Alishan Itinerary: How to Simplify This Part of Your Trip

Nick Kembel's toddler aged daughter looking out the window of an Alishan Forest Railway train, shot from outside an adjacent window, at Alishan station

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Alishan (阿里山) National Forest Recreation Area is the most famous of such areas in Taiwan and one of the country’s most appealing tourist attractions.

However, again and again, travelers tell me that planning their itinerary for Alishan is the most complicated part of their Taiwan trip. Some visitors even skip Alishan because the transportation and planning seem so daunting.

That’s exactly why I am writing this article.

Below, I’m going to provide detailed, workable itineraries for visiting Alishan region in one, two, three, or four days. These itineraries will include popular stops in the region like Fenqihu, Shizhuo, and Xiding (Eryanping Trail), which are often the most complicated part.

I will also include some key info and tips for making this part of your trip as smooth and efficient as possible.

See more of my Taiwan itineraries and the more detailed paid versions here.

Essential Tips for Your Alishan Itinerary

Close up of railway tracks with frost on the boards
Frost on the train tracks at Alishan
  • One night for Alishan is generally enough. For day trippers, you can ride the small train in the park and walk the main trails of Alishan in 3-4 hours.
  • Hotels in Alishan National Forest Recreation Area are expensive and limited, so they almost always sell out. Book early, but keep in mind that most of them don’t release their rooms until 2-3 months in advance. If nothing is available, keep trying.
  • Here are my recommended hotels in Alishan. The best one in my experience is Dafeng Villa (see on Booking / Agoda).
  • Most hotels are located on one street at the back of the tourist village. Some offer pickup from the station if you ask. Two more hotels (Alishan Hotel – see on Booking / Agoda)  and Gou Hotel – see on Klook / Agoda) are deeper inside the park and offer pickup.  
Nick Kembel with his wife and two kids standing on a trail in a bamboo forest
My family in the bamboo forest at Fenqihu
  • If you don’t succeed, stay in Chiayi city, Xiding (Eryanping Trail), Shizhuo, or Fenqihu and do a day trip to Alishan. But if you want to see the sunrise at Alishan, it’s best to stay at Alishan.
  • Fenqihu can be done as a stop on the way to/from Alishan by public transportation, but spend a night here if you are especially interested in its old street, bamboo forest hikes, and fireflies.
  • To explore the tea plantation hikes in Shizhuo or Xiding, it’s best to spend the night at either one.
  • There are luggage storage lockers at Fenqihu and Alishan, but not at Shizhuo and Eryanping. See my guide to using these lockers across Taiwan.
Some workers picking tealeaves in a tea plantation, with several mountains in the distance and a tree in the foreground
Tea plantations in Shizhuo
  • It’s tough to get seats on the popular Alishan Forest Railway from Chiayi to Fenqihu to Alishan (5 hours). These should be booked two weeks in advance. Find all the info here.
  • Taking the bus from Chiayi HSR Station (outside the city center) or Chiayi Train Station (in the city center) to Eryanping, Shizhuo, Fenqihu, and Alishan is easier and faster (2 to 2.5 hours). Here is the bus timetable.
  • You can swipe EasyCard for the bus, but at busy times (weekends, holidays, cherry blossom season in March to April), I recommend reserving your seats.
  • Coming from Sun Moon Lake to Alishan (or Alishan to Sun Moon Lake), I always recommend booking that bus. Here is how. Also see my Sun Moon Lake itinerary.
Two kids smiling and sitting at a small, low wooden desk drinking Taiwanese tea out of traditional tea cups, with some tatami bed on the floor behind them
Drinking Alishan tea
  • When you arrive at the park by bus, show your bus ticket to get a 50% discount on the park entrance fee (150 instead of 300). If you arrive by train, the park fee is included in the ticket price.
  • If you arrive by car, you’ll need to pay 300 per adult plus 100 for parking.
  • From Alishan Bus Station, it is a 10-minute walk to Alishan train station (for riding the small train to places inside the park) or a 15-minute walk to the tourist village and most hotels.

Alishan Day Trip Itinerary

Let’s say you are short on time, didn’t manage to get a hotel in Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, or you find the hotels there too expensive. In that case, you may want to do a day trip to Alishan.

Organized Day Tours and Drivers

Two Taiwanese women and two kids standing beside a black van parked at the curb, with the words Tripool on it
My family going to Fenqihu with Tripool

The easiest way would be to join an organized day trip to Alishan. There are many options on Klook and KKday, such as:

  • Day tour from Taichung, Kaohsiung, or Chiayi (Klook)  
  • Day tour from Kaohsiung with stop in Fenqihu (Klook)
  • Day tour from Taichung with stop in Fenqihu (Klook / KKday)
  • Sunrise day tour from Taichung (KKday)

Another option is to hire a private driver for the day. You can book one on Klook, KKday, Tripool, or contact one of my recommended drivers in Taiwan.

