Kinmen Travel

Credit Card or Cash?

Many of the businesses on Kinmen are small or medium-sized and family-run. This includes many bed and breakfasts, smaller hotels, restaurants and shops. This means that Kinmen people are used to paying with cash and you may not be able to use your credit card much.

If you're wanting to get cash out of an ATM connected to Cirrus or Visa, the best bets are:

• Mega Bank in Jincheng at 37-5 Minsheng Rd, a 3-min walk up the road from the bus station, on the same side of the street.
• Yuanta Bank in Jincheng at 188-1 Minquan Rd. Go up Minsheng Rd from the bus station, with the bus station on your L. At the top of the road, there's a big intersection with stoplights. That's Minquan Rd. Turn R, and Yuanta Bank is across the street on the L side of the road.
• SinoPac Bank at 236 Minquan Rd is connected with Amex. Follow the directions for Yuanta Bank above. Pass Yuanta Bank. SinoPac Bank is near Mos Burger, which you'll see on the L side of the road.
• It is highly recommended that, before you come, you inform your bank where you will be using your card. Otherwise, they may block transactions as suspicious. Also make sure you have a current PIN for your card.

Where Can You Change Money in Kinmen?

• Kinmen uses New Taiwan (NT) dollars, and if you are arriving by ferry from China you can change your renminbi to NT$ (and vice versa) at the ferry terminal. Those are the only two currencies that are able to be changed.
• If you are arriving at Kinmen airport on a weekday during the day, you can change foreign currency at the terminal. There are banking and postal services next to Exit C. Opening hours are from 8:30am until 4:30pm, Mon to Fri.
• In Jincheng, the largest town, several banks, all within a 5-min walk from the bus station, have a foreign currency exchange service. Banking hours are from 9am-3pm, Mon-Fri.

How Much does it Cost to Get to Kinmen?

The ferries from Mainland China to Kinmen had been temporarily banned from 10th Feb. 2020 due to coronavirus.

Ferry from Xiamen, China

Price: 160RMB / NT$650

Ferry from Shijing in Quanzhou, China

Price: 140RMB / NT$650

The best way to buy your ticket is at the ferry terminals on the day—there are no advance purchases. You can book a ticket in advance by phoning the ferry company. But as the ferries are large and frequent, it's not likely they'll be sold out. Going through a travel agent might be more expensive.

Flying to Kinmen from Taiwan

One-way plane tickets from several major cities in Taiwan (Taipei, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung) and Penghu Island cost about NT$2,000, depending on the airline and when you buy. The cheapest way to buy tickets is directly through airlines' websites. On the websites, they all offer a certain number of “promotional tickets” for each flight. These are only valid for the date and time of the ticket. If you decide to fly on a different date or time, you'll have to buy a new ticket. You can get a refund on the promotional ticket, but there's a penalty charge. Buying a round trip ticket doesn't save any money—they are simply the cost of 2 one-way tickets.

Transport costs once you're here

• Public Bus: NT$12-24 per ride, depending how long the ride is. Drivers have no change. You can pay cash or swipe Taipei Easy Card or Kaohsiung's I-Pass card. The Easy Card can be bought at any convenience store on the main island of Taiwan or on Kinmen. Swipe either card both when you get on AND get off.
• Guided Bus Tour (Route A, B, C, D, E, F): NT$250 for a half-day guided tour (in Mandarin Chinese only)
• Scooter Rental: Electric scooter (1-person size), no driving license necessary about NT$600-800/day; Electric scooter (2-person size), no driving license necessary about NT$1,000/day; Conventional non-electric scooter (2-person size) about NT$400/day.
• Car Rental: Per day, ranges from about NT$1300 (fits 5 people) to NT$4,000 (van fitting 11 people)
• Taxi: From the airport or ferry terminal to Jincheng (largest town) it costs about NT$250.

Accommodation Costs

• Budget Hostel: Single bed in dorm room: NT$500-700/night; Double/twin bed room: from NT$1,000 to NT$1,600/night
• B&B:Single room: NT$1000/night; Double/twin bed room: from NT$1,200-NT$2,200/night
• Hotel: Single room: NT$1,600 to $2,500/night; Double/twin room: from NT$1,800 to NT$6,500/night

Eating Out in Restaurants

• Breakfast: about NT$80
• Lunch: about NT$125
• Dinner: starting at about NT$200

Tipping is not expected in Kinmen.

Museums/Entertainment/Swimming Pools

• All the museums and other attractions, as well as public music events in Kinmen are free. Only one tourist attraction has a charge: the Qionglin Tunnels entrance fee is a whopping NT$10.
• There is one indoor public swimming pool facility each on Kinmen and Little Kinmen. The main Kinmen county pool, near the gym, has a 100-meter unheated pool and a 25-meter heated pool. They're open Tues through Sun from 6am to 9pm, but are closed from 12-1:30pm, and then again from 5:30-7:30pm. Mondays the pools are open only from 6-10am. They're closed on national holidays. The cost is NT$100 per swim.
• The Little Kinmen pool is unheated, 25-meters long. It's on NanHuanDaoRd (南環島路, Nán huándǎo lù) near a lake called QingYuan (清遠湖, Qīngyuǎn hú). Its opening hours in June 2018 are: Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat and Sun 8am-12noon; 1:30-5:30pm. Closed on Mondays and Thursdays. July through Oct, the hours change to: Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri 1pm-4:30pm; 5-8:30pm. Sat and Sun 8:30am-12noon; 1:30-5pm. Mondays and Thursdays it's closed. The cost is NT$100 per swim.