For a long time, ever since the aircraft museum closed, the only place to go aircraft spotting at Taoyuan International Airport was from the aiport hotel: the Novotel. All that’s changed now though as Terminal 2 has not one, but two viewing observatories.
Both are free of charge to enter and can be accessed from the departures level (L3) of the terminal. There’s one at each end of the building.
If you are just spotting, either one will do but I prefer the northern one as it gives views of the cargo areas. The southern one does give a view of the EGAT and China Airlines maintenance areas, so both are probably worth a visit.
For the photographers, if it’s cloudy then either one is fine. But on sunny days, it’s northern in the morning, and southern sometime around 2pm.
If it’s too hot to venture out for prolonged periods, there’s plenty of space inside with good views and there are resturants, toilets etc.
All in all, a very welcome addition to the airport.
Smiley