Taipei Main Station Car Rental Guide: Walking to the Branch via Exit Y19, Opening Hours & Driving Times Out of Taipei

Taipei Main Station Car Rental Guide: Walking to the Branch via Exit Y19, Opening Hours & Driving Times Out of Taipei

Taipei Main Station (台北車站) is where the High Speed Rail, TRA trains, the Taipei Metro and the Taoyuan Airport MRT all meet, so it is the obvious place to think about picking up a rental car in Taipei. GoodCars' Taipei Main Station branch is on the north side of the station, across Civic Boulevard (市民大道) in Lane 26 of Chongqing North Road Section 1 — about a 3-minute walk once you surface at Exit Y19 of the Taipei City Mall underground arcade. This guide answers four practical questions: when to pick the car up, how to walk from the station to the branch, which pickup and return times you can book, and how long it takes to drive from here to Yangmingshan, the North Coast, Jiufen, Yilan and Taoyuan Airport. For sightseeing itineraries, follow the links to our route guides, starting with Taipei self-drive: 5 scenic routes.

Taipei Main Station; the GoodCars branch is on the north side, across Civic Boulevard (Unsplash, location tagged Taipei Main Station, Zhengzhou Road)

Ride the MRT in the city, pick up the car on the day you leave Taipei

Collecting a car the moment you arrive sounds convenient, but if your first few days are in Taipei City, the car will mostly sit in a car park. Most of Taipei's sights, shopping streets and night markets are within walking distance of an MRT station, while driving in the city means rush-hour traffic, swarms of scooters, and parking that is hard to find and usually paid in the busy districts.

A smarter plan splits your trip in two:

• City days: use the Taipei Metro. Taipei Main Station is the interchange for the Tamsui-Xinyi (red) and Bannan (blue) lines, and Beimen Station next door is on the Songshan-Xindian (green) line.
• The morning you head out of town: walk to the Taipei Main Station branch, pick up the car and drive straight to Yangmingshan, the North Coast, Jiufen or Yilan. You only pay for the days you actually drive, and you never have to hunt for overnight parking.
• Driving straight out of town after landing at Taoyuan Airport? Skip Taipei and pick up at the airport instead — see our Taoyuan Airport car rental pickup guide.

Let the MRT handle the city days and collect the car when you leave town (Unsplash, described by the photographer as a Taipei Metro train)

Walking from the station to the branch: take the underground mall to Exit Y19

Taipei Main Station is huge, with exits lettered M, Y, Z, K and more, and first-timers often go round in circles. Remember one thing: the branch is north of the station, across Civic Boulevard. Running underneath Civic Boulevard is the Taipei City Mall (台北地下街, the "Y" zone). It connects to the Taipei Metro station at its east end and to Beimen MRT station at its west end, and passages on its south side lead to the TRA, HSR and Airport MRT station areas — so whichever train you arrive on, you can walk there underground.

1. After the ticket gates, follow signs for "Taipei City Mall" / the Y zone. This works whether you came by TRA, HSR, Taipei Metro or the Airport MRT.
2. Walk west through the mall (towards Beimen) and look for Exit Y19. Odd-numbered Y exits are on the north side of Civic Boulevard and even-numbered ones on the south side; Y19 is on the north side, on the even-numbered side of Chongqing North Road.
3. At street level, walk north along Chongqing North Road Section 1 and turn into Lane 26. Google Maps puts it at about 210 m, a 3-minute walk from Exit Y19.
4. Spot the sign: the branch is an open ground-floor garage signed 「固得租車 台北店」. During staffed hours, just walk in and check in.

Walking times to the branch from common arrival points (Google Maps walking routes):

Source: Google Maps walking routes to No. 19, Lane 26, Chongqing N. Rd Sec. 1, checked on the evening of Friday 25 September 2026; underground exit positions from Taipei City Mall exit listings and GoodCars' official branch map. Walking from your platform to the underground mall is extra and depends on which line you arrive on.

Arriving by train? After the gates, follow the Taipei City Mall signs to Exit Y19 (Unsplash, location tagged Taipei)

Pickup and return times: book online for 09:00–21:00, call ahead for other hours

The Taipei Main Station branch's online-bookable pickup and return times are 09:00–21:00, when staff are on site. For pickup or return outside business hours (21:00–09:00), call the branch in advance (+886 2-2550-2200) and we'll arrange it. Either way, complete your booking, upload your documents, pay and sign the e-contract online before you travel, so pickup is just a quick car check.

The full self-service steps (book online → upload documents → pay and sign → collect the car as notified → photograph it → return as instructed) are explained with pictures in our self-service pickup and return guide. For a pickup or return outside business hours, call the branch in advance and we'll arrange the time and place.

Driving out of Taipei: times to Yangmingshan, the North Coast, Jiufen, Yilan and the airport

The table below starts from the Taipei Main Station branch (No. 19, Lane 26, Chongqing N. Rd Sec. 1) and uses Google Maps driving routes. Each destination gets one line — for how to spend the day there, follow the linked guides.

For full itineraries covering the North Coast, Yangmingshan, the Northeast Coast, Jiufen and Wulai, see Taipei self-drive: 5 scenic routes.

Source: Google Maps driving routes from No. 19, Lane 26, Chongqing N. Rd Sec. 1, Taipei, checked off-peak on the evening of Friday 25 September 2026; ranges cover the suggested routes. Expect longer times at rush hour, on weekends and on public holidays. Freeways charge ETC tolls.