Getting There on Your Own

Looking down at the front end of a scooter parked on a cement ledge, with Nick Kembel's face reflecting in the left side rearview mirror as he takes the picture, and a gorgeous scene of a tea plantation, temple roof, and mountains in front of the scooter.
That’s me riding a scooter above Shizhuo

If you want to travel to Alishan on your own, renting a car, scooter, or taking the bus will be your only options.

Coming from Sun Moon Lake, there’s only one daily bus, which departs Sun Moon Lake at 8 AM and arrives at Alishan at 11:50. (Note: there’s a second one at 8:30 on weekends and holidays).

This still gives you enough time to explore Alishan and catch one of the last buses to Chiayi. You can put your luggage in one of the luggage storage lockers at the back of the 7-Eleven at Alishan Bus Station while you explore.

A green Taiwan tourist shuttle bus parked at a station, shot looking at front of the bus, with a line of people preparing to board to the left, and driver in a yellow shirt helping people put luggage under the bus
Boarding the Alishan bus at Chiayi station

Coming from Chiayi, there are even earlier buses, so you can have more time at Alishan. For example, the first bus of the day from Chiayi station (6:05 AM) will get you to Alishan as early as 8:08 AM.

Here’s the full bus timetable and how to book the bus online.

If you go that early, you could easily fit a stop at Xiding (Eryanping trail), Shizhuo, or Fenqihu into your Alishan day trip, either on the way there or the way back.

I’ve included all those stops in the above timetable, so you can figure out your bus times. I’ll also cover how to do this in more detail below.

Arriving At Alishan

The below schedule can easily be done in 3-4 hours (from arrival in Alishan to departure).

Coming by bus, you will arrive at Alishan Bus Station (here), just outside the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area park gate.

Inside the bus station, there is a 7-Eleven that also sells Alishan bus tickets. So if you didn’t already book your departing bus ticket online (which I recommend), then you should buy it as soon as you arrive. You can only buy bus tickets for that day, starting from 8 AM, and they often sell out.

If you need it, you can also find luggage lockers at the back of the 7-Eleven near the restrooms.

Next, you’ll need to walk up the road for a few minutes to the Alishan Park Entrance Gate (here), where you will pay the park entrance fee.

Make sure to show your bus ticket or voucher (the driver should give this to you if you swiped EasyCard). This will give you a 50% discount on the park entrance fee (TWD 150 instead of 300).

Taking the Train to Zhaoping  

A red train parked in a station with trees behind, and a sign that says Alishan
Alishan Station

After passing through the gate and paying the fee, keep walking along the car road (slightly uphill) for five minutes to reach Alishan train station (here on the right).

You can also access Alishan tourist village (on the left), where there are several restaurants, shops, a large parking lot for cars, and hotels.

If you drive to Alishan, you will drive through this gate and pay the park entrance fee (300 per adult) plus parking fee, then proceed to park in the large parking lot here in the tourist village.

From the parking lot, you’ll need to walk up a big staircase to reach Alishan train station for taking the train into the park.

Two kids looking out a wooden train window in Alishan holding their stuffies
My kids on the hinoki train at Alishan station

At Alishan Station, purchase a ticket in cash from the ticket window or machines for the next train to Chaoping (Zhaoping).

The ride costs TWD 100 and takes six minutes. Every Wednesday, the lovely antique hinoki (cypress interior) trains run on this line. Here are the train times.

If you don’t want to wait for the next train, you can also walk along the vehicle road to Chaoping station (20 minutes).

A red and white Alishan Forest Railway train drives under some blooming cherry blossom trees, with a path and wooden railing on the left side
Alishan Forest Railway with cherry blossoms

Once you reach Chaoping Station area, there are a few short but pretty boardwalk trails around it. In winter, watch for white blossoms blooming on Plum Garden Trail (here).

In cherry blossom season (March to early April), watch for the pink flowers next to Alishan Police Lodge (here).

You can also see cherry blossoms with Alishan trains going by on the Cherry Blossom Railway Trail (here). Also don’t miss this beautiful forest observation deck.

Sister Pond and Giant Tree Trails

A traditional pavilion reflecting in the water of a pond
One of the Sister Ponds

Next, return to Chaoping station and follow the trail past Gou Hotel to find the entrance to Sister Pond Trail (here). This is the most popular walking trail at Alishan, so there are usually lots of people are tour groups here.

