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Alishan is one of Taiwan’s most popular attractions, along with Sun Moon Lake and Taroko Gorge. It is famous for its sunrises over seas of clouds, cherry blossoms, misty forests, and high mountain teas.
However, getting to Alishan, and getting around the park once you get there, IS COMPLICATED! So it’s something you should plan carefully when making your Taiwan itinerary. Transportation info can also affect how long you need to stay in Alishan, whether you’re coming from Taipei, Chiayi, Sun Moon Lake, or elsewhere.
While researching my huge guide to Alishan, I realized there was so much I needed to share about getting to Alishan that I had to make this separate, and equally huge transportation guide. I’ve spent many hours and multiple trips compiling the below information, and updated it countless times when things keep changing, including the big news in 2024: after 15 years of being closed, the train to Alishan has finally reopened!
For more general info about transportation in Taiwan, please also visit my guide to visiting Taiwan.
Table of Contents
Map for Getting to Alishan
I have created the above Alishan map. This should answer a lot of questions. As you can see, you can take the bus (purple line) directly from the Chiayi city regular (TRA) train station or High Speed Rail (HSR) station to Shizhuo, Fenqihu, and Alishan.
The Alishan Forest Railway (red train car) will get you to Fenqihu and now to Alishan as well. Arriving at Alishan, you’ll have the option of taking the E-bus (brown line) for getting around the scenic area or the more fun option: the three remaining sections of the Alishan Forest Railway still operating in the park.
Getting from Taipei to Alishan: Quick Summary
- Chiayi city is the starting point for getting to Alishan. Get discounted HSR tickets from Taipei to Chiayi and find out how to book the seats here, or take the slower regular (TRC) train to Chiayi by following this guide.
- Taiwan private car service: If you don’t want to figure out how all the buses work, wait in line, or take a chance that the bus will be sold out, you can organize a private transfer through Tripool (official site).
- Fr0m the High Speed Rail (HSR) station (outside of city center), you can take a shuttle bus directly to Alishan (2 hrs). Save your bus ticket, because it gives you half price on the Alishan entrance fee (TWD 150 instead of 300 per adult). There are only 4 buses per day.
- From the TRA station (city center), you can also take a shuttle bus directly to Alishan (2 hrs) or you can ride the more scenic but slower Alishan Forest Railway. If you arrive at the HSR station but want to take the Alishan Forest Railway, you’ll have to first take a taxi or local bus from HSR to TRA station.
- For buses from Chiayi train station or HSR station to Alishan (and going back), demand for bus tickets is high, so I suggest you follow my guide to book your Chiayi to Alishan bus tickets online. Departing Alishan, the 7-Eleven there sells return bus tickets for that day from 8 AM, but in peak seasons they often sell out before 9 AM.
- If you don’t book online, you can swipe EasyCard to ride the bus. You can also get two rides on either shuttle bus (in other words, Chiayi to Alishan and Alishan back to Chiayi) with this deal on Klook. But this deal doesn’t guarantee seats like booking online does.
- If you ride the Alishan Forest Railway, it now goes all the way to Alishan, after the section from Fenqihu to Alishan was closed for 15 years. There are now two trains per day to Fenqihu (depart 9 AM and 10 AM). Only the 10 AM one goes all the way to Alishan (arrive 2:56 PM). On the way, it will stop for 30 minutes at Fenqihu, enough time to buy lunch there. Note: train takes twice as long as the bus. See the full train schedule here.
- You have to reserve your seat online for the the Alishan Forest Railway from Chiayi to Fenqihu up to 15 days in advance (6 a.m. to midnight Taiwan time only). It always sells out, so book early. You don’t have to book in advance for the bus, except in cherry blossom season or long weekends.
- From Sun Moon Lake to Alishan, there is only 1 bus per day in each direction (4 hours), departing Sun Moon lake at 8 am, and departing Alishan at 1 pm. You can line up and swipe EasyCard to ride, but it’s better to book the bus from Sun Moon Lake to Alishan in advance.
- There are also three short lines of the Alishan Forest Railway running between the scenic attractions inside Alishan National Forest Recreation Area (including the sunrise viewing point). You can buy tickets for those at Alishan station (next to the Alishan tourist village and hotels) when you arrive in Alishan, or reserve them in advance here (not essential). These are a fun way to experience the Alishan Forest Railway if you didn’t ride it from Chiayi to Fenqihu.
- There’s an electric Alishan shuttle bus (called “Alishan e-bus”) that goes to from Alishan’s Visitor Center (阿里山旅客服務中心) in the tourist village, where most hotels and the train station are located, to basically the same three spots as the three train lines inside the scenic area. I recommend riding the trains, though, because they are a pet of the Alishan experience.
- If you decide to spend a night in Chiayi before going up to Alishan, see my recommended hotels and things to do in Chiayi city.
I will further clarify each of the above points in the article below!
Related: See my similar article How to Get to Cingjing Farm
The Easy Way: Take a Tour or Get a Private Driver
If you want to forget about all this transportation hassle and visit Alishan in a single day, consider taking one of these tours to Alishan:
- Alishan day tour from Chiayi or Kaohsiung: Full day tour from Chiayi train station, Chiayi HSR station, or Kaohsiung Formosa Blvd. Station
- Alishan day tour from Taichung: As above, but from Taichung.
- Alishan, Sun Moon Lake, and Cingjing Farm: A 3-day tour
Or you can arrange a private transfer through Tripool (download app for IOS / Android). They offers a set price for point-to-point trips, option to add a stop on the way, or you can pay an hourly rate with as many stops as you want. You can get a fare estimate here.
We really liked our ride with Tripool. The driver was online, answered messages, drove very slowly and carefully so we didn’t get carsick, and the van was very new and clear.
You can also rent a car or rent a scooter in Chiayi and drive up to Alishan yourself. Read my guide to renting a car and driving in Taiwan.
Alishan Forest Railway Introduction
Getting to Alishan can be half the fun if you ride the Alishan Forest Railway. Built by the Japanese, this small gauge railway was first opened in 1912 to haul logged Taiwanese cypress trees from the Alishan region.
When logging efforts ceased, tourists replaced trees, and the railway provided the only access to Alishan until the Alishan highway was built in 1982. The train ride goes through some 50 tunnels and crosses 77 wooden bridges between Chiayi City and Alishan.
Going by train is a slower but more scenic way to reach Alishan. For the fastest way, you can go the whole way by bus (see next section below).
Destruction and Reopening of the Railway Line
Several sections of the Alishan Forest Railway were severely damaged by Typhoon Morakot in 2009 and the railway was shut down. The service was resumed part way, from Chiayi to Fenqihu (about halfway to Alishan) in 2014. More recently, two more stops were added past Fenqihu: Duolin and Shizilu.
Fenqihu is a very interesting little town famous for its bento boxes and hikes through bamboo forests. You can even spend the night there or on a tea farm in nearby Shizhuo village. Read my guide to Alishan for all the details on spending the night in Fenqihu or Shizhuo.
Although you can transfer to the Alishan-bound bus at Fenqihu, Duolin, or Shizilu, there isn’t much to see or do at the latter two stops. So many people get off in Fenqihu, explore the village for 1-2 hours (or spend the night), then hop on one of the buses to reach Alishan. There are a limited number of buses from Fenqihu to Alishan, so make sure to see the bus times below.
On July 6, 2024, the railway line from Shizilu to Alishan was reopened after being closed for almost exactly 15 years. Visitors can now ride the train all the way from Chiayi to Alishan and back. The ride takes 5 hours in total, with a 30-minute break in Fenqihu.
If you’re interested in the history of the Alishan Forest Railway, you can see many old train cars on display at the Alishan Forest Railway Garage Park in Chiayi city. Find more info in my Chiayi guide.
The 3 Alishan Railway Lines Inside Alishan Scenic Area
When you arrive at Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, where most visitors stay, three short lines of the Alishan Forest Railway are still operating. These three lines all start at Alishan Station (阿里山火車站), which is right beside the tourist village and most hotels, and go to three scenic areas in the park, where you can watch the sunrise or go hiking. You can also walk or hike to all three spots, but riding the train is more fun.
If you’re arriving from Chiayi, you’ll get off and transfer to these small lines at the same station, Alishan station.
If you decide to ride the bus from Chiayi to Alishan instead of taking the train, because the bus is faster, then riding these short train lines is a great way to experience the Alishan Forest Railway in a short time. In fact, these three short train lines have cooler train cars (see image above). The trains that go from Chiayi to Alishan look more like a normal train with normal rows of seats inside.
On Wednesdays, you can ride on an Alishan train car made entirely of hinoki wood (see picture above). The smell of the train while we were sitting on it was amazing! Below, I’ll also introduce how you can also take a short ride on one of these trains from Chiayi station once per month.
Taking the Alishan Forest Railway from Chiayi to Alishan
The Alishan Forest Railway line starts from the Chiayi regular (TRA) train station in Chiayi city center (NOT the HSR station outside of the city).
If you need to pick up a ticket, the Alishan Forest Railway has its own little ticket office in front of the station, different than the normal train ticket windows.
After leaving the city, the train ascends through dense greenery and bamboo forests, featuring mountain views from both sides of the train car. There are announcements introducing the area, which some passengers complain are a little noisy and mostly in Mandarin.
The shaky ride from Chiayi to Fenqihu takes 2.5 hours, and all the way to Alishan takes 5 hours. If you usually get carsickness, you are less likely to feel sick on the train compared to bus or car to Alishan.
On the way, the train will stop for about 30 minutes at Fenqihu, giving passengers enough time to buy one of the famous lunchboxes there.
