Taipei (Keelung) Cruise Ship Port Guide

When your cruise line says Taipei, they mean Keelung. The terminal on your ticket, East or West, sits on the harbour in Keelung City, up on Taiwan’s north coast. Central Taipei is just a short train ride away, which makes this one of the easier city stops on an Asia itinerary.

Keelung Cruise Port and Taipei Cruise Port, Sorting Out the Names

Cruise lines can’t seem to agree on what to call this stop. You’ll see Taipei Cruise Port, Taipei Keelung Cruise Port, Keelung Taipei Cruise Port, or just the Taipei cruise terminal. Every single one of them means the same harbour in Keelung City on Taiwan’s north coast.

The Port of Keelung is run by the Taiwan International Ports Corporation, the state owned outfit that manages Taiwan’s international ports. Its official UN/LOCODE is TWKEL, the code shipping systems use to log a call here, not that you’ll need it for anything beyond trivia at dinner.

Taiwan also has a separate Port of Taipei (UN/LOCODE TWTPE), a cargo facility around 37km away by road. It has no passenger terminal and nothing to do with your cruise call, so if a map app sends you there, ignore it.

• Location: Keelung City, Taiwan’s north coast, around 24km from central Taipei.
• Terminals: East Passenger Terminal and West Passenger Terminal, both on the harbour front.
• Into Taipei: train, coach or taxi, all under an hour door to door.
• Money: currency exchange counters inside both terminals handle major currencies.

Keelung Cruise Terminal: East Wharf or West Wharf?

Port of Keelung’s two passenger buildings, the East and West Passenger Terminals, both handle international cruise ships and both come with tourist information desks, currency exchange counters, souvenir shops, free wifi throughout, and taxis waiting just outside arrivals.

Ask around and you’ll get different answers about which terminal counts as the main one for big ships. Some say West, some say East. In practice it depends on the sailing and how many ships are in port that day, so the only answer that matters is your ship’s daily programme, sometimes called the compass, which confirms East or West Wharf before you arrive. This is the one thing about Keelung that catches people out, so don’t rely on last season’s itinerary notes or a forum post to guess your wharf.

Keelung Railway Station’s north exit is a 4 minute walk from one terminal, while the south exit is an 8 minute walk from the other. Check which wharf you’re using before you set off on foot, or you’ll be adding an unplanned loop to your morning.

Keelung Cruise Port to Taipei: Step by Step

Getting from Keelung cruise port to Taipei is probably the first thing on your mind, and the answer is refreshingly simple once you know the options.

• Train: Keelung Railway Station is a short walk from either terminal, with trains reaching Taipei Main Station in around 40 to 50 minutes.
• Coach: Kuo Kuang express buses run from the bus station beside Keelung Railway Station to Taipei West Bus Station, Terminal A, roughly every 10 to 20 minutes.
• Shuttle: some cruise lines run a shuttle to Maritime Plaza, where buses into Taipei also depart.
• Taxi: the quickest door to door option, covering the roughly 16 to 18 mile road distance in about 20 minutes in light traffic.

Whichever option you pick, build in extra time for the way back too. Re-boarding cut off times don’t care that your train was delayed.

Keelung Port, Taiwan: How Busy Does It Get?

Port of Keelung is Taiwan’s busiest cruise gateway and the country’s second largest seaport after Kaohsiung, covered in our Kaohsiung cruise ship port guide. It’s the main maritime gateway for northern Taiwan and the greater Taipei area, and the numbers back that up. It welcomed 219 cruise ship calls and processed a record 993,000 international cruise passengers in the most recent full year of data, a 26.2% rise on the year before and comfortably past the previous pre-pandemic high, according to Pacific Ports. Of those, 376,000 were non-Taiwanese passengers, itself a record and a 41.3% jump on the year before, which tells you how fast international itineraries are filling the port’s two terminals.

If you’re weighing up Keelung against Taiwan’s other calls, our Taiwan cruise ports guide covers the full picture, including the Taichung cruise ship port guide further down the west coast.

What to See in a Few Hours, Keelung and Taipei

If you’d rather skip Taipei altogether, Keelung itself can fill a port day on its own. Miaokou Night Market, officially the Miaokou Food Market, is a short walk from either terminal and is known across the island for its snack stalls.

Zhongzheng Park and Heping Island Park both sit near the harbour, and the YM Oceanic Culture and Art Museum covers the city’s shipping history if you’re curious about the port itself. Keelung Islet is visible from the waterfront, though seeing it properly takes more time than most port calls give you.

Miaokou’s stalls and alleys pack out once the evening rush arrives, and a bag designed to deter pickpockets in busy markets is worth having if you’re carrying a phone, passport copy and cash all at once.

For Taipei’s big ticket sights, the train puts you within reach of Taipei 101, the National Palace Museum, and Shilin Night Market. Fitting in more than one comfortably in a single afternoon is ambitious once you factor in the return train and re-boarding time.

Between the cobbled harbour paths and Taipei’s crowded pavements, shoes built for a full day on your feet will matter more than anything else you pack for a Keelung port day.

If You’re Flying Into or Out of Taipei

If your cruise starts or ends at Keelung, you’ll most likely fly into Taipei rather than landing locally. Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) is about an hour’s drive from the port, while the closer Taipei Songshan Airport is roughly 40 minutes away by car, around 22km by distance.

Without a car, the train from Taoyuan Airport to the port area takes around 1 hour 50 minutes including transfers. Build that into your pre or post cruise plans rather than cutting it fine.

Common Questions

Is Keelung the same place as Taipei cruise port?

Yes. Cruise lines label the call Taipei, Taipei Keelung, or Keelung Taipei, but every version means the Port of Keelung on Taiwan’s north coast. There’s no separate cruise terminal sitting inside Taipei itself.

Which terminal will my ship use, East or West?

It varies by sailing. Check your ship’s daily programme or boarding documents shortly before arrival. Even reference sources disagree on which terminal handles which line, and it can change from one sailing to the next.

How far is the port from central Taipei?

Around 24km by road. Trains to Taipei Main Station take roughly 40 to 50 minutes, and a taxi covers the same distance in about 20 minutes in light traffic.

Can I walk into Keelung town from the terminal?

Yes. Miaokou Night Market and Keelung Railway Station are both within an 8 minute walk of the terminals, so you don’t need any transport for a look around the harbour area.

What currency should I bring for a Keelung port day?

New Taiwan dollars. Both terminals have currency exchange counters handling major currencies, though rates are usually better at a bank or ATM once you’re into Keelung or Taipei.

Is Keelung the same as the Port of Taipei?

No. The Port of Taipei (UN/LOCODE TWTPE) is a separate cargo facility around 37km away with no passenger terminal at all. Your cruise call is at Keelung, whatever your itinerary happens to call it.

Do I need to book a train ticket to Taipei in advance?

Not usually. Trains from Keelung Railway Station to Taipei run frequently throughout the day, and tickets are sold at the station shortly before you go.

What’s the port’s official code?

UN/LOCODE TWKEL, the standard identifier shipping and logistics systems use for the Port of Keelung. It has no bearing on your actual visit beyond confirming which port your itinerary is talking about.

Why Trust About2Cruise

This guide draws on Taiwan International Ports Corporation terminal information, transport timetables, and independently published port statistics, cross checked across several sources rather than lifted from one site. About2Cruise doesn’t claim to have sailed every itinerary we cover. Our job is to gather and verify the practical details before you travel. Read more about how we research and fact check our guides.