This easy trail goes through a forest of huge, ancient trees. It is often misty, which makes it looks spooky and very cool. The trail goes to two small ponds with lookout pavilions.

Looking up at the front of ornate Shouzhen Temple in Alishan National Forest Recreation Area
Shouzhen Temple

After the second pond, keep following the path down some stairs to Magnolia Garden, after which you’ll reach Alishan Shouzhen Temple (here).

Next to the temple, there are two perpendicular strips of small souvenir shops and food stalls. Watch for famous local products like delicious Alishan wasabi, Alishan tea, and Alishan coffee.

Pro Tip: if you’ve had enough at this point, you can walk from Shouzhen Temple back to Alishan tourist village (20 minutes) or Alishan bus station (25 minutes) along the car road.

There’s also a minibus from Shouzhen Temple to Alishan Visitor’s Center in the tourist village.

At the corner where the two rows of shops meet, there’s a passageway (right around here) providing access to a boardwalk trail. Go down the path to connect to Giant Tree Trail.

Giant Tree Trail features many giant trees. It’s similar to Sister Pond Trail but not quite as busy. Heads up that it’s a little easier to get lost here.

A huge tree in a misty forest
Giant Tree Trail

Consider that Giant Tree trail is a large loop. You will be entering at the eastern side of the loop. Shenmu (Sacred Tree) train station, which is your way back to Alishan station, is on the northern side of the loop.

Therefore, if you want to have a shorter walk (15 minutes), turn right.

Then you will only need to walk one-quarter of the way around the loop to finish at Shenmu station. If you go this way, you will pass the enormous Alishan No. 28 Tree before you reach the station.

Looking up at a sign with Buddhist swastika and four Mandarin characters in red indicating a temple's name, with misty forest above
Ciyun Temple

If you want a longer walk (45 min), turn left.

Then you will need to walk three-quarters of the way around the loop to reach Shenmu Station. On the way, you will pass Shunbao Fude Temple, Thousand Year Cypress tree, Alishan Museum, Ciyun Temple, Pagoda of the Tree Spirit, and Xianglin Giant Tree before reaching Shenmu Station.

Here are the train times for Shenmu Station back to Alishan station. From Alishan Station, it’s a 10-minute walk back to Alishan Bus Station for going back to Chiayi.

If you have extra time, you could also have a meal or check out the shops in the tourist village before walking to the bus station.

Adding a Stop in Xiding, Shizhuo, or Fenqihu

A green bus stops at the side of the road to let on some passengers, with two 7-Eleven signs and some shops behind it
Alishan bus stopping in Shizhuo

If you start your day very early, you could stop at one of these on the way to Alishan or when coming back down.

However, there is one key thing to note. You can only reserve seats on the bus if you are boarding at Chiayi or Alishan stations. So, for example, you can book you bus seats from Chiayi to Shizhuo if you want to make a stop there on the way to Alishan.

But you can’t book seats from smaller stops like Xiding, Shizhuo, or Fenqihu. So if you make a stop at one of those, when you get back on the bus to Alishan, you can’t book it.

You’ll just need to swipe EasyCard. If the bus seats are all taken (which is often the case), you’ll need to stand.

Looking down some rows of tea bushes with a staircase going over them and up a stone wall to a second level of tea
Walking up tea plantations on Eryanping Trail

If you want to stop at Xiding for hiking Eryanping Trail, plan to stop for 1.5 (faster hikers) to 2 hours. Every bus from Chiayi HSR or Chiayi Station to Alishan passes by Eryanping.

There are no restaurants or convenience stores near the trailhead. The bus stop is here.

The railing of a wooden lookout platform at bottom, with a hill covered in tea fields and a temple beyond it
Dingshizhao Lookout in Shizhuo

In Shizhuo, the tea plantation trails have similar scenery to Eryanping, plus Shizhuo has restaurants and two convenience stores.

For a short stop (one hour), hike from the bus stop to Dingshizhao Lookout (here) and back. The Shizhuo bus stop is here.

With more time (2 to 3 hours), you could add Mist Trail, Sunset Trail (nice even not at sunset), and/or Sakura Trail (the cherry blossoms bloom in March).

Here’s a map I made of the trails. Just like Xiding, every bus from Chiayi to Alishan passes through Shizhuo.

Two women and two kids looking at the products being sold by a vendor in the covered section of Fenqihu Old Street
My family shopping on Fenqihu Old Street

Fenqihu (see my Fenqihu guide) is the least convenient place to stop on the way from Chiayi to Alishan because only a few of the buses make the small detour from the main highway to Fenqihu.

