, and personally tests eSIMs in each destination before recommending them.