Rotary Convention 2026

The Rotary International Convention from June 13th to 17th 2026, is being held in Taipei the capital city of Taiwan R.O.C This article is intended to be a brief indication of what to expect in Taipei from personal experience, having visited Taipei 4 times since 2012 and twice in the past 2 years.

How to get there- Flying direct from a European city you will arrive at Taoyuan International airport, or if you transit through Hong Kong, or a neighbouring country, you may land at Songshan airport in the middle of the city. Both airports are connected to and around the city by a metro system.

On arrival at Taoyuan International Airport, there is an excellent metro system Taoyuan Metro taking you into the Taipei Main station in the city centre costing about 150 Taiwan dollars. This takes 35-45 minutes. At the Main station you can transfer to the cities MRT known locally as the “Ji-ing”. or Taxi to your hotel. Many of whom do airport pickups but can cost upwards of 2000TWD from Taoyuan.  For the MRTs It is best to buy a travel pass for a given number of days or an “Easy Pass “card which has a 100TWD deposit per card and can be topped up as required This can be used in certain convenience stores and be refunded when leaving. Both are available at the airports and vending machines or booths in the MRT stations. 

The currency is the New Taiwan dollar which currently is about 42TWD to the £1 but fluctuates according to how the US dollar is trading. The venues for the convention, the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Centre (TaiNex) is the terminal station for 2 MRT lines the Blue and Brown and Farglory (Taipei) Dome, also on the Blue line about 10/15mins from the Exhibition Centre. There are no hotels at the Exhibition centre so travel to and from will be required.  The Dome is more central in the city with many hotels in the vicinity. All MRT trains announce in 3 languages including English the name of the next stop and on a display screen. Mandarin Chinese is the official language but, in most tourist, / business hotels English is spoken by hotel reception staff.

Taiwan itself has opened up to tourism in the last 20 years with the slogan “The Heart of Asia” and many western visitors now travel to Taiwan. Many Rotarians will have visited other far eastern countries and there are similarities and some differences. For example, tipping is not generally expected. The Taiwanese people are welcoming, and you are not generally bothered by street sellers even in the night markets and crime is not a big issue. Currently UK passport holders do not require a visa but need to complete an electronic Taiwan arrival card within 3 days prior to arrival.

Credit cards are accepted by hotels, Dept stores and restaurants but cash is required in local markets, small shops and local eateries.

No visit to Taipei is complete without a visit to a night market which sell a wide range of street food, and each may specialise in e.g. clothing. Taipei is a shopper’s paradise from very cheap good quality goods to high end designer shopping.

Other places to visit include Sun Yet Sen Memorial Hall, the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the National Palace Museum, Taipei 101 along with any number of Buddhist temples dotted around the city. There is also the Taipei Zoo in the south of the city, where they successfully bred a panda cub. There are several local parks around the city which provide a bit of tranquillity. If you are suffering from conference fatigue the Sun Yet Sen Memorial Hall and park are just across the road from the Farglory (Taipei) Dome, can provide a bit of respite. However, the main nature park is Yangmingshan National Park to the north of the city which from the right spot provides great views of the city.

It will be very hot in June so if going to be outside in the daytime recommend, having your factor 50 at hand and for the evening spray yourself with an insect repellent before going out as the bugs seem to love fair skins.

Most Rotary clubs in Taipei meet at lunchtime, with some hotels hosting several clubs at the same time in various meeting rooms. If you wish more detail, I can point you in the right direction to various useful websites

Gordon Hepburn, Secretary Rotary Club of Aberdeen Balgownie