Alishan was the part of our Taiwan trip I researched the most and it ended up being the part I loved the most as well.
It is a cluster of misty peaks up around 2,200 metres in Chiayi County, wrapped in cypress forest that is older than most countries, and it has been Taiwan’s favourite mountain escape for about a hundred years. People come for the sunrise over a sea of clouds, the little red railway, the giant thousand-year-old trees, and the tea. We went up in November, which turned out to be a sweet spot: crisp instead of freezing, quieter than cherry blossom season, and just cloudy enough to feel like walking through a Chinese ink painting.
Check out our guide on Is Alishan Worth Visiting? My honest take for your 2027 trip, where we cover things like weather and when to go.
For hotels and accommodation, stay within the recreational park if you can. Our full guide is here: Where to Stay in Alishan: My Take on the Best Hotels and Areas for the Sunrise.
This guide is all about what to actually do once you are up there. This is the fun part: the trains, the trails, the sunrise, the food, and the stuff most first-timers miss.
Understanding the Train Lines
Take a few things into account, because when I first tried to figure it out it was really confusing.
Almost everything happens in and around the Alishan tourist village, a small strip inside Alishan National Forest Recreation Area. The bus station sits just outside the entrance gate, the train station is a five to eight minute walk uphill from there, and in between you have hotels, restaurants, tea shops, a post office that looks like a tiny palace, and the highest 7-Eleven in all of Taiwan.
There are two different train “sections” to keep in mind. The one from Chianyi to Alishan and the lines within the actual Alishan area. Once you’re in Alishan, you will be using the short forest railway lines.
The Main Line is this large one: it’s the route of about 71 km from Chiayi to Alishan via tea lands, then circling Dulishan mountain to gain altitude.
We go more in depth into the journey here: How to Get to Alishan.
From the Alishan Train Station at the top of the village, three short forest railway lines spread out to the different areas you will want to reach: the Chaoping (Zhaoping) Line, the Shenmu (Sacred Tree) Line, and the Chushan (Zhushan) Line, which is the sunrise one. There is also a newer electric shuttle bus covering similar routes if the train times do not line up with you.
We have made a map to make it easier to understand below.
- The Zhaoping (Chaoping) Line and Shenmu (Sacred Tree) Line are two small tourist branches near Alishan Station used for reaching the park’s forest paths. This is what you will use mostly in the park.
- The Zhushan Line is the sunrise train. It rides from Alishan to Zhushan (Chushan) in the dark to catch a sunrise (a special section of its own).
- Mianyue Line is the exception. There is no train that one may ride, but an abandoned railway turned into a popular (and sometimes closed) hiking trail (see the next section).
There’s a whole post on the inside-the-park-lines and where they take you for a more in-depth analysis.
A few things worth knowing before you go:
- Park entry is NT$300 per adult, or NT$150 if you show your bus ticket when you arrive. Keep that ticket. Your entry is valid for the next day too.
- The park is open 24 hours.
- It is 10º colder than the lowlands. In November we were very glad to have packed a proper layer and a hat, and there was frost on the railway tracks before the sun came up.
- Download the Alipedia app. It is the official Alishan app and it tells you the sunrise time, the sunrise train departure time, flower blooming status, and bus info. The English is a little wonky but it is the single most useful thing on your phone up there.
Now, let’s dive into things to do in Alishan.
1. Ride the Forest Railway
It’s this railway system that makes this place known. According to our local guide, the train track was constructed in 1912 by the Japanese to transport cypress logs down from the mountains, but today, the trains carry extremely happy tourists. In fact, there’s an entire history behind the big mainline running from Chiayi (I will say more about that later), but even if you’re coming here by bus, you have to ride the smaller tracks in the park.
We’ve covered the railway system above but we have a more in-depth post about (How to Make Sense of the Alishan Train Lines).
These two will be most useful for your purposes: the Chaoping Line and the Shenmu Line. Both rides take no more than six or seven minutes, cost NT$100, and involve purchasing a paper ticket from the window. The frequency of trains is about one per 30 to 60 minutes. The Chaoping station will let you off at the entrance point to the trails network and the well-known place for taking pictures of yourself with a train among cherry blossoms.