Yangmingshan National Park is inside Taipei City, about 35–40 minutes' drive from the branch to the visitor center (Unsplash, location tagged Yangmingshan, Taipei)

Three things to know before you drive out of the city

• Traffic keeps to the right, and there are lots of scooters. Many junctions have scooter waiting boxes; check your mirrors and your right side when turning, not just the road ahead.
• Read every junction's signals and signs. Many city junctions ban left turns or U-turns, or only allow the arrow directions — if your navigation says turn, the sign on the spot still wins.
• Set your navigation before you leave. The branch is in a lane, so enter your destination before pulling out. For the rules of the road, see our guide to Taiwan's driving rules for foreign drivers.

Many Taipei junctions ban left turns or U-turns — check the signals before you turn (Unsplash, location tagged Taipei)

Returning the car: back to the branch, or drop it at Taoyuan Airport

• Back to the Taipei Main Station branch: returns can be booked online for 09:00–21:00, when staff check the car in; if you need to return after 21:00, call the branch in advance (+886 2-2550-2200) and we'll arrange it. Traffic into Taipei is often heavy in the early evening, so leave a margin.
• Flying home on your last day? Use a one-way rental: pick up at Taipei Main Station and drop off at Taoyuan Airport (TPE), then go straight to check-in — no dragging luggage back to Taipei Main Station for the Airport MRT.

Choose different pickup and return locations on the booking page to see availability and the price; whether a one-way fee applies is shown on the booking page. Popular routes and tips are in our one-way car rental guide.

How pricing works: rental + mileage fee, with a fuel card in every car

GoodCars charges just two things, and it's the same at Taipei Main Station: the rental and a mileage fee.

• Rental: depends on the car and the dates (weekday, weekend, public holiday); live prices are on the booking page.
• Mileage fee: charged per kilometre actually driven, with no cap on distance — drive to the east coast and back if you like.
• Fuel card: every car comes with a dedicated fuel card. Use it at the pump and you don't pay for fuel yourself (fuel is built into the mileage fee), and you don't need to top up before returning the car.
• Paid for fuel yourself by mistake? Keep the receipt — it can be fully offset against the mileage fee.
• Freeway tolls: ETC tolls from freeway driving are settled separately under GoodCars' published terms.

See how the mileage fee works on our mileage fee page and in our mileage charges explainer; for a budget idea, read how much car rental costs in Taiwan.

Choosing a car: for two to four people with light luggage, a five-seater such as a Vios or Yaris is the easiest to park; for the mountain roads up to Yangmingshan or Jiufen, or more people and bags, consider a Yaris Cross or a 7–9 seater. See all models on our 5-seater and 7–9 seater pages — what's available at Taipei Main Station on your dates is shown on the booking page.

FAQ

Q1. What documents do I need to rent a car at Taipei Main Station?

Bring your passport, your home-country driving licence and a credit card in the renter's name. Most nationalities also need an International Driving Permit (IDP); Japanese licence holders can drive in Taiwan with their Japanese licence plus an official Chinese translation instead. Country-by-country rules and the booking steps are in our complete Taiwan car rental guide for foreign travellers.

Q2. My train gets in after 9 pm. Can I still pick up?

Yes, but not through online booking: the Taipei Main Station branch's online-bookable pickup and return times are 09:00–21:00. For a pickup outside business hours (21:00–09:00), call the branch in advance (+886 2-2550-2200) and we'll arrange it. If you're arriving by HSR or train, you can also pick up at Nangang Station instead, which is bookable 00:00–23:55.

Q3. Is the branch inside Taipei Main Station?

No. It's on the north side of the station, across Civic Boulevard, at No. 19, Lane 26, Chongqing N. Rd Sec. 1. The quickest way is to surface at Taipei City Mall Exit Y19 and walk north along Chongqing North Road for about 3 minutes; if in doubt, navigate to 台北市大同區重慶北路一段26巷19號.

Q4. Can I get a 7–9 seater at Taipei Main Station?

GoodCars' fleet includes 7–9 seaters (see our 7–9 seater page), but availability varies by branch and date, so check the booking page for Taipei Main Station on your dates. Large vehicles go first around public holidays and in summer, so book early.

Q5. Can I rent a scooter at Taipei Main Station?

The branch does offer scooters, but there are very few and availability isn't guaranteed; models, availability and pricing are shown on the booking page. Scooters don't come with a fuel card — you refuel them yourself. Scooter rental tips are in our scooter rental guide.

Q6. Do I need to add fuel before dropping the car off?

Not for cars. Fuel is built into the mileage fee — if you need fuel on the road, use the car's fuel card. You don't need to top the tank up at the end; just bring the car back on time (or park it as instructed).

Q7. Are there other GoodCars pickup points in Taipei?

Yes — in Taipei City there are also Songshan Airport (TSA), Songshan Station and Nangang Station, and in New Taipei there is Banqiao Station, among others. Songshan Airport, Nangang Station and Banqiao Station use self-service pickup at a parking lot and are bookable 00:00–23:55, while Songshan Station, like Taipei Main Station, can be booked online for pickup and return between 09:00 and 21:00 (outside these hours, call ahead and we'll arrange it). Just switch the pickup location on the booking page to compare.