Tickets can be purchased here. Kids under 12 are half priced and under 6 are free (must sit in your lap), but if you want a seat for your child under 6, you need to buy a half priced ticket for him or her (same goes for the buses).
Consider to break up your journey by stopping in Fenqihu on the way. Spend a few hours to have one of its famous bento boxes for lunch, then continue to Alishan by bus. You could also spend the night to see fireflies and go hiking in bamboo forests, then take a bus to Alishan the next day. See my Fenqihu guide for all the details.
Some people also spend a night in Shizhuo on the way to Alishan, for hiking in the tea plantations. Shizhuo is not on the Alishan Forest Railway line, but you can get there in 10 minutes by bus from Fenqihu. Every bus from Chiayi to Alishan also stops at Shizhuo on the way (while only some make the small detour to Fenqihu). See my Shizhuo guide for more info.
How to Buy Tickets
You should reserve your Alishan Forest Railway tickets from Chiayi to Fenqihu here. You may have to switch the language to English in the top right corner. You can reserve your tickets online up to 15 days in advance (or buy from Chiayi, Fenqihu, or Alishan train stations 12 days in advance). I would recommend trying to do so because it always sells out. Note that the booking system is only open 6 AM to Midnight, Taiwan time.
Demand is especially high during cherry blossom season (March/April), so it can be very tough to get tickets at that time. After buying your ticket, I recommend that you save the QR code on your phone. You might lose your Internet signal during the ride, and the conductor sometimes doesn’t walk around to check them for a while.
Because the train line to Alishan is newly opened, this is huge news in Taiwan. It’s going to be extra busy for the next year or so, and many locals and tourists are excited to ride the train line after it was closed for so long. This means you especially need to reserve your tickets as soon as they are released.
When booking, here’s a map showing all the seat numbers.
As of the reopening, there are now two trains per day from Chiayi to Fenqihu (depart 9 AM and 10 AM) but only the 10 Am will proceed all the way to Alishan (arrive 2:56 PM). Here’s the full schedule.
Once per month, they will also run a special hinoki (wood) train from Chiayi station to Beimen (a short ride). More info and the schedule is here.
Train Times
The train times I list below are taken from here on the official Alishan Forest Railway website. These have changed many times over the years. If you find that my below times no longer match, please comment on the article to let me know.
Chiayi to Alishan
Here are the current times for Alishan Forest Railway trains from Chiayi to Fenqihu to Alishan.
There is no longer a Zhongxin Express (中興號, also spelled Jungshing Express or Jongshing Express) or weekend-only trains. The below train times are the same every day.
Alishan Express No. 1: Depart Chiayi: 9 AM, arrive Fenqihu: 11:30 AM
Alishan Express No. 5: Depart Chiayi 10:00 AM, arrive Fenqihu 1:21 PM, arrive Alishan 2:56 PM
Alishan to Chiayi
Alishan Express No. 8: Depart Alishan 11:50 AM, arrive Fenqihu 1:29 PM, arrive Chiayi: 3:45 PM
Alishan Express No. 2: Depart Fenqihu 2:35 PM, arrive Chiayi: 4:55 PM
Getting from Chiayi to Alishan by Bus
When getting to Alishan from Chiayi, the bus is actually the easiest and fastest option. You don’t need advance tickets. You just show up at the bus stop, swipe your EasyCard or pay exact change, and catch a bus all the way there. On long weekends, Lunar New Year, or cherry blossom season (March to early April), it’s recommended to book your bus tickets online.
It’s a super winding ride (especially the second half) and takes around two hours. You can catch a direct bus to Alishan from either Chiayi regular (TRA) train station in the city center, or Chiayi High Speed Rail (HSR) station outside of the city center.
All buses from Chiayi to Alishan pass by Eryanping (famous for Eryanping Trail with its incredible views) and Shizhuo (where you can sleep on tea farms). But only some of the buses stop at Fenqihu, because that requires a 30-minute (return) detour off the main highway going north from Shizhuo.
All Alishan buses arrive “Alishan Bus Station” (阿里山轉運站) in Alishan, also called Alishan Transport Station. For more details about what to do when you arrive, we’ll get to that below. But first:
Taking the Bus from Chiayi Train Station (TRA) to Alishan
This is the easiest and fastest way. Bus 7322 to Alishan will stop at the bus station in the square right in front of Chiayi train station. Because these buses are limited and Alishan is such a popular destination, it is recommended to buy your ticket in advance.
You can buy bus tickets on Klook or on KKday, but these will not be reserved seats. You will still be first-come, first served.
The bus drivers are a little wild, and it’s a very winding road, so many people experience carsickness on this drive. The driver will not stop for people who are carsick – bring a plastic bag in case you vomit.
I’ve prepared this table of all the bus times from Chiayi to Alishan, including stops between like Xiding (for Eryanping trail), Shizhuo (for tea plantations), and Fenqihu.
Make sure to show your bus ticket when you enter Alishan National Forest Recreation Area. It will give you a big discount on the park entrance fee (150 instead of 300). If you even leave the park on foot and plan to re-enter, make sure to get a stamp.
Bus times from Chiayi train station to Alishan
Note that only two of the below buses stop in Fenqihu on the way. There are a few more buses which only go from Chiayi station to Fenqihu (and not Alishan). See the full timetable here.
6:05
7:10
8:05
8:40 (wheelchair accessible)
9:10
9:40 (stops in Fenqihu on the way)
10:10
11:10
12:10 (wheelchair accessible, stops in Fenqihu on the way)
14:10
Bus times from Alishan to Chiayi train station
9:10 (stops in Fenqihu on the way)
11:10
12:40 (wheelchair accessible)
13:40
14:10 (also stops in Fenqihu)
15:10
15:40
16:10 (wheelchair accessible)
17:10
Taking the Bus from Chiayi High Speed Rail (HSR) station to Alishan
You can also take a bus from exit 2 of Chiayi High Speed Rail Station (buy HSR tickets here) directly to Alishan (2.5 hours). You can swipe your EasyCard, but nowadays it is recommended to buy a ticket in advance for busy times like long weekends, Lunar New year, or during Alishan’s cherry blossom season (March and April).
Some travelers have reported not being able to get on without a ticket during those times. If you swipe EasyCard or buy your bus ticket on Klook or on Kkday, you will be first-come-first serve for getting on the bus.
If you buy it at the FamiPort machine in any FamilyMart or follow my directions to book it online (up to 31 days in advance) you will have a booked/guaranteed seat. The machine interface is in Mandarin but you can ask the clerk for help.
I’ve also included the bus times from Chiayi HSR to Xiding, Shizhuo, Fenqihu, and Alishan here in my timetable.
Note that only one bus per day goes from the HSR station to Fenqihu. You can also ride any bus to Shizhuo, then catch a different bus from there to Fenqihu.
Bus times from Chiayi HSR to Alishan
9:30
10:10
11:00 (also stops in Fenqihu)
13:10 (wheelchair accessible)
Bus times from Alishan to Chiayi HSR
10:10 (also stops in Fenqihu)
13:30
14:40
16:40 (wheelchair accessible)
When you leave Alishan, you can only buy tickets at the Bus Station 7-11 on the day you want to travel (unless you’ve booked it online).
Therefore, it’s a good idea to arrive at Alishan Bus Station an hour or two before your bus departure time to buy your ticket. They usually start selling tickets at 8:00 AM. At busy times, it can sell out by 9 AM.
Getting the Bus from Fenqihu to Alishan
If you decide to make a stop in Fenqihu, you’ll have to take a bus for the remaining journey to Alishan (or spend the night and catch the train the next day).
With the new train times, if you take the first train of the day from Chiayi to Fenqihu, you’ll arrive there at 11:30 AM. You could then spend 1 hr 8 min in Fenqihu (enough time to get lunch) and catch the 12:38 bus to Alishan. If you also want to do some hikes in the bamboo forest, then you could catch the 1:53 PM bus to Alishan.
Coming down from Alishan, there are frequent bus departures starting from the morning, then you could hop on a train from Fenqihu to Chiayi at 1:29 or 2:35 PM.
The bus stop in Fenqihu ON WEEKDAYS is called “Fencihu Terminal Station 奮起湖終點站” here on GoogleMaps. On weekends and in cherry blossom season, the bus instead stops at this stop 5 minutes’ walk down the road.
From either, you’ll be getting on the Chiayi to Alishan bus, either 7322 (originating at Chiayi train station) or 7329 (originating at Chiayi HSR station). See more about those buses in the next section below.
If these times don’t work for you or you miss the bus, a more complicated option is to catch another bus from Fenqihu to Shizhuo, then board more of the more frequent Alishan-bound buses passing through Shizhuo.
Fenqihu to Alishan bus times
These times come from my timetable of all buses between Chiayi, Fenqihu, and Alishan.
Fenqihu to Alishan bus times: Departing Fenqihu at 11:17 AM, 12:38 PM and 1:53 PM
Alishan to Fenqihu bus times: Departing Alishan at 9:10 AM, 10:10 AM, and 2:10 PM
Arriving at Alishan
Whether you take the bus from Chiayi, Fenqihu, or Sun Moon Lake to Alishan, or take the Alishan Forest Rail + bus, you will arrive at the same place in Alishan, which is called Alishan Bus Station here on GoogleMaps.
This small bus station is connected to a 7-11, and you can buy bus tickets from the 7-11 clerk. There are some luggage storage lockers at the back of the 7-11 near the restrooms.
