Taiping is served by the KTM Intercity rail line, and the Taiping railway station — one of the oldest in Malaysia — is a handsome colonial building a short walk from the Lake Gardens. Trains from Kuala Lumpur (Butterworth line) stop here, though the journey is slower than the bus; the ETS high-speed trains do not serve Taiping. Ipoh is roughly 90 minutes south by train.
By road, Taiping is on the older North-South Expressway alignment; the newer expressway bypasses the town but has an exit within 20 minutes of the centre. Regular express buses connect Taiping to Kuala Lumpur (3.5 hours), Ipoh (1.5 hours), and Butterworth/Penang (2 hours). The bus terminal is a short taxi ride from the town centre.