Things to do in Alishan & Chiayi
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Alishan & Chiayi
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Cherry blossom season, centred on Zhaoping Park, with the biggest crowds, highest prices and fastest ticket sellouts of the year.
Late spring is green and quieter, with fireflies in Alishan area villages and rain increasing toward the plum rain season.
Summer is cool on the mountain but it is typhoon season, when Highway 18 and the Forest Railway can close for landslides for days.
Autumn is the best all round window, with clearer skies, the best sunrise odds and maple colour building from November.
Winter is cold at altitude with nights near 0 degrees, quiet trails and strong sea of clouds on clear mornings.
What's on
- Alishan Cherry Blossom Festival mid March to early April
Yoshino and other cherries centred on Zhaoping Park and the Zhaoping Line, with traffic controls on festival weekends.
- Alishan firefly season April to May
Fireflies in Alishan area villages in spring evenings, best combined with a village or tea country stay.
Best things to do in Alishan & Chiayi
Alishan Forest Railway
The narrow gauge climb from Chiayi to Alishan through tunnels, bridges and forest, fully reopened in July 2024.
Zhushan Station
The sunrise train terminus above Alishan, for sunrise over a sea of clouds and the Yushan range on clear mornings.
Sister Lakes
Two quiet forest ponds on the main Alishan walking loop, linked by boardwalks through cypress and magnolia.
Zhaoping Park
The cherry tree heart of Alishan in spring, with Zhaoping Station, ponds and the start of the forest trails.
Yuyupas Cultural Tribe Park
A Tsou cultural park below Alishan with tea gardens, dance and music, and a tasting of high mountain oolong.
Hinoki Village
A cluster of Japanese era cypress dormitories in Chiayi, now cafes and shops, and the city link to Alishan forestry.
Chiayi Art Museum
Chiayi city museum in a restored tobacco and wine bureau building, mixing local painting heritage with new shows.
Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum
The National Palace Museum southern campus in Taibao, a major Asian art museum and the big cultural stop near Chiayi.
Where to stay in Alishan & Chiayi
Alishan National Forest Recreation Area
sunrise, blossoms and dawn forest walks
Sleeping in the park puts you on foot to the Zhushan train and the trails, at high prices for dated rooms.
Fanlu, below the park
true luxury in the mountains
Home to Hotel Indigo Alishan by IHG, with resort comfort and a shuttle ride, not a walk, to the park.
Chiayi city
value, food and arrival or departure nights
Normal city hotels, the night market and the stations, with a 2.5 to 3 hour bus or about 5 hour train ride to Alishan.
Think twice about
- Chiayi city as a sunrise base
You would need a bus or taxi at about 3am on winding roads in the dark to reach Zhushan for sunrise. Sleep in Alishan for sunrise nights.
Best restaurants in Alishan & Chiayi
Yuyupas Tsou Restaurant
Tsou set meals at the cultural park, with millet, mountain vegetables and roasted meats served for groups to share.
Shan Bin Restaurant
The busiest in park restaurant by the station, known for stone hotpot and mushroom dishes on cold mountain nights.
Lin Cong Ming Smart Fish
Chiayi famous fish head casserole in shacha broth with cabbage and tofu, the city signature shared dish.
Liu Li Zhang Turkey Rice
A long running Chiayi turkey rice shop, shredded turkey over rice with fried shallots and rich poultry juices.
Wenhua Road Night Market
Chiayi main night market street, the one place to graze turkey rice, fish head casserole, douhua and grapefruit tea.
Outdoor things to do in Alishan & Chiayi
Giant Tree Plank Road
A boardwalk loop past thousand year old red cypresses, the Sacred Tree remains and Ciyun Temple in deep forest.
Shuishan Giant Tree
A quieter healing trail to a giant red cypress about 2700 years old, away from the main Alishan loop crowds.
Eryanping Trail
A short tea country trail at Xiding between Chiayi and Alishan, best late afternoon for sunset and sea of clouds.
Fenqihu Old Street
The midway mountain village on the railway and highway, known for its old street, bento boxes and railway sheds.
Shizhuo Trails
Five short linked trails through tea fields and bamboo at Shizhuo, the calm tea stop on the Alishan Highway.
Mianyue Line
The lost railway hike from Alishan toward Shuishan, with tunnels and bridges, run on a permit and a full day.
Best hotels in Alishan & Chiayi
Hotel Indigo Alishan by IHG
The only true luxury hotel near Alishan, in Fanlu below the park, with a pool, rooftop and shuttle to the park.
Alishan House
The historic in park hotel, priced as luxury and dated in places, sold on its trailhead location and included meals.
Alishan Shermuh International Tourist Hotel
The practical in park mid range hotel by Alishan Station, small rooms and no lift, but clean and very well placed.
Nice Prince Hotel Chiayi
Chiayi most complete full service hotel, by a department store and an easy walk to the night market and station.
Holiday Inn Express Chiayi by IHG
A modern chain hotel in Chiayi, the reliable choice for a night in the city before or after the mountain.
Gau Shan Ching Hotel
A basic in park budget hotel near the station and food court, chosen for price and sunrise access, not comfort.
An Lan Jie Hostel
A well kept hostel in Chiayi near Wenhua Road, the cheap city base for travellers who will day trip or pass through.
Is Alishan & Chiayi expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NT$2,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NT$5,500 a person |
| Splurge | NT$14,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Alishan Forest Railway: weeks ahead
- Zhushan Station: a few days ahead
- Yuyupas Cultural Tribe Park: a few days ahead
- Mianyue Line: weeks ahead
- Hotel Indigo Alishan by IHG: weeks ahead
- Alishan House: months ahead
- Alishan Shermuh International Tourist Hotel: weeks ahead
- Gau Shan Ching Hotel: weeks ahead
- Forest Railway through tickets sell out in minutes in blossom season, on the official window about 14 to 16 days ahead or a small 60 day quota.
- In park and Indigo rooms for cherry blossom season need booking months ahead.
- Buy Zhushan sunrise tickets the afternoon before, and book highway buses ahead on weekends and in season.
Is Alishan & Chiayi safe?
- At about 2200m take the first afternoon gently, hydrate and go easy on alcohol, and come down if altitude symptoms do not ease.
- The last hour of Highway 18 is continuous switchbacks, so take motion sickness medication before boarding if you are susceptible.
- Check railway, highway and trail closures after typhoons, heavy rain or earthquakes, and never enter the Mianyue Line without a permit.
Alishan & Chiayi travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Buying a Chiayi to Fenqihu train ticket by mistake when you wanted the through train to Alishan.
- Treating Alishan as a rushed day trip from Taipei, with about 10 hours of transport around about 3 hours in the park.
- Assuming a Zhushan sunrise view is guaranteed, when fog and cloud regularly hide it.
Getting around Alishan & Chiayi: public transport and more
- Bus 7322 runs from Chiayi Station to Alishan and bus 7329 runs from Chiayi High Speed Rail Station to Alishan, each about 2.5 to 3 hours.
- In the park, walk and use the Zhushan, Shenmu and Zhaoping branch lines and the park electric shuttle buses.
- Leave the main case in Chiayi and take a small bag up, because trains have little luggage space and in park hotels have stairs.
Who Alishan & Chiayi suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Alishan & Chiayi your trip
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