Only one bus per day from Chiayi HSR and three per day from Chiayi Station stop at Fenqihu. Check your bus times carefully!

For a day trip, your only reasonable option is the 7:05 AM bus from Chiayi Station, which reaches Fenqihu at 8:49. Then catch the 11:17 bus from Fenqihu to Alishan.

Two women shot from behind as they hike up a wooden staircase in a bamboo forest
Bamboo forests in Fenqihu

This would give you enough time to do a bamboo forest hike (I recommend Fenqi trail) and have an early lunch on Fenqihu Old Street.

You could also catch the 9:40 bus from Chiayi Station to Fenqihu, which arrives at 11:17, then the 12:38 bus from Fenqihu to Alishan, which arrives at 13:45. But only gives you enough time for a hike OR for getting food – not really enough for both.

Then you would have just over three hours to explore Alishan before catching the last bus (17:10) back to Chiayi. It’s tight but doable!

Pro Tip: On bus days, there can be a long line of people lining up to catch a bus out of Fenqihu, and the bus is usually full before it even gets there. I recommend lining up at least 15 minutes early to get a good spot.

Also note the bus stop location in Fenqihu changes on weekdays vs weekends/holidays/cherry blossom season.

Alishan Two-Day (One Night) Itinerary

Staying for two days (one night) at Alishan is what most travelers do (but I personally recommend two nights – see the next section!)

Two-Day Tours and Drivers

A young Taiwanese man driving a car, shot from the backseat, and he's mostly shaded
Driving to Alishan

First, to make things easiest, there are organized two-day Alishan tours like this one or this one on Klook and this one on KKday. There’s also a 3-day tour tour which include Alishan.

To avoid repeating information, I suggest you read the Alishan day trip section above for all the info about how to take the bus from Sun Moon Lake or Chiayi to Alishan, and how to enter the park.

If you want to hire a driver and spend the night, it will cost you quite a bit more to keep the same driver overnight. Therefore, consider to get a one-way transfer to Alishan (for example, on Tripool), and separate one-way drive for leaving the next day.

If you want to make stops on the way (such as Fenqihu or Shizhuo), they offer an hourly rate.

Arriving and Checking into Your Hotel

A row of hotels with misty sky and parking lot
The main street of hotels at Alishan

If you arrive before your hotel’s check-in time, which will be the case if you arrive by bus from Sun Moon Lake or take an earlier bus from Chiayi, you will have two options for your luggage.

The first option is to put your luggage in a locker at the back of the 7-Eleven at Alishan bus station. I don’t really recommend this option, though, because you’ll have to walk a ways to come back and get it later.

The second option is to leave your luggage at your Alishan hotel’s front desk. Most hotels are located on the same street at the back of the tourist village parking lot. These are around 15 minutes’ walk from Alishan bus station (with some uphill).

Some hotels will offer pick-up service from the bus station if you ask in advance or call them on arrival, including the two hotels which are deeper in the park (Alishan Hotel and Gou Hotel).

Lunch and Exploring the Park

Looking down at a dish of white tofu slices with a dipping sauce
Cold tofu with Alishan wasabi in a restaurant in the tourist village

After leaving your luggage at the hotel, follow the staircase or car road from the road of hotels up to the tourist village.

You may want to pop into the Alishan Visitor’s Center (here at the hotel side of the large parking lot) to get a handy map of the hiking trails or ask any questions you might have. If you want to take a Stargazing Tour at night, you should book here.

For lunch, across the big parking lot, you will find several restaurants and a cheaper covered food court (here).

For a faster bite to eat, there’s a 7-Eleven (here) at the upper end of the village, close to the train station. Fun fact: this is the highest 7-Eleven (2200 meters) in all of Taiwan (read other fun facts about Taiwan here).

From the big parking lot, there’s a large staircase leading up to Alishan train station.

A huge tree stump in a misty forest
Giant tree on Sister Pond Trail

Follow the instructions I provided in the Alishan day trip section above for riding the train or hiking to Chaoping, walking the flower trails, Sister Pond Trail, Shouzhen Temple, and Giant Tree Trail.

This should take around three hours in total.

What you will do next depends on the time and your plans for sunset.

Pro tip: if you prefer to avoid crowds and the most touristy trails, consider hiking Shuishan Giant Tree Trail (starting here near Chaoping Station) instead. This 60-90-minute return trail follows an old railway line to a giant tree.

Sunset and Stargazing

While Alishan’s sunrises get all the attention, you can also see incredibly beautiful sunsets there.

