Hello -

Plan to be in Taipei late December for one week, and again late January 2012 for one month. Last year I paid about $600 USD for a direct round-trip flight (due to late planning)!! Looking to save money this time!

Where is the best website / airline (or travel agent) to book a direct flight from Shanghai to Taipei? Should I book now OR wait a few weeks?

Also do you have any vacation rental/hotel/motel recommendations in Taipei to share? Looking for cheap, clean, 2-double bed or 2 bedroom rental for one month. Thank you! Please PM.

Guess unless I miss something you not mention where you will fly out from? Can make a difference.

Thanks - looking for cheap flights from Shanghai to Taipei.

I am not in Shanghai so not know what agents but try online or phone to C-Trip and E-Long as a guide. Sometimes they are cheaper then many places

C-Trip and E-Long
also check local agent, sometimes they have better deals.

direct flight is always expensive.
sh -hk-Taipei will be cheaper

Normally, I will book my flights to TW with Ctrip. If it is not a holiday, I would pay around 2800 rmb for a direct flight. I like Ctrip because they are flexible. You can cancel the last minute or change your schedule.

Local Ticketing Agents usually have the best deals or you can go direct to the airline. You should be able to get a good price for December for around RMB 3000. But Chinese New Year 2012 is from Jan 22-28. I just bought direct flights for those dates and it was RMB 4500. Last year, I paid RMB 5000 and it connected via Hong Kong. Book early for your late January trip, since it's around CNY.

Ctrip prices aren't correct during peak travel dates, you have to call to confirm. If you can read Chinese, check out Qunar. It's like Kayak.com for China. They have better deals but you need a local credit card.

Thanks for all the replies.

I guess Ctrip is still the best site to book.

generally i like buying from aifei.com
for taipei i usually check the airline's websites - china eastern and china airlines (CAL) - for direct flights

Maybe, you should buy the second trip from Taipei

If you want a reference, I can give you my travel agent contact.

And Btb, sorry, not true that direct flights are more expensive than flights through HK or Macau.

My most recent flight : August 5 (booked around 25 july), 12,900 NT$ round trip with Air China (2800 rmb)
Basically no food , but: fly from Sungshan airport to Hongqiao
So you save taxi to and back Taoyuan airport, and same when you arrive in shanghai
If you can book 2 months in advance, you would save probably another 1000 NT$

Mr Totomolo wrote:Maybe, you should buy the second trip from Taipei

If you want a reference, I can give you my travel agent contact.

And Btb, sorry, not true that direct flights are more expensive than flights through HK or Macau.

My most recent flight : August 5 (booked around 25 july), 12,900 NT$ round trip with Air China (2800 rmb)
Basically no food , but: fly from Sungshan airport to Hongqiao
So you save taxi to and back Taoyuan airport, and same when you arrive in shanghai
If you can book 2 months in advance, you would save probably another 1000 NT$

good to know.

^you can believe the dumb laowai,
or the master chinese kid

then u'll piss on urself...saying...dam...

If you don't mind a stopover, Dragonair is a good option (via HK).

read in the paper tAIWAN-CHINA flights will hit record lows as govt thinks most taiwanese living in PRC will vote pro-china

369$ all in if i remember rightly.