✦ Num in Taiwan

A concierge that already knows Taiwan

Over 250,000 places across 28 towns and regions of Taiwan, from Taipei night markets to Tainan's old quarter and the east coast, for travelers who eat their way round.

Taiwan is an island you can cross by high-speed rail in ninety minutes, and Num covers nearly all of it: 251,767 places across 28 towns and regions, deepest in Taipei with 104,931 across Zhongshan, Zhongzheng, Da'an and Wenshan, then Taoyuan with 23,281, Taichung with 17,555 and New Taipei with 16,272. Tainan, Kaohsiung and Changhua follow, and the directory reaches Hualien, Taitung, Alishan, Kinmen, Penghu and the outlying islands.

Ask Num here for a beef noodle shop in Da'an open past midnight, a breakfast stall near your hotel doing dan bing before 7am, a Tainan restaurant for danzai noodles, a bakery for pineapple cake that locals queue at, a hot spring in Beitou you can book tonight, a pharmacy open now in Taichung, or a café in Zhongshan with a spare seat. It answers with one real place and says whether it is open.

Where Num is in Taiwan

Every destination Num covers here, with how many places it holds in each. Open one for the full picture.

The essentials

CurrencyNew Taiwan dollar (TWD)
LanguagesMandarin; Taiwanese Hokkien widely spoken; English on signs and in the Taipei MRT, less so in small towns
PlugsTypes A, B · 110 V
Emergency110 police · 119 fire and ambulance
TippingNot practised; a 10% service charge is added in most sit-down restaurants

What to know before you land

EasyCard

Buy one at any MRT station or convenience store and tap it on the MRT, buses, YouBike shared bikes, and at 7-Eleven and FamilyMart. Taipei and Kaohsiung metros both take it.

MRT rules

No eating, drinking or chewing gum past the gates, and the fines are enforced. Locals stand to the right on escalators and queue on the platform markings.

Cash

Night markets, breakfast stalls and small noodle shops want cash, and cards are less common than in Japan or Hong Kong. Convenience store ATMs take foreign cards.

Typhoons

July to September is the season; a typhoon day closes offices, schools and many shops, and the east coast and mountain roads are the first to be cut.

Receipts

Every printed receipt carries a number in the national receipt lottery, drawn every two months. Keep them, or drop them in the donation boxes at convenience store tills.

How Num works in Taiwan

Message Num the way you would message a friend who lives here, in any language. It answers with one real place that fits, open now, and how to get there. It is free for travelers. Businesses list free and pay only when Num completes a booking for them, so nothing here is ranked by who paid.

Ask Num about Taiwan

Questions about Taiwan

Is Taiwan safe for tourists?

Yes, and very; theft is rare and lost items are often returned. Scooter traffic is the main hazard, so look both ways even at green lights, and take typhoon warnings seriously in summer.

Can I use Num in Taiwan in English?

Yes. Message it in any language and it answers in yours, with a real place that is open now.

What is the best time to visit Taiwan?

October to December for dry, clear weather and comfortable temperatures across the island; March to May is warm and green. Summer is hot, humid and typhoon-prone.