Alishan Bus Station is very close to the Alishan National Scenic Area entrance gate, which is a large gate over the road. When you go through the gate, you have to pay the Alishan National Scenic Area entrance fee (TWD 300 per adult, only 150 for students or if you show your bus ticket, additional 100 for a car).
From the bus station or entrance gate, it’s a 10-minute, slightly uphill walk to Alishan Train Station, where you can board the train and ride 3 different lines to scenic areas within the park. The train station will be on your right, while on the left is Alishan Tourist Village, a large parking lot with the main collection of restaurants, shops, and hotels of Alishan.
Most Alishan hotels are on a road at the back of the parking lot. It’s a 10-15 minute walk to reach most hotels from the bus station. Click here for my recommended hotels in Alishan.
If you arrive by train, you will arrive directly to Alishan train station, where you can transfer to the three small trains lines inside the park.
Three Alishan Train Lines Inside the Park
Even though Alishan Forest Railway trains no longer make it all the way from Chiayi to Alishan Station, the Alishan Forest Railway still has three short train lines operating from Alishan Station to three destinations inside the park. The three lines are Chaoping Line, Chushan (sunrise) Line, and Shenmu (Sacred Tree) Line.
As I mentioned above, these train lines use some really cute old train cars, so I highly recommend riding them as an experience in itself. It’s more fun than taking the shuttle bus (see next section below). But if you prefer walking, you can also walk or hike to all the places that the train and bus go.
You can buy tickets for these train lines at the Alishan train station when you arrive at Alishan, just before getting on the train. You can buy the tickets in cash at the ticket window or cash/credit card at the machine (in Alishan station only).
Even though tickets for these trains never sell out, if you prefer, you can also book your tickets online here. Only the sunrise trains can get really busy, but they still never actually sell out (standing may be required at busy times).
Here are the four stations where you can access this small train.
Alishan Station
Alishan Station is the closest to the Alishan tourist village, where most of Alishan’s hotels are located, as well as the souvenir shops, restaurants, tourist information center, post office with ATM, and Taiwan’s highest 7-11. The station is a 5-minute walk uphill from Alishan BusStation (the bus station where you arrive at Alishan).
Alishan Train Station is where you will board the train to ride the three different lines to the below three stops. Buy your ticket from the window just before boarding. The station itself is cool, too, and offers sunset views from the second floor.
Chaoping (Zhaoping) Station
Chaoping is the terminal station on Zhaoping Line, the shortest of the three lines. It is the closest stop to the Sister Ponds trail, the most famous tourist trail in Alishan, as well as the cherry blossom viewing spot.
There are usually many tourists on the Sister Ponds Trail, but it’s also an incredibly beautiful section of forest. Chaoping is also close to the starting point for a few lesser known hikes. Alishan Hotel (see on Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor), the nicest hotel in Alishan, is also near it.
Note that you can also walk from Alishan tourist village to Chaoping (15-20 min). The most common way to visit Alishan is to start your hike at Chaoping Station and finish it at Shouzhen Temple or Shenmu Station before going back to Alishan village by bus or train, respectively.
Shenmu (Sacred Tree) Station
Shenmu Station, or Sacred Tree Station (named after huge tree that feel beside it) is at the terminal end of the Shenmu Line. It is the only one that is not bus-accessible, but the e-bus stops nearby at Shouzhen Temple (on the Xianglin Route).
The station is located in another very pretty section of forest with some particularly large and ancient trees (2300 years+) called Giant Tree Trail. The loop trail around Shenmu station is usually less busy than Sister Ponds Trail, but just as beautiful, so I highly recommend it. Many visitors follow the Sister Ponds trail to Shouzhen Temple, from where you can connect to Giant Tree Trail and Shenmu Station.
It’s also possible to see very beautiful sunsets on this loop. The exact location of the sunset viewing platform is here on GoogleMaps, close to Alishan Museum.
Chushan (Zhushan) Station
Chushan (Zhushan) is at the terminal end of the Chushan Line, also called the Sunrise Line. It is the furthest and highest station. It takes you to the most famous sunrise spot in Alishan, called “Zhushan Sunrise Observation Deck” (祝山觀日平臺), so trains only run here super early in the morning. Later in the day, you can take the shuttle bus up here.
The train times to Chushan change each month according to the time of sunrise. You can check the times and purchase tickets one day in advance from 1:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon, or 30 minutes before departure on the morning of the sunrise, from the second floor window at Alishan Station.
You can also book them online here (you may need to switch language to English at the top). The earliest train is summer is 4 AM and in winter is 6 AM. After watching the sunrise here, you can ride the train back to Alishan station or hike down to Chaoping station for connecting to the Sister Ponds Trail.
CHUSHAN STATION UPDATE: After being closed for renovations for a few years, Chushan station finally reopened in late 2023 and it is beautiful (see pics of the new station). While it was closed, the train stopped at a lower sunrise viewpoint called Duigaoyue. Now, it only goes to Chushan and no longer stops at Duigaoyue.
All the train times for the different lines are listed here, but I’ve also summarized them below. I try to constantly update these, but the times are subject to change, so always check the official site or the times posted at the station when you get there.
Alishan to Zhaoping Station departure times (NT$100, 6 min)
9:00, 9:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 13:00, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00, 15:30
(note the long lunch break)
Zhaoping to Alishan Station departure times (NT$100, 6 min)
9:15, 9:45, 10:15, 10:45, 11:15, 11:45, 13:15, 13:45, 14:15, 14:45, 15:15, 15:45
Alishan to Shenmu Station departure: times (NT$100, 7 min)
10:15, 10:45, 11:15, 11:40, 12:05, 13:15, 13:45, 14:15, 14:45, 15:15, 15:45, 16:15
Shenmu to Alishan Station departure times (NT$100, 7 min)
10:30, 11:00, 11:25, 11:50, 12:15, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00, 15:30, 16:00, 16:30
You can also walk from Alishan tourist village to Chaoping or Shenmu (about 20 minutes 1 way for either one) and even Zhushan Station (45 min to 1 hr). See my Alishan guide for details on how to do that, including how to walk up there in the early morning for sunrise.
The Alishan E-Bus (Electric Shuttle Bus)
The new Alishan Electric bus is an alternative to the 3 short train lines inside Alishan National Scenic Area. I don’t really recommend it, because taking the Alishan train is so much cooler.
However, if you want to get from the tourist village or your hotel to the hiking trails, hoping on the shuttle bus can be faster than taking the train. The shuttle bus also provides access to Chushan in the daytime, as well as Chushan Stargazing Tours in the early evening (I’ll cover that below).
There are two spots you can get on the shuttle bus. The main one is at Alishan Visitor’s Center (阿里山旅客服務中心) in the Alishan tourist village. This one is closest to most Alishan hotels.
You can also board the bus at another stop, which is actually closer to Alishan Bus Station and Alishan Train Station. It is called 候車總站 on the Alishan Alipedia app (read about this and other apps to use in Taiwan), but unfortunately it is not marked on GoogleMaps. I’ve marked the exact location here.
You CAN’T swipe EasyCard for the shuttle bus. You can buy your tickets at any of the stops before boarding.
- Chushan E-bus Route: This one goes to the Chushan (Zhushan) sunrise lookout point (only once every 2 hrs, departing the Visitor’s Center at 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm daily, plus a special stargazing tour at 7 pm (see Stargazing section below). However, this bus DOESN’T run in the early morning, so you can’t take it to see the sunrise. But some people go to Chushan in the daytime because there are other walking trails up there. From Chushan, you can walk down to the main hiking circuit of Alishan (around Chaoping station), which then connects to the hikes around Shenmu station, and from there you can walk or take the train back to Alishan village. Doing all this will take about 2-4 hours.
- Chaoping E-bus Route: This e-bus will take you to Zhaoping station and comes every 5-20 minutes. Chaoping is where the most popular/famous walking trail in Alishan starts, so the majority of visitors start their Alishan walking tour there. You can start hiking here, and finish at Shouzhen Temple (see next route), then take the Xianglin e-bus back to Alishan Visitor’s Center. This is what I recommend if you are just visiting Alishan for a short time and want to walk the most famous and scenic trail.
- Xianglin E-bus Route: This bus will take you to Shouzhen temple, which is a short walk from Shenmu train station. The e-bus can’t go to Shenmu train station because that station is in the forest and doesn’t have road access. This route also runs every 5-20 minutes.
Taipei to Alishan Day Trip
So how to get all the way from Taipei to Alishan? Or would you like to squeeze in Alishan as a day trip from Taipei? Well, to answer the first question, all you have to do is hop on a train or HSR from Taipei to Chiayi, then follow my above bus information. It makes for a very long day, though!
I don’t suggest you try to ride the Alishan Forest Railway from Chiayi to Alishan on a day trip, because the ride (5 hours) will take up most of your day!
Regular trains take 2.5 to 5.5 hours, depending on which one you book. You can book them up to 28 days in advance on the TRA website. Depending on how late you arrive in Chiayi, you may need to spend the night in Chiayi before catching a bus or train the next morning.
If you take the High Speed Rail (book discounted tickets here), you can easily get to Alishan the same day. The HSR from Taipei to Chiayi takes 1 hr 28 min to 1 hr 43 min. Then the bus from the HSR station to Alishan only takes 2 hrs each way.
The first bus departs Chiayi HSR at 9:30, getting you to Alishan at 11:30. The last bus back departs Alishan at 4:40, getting you back to the HSR at 6:40 PM. That gives you enough time to hike the many trails of Alishan and get back to the station. Just don’t miss the last bus departing from Alishan!
If you want to do Alishan as a day trip from Taipei AND ride the Alishan Forest Railway from Chiayi to Fenqihu, I don’t think this is possible as a day trip from Taipei.