One important consideration in your plans is the sunset time. At the peak of summer, the sunset at Alishan is around 6:45 PM, while at the peak of winter, it’s much earlier, around 5:10 PM.

Looking down on some treetops and a sea of clouds with the sun setting above them
Sea of clouds at sunset from Ciyun Temple

If by the time you get to Giant Loop Trail it’s already close to sunset time, you may want to stick around there to watch the sunset. Try to find this exact spot around Ciyun Temple, which has a nice view and possible sea of clouds.

You’ll miss the last train from Shenmu Station back to Alishan station, but you can walk back to the tourist village via the car road from Shouzhen Temple to Alishan. Heads up that reception is spotty or sometimes doesn’t work in the area.

If you still have lots of time before sunset, take the train from Shenmu Station back to Alishan (or walk). For an easy (but not the best) view of the sunset, go up to the second floor of Alishan train station.

The sun setting beyond some mountains in Alishan
Sunset from the park entrance gate

For a better spot than the train station, walk 15 minutes (from Alishan Station) to this sunset viewpoint just outside the park entrance gate.    

And the absolute best (but furthest) sunset viewpoint is here on the highway, 30 minutes’ walk outside the park. If you see any hotels offering a sunset tour, this is where they will take you.

Remember to bring your Alishan entrance ticket for coming back into the park.

Looking at stars in the night sky from Xiaoliyuanshan viewpoint in Alishan
Stargazing at Xiaoliyushan (image by Vinson Siau, used with permission)

As for stargazing, you’ll need to get away from the lights of the tourist village. This needs to be booked earlier in the day at the Alishan Visitor’s Center. The exact time will depend on the season. Once you know the time, you can work that into your dinner and sunset plans.

For the Stargazing Tour, they will take you by bus to Xiaoliyuanshan (here), which is one of the three sunset viewpoints (see below).

It’s fairly easy to hike there (about one hour from the tourist village) yourself via the Chushan Sunrise Trail, which stars here near Chaoping Station. Xiaoliyuanshan is just 10 minutes past Chushan. Bring a flashlight.

Here are detailed instructions on walking from Alishan to Chushan and Xiaoliyuanshan.

For dinner, there are several restaurants in the large buildings here in Alishan tourist village. Most have similar menus of local dishes like rice, noodles, fried meats and veggies, tofu, etc, ideal for sharing.

Go to bed early for your early wake-up time tomorrow!

Alishan Sunrise  

The next morning, you will be waking up very early for sunrise. The exact time of sunrise ranges from around 5:30 AM in summer to 7:00 AM in winter.

You will most likely need to wake up around two hours before that to catch the sunrise train or hike to the sunrise viewpoints.

Pro tip: If you Google “sunrise time at Alishan” for the date of your visit, you’ll need to add around 20 minutes to the times listed on sunrise/sunset websites. That’s because when you watch the sunrise at Alishan, you’ll need to wait for the sun to rise not only above the horizon but also above the peaks of the Yushan mountain chain.

The exact times of Alishan sunrise will be posted at Alishan train station the day before (1:30 to 4:30 PM). I recommend going at this time to buy tickets for the next morning’s sunrise train. They can sell out on busy days.

You can also accurate sunrise times on the Alipedia app (updated daily at 4:30 PM daily for the next day’s times).

Some people standing on Alishan train station platform waiting in the dark, with a red Alishan Forest Railway train on the opposite tracks
Waiting in the dark for the sunrise train

The Chushan train departs early enough to get everyone to the Chushan (Zhushan) sunrise viewpoint (there may be one or two departures). You can buy tickets in cash the day before or just before riding (day before is recommended because it can sell out at peak times.

The exact departure times change throughout the year according to the sunrise time.

While most hotels provide a voucher for breakfast in one of the restaurants in the tourist village, they won’t be open this early. In fact, you may not even use the breakfast voucher because you will be out hiking all morning. Don’t worry – the breakfasts aren’t even very good.

The sun coming up above some mountain tops at Alishan
Sunrise at Alishan

If you need a hot coffee, bottle of whiskey (it works to warm up, trust me!), or snack, get it from the 7-Eleven (here) just before going to the train station. There could be a morning rush in the 711, so budget some time for it.

Seats on the sunrise train are first-come, first served. The train is usually packed. The ride to Chushan sunrise viewpoint takes 25 minutes and costs TWD 150.

When you arrive at the beautiful, newly renovated Chushan train station, you will find that Chushan sunrise viewpoint (here) is totally packed with noisy tourists. There are also some food stalls here for breakfast.