There is only one direct bus per week from Taipei to Alishan, bus 1835 departing Taipei’s Kuo Kuang Bus station at 8:45 PM (summer) or 9:45 PM (winter), taking about 5 hours to get there. I’ve taken it before to get there for sunrise – you just need to hang out at 7-11 for a few hours while you wait for the first sunrise train or hike up to the viewpoint.
If you’re also visiting Taipei, see my recommended itinerary, the best markets, temples, hotels, and other things to do in Taipei.
Getting from Taichung to Alishan
If you happen to be coming from Taichung, your options are essentially the same as from Taipei, except that you are closer. It only takes 23-37 minutes (depending on which one you get) from Taichung HSR to Chiayi HSR stations (NT$ 380, note that both stations are located outside of the city centers).
The regular train from Taichung city center train station to Chiayi city center station (for Alishan Forest Railway or buses to Alishan) takes about 75-120 minutes (NT$144-224). There are no direct buses from Taichung to Alishan.
If you also plan to visit Sun Moon Lake, then you could catch a bus from Taichung to Sun Moon Lake (NT$195), and then bus from Sun Moon Lake to Alishan (see next entry).
You can also take this guided Alishan tour from Taichung.
See my articles on Rainbow Village Taichung , things to do in Taichung, Taichung itinerary, Gaomei Wetland, and Taichung day trips!
Getting from Sun Moon Lake to Alishan
If you plan to visit Sun Moon Lake as well, the good news is that there is a direct bus from Sun Moon Lake to Alishan (and Alishan to Sun Moon Lake). This is bus 6739 run by Yuanlin bus company. The bus takes around 4 hours.
The bad news is that there is only one bus per day in each direction. The bus departs Sun Moon Lake every day at 8 AM, arriving at Alishan around noon. Then it departs Alishan every day at 1 PM, arriving at Sun Moon lake around 5 PM. You can just line up and swipe with EasyCard or pay exact cash (TWD 295) when boarding.
However, demand is high for this bus, and on weekends, holidays, or cherry blossoms season (February to April), the bus can be sold out for days in advance. Therefore, I strongly suggest you follow my guide to book your bus seat from Sun Moon Lake to Alishan in advance.
The bus arrives at and departs from Alishan Bus Station near the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area Entrance Gate, where you have to pay a fee to enter the scenic area. Show your bus ticket to get a discount on the entrance fee.
If the bus time is not convenient for you, you could also take a slightly longer route from Sun Moon Lake to Alishan. From SML, take the bus back to Taichung High Speed Rail Station (90 minutes), then HSR to Chiayi (30 min), then bus to Alishan (2 hours). You could also do the same thing in reverse.
If you plan to travel from Taichung to Sun Moon Lake then Sun Moon Lake to Alishan, you can save some money with the Sun Moon Lake Alishan pass.
Getting from Kaohsiung to Alishan
It only take 30 minutes from the HSR station in Zuoying, Kaoshiung, located north of the city center and accessible by KMRT, to Chiayi HSR station, with trains starting as early as 5:50 AM (NT$410). Regular trains take 80-140 minutes (NT$158-245).
This makes it easier to travel from Kaohsiung to Alishan as a day trip than from Taipei to Alishan.
You can also do a day trip to from Tainan or Kaohsiung to Alishan on this private tour.
Getting from Hualien to Alishan
Hualien is about as far away from Alishan as you can get in Taiwan. It’s at the opposite side of the island, and no, there are no buses running across the island (there are lots of huge mountains in the way!) There are a few roads crossing the island, but they are extremely slow and sometimes dangerous or closed due to landslides.
Still, I want to include this section, because Taroko Gorge in Hualien and Alishan are the two most famous scenic attractions in Tawan, and many visitors want to squeeze both of them into their short Taiwan trip.
This means from Hualien, you’ll have to go back to Taipei first. If you take the regular train, it’s going to take you nearly seven hours from Hualien to Chiayi, then another 2+ hours from Chiayi to Alishan.
Therefore, if you really want to get from Hualien to Alishan in one day, then I would suggest taking the express train from Hualien to Taipei first (2 hr 15 min), then transferring onto the HSR from Taipei to Chiayi. The Hualien to Taipei express train is very popular and always sells out, so it is essential to reserve your seat (up to 28 days in advance). For the HSR, you can buy a ticket even at the last minute, but you’ll get a discount if you book in advance (also up to 28 days, the earlier, the cheaper).
Another option if you have more time is to travel around the southern end of Taiwan by and break up your trip. Considering staying in laid-back Taitung on the way.
If you stay in Taitung, I would personally recommend Luye or Chishang as great places to enjoy some of Taitung’s best rural scenery, or nearby on the coast at Dulan (near but not on the train line). You could also stop in Kaohsiung or Tainan en route to Chiayi.
Whether you are traveling or actually living in Taiwan, I hope you found all the info you need here!
Be sure to check out my guide to Alishan for more information for planning your trip, or my other favorite places to visit in Taiwan.
Please let me know if you found any of the info above was incorrect!
Hi Nick,
Your travel blog has been extremely helpful and informative for my Alishan planning, a big thank you!
In terms of routing & scenic wise, on a weekday trip, do you have any preference between taking the forest rail from 1) Chiayi to Fenqihu (9am depart) or 2) Fenqihu to Chiayi (2pm depart); barring timings & routing outside of the forest rail.
Thank you.
Hey there, thanks for your comment!
I don’t see a major difference between your choices. Personally, I would take into consideration that the weather is often finer/clearer in the morning, and sometimes becomes overcast in the afternoon. Assuming that happens (which it may not), would you rather have the clear weather for the scenic train ride up, or get up to Fenqihu faster on the bus and make use of the better weather with an earlier start exploring up there? For me, I’d probably go with the second option, because I tend to prefer getting to my destination and exploring as fast as possible in the morning, but it’s not really going to make a huge difference here.
Hi Nick,
Thanks for your complete guide here. It’s really help me to build my itinerary.
I plan to visit Alishan together with my 8 years old kid.
Just wondering about the route Chiayi to Fenqihu and vice versa especially by bus. Is the road between Chiayi to Fenqihu is too winding for kid? Since I plan to take bus down to Chiayi, I’m afraid that the winding road will cause illness (motion sickness) to my kid.
Second question. I plan to have 1 day visit to Alishan. Do you think it’s a worth try to visit Alishan in one day considering it will take 6 hours and 40 minutes (round trip)? In this case I only have around 4.5 hours to explore Alishan and Fenqihu? I think I’m not going to stay at Alishan since the hotel price in there is relatively high for me.
If you think it’s not worthy, do have any other suggestion of interesting place that can be visited in 1 day with 8 years old kid?
Thanks a lot before
Hi Willy!
The road from Chiayi to Fenqihu is not too bad for most of the ride, but starts to get pretty winding closer to Fenqihu. However, Fenqihu to Alishan is super winding. Just back and forth the whole way up (about 45 minutes). My two young kids almost got sick, but not quite, but I saw several other adults and kids puke on the bus.
4.5 hours for both Fenqihu and Alishan is really not much, but it’s enough to take a quick look. In Fenqihu you could stop for about 1 hour to have lunch and take a look at the very small old street and train museum. In Alishan, you could take the small train to Zhaoping and do the main trail through the forest, and return to the bus station in about 3 hours, but make sure you don’t miss the bus! (you can try to book your return bus ticket as soon as you arrive from Fenqihu. Is it all worth it? I guess that’s up to you 🙂
Hi Nick,
Thanks for your quick reply.
I think I’ll skip Alishan. I’m afraid my kid cannot deal with the winding road between Fenqihu to Alishan…:-)
Do you have any suggestion of tourist spot for me and my kid to replace Alishan?
Thanks a lot.
Hi Willy,
Sounds like that is a good choice for you. Perhaps you could consider visiting Sun Moon Lake in Nantou, or (a much shorter stop) Rainbow Village in Taichung. Please see my article on “Taiwan with kids” for more ideas!
Hi Nick,
Thanks a lot for your information. Really helps me. Appreciate it so much.
No problem! Thanks for reading 🙂
your blog are awesome and thanks for sharing the details.
Thank you so much!
Hi Nick!
Just wanted to clarify something. You said one of the bus times from Chiayi train station to Alishan is at 7:05 AM, and also stops at Fenqihu. So does this mean that when we are from Fenqihu we could also ride this bus to Alishan?
Hi Nick!
Just wanted to clarify something. You said that one of the bus times from Chiayi train station to Alishan is at 7:05 AM and also stops in Fenqihu. Does this mean that people who are in Fenqihu could ride this bus to Alishan?
Yes, that is correct! Unless the bus is completely full, but I can’t imagine that would happen, especially for the super early morning one.
Nick, terrific write-up with a ton of details, most grateful. Never been to Taiwan before but looking forward to visiting this October.
Having arrived at Chiayi HSR station from Taipei, what non-bus non-train options exist for traveling to the Alishan forest area? Should I ask the hotel that I have booked to arrange this for us, or are there car companies at the HSR station that I could negotiate a one-way drop off with?
Hi James, and sorry about my slow reply, I just saw this comment. Taxi drivers at the train station MIGHT be willing to do that, but I can’t say for sure because I’ve never done it myself. I think it would be best to arrange a driver or tour in advance. I’ve got some tour recommendations in my main Alishan article linked to above, but if you don’t find what you need, feel free to send me an email at [email protected] and I can recommend a specific tour or private transfer options to suit your needs!