A group of friends in silhouette sitting on a railing overlooking a sunset over some mountain peaks, with the whole scene is orange hues
My friends watching sunrise at Duigaoyue Platform

You have two alternative sunrise viewpoint options: hike 10 minutes up a trail to Xiaoliyuanshan viewpoint (here), which will have fewer people. It also has this nice teashop for after sunrise.

Or you can follow the car road downhill for 10 minutes to Duigaoyue Sunrise Platform (here, my personal favorite), which will have few to no people. To find it, as you’re walking down the road, turn right at the point where the train tracks cross the car road.

You can also hike from your hotel to Duigaoyuen (45 minutes), Chushan (1 hour), or Xiaoliyuanshan (1 hour 15 minutes). Follow my directions here and bring a flashlight.

After Sunrise

Sunrise above mountains, with tree and grass in the foreground
Just after sunrise

What you do after sunrise depends on your plans for later today and how quickly you want to leave Alishan.

If you plan to catch a later bus to Chiayi or the 1 PM bus to Sun Moon Lake, you have tons of time. If you plan to make a stop in Shizhuo, Fenqihu, or Xiding on the way back to Chiayi, you may want to leave soon.

Take the crowded train back to Alishan station. A nicer way to go back is to hike down via the Zhushan Sunrise Trail. Here are the directions, and just do it in reverse.

You’ll follow the car road down from the sunset viewpoints then take a 20 minute downhill trail (all stairs) through the forest, ending at Chaoping station.

Trains from Chaoping back to Alishan won’t be running yet, but you can walk from Chaoping to Alishan tourist village in 20 minutes.

A railway line going across a small wooden bridge in the forest
Walking on the railway tracks on Shuishan Trail

If you want to do another hike before leaving, try Shuishan Trail. It starts here near Chaoping Station and takes 60-90 minutes return.

If you have the time, you could use your breakfast voucher now then check out from your hotel and walk to Alishan bus station.

Adding a Stop in Xiding, Shizhuo, or Fenqihu

To avoid repeating information, you can see all the details about how to add a stop at Xiding (Eryanping Trail), Shizhuo, or Fenqihu in the Alishan day trip section above.

The information will be exactly the same, except in this case, you will have more time for it because you have two days.

You could stop in these villages on the way to Alishan or the way back down. I’ll describe it for the way back down, since you’ll be up so early for the Alishan sunrise.

A hanging wooden sign that says Fenchihu and shows the distances in km to Chiayi and Alishan
Fenqihu train station

Assuming that you will have luggage with you and are taking the bus, this means that Fenqihu will be the easiest.

That’s because it’s the only one that has luggage storage lockers. These can be found in Fenqihu train station, which is about five minutes’ walk from where the bus will drop you off.

Take the 10:10 AM bus from Alishan to Fenqihu (try to book it in advance). Then you can take the 14:35 train (essential to book, two weeks in advance) or 14:58 bus (can’t book, swipe EasyCard) back to Chiayi.

Either way will give you enough time to do a bamboo forest hike and have lunch in Fenqihu.

Two rows of gray luggage lockers in the corner of a train station room
Lockers in Fenqihu train station

There are no luggage storage lockers in Xiding or Shizhuo. So if you are traveling to Alishan with luggage, there wouldn’t be anywhere to leave it in those villages while you do the tea plantation hikes.

If you’d really like to do the tea plantation hikes, I suggest adding a second night to Alishan region (see below) and sleeping in either Xiding or Shizhuo.

Alishan Three-Day (Two Night) Itinerary

This is my most recommended amount of time for Alishan region.

With three days (two nights), you can easily spend a night in Xiding or Shizhuo for the tea plantations, a night at Alishan and see the sunrise there, and make a stop in Fenqihu on the way back down.

You will have more time for each spot and feel less rushed.

Day One: Xiding or Shizhuo

Looking down on a wooden staircase with mountainous view around sunrise
Sunrise at Eryanping Lookout

On the first day, take a bus from Chiayi HSR or Chiayi station to your choice of Xiding (for Eyanping Trail) or Shizhuo.

I understand this can be a tough choice, as they are both quite similar. Xiding has the excellent Sunsweet Hotel (Booking / Agoda), which has amazing views but is not cheap.

Besides that one, there are only a few others. Shizhuo, by contrast, has over a dozen guesthouses of varying prices and most are run by tea farming families. Shizhuo also has restaurants while Xiding has almost none (Sunsweet provides meals).

Looking out at a hotel room balcony with two chairs that are facing cloudy mountain view
Amazing view from room balcony at SunSweet

Xiding only has two trails (Eryanping Trail and the connecting Tea and Mist trail), but they are beautiful and offer both sunset and sunrise views. Shizhuo has five connecting tea trails but only sunset views.

Whichever one you choose, after checking in, hit the trails and enjoy the sunset. Note that the trails in both villages are steep and have lots of stairs.

Pro tip: For visitors with young kids, consider spending the night in Fenqihu instead. Fenqihu has easier trails for kids and fireflies at night.

I recommend Fenqihu Hotel (Booking / Agoda), which also offers a free firefly walking tour. See pics of my kids in Fenqihu.

Day 2: Alishan

A classic view of a wooden hiking staircase through a tea farm on Cloud Trail in Shizhuo, Alishan region, Chiayi county
Beautiful morning views in Shizhuo

If you stayed in Xiding, consider doing Eryanping or Tea & Mist trail again for the sunrise (which is a totally different direct and view from sunset). The weather is often better in the morning, too.

If you stayed in Shizhuo, there’s no sunrise viewpoint, but early morning is often the clearest and most beautiful, so you may want to hit the trails again before leaving.

Catch a late morning bus from either village to Alishan (can’t book, swipe EasyCard).

Then follow my directions in the previous sections for entering the park, dropping luggage at your hotel, exploring the park, and watching sunset.

Day 3: Sunrise and Fenqihu

Again, follow my instructions in previous sections for waking early, hiking or taking the Chushan train to see the sunrise, and doing a little more hiking before checking out.

And just like I described in the two-day itinerary, take the 10:10 AM bus to Fenqihu, stop there for lunch and a hike in the bamboo forest.

Then take the 14:35 train (essential to book, two weeks in advance) or 14:58 bus (can’t book, swipe EasyCard) back to Chiayi.

Coming from Sun Moon Lake

Looking down at Sun Moon Lake from behind a large temple with many orange roofs
Sun Moon Lake

The above itinerary won’t really work if you’re taking the bus from Sun Moon Lake to Alishan, but you can make it work with some slight adjustments.

On Day 1, you’ll take the 8 AM bus from Sun Moon Lake and arrive at Alishan at 11:50. Then you can follow all my instructions for entering the park, checking in, exploring the park, and watching sunset.

On Day 2, follow my instructions for watching the sunrise. But here’s where it differs. In winter (when you will have less time to make it to Shizhuo before sunset), try to catch the earlier (9:10 AM bus) from Alishan to Fenqihu. You’ll get to Fenqihu at 9:58.

Then, after exploring Fenqihu and having lunch there, catch a bus from from Fenqihu to Shizhuo, which departs at 12:35 and arrives in Shizhuo at 12:50. Note: you won’t see this on my bus timetable, but I promise the bus exists.

That will get you to Shizhuo early enough to check in and do some hiking before sunset.

In summer, when the sunset is later, you could take later buses and still make it. Take the 10:10 bus from Alishan to Fenqihu, explore Fenqihu, then take the 14:58 bus from Fenqihu to Shizhuo.

On Day 3, you can do some more hiking in Shizhuo before taking a bus back to Chiayi.

What if you are going to Sun Moon Lake AFTER Alishan? Well, then you can essentially do all of the above in reverse.

Alishan Region in Four Days (Three Nights)?

A young girl wearing a yellow rain poncho, standing on a boardwalk trail with a misty forest around her
Hiking in Alishan with my daughter

While it’s easy enough to fit in the highlights of Alishan region in three days, as I described in the previous section, there would be no harm in staying longer, especially if this region really interests you.

One reason more time is always good is that Alishan weather is notoriously unpredictable and often foggy.

I have been to several Alishan (or Eryanping or Shizhuo) sunrises or sunsets where I saw nothing, because I was literally inside a cloud. But sometimes, the next day or two days later, I saw an amazing one at the same spot.

A couple looking out from a wooden platform and a hill covered in fog
Typically foggy weather in Alishan region

If you really want a better chance of seeing a nice sunrise or sunset, then plan to try several times. The more days you spend in the region, the better chance you’ll have of good weather.

One way to plan a four-day (3-night) itinerary would be to spend one night in Xiding or Shizhuo, one night in Fenqihu, and one night in Alishan. Fenqihu is quite small, but it has enough trails (plus fireflies at night!) to justify staying overnight.

Another way you might plan this is to follow my three-day itinerary exactly, except add a second night at Alishan.

Do this if Alishan is a major priority for you and you want time to explore some of the more off-the-beaten-track trails there, such as Shuishan Trail, Duigaoyue Trail, Tatashan Trail, and especially for the full-day Mianyue Line (permit required), or if you want to have two tries seeing the sunset there.

I hope this information helps. As always, if you need further clarification or want to get feedback on your itinerary, please share it in my Taiwan Travel Planning group and I’ll do my best!