Hi Nick,
Thank for the great info on how to get to Alishan. I plan to go to Alishan from sun moon lake. Understand that there is a direct bus services from sun moon lake to Alishan, how is the road condition ? Is it very winding ?
This is the website which we can reserve the bus services
https://www.ntbus.com.tw/6739order-en.doc
Hi TN, yes, the road is pretty winding, especially the when you get closer to the top toward Alishan, but I still think it’s the best way to travel between the two attractions. You don’t really need to book a seat online, usually you can just arrive early at the bus stop and pay when you get on the bus, but if you are worried that it will be busy, you can try to use the booking form!
We will be headed to Alishan from Tainan and staying a few days. It looks like our transportation options are limited. Is it okay to book a tour from Tainan, take the tour, but ask our guide to leave us in Alishan? The tour looks good, but we’d like a few more days to hike.
Hi Barb! I can’t imagine why the wouldn’t be OK with that, but I would say that it is best to contact them to confirm this. Enjoy your trip!
Hi i was wondering if staying over at Alishan for a night is enough? I would be landing in khaoshiung and was thinking of heading over to alishan the next morning and stayover for the sunrise before moving on with taichung. What do you think? Thank you.
Hi Rachel,
Yes, I think this is definitely doable. If you can get there by early afternoon, you can still walk the main tourist loop through the scenic area before sunset. Then catch the sunrise in the morning, and you’ll be up so early that you’ll still have a few more hours to further explore before moving on.
Hello!
This is helpful. I’m a bit confused. If we have 4 days, would you recommend from Taipei to Chiayi to Alishan? If we wanted to do sunmoon lake too, do we do that first or after? Thank you!
Jesse
Hi Jesse,
If you have only 4 days, then doing Taroko + Sun Moon Lake + Alishan would be quite rushed. You will use up one entire day getting from Taroko Gorge on the east coast to Chiayi/Alishan/SML on the west coast, traveling via Taipei (unless you are willing to spend some cash on a private driver and take the very winding road from Taroko Gorge over the central mountain range to SML. I think 4 days is very reasonable for Alishan + SML though! There’s a bus between them (as described in the above article, so you could can basically do a loop, doesn’t matter which direction:
Taipei to Taichung to SML to Alishan to Chiayi and back to Taipei
or
Taipei to Chiayi to Alishan to SML to Taichung and back to Taipei.
Either day doesn’t make a big difference, just check out the (fairly limited) bus times between SML and ALishan, and decide which times look better for your plans.
Hope that helps!
Hi Nick. Many thanks for your helpfull information, your blog is really awesome! We are traveling by car and we are in Hualien. Tomorrow we planed to visit Taroko, crossing it by n. 8 and 14 road. Then we will drive direct to Chiayi, overnight there in and next mornig go to Alishan. Do you think that is a feasible plan? Thank you again. All the best and good luck!
Hi Izabella, and thank you! Yes, there plan sounds perfectly fine! Be prepared for a very winding, slow moving drive going up from Taroko, and also a super winding road from Chiayi up to Alishan! And you may want to stop at Qingjing Farm en route. You’ve probably already booked, but an alternative route would be via Sun Moon Lake, which would take about an hour longer in total (from Taroko to Alishan) but you’d get to see Sun Moon Lake. Your original plan is fine though. Drive carefully and enjoy your trip!
Hi, my friend and I will be in Taichung and wanted to scooter from there to Alishan National forest (石棹) where we booked an airbnb. We know it’s a long scooter ride, but is it even possible? And can we then scooter to the sunrise points?
Hi Sophia,
You can’t ride a scooter on all the main highways in Taiwan, but “provincial highways” are OK; there’s a provincial highway all the way around Taiwan, so you should definitely be able to connect from Taichung to Chiayi, and then the road up to Alishan is definitely OK (I have a friend that did it by scooter recently). Sorry that I don’t know exactly which roads you should take for the Taichung to Chiayi part, but definitely it’s possible. And beware that the road up to Alishan is super winding towards the top! I’m pretty sure you should be able to ride up to the main sunrise point as well, there’s definitely a road up to there!
Hi Nick,
Good day!
Thank you for a well detailed read on Alishan! Helped a lot travellers and backpackers. Been running through different blogs on Alishan, but cant get a hold on information if bicycles (folding bike) can be carried into Alishan Mountain Rail or buses that goes up Alishan, either from Chiayi or SML (preferably from Chiayi though).
Maybe you have any info or experience on that?
Many thanks and God bless!
Hey Adrian,
I don’t have any direct experience with that, but since both the train and bus take up countless travelers every day with all their big luggage, it’s hard for me to imagine that they wouldn’t let you take a folding bicycle up as well. Best of luck!
Hi Nick,
Would you know whether there are lockers at the tourist information centre/Alishan Forest Railway Station?
I’m planning on heading to Alishan from Sun Moon Lake on a day trip before going to Chiayi. It’d mean I’d have my big backpack with me that I’d need to store somewhere while I explore Alishan.
Hi Ant,
I have taken a look and it seems that there are lockers at Chiayi Railway station, see here:
https://www.seasonstar.com.tw/blog/119
But in Alishan village, I’m not aware that there are any. If I were you, I would just take it up there, and head to the tourist information center in the main parking lot at Alishan village. I bet they would be willing to let you leave it there for a few hours. I bet you could even walk in to one of the hotels around the parking lot and they would do the same for you. You could offer a little money, but they probably wouldn’t take it. And don’t worry, Taiwan is super safe.
Wow, your blog offers the BEST advice on Alishan. So informative. You have no idea how difficult to research for this. Will definitely link your blog when I post reviews ! Big Thank You!
Thank you so much! And I do fully know what a lack of info there is out there, especially on government/tourism pages, which is precisely why I wrote the article. Please let me know if any questions come up!
hi,
Informative blog, I am visit Alishan next month. We are going up by the Forest train at 0900.
Most probably reached Alishan will be 1600HRS. We hoping to catch the last train 1615 from Alishan to ShenMuh. But, how long it takes to walk back from ShenMuh to Alishan? We are staying at Gao Shan Ching Hotel.
Thanks!
Thanks! It’s not too far at all. If I remember correctly, walking from Shenmu area back to Alishan village (and your hotel) only takes around 30 minutes, maybe even less.
Hello Nick
Thank you for the great info.
In case, I will go to Alishan by overnight bus from Taipei on friday night. Is it possible to buy train ticket at Alishan station on early morning to see the sunrise? I read that require to but a ticket one day advice. Do you have any other recommendation about this?
Hi, I’m sorry that I’m not 100% sure about this. When I search online, I’m also seeing that you need to buy it one day in advance.
I actually took the overnight bus from Taipei once many years ago, and I walked to the sunrise point in the dark. I think it took about 30-45 minutes. If you have a flashlight, it’s good enough. The trail is even marked on Google Maps as “Zhushan Sunrise Trail 祝山觀日步道”. Make sure you dress warm, as it can become very cold standing there waiting for the sunrise. I hope this helps!
Hi Nick!
Thanks a lot for the information given here!
I have information for you: I just booked my Alishan mountain line ticket online yesterday. It’s super easy, I just payed with credit card which worked on first try. To pick up the ticket I went to the little window in front of the train station where you can also buy the tickets. Had to show my passport and got my ticket directly 🙂
Hey Fabienne, that’s great to hear! They made it so complicated before, it was almost impossible. I’m gad the new system works and is easy to use!
Hi Nick. Had a fabulous 3 week trip in Taiwan, thanks in great part to your guidance. To get to Alishan after our overnight in Tainan, we took a local train Tainan to Chiaya City (1 hour), then took the bus that’s right in front of the Chiayi train station. Used our Easy cards to pay. Easy peasy. From Alishan to Sun Moon Lake, we took the Yuanlin bus 6739. It’s too bad the bus windows weren’t cleaner – the trip takes you along the spectacular mountain ridge for many miles before descending along the winding road. You can purchase tickets for the Alishan – SML bus only on the morning of departure after 0800 at the lower 7-11. You need to step out of the park to purchase the tickets, but the gate agents hand you a voucher to get back into the park. And, yes, there was luggage storage in a trunk at the outside back of the bus.
Hi Barabara, and thanks a lot for your trip report! This will be helpful for other readers. Glad you enjoyed the trip!
Hi Nick,
thank you so much for your blog! It´s really helpful (actually the most helpful I found so far) and also very entertaining to read. I even enjoy your posts about things that do not concern me (like traveling with children)!
I have one question though:
Is it a good idea to go to Alishan at the end of february or is it too cold?
And what is the temperature at Taroko gorge at this time of year?
Hey Steve,
Thanks for your comments and positive feedback!
January and February are the coldest months in Taiwan. I’ve been to Alishan at that time, and yes it was very cold, but nothing too crazy. It snows sometimes in winter, but not often. When I went, there was a little frost on the ground in the morning but no snow, so it was probably around zero Celsius at the coldest. During the daytime was fine, especially because you will mostly be hiking/moving, but the coldest time definitely was standing around in the early morning for the sunrise to happen. If you go for sunrise, then definitely you’ll want a good jacket, winter hat, etc. As for Taroko Gorge, the weather in February is similar to Taipei, which is a little damp and chilly, maybe 10-15 degrees C at the worst. Depending where you come from, that may not seem to bad, but because of the humidity in Taiwan, that can feel pretty cool. It’s not cold enough to stop you from doing anything though, just need to bring a few layers and it’s fine, and prepare for possible light rain.
Have you noticed that the Google Maps bus routes from Chiayi Station to Alishan estimates a much longer journey time then it should? Around 5 hours instead of 2 – 3 hours max.
It’s also missing all route 7322 buses and only showing 7322C, which I gather are the tourist shuttle services. BTW, can you please explain the difference between tourist shuttle services and normal bus services?
Hey John, good question, took me a while to figure this one out (they never make it easy!)
I *think* that GoogleMaps is just wrong on this one. If you go to this page, you’ll find the full schedules for all the tourist shuttle bus routes from Chiayi to Alishan.
https://www.taiwantrip.com.tw/line/10?x=3&y=2
When you open the page, you may have to set to English, then click the “Chiayi” option, and you’ll see tourist 7329 Alishan Route A, 7329A Alishan Route A via Fenqihu, 7322C Alishan Route B, and 7322D Alishan Route V via Fenqihu. Click on any of these, then click “download price and time table, and you can find the detailed time for every station. Indeed the buses take about 2 hours and 15 minutes to reach Alishan; I’ve done it myself several times and this is how long it took. The bus times I provide on this page are just a compiled list of the times of all four of these bus numbers. Usually GoogleMaps is good for this, but it’s possible they have it wrong because the tourism department here always changes their website URLs and makes it really hard to dig up this info. I would say ignore GoogleMaps here, use these time charts, and don’t worry too much about the numbers on the buses; just be there for one of the departure times listed, and hop on the one that says Alishan.
As for the difference between the shuttle buses and regular ones, well the network of shuttle buses in Taiwan just tend to go to the most famous tourist attractions, and have their own pricing system, but anyone can ride them, and the way to pay is the same as regular buses. They are run by the tourism department rather than regional transportation departments, but for practical purposes, they are pretty much the same thing.
Thanks so much for your advice and for putting together such a comprehensive set of blogs about the many spectacular destinations in Taiwan.
I was trying to find the journey length via Taiwanbus.tw but your referral to Taiwantrip.com.tw has straight forward timetables and is much easier for planning bus trips. Taiwanbus.tw still looks good for checking real time bus tracking.
Thanks again for all your travel writing, especially the way you cover public transport, self-driving, inexpensive tours or private tour options for various traveller styles.
Thanks a lot John, I’m glad I could help!
Hi Nick,
Thanks for your comprehensive guide!
I sucessfully managed to book Alishan railway tickets though your link! There might be a waiting time on the page but just wait it out.
Also managed to take the 6.30 HSR train from Taipei arriving at Chiayi HSR 7.43.
Free shutte took us to Chiayi TRA from where we boarded the 9.00 Alishan railway train. Eaisly managable without any stress Let me know if you have any questions and again thanks for your guide.
Hi Nanna,
Thanks so much for the update, and glad to hear that it worked out well! Enjoy the rest of your travels!
– Nick
Hello!
Are there bathrooms on the bus/train to Alishan? If not do the buses make any rest stops?
Thanks!
From what I recall, no, there is no bathroom on the bus, but yes, they do make a rest stop about half way!
Thanks! One more question… Should I take the Alishan Forest Railway from Chiayi to Shizilu or Chiayi to Fenqihu? Then catch the bus up to Alishan.
Thanks for your help!
Hey Lisa,
I have only ever gone to Fenqihu then taken the bus from there. Fenqihu is a cute little town with a few hotels, food stalls, restaurants, 7-11, and a small train museum. It’s a cool place to spend an hour, or even stay the night. Shizilu will get you a little closer to Alishan so your bus ride will be shorter (the bus ride is super winding, so this can help), but from what I’ve heard, there isn’t as much stuff at Shizilu. I’m not even sure if they have shops, but I can’t confirm because I haven’t been there. Sorry about my slow reply again!
Hi Nick,
Excellent blog, very helpful in planning my trip there a few weeks ago. My route from Taipei was HSR to Chiayi the night before, shuttle bus to Chiayi Main (free with HSR ticket), Alishan Railway up to Fenqihu, bus to Alishan (leaves around an hour or so after the train, there are lockers at the station for your bags), bus directly back to HSR. I was a solo traveller and I cannot speak much Mandarin, but all was very manageable. I didn’t stick around in Fenqihu but understand why you recommend it, will do so next time.
Just a few points I thought worth giving an update (may be more suited to the other blog on Alishan but will add all here);
1. The English language rail site was telling me there were no tickets available when I looked 10 days in advance, despite travelling on a Wednesday, outside the school holidays and with no international tourists around. However, had no problem getting one at booth before departure. There were still large tour groups of elderly Taiwanese so it was quite full.
2. Got up for sunrise and took train (5am train for a 6.25am sunrise) from Alishan but last stop is currently Duegayue as Zhushan is still under re-construction, so there is still a good 20 min walk up to look out spot (by the way, got perfect sunrise on first attempt!).
3. I stayed in one of the hotels in the park but they are not great quality and all seem to send you to breakfast at one of the poor quality restaurants elsewhere in the park. It should also be noted that there is nothing to do in the evenings in the park so make sure you bring some entertainment!
Hey Barrie,
Thanks a lot for the very useful update! I will add some of this tips to my articles right now.
As for evenings in Alishan, I think the main thing to do is get a beer from 7-Eleven, and then go to bed super early to prepare for sunrise the next morning 🙂
Can I ask, when you got of the train at Duigaoyue, did you notice a sunrise viewing platform there? Did it also seem to be under construction?
Glad you enjoyed your trip!
Hi Nick,
Yes, I did notice the viewing platform at Diugaoyue Station, from memory I think it was completed.
As always, 7-11 beer saves the day! 🙂
Regards,
Barrie
Thanks for the update Barrie!
Thanks nick,
Very useful information
I been on the weekend in Alishan.
Very foggy weather which added even more mist in the forest.
Regarding sea of clouds, there was, but before sunrise
When the sun actually rised the sea of clouds disappeared 😉
Thanks for reading, Alex, and I’m glad you got a chance to experience the sea of clouds!
Hi Nick~ Hope all is well~
Thank you for the effort in offering detailed options to reach Alishan. Am planning a trip in Feb 2023. Am not a stranger to Taiwan, but first time to Alishan.
Do you have any information on getting out of Alishan National Park back to Chiayi HSR station or the Chiayi station? I couldnt find clear information on that, & seems like the return bus timings are early in the day. I am hoping to stay in Alishan National Park till sunset if possible, then head back down~ OR is that not advisable due to the winding road? I have booked Hinoki Air B & B in Chiayi, for your information~
Look forward to hearing from you. Thanks in advance~
Hi Pamela, please see the “Bus times from Alishan to Chiayi HSR” section of this article. The bus times are listed there. The last one to the HSR station is 4:40. And the last bus of any kind leaves Alishan at 5:10 p.m., to Alishan city center train station (TRA station, not HSR). Because the sun sets early in the mountains, you could actually probably see the early stages of sunsets around 5:00 and catch this bus. It often because misty and beautiful in the hour or so before sunset. But please note: Hinoki B&B is NOT in Alishan, and also NOT in Chiayi. It’s halfway between Chiayi and Alishan, along the highway, near a village called Shizhuo (Shizhao). So I don’t understand your plan – do you plan to visit Alishan in the daytime, see sunset, and then take the bus down to your Hinoki hotel? Actually, you can enjoy a more beautiful sunset from your hotel or somewhere nearby. That area actually has better sunsets than Alishan. Alishan is more famous for the sunrise.
Hi Nick,
Your website has been the main source of information for planning my trip to Taiwan. Tremendously helpful!
I like to ask for your advice on the mode of transport from Chiayi to Alishan. My group is travelling with four luggage bags. Should we choose to take the forest railway or bus?
Thanks in advance!
Both are OK and have storage areas for luggage. The train is slower but more scenic. And it only goes halfway, so you still have to take the bus too. The bus is faster, cheaper, and don’t need to reserve in advance.
Hi Nick,
Thanks for gathering all information, which is helpful to plan trips.
The minibus from Sun Moon Lake to Alishan doesn’t take reservations, but to your knowledge is it likely to be full, especially in March/April? If yes, it looks risky to rely on it when planning my itinerary. But the alternative (with HSR) is way longer. Do you know if there may be private transfer services available instead?
Thank you!
I would say that yes, the minibus is likely to be full. In fact, before COVID, there were 2 minibuses per day, and I never heard of anyone not getting on because they were full. During COVID, they scaled it back to only one per day, but I wonder if they will add a second one again soon if the bus starts getting too full every day. For a private transfer, you can try the Tripool app/website, but it may be a little pricey (they usually add an extra charge for drives that go above 1500 meters, which includes Alishan).
Hi nick
I intend to catch the sunrise at Alishan. Would like to know the options available as I’m staying in Mega hotel. It seems there isn’t an early train/bus up to Alishan.
Thanks alot
The best way to catch the sunrise is by staying in Alishan. The morning train departs from Alishan to the sunrise viewpoint, or you can even hike to it. From your hotel, it’s a 1.5 hour drive to Alishan, and cars are not allowed to drive to the sunrise point, so even if you hire a private driver, you will still need to walk or take the train to the viewpoint.
Hi, thank you providing such a comprehensive guide to Alishan. It’s so helpful. Question – is 11:30 bus the earliest one can get from Fenquihu to Alishan? And the last returning bus is rather early. I was planning to stay in Fenquihu foe two nights spending full day in Alishan, but it doesn’t seem easily doable?
There is a way to go earlier. You can catch an earlier bus from Fenqihu to Shizhuo. In Shizhuo, get off the bus, cross the street, and transfer to any of the buses going to Alishan. There should be a bus from Fenqihu to Shizhuo around 8:55 and 9:55 AM. You can double check the times when you get there.