6 thoughts on “Alishan Itinerary: How to Simplify This Part of Your Trip”

  1. Kudos Nick for this very helpful and informative blog on Alishan. Grateful to have stumbled upon your blogs and FB group. A big help indeed for my Taiwan trip this coming April. I’m planning for a day trip to Alishan, You nentioned about Shuishan Giant Tree trail and I’m interested in walking this trail. But given the time constraints of a day trip, is it still doable to also walk along the flower trails and Sister Pond trail and also do Shuishan? Or I really need to forego one of these trails given the limited time ? Thank you very much!

  2. You could easily do the flower trails, Sister Pond trail, and Shuishan Trail in a day trip. The flower trails are very short (like 15 minutes) and close to Chaoping train station. Shuishan Trail also starts near Chaoping Trail and takes 60-90 minutes return. And please note, most of the trail is currently closed, with expected reopening time being March 9, 2025. And Sister Pond Trail also starts near Chaoping Station and takes maybe 30 minutes return. If you are going before March 9, then I suggest you do the flower trails, Sister Pond, and Giant Tree trail instead, as I outline in this article. Also note, if you are visiting in March or April, this is the busiest time of the year at Alishan due to cherry blossoms, so booking your buses in advance is recomemnded.

  3. Thank you for this informative guide. We are currently planning to go to Alishan in late March, stopping for one night in Fenqihu and continuing on to Alishan the next day, and staying at Alishan Hotel the second night. I have two questions.

    First: if we aren’t planning on catching the sunrise, is there another relatively short hike/activity you would recommend for our final morning before leaving Alishan? E.g., Shuishan Trail (assuming open), or anything else?

    Second: we want to return to Taipei from Alishan. Is the most efficient way to do that via private transfer? (We are OK paying the cost.) If so, is that something we can ask Alishan Hotel to arrange, or something that can be booked via Tripool or through one of your recommended drivers?

    Thank you!

  4. Yes, Shuishan would be a good option for that day. Others include Sister Pond Trail and Giant Tree Trail (if you didn’t do it the day before). And yet another is Tashan Trail. This is a longer one (but you only need to go as far as you want). It starts near Chaopoing Station, and there is a train connecting Sister Pond trail to it. For getting back to Taipei, the fastest way would be bus (or private transfer) to Chiayi HSR station, then ride the HSR back to Taipei. That’s because HSR is so much faster than driving. Driving the whole way back could maybe be a similar amount of time, but it could also take longer. It totally depends on the traffic conditions along the way. But my guess is that once you include a few rest stops, driving would most likely take longer.

  5. Hello Nick
    I am still quite lost with regard to the bus services to Alishan! I shall be there in first week of March and putting up @ Fenchihu minshu for 5 days since I couldn’t get my accommodation last July (unbelievable!) be it Alishan, Shizhuo etc.. I have bought my tickets through Fami app to Fenchihu and return as well but is there a need to book for return trips to Eryanping, Lincuo and Shizhuo? Based on the bus time table, Fenchihu is not so convenient. Is it safe for me to walk from Shizhuo to Fenchihu if I cannot board or miss the bus? Even for Alishan timings, I reckon I have to take a bus to shizhuo and transfer to Alishan & then to arrive back in Fenchihu via Shizhuo in the evening, possibly by walking over an hour. Do give me your valuable advice. Thanks in advance.

  6. Hi there, as I mention in my guide to booking the bus tickets, you can only reserve bus tickets starting from Chiayi or Alishan. If you’re getting on the bus at Fenqihu or any of those other small stops, you can’t reserve that. The only way is to swipe EasyCard. If you said you already booked the ticket from Fenqihu, that’s not possible, so maybe you booked a longer one or something – either way, they won’t say an empty seat for you on a packed bus. The only exception is if you booked bus 7302, which only goes from Chiayi to Fenqihu (no Alishan) – so for that one, because Fenqihu is the first/last stop, it’s possible to book it online. If you booked the 7322 or 7329 (Chiayi to Alishan buses) and hope to board at Fenqihu, that’s not allowed (the driver may let you on anyways, but you wouldn’t have a reserved seat).

    Yes, you can walk from Shizhuo to Fenqihu or vice versa. But the walk would be along the highway, with cars driving by. I think it’s still safe enough, but you’d want to be careful. And the road is uphill from Shizhuo to Fenqihu, so that would be a more difficult one hour climb. Walking from Fenqihu down to Shizhuo would be easier. Having said that, most people are able to get on the bus most of the time. Even if seats fill up, you can still get on and stand.

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