Hi Nick,
Great review. I noticed that you recommended buying the bus ticket, #7329, from Chaiyi HSR to Alishan in advance at Family Mart. I was wondering if this ticket can be purchased at any Family Mart in Taiwan 31 days in advance?
Thanks
Yes, it should be possible using the machine in any FamilyMart, as they all have access to the same booking system.
Hi Nick. So it’s been said that FamilyMart purchases would allow a booking on the actual seat, whereas the Klook tickets are open seating, and priority are given to the reserved seats via FM. I was thinking that to hedge against overcrowding, we buy on Klook and then once we arrive at Taiwan, to buy on Famiport. I am merely worried we don’t get a seat on the #7329 9:30am bus from Chiayi HSR, as we’re on a tight schedule. Thoughts? TQ.
I’ve taken the bus several times without booking. I’d be very surprised if there was such a big line of people at Chiayi HSR that you couldn’t even get on. UNLESS you are planning to visit during Lunar New Year, a long weekend, or cherry blossom seasons (March to early April). With your Klook ticket, I would say if you plan to arrive at the HSR station a good 30 minutes before the bus departure time so you can secure a spot in line, you’d be fine.
Nick,
Regarding the e-bus ticket from the Alishan Visitor Centre to Zhaoping or to XiangLin. The tickets are bought at the bus-stop itself or is there some online website? How much does it cost one way? Machines take cash or its electronic payment via credit/debit cards? Thanx for your info, if there’s any.
Tickets for this bus can be purchased on the spot only, not online, and with cash only (no Easy Card or other e-payment possible) the last time I checked. There is usually a person at the bus stop selling the tickets and then you just give the ticket to the driver when boarding. The price for one ride is TWD 60.
Hi Nick, thanks for the detailed info, really helpful for my planning. You mentioned about buying the 7329A bus ticket in advance via FamiPort machine in any FamilyMart. Are you referring to the FamilyMart in Chiayi or Taipei? If I need to board the bus at Fenqihu to Alishan and not from the HSR station, would you still recommend to book the bus ticket in advance?
You can buy the tickets from the machine in any FamilyMart across Taiwan, as they all have access to the same system. However, some travelers have informed me that the machines only sell tickets from the Chiayi all the way to Alishan. They weren’t able to buy from Chiayi to Fenqihu or Fenqihu to Alishan portion only. But it shouldn’t be a problem to board the bus at Fenqihu. Even if the bus is full, some people usually get off at Fenqihu. And I’ve only every heard of these buses selling out at the busiest times, such as long weekends, lunar new year, and especially during cherry blossom season.
Hello
Thank you so much for your helpful website. I am using it nonstop to plan our trip! I have a question about getting from Chiayi City HSR to Chiayi City TRA in order to catch the Alishan Forest Railway Train. We are taking HSR from Taipei and arrive in Chiayi City at 8:48. We are leaving on the 9:30 train from the TRA station. Is that enough time to get from the HSR to TRA station if we take a taxi? I thought I maybe read somewhere about a free shuttle?
Thanks so much!
Monica
There’s a free shuttle, but the times are limited and it is slower than a taxi. You can find the times here, Mandarin only. You’ll need to click to bus 7212 and the departure times are at the bottom. https://www.thsrc.com.tw/ArticleContent/60831846-f0e4-47f6-9b5b-46323ebdcef7 If you take a taxi, it will highly depend on traffic conditions, but usually takes 20 to 30 minutes at this time of day. In other words, you’ll make it, but just barely.
I believe the forest train hours may have changed
https://afrch.forest.gov.tw/en/0000115
Thank you so much. I will update the article!
Hi Nick, thanks for such an informative article! We will be travelling from Taoyuan and might not make it for the 11am bus to Fenqihu from Chiayi HSR. If we take the later bus to Shizhuo instead, how easy is it to get to Fenqihu? We have 3 adults and 3 kids.
If you’re arriving at the HSR station, that 11 bus is your only option to reach Fenqihu directly. You could also catch the next (and last) one of the day, departing at 1:10 and get off at Shizhuo, and then yes, there will be a bus from Shizhuo to Fenqihu, but this option won’t be ideal, because you’ll arrive in Fenqihu around 2:30, but the bus from Shizhuo to Fenqihu won’t come by until 4:38. So you’d have to kill two hours in Shizhuo. You could maybe visit some tea shops or even do a little hike in that time, but there wouldn’t be anywhere to put your luggage. The bus stop you’d get off at in Shizhao is the exact same spot you would also catch the bus to Fenqihu, here: https://goo.gl/maps/gSmSNHC9tr7uJD2b8
super helpful and detailed guide to Alishan. Thanks for writing it. Going on a September Monday-Tuesday, maybe I can avoid the worst of the crowds.
Your map is helpful and the links to the bus schedules — and tip to buy HSR-Alishan bus ticket before at Family Mart. I’ll make a point of doing that.
Glad you found it useful! On a September weekday trip, you’d probably be fine just paying for the bus as you board. It’s more essential to buy the tickets in advance for really busy times like cherry blossom season or long weekends.
Hi Nick, So glad I found your site as it contains a lot of important information. I got my Alishan forest railway tickets (Chia Yi City –> Fenqihu) approx 15 days prior to the actual date. And I am thinking of going up to stay 2D1N (as per your recommendation) in Alishan. Thing is only a few buses go from Fenqihu to Alishan… and as per your site again (Fenqihu to Alishan bus times: Departing Fenqihu at 11:30 AM, 12:50 PM and 2:00 PM). I’m looking at the 2 pm bus. Can I book the ticket online? I’m worried it may be sold out by the time I reach Chia Yi City. Please advise!
Thank you!
To add on, I am going on 6 Aug. Would it be ok to pay as we board? We can use Easycard for these buses right?
Yes, you can swipe EasyCard for that bus.
It is not usually necessary to book this bus in advance, except at super busy times like Chinese New Year. It’s possible to buy the bus tickets from the FamiPort machine in any FamilyMart, however, they only sell Chiayi to Alishan bus tickets (you can’t buy a ticket for only Fenqihu to Alishan). But it’s usually fine to board the bus at Fenqihu, as soon people usually get off there, which makes some available spaces on the bus. At worst, you might have to stand on the bus.
Hi Nick
Thank you for your comprehensive guide! It has helped me greatly with planning and creating an itinerary to visit Alishan.
If I’m catching one of the only two scheduled Alishan to Chiayi buses *stopping at Fenqihu (I’m getting on at Fenqihu), what are the chances the bus will be full? i.e no passengers getting off at Fenqihu. I presume I can pre-purchase bus tickets for the Fenqihu to Chiayi leg of the trip so not being able to catch the bus wouldn’t be a problem?
Thank you for taking the time to read my comment!
Members of my FB group have mentioned before that at FamilyMart iBon machine, you can only purchase Chiayi to Alishan bus tickets, in other words, you can buy a ticket for just Fenqihu to Alishan and a seat will be held for you. In the times I’ve taken the bus, it sometimes is quite full, but people just squeeze on. At worst, you’d have to stand in the aisle of the bus, which wouldn’t be a super fun ride, but you’d still get there.
Hi Nick
Thanks for your reply.
I was able to pre-purchase return tickets from Family Mart i.e return tickets from
Alishan to Chiayi can be bought in advance not just on the day at Alishan 7Eleven. Actually the lovely Family Mart clerk (at TRA Chiayi Station) recommended we buy the return ticket to avoid queues at Alishan 7Eleven.
A few points to note:
-earliest bus from TRA Chiayi to Alishan is 5:55am.
– in fact I took a photo of the bus schedule today right at the Chiayi Bus Stop. There are a few time changes. Even the information visitor centre has the previous version, which is confusing. Let me know if you’d like a copy of the photo.
Thanks for all the updates!
Hi Teresa, thanks for the info! And yes, if you can email me a copy of those bus times that would be great! My address is the same as this website URL (my first and last name) @gmail.com
Hi! Your blog is so helpful. We are thinking of taking the minibus from Sun Moon Lake to Alishan and then catching the bus from Alishan towards Chiayi. Do you know if the 17:10 departure from Alishan ever gets full and leaves people stranded? Worried since we wouldn’t be coming in from Chiayi on the bus..
I’ve never heard of anyone getting stranded. It’s a full size bus so it has a lot of room, and passengers can even stand if they have to. I’ve only ever heard of people not being able to board when trying to board the bus from Chiayi to Alishan during erry blossom season, which is the busiest time of the year at Alishan. I think if you just get to the bus station to line up a little early, you’ll be fine.
Wow! Thank you for the guide. I was ready to throw away my plans to go to Alishan as it seemed just to complicated but then I found your guide.
So we stayed in Febquihu and hat the most wonderful time there but also in Alishan. The Sea of clouds is really worth getting up at 3 in the morning.
Thank you again for comping all the information. All the best to you,
Sophia
That’s awesome, I’m so glad to hear! And you are very lucky because the sea of clouds doesn’t always happen!
Hello,
Thank you for the insightful blog. It helps make planning easier. Will the roads be safe to drive up to Alishan from Chiayi? I’ve driven a 125cc scooter up to Hehuanshan before no problem but I wonder will the roads be frosted or treacherous during early February/Chinese New year period when I plan to drive up? And yes, those Alishan bus drivers are nuts. I once went to Alishan in the back of one of their buses and the driver twisted and turned so violently that 4 other passengers got sick. It was no surprise when I read later on that such tour buses have crashed a few times there. They buses really drive dangerously up there.
If you’ve already ridden to Hehuanshan, then you should have no trouble with Alishan. The road to Hehuanshan is actually much higher than the road to Alishan. So your chance of getting frost on the road on the drive to Alishan is low. I’ve seen pictures of snow at Alishan, but it’s very rare, especially with warming weather in recent years.
Thanks for this guide! It was very helpful.
I’m now debating on where to stay when I’m visiting Alishan. I really want to see the sunrise, but I’m not sure where I should stay the night before? Would you recommend staying at Fenqihu? Is it even possible to stay at Chiayi if we want to catch the train that arrives before sunrise?
Thanks in advance for anyone who has suggestions concerning this matter!
If you want to see the sunrise at Alishan, you really need to stay at Alishan. There’s no sunrise viewpoint at Fenqihu and there’s no way to take the train or bus up from Chiayi before sunrise. Another option is to stay in Xiding and do Eryanping trail for sunrise. You can see my Eryanping guide on my TaiwanObsessed website for all the info about that.
Hi Nick –
This is so thorough but I’m still confused ?!
I arrive TPE around 6 am and plan to private driver to Alishan (already have reservation at Yin Shan in Alishan). After one night we are headed to Kaohsiung. This is on a Monday March 25th, during cherry blossom season and there are 5 of us. I will only need a one way bus ticket from Alishan to Chiayi. Do I need to buy that early? Where do I buy it from? You said “When you leave Alishan, you can only buy tickets for the bus from Alishan to Chiayi on the day you want to travel, so it’s a good idea to arrive at Alishan Bus Station an hour or two before your bus departure time to buy your ticket.” My fear is that since it’s busy season, more people will have purchased return tickets in advance.
Thanks for your help
Your understanding is correct, and the quote from my article applies. Yes, there could be many people trying to take the bus down, and yes, some of them will have already booked their seats in advance so they will get priority. Many people don’t do this, though, so that’s why I advise to get there early to line up. However if you’re concerned about it, you could also try to book tickets for the ride. You can book them at the FamiPort machine in any FamilyMart in Taiwan. Because the system interface is in Mandarin, you’d have to use a translation app or ask the clerk for help. If the clerk can’t speak English, also have a translation app ready to describe what you want. I’ve never done it myself, so I’m not 100% sure if you’re able to buy a one-way ticket or only return tickets. I’m going to test that on my next trip to taiwan in a few months!
Hi Nick,
Thanks for the detailed Blog on Alishan. I read other related post of your and really informative. I am planning to travel with my family to Taiwan in March. Have a 1yr old baby and was preparing an itinerary to suit our situation. We are planning for 6D5N trip to Taiwan. My plan is to reach Taipei and directly take train to Chaiyi. Stay the night there and charter a private car to go to Alishan next day for a day trip. Is it possible to return to Taipei the same day after our trip to Alishan and can you recommend a hotel in Chaiyi?
Yes, you can sure go back from Chiayi to Taipei that evening. The best way would be taxi to Chiayi HSR station then HSR to Taipei. It only takes about 1.5 hrs. As for hotel, I’ve only stayed at Chiayi King Hotel in Chiayi city. It was just a very normal, typical 3 star hotel, nothing bad but nothing special. You can probably find better options if you search around on a booking platform.
Hi, Nick
Thank you for the great info.
I want a solution from you regarding luggage storage during the following plans : I will go to Alishan National Forest Recreation Area from Taichung (by THSR ke Chiayi) then to Kaohsiung for the night, where should I leave my luggage ? Is it possible at Alishan station ?
There are two options. One is at Chiayi HSR station, then go back to there in order to get to Kaohsiung. Another option is to carry the luggage up to Alishan and store it in the lockers in Alishan Bus Station (inside the 7-11, at the back near the restrooms).
Thanks Nick for the information.
Can I once again ask for your information, namely
– Can the easy card be used directly to board the train without being exchanged for a ticket ? and can
all types of trains ?
– How to calculate taxi transportation costs and can you use an easy card ?
– Where can I buy an easy card at Taoyuan airport ?
Thanks again for the response.
EasyCard can be used to board Local type trains (these have no seat numbers, just free seating) or to buy a standing ticket for Tze Chiang (all numbers except 3000) and Chu Kuang type trains. Standing ticket means you can just stand in the aisle or between train cars. You can’t use EasyCard for Tze Chiang 3000, Puyuma, or Taroko type trains, which require seat reservations. You can also can’t use EasyCard for Alishan trains. For taxis, only some taxis in Taiwan have an EasyCard scanner (maybe 50% or less). To calculate fares, I usually estimate TWD 250 for every 15 minutes of driving. EasyCard in Taoyuan Airport there are many ways – pre-order on Klook for pick up at airport, enter Taiwan Lucky Draw to maybe win TWD 5000 card at airport, buy from EZFly counter in entrance to Airport MRT station, on inside the Airport MRT station you can buy at the desk or machine.
Thank you Nick for the information. Sorry I still want information regarding :
– Are there luggage storage lockers at HSR Zuoying station or THSR Zuoying Station ?
– Can Easycard be used for all types of trains ? if not, what train ?
– Can you get the train directly with an Easycard (without needing a ticket) ?
Every HSR station in taiwan has luggage lockers. See more info about them in my luggage locker article: https://www.taiwanobsessed.com/luggage-storage-lockers-taipei-taoyuan-taiwan/
Thank you very much Nick for the responsive information.
Hi Nick,
Can I check how does the discounted Alishan Entrance ticket works? I am planning to buy my bus tickets from the familymart for Chiayi TRA to Alishan.
I presume that when we reach Alishan, I just have to show the Alishan entrance office my bus tickets and I get 50% off for the tickets?
Yes, exactly!
Hi, Nick.
Thanks for the detailed write-up on trip to Alisan. That has been very informative & super helpful.
However, do u have any write-up on trip to Sun Moon lake instead? Preferably with private driver & good accommodation recommended.
Thanks
Please use the search function on this site to find my SML articles.
Man, you are just the best.
All that info you posted is priceless.
I cannot imagine the hours you put into that. I don’t even know if i’ll be able to go to Alishan, but i just wanted you to know that you are a GOAT!
Thank you for your job again!!
Thank you!
Hi Nick, just to inform you that I’m currently in Sun Moon Lake and I had planned to go to Alishan with bus 6739 in 2 days but now you must book the bus by phone and it’s fully Booked for in 2 days. I must take a taxi for 4000$, I have negociated 3500$ to get there. You can change this information for not having a bad surprise.
Hi Nick,
I really appreciate your articles about Taiwan travel. They’re fantastic!
One question, I’ve purchased tickets on the Alishan Forest Railway from Chiayi to Shizilu and will need to connect from there to Alishan. Is there a website with a timetable of those buses? Are the bus times shown in Google Maps accurate? Would there be taxis available in Shizilu as an alternative? Thanks for any suggestions!
You can see my bus timetable here which includes all buses to Alishan. https://www.taiwanobsessed.com/chiayi-to-alishan-bus-schedule/
My timetable doesn’t include Shizilu. However, below the timetable I made, you can find links to the two original Taiwan tourism timetables (Chiayi to Alishan and Chiayi HSR to Alishan) where I got some of the bus times from. Those ones include a stop for “Shizi Community” which should be the same as Shizilu. When you click those links, you need to scroll down to the second page for English.
Hi Nick,
I just got back from Taiwan, and your websites were super helpful for making it a great trip! I took the Alishan Forest Railway to Fenqihu and transferred to a bus there, and I wanted to share an important detail about the bus stops in Fenqihu that might be helpful for others to know.
There are actually TWO bus stops in Fenqihu. One is the terminal station that you describe above. The other is a 5-10 minute walk away in a parking lot. The two stops are used at different times. Per the signage at both stops, the terminal stop is used on regular weekdays only; while the parking lot stop is used on weekends, holidays, and at all times throughout the early April cherry blossom season. We were actually given wrong information by the clerk at the Alishan Forest Railway; he directed us to the parking lot stop, even though it was a weekday and the correct stop to use was the terminal stop. Fortunately the bus stop signage and Google maps both pointed us to the terminal stop, and we caught our bus there without further difficulty.
Thanks so much, this is really important information, especially as I am about to publish a Fenqihu guide on my other side, TaiwanObsessed.
Hi Nick, thanks for the detailed information. My family is thinking of a trip to Alishan early Nov, are there any Minsu located within the Alishan Forest Recreational Area? Thank you!
There are no minsus inside the national forest recreation area. But you can find some in the small villages between Chiayi and Alishan, like Xiding, Shizhuo, and Fenqihu.
Hello Nick,
Thank you for your great guides. As of right now, the Alishan Forest Railway from Chiayi to Alishan is nearly impossible to book a ticket for. I was on 15 days in advance at exactly 6am TST, made it to the first confirmation screen. But after typing in my passport number and clicking confirm, was told the seats were all sold out (this was still 6:00am).
According to some Reddit threads, travel agents are buying up all the tickets to resell.
We were really looking forward to the train trip but will settle for the bus. Just a heads up for any other travelers.
Thank you again!
-Kendall
Thanks for sharing. This is what I’ve heard too, which is really unfortunate. You can at least still enjoy the 3 short lines of the railway inside the park, which don’t require a reservation.
Wow Nick,
Thank you so much for all this information.
Would you say there a difference between taking the train in a certain direction?
My friends and I wanted to experience the train ride in at least one direction. We noticed that the tour companies charge more for the train ride up.
I feel it’s the same scenery and experience. But going up is a little more high demand because people want the feeling of going up to and arriving at Alishan in this special way, with the scenery getting better and better as you go up.