Something we discovered later on our trip: on Wednesdays, they run the old wooden hinoki (cypress) train cars on the Chaoping Line. If your dates are flexible and you love a vintage train, aim for a Wednesday. They are extremely photogenic and we’re so sad we missed it.
It’s okay if you don’t use the train, though. It’s just about a 20-minute walk to get to the Chaoping region, and 20 to 30 minutes to get to Shenmu, and there’s even an e-bus shortcut that gets you there. But in all honesty, using the train is the entire point of coming here.
2. Wake up in the dark for the sunrise (and manage your expectations)
This is the must-do thing in Alishan. If the weather is good, the whole valley will be filled with the rolling sea of clouds, with the sun rising behind the Yushan mountain (Taiwan’s highest), and everything will turn golden. It is spectacular.
Now the reality check, as we want you to be well-prepared for the experience: you need some luck. Alishan is notorious for foggy weather. There are many days when either it is too foggy to see your neighbor, or the visibility is perfect without any impressive sea of clouds. Winter season (from December to February) offers you the best chances of seeing the famous sea of clouds. If you get a magic day, cherish it. If it is fog, then the forest is just unbelievably mystical anyway.
Most travelers opt for taking the Chushan (Zhushan) Sunrise Line train all the way to the Chushan Sunrise Observation Deck. It costs NT$150, takes approximately 25 minutes, and usually departs around an hour before the sunrise itself. Don’t just rely on Google for sunrise times since the sun needs to rise above the mountains opposite and therefore is later than what the sunrise charts say. Find out the exact time via the Alipedia application or the information board located in front of Alishan station the day prior to your visit, as well as buying tickets one day in advance (they sell from around 1 pm to 4:30 pm) since the train is always packed.
Here’s the part that no one tells you and that we found out the hard way: the Chushan deck is crowded with people. Hundreds of them. Plus, the views are partially obstructed by trees. So if crowds are not your cup of tea, there are two alternatives for you, both within walking distance from the Chushan stop:
- Xiaoliuyusn Lookout is about a 10 minute uphill walk and the highest lookout spot, thus offering spectacular views with a smaller crowd.
- Duigaoyue Sunrise Platform is a 10 minute downhill trek and is definitely our secret hideaway. Most mornings it is yours alone with the same sunrise that all the crowds want to witness. This is where we went the second morning.
Should you be hard-core enough to do away with the train ride, you can always climb up instead. The hiking time will range between 50 to 70 minutes, mostly an uphill path with steps through a dark forest. A headlight is needed, but, this is the actual tip, find the entrance the previous afternoon so that you are not wandering around in total darkness at 4:30 am.
The best way we think to do things would be taking the train to the top so that sunrise becomes easy for you to enjoy, then hiking back down using the daylight to get right into the forests.
A little more great thing is that on the way between Chushan and Xiaoliuyanshan there is a little teahouse called Mt. Ali Tea No. 35 open starting from 4 am. A warm cup of the high mountains tea immediately after a cold sunrise was one of our favorite travel experiences.
3. Walk through the ancient forest
If you only do one hike, make it the classic forest loop. It is easy, well-maintained boardwalk and stairs, no special gear needed, and it strings together the greatest hits.
Here is the route we recommend for first-timers, roughly three hours at a relaxed pace:
- 1. Ride the train from Alishan Station to Chaoping Station.
- 2. From there, walk the Sister Pond Trail, which winds past two quiet reflecting ponds and some genuinely enormous trees. It brings you down to Shouzhen Temple, where there are rows of snack and souvenir stalls (grab a tea egg, they are better than the 7-Eleven ones).
- 3. From the temple, connect onto the Giant Tree Trail loop, home to the park’s oldest and largest cypresses, including Giant Tree No. 28, which is around 2,300 years old and honestly made me a little emotional.
- 4. You will also pass the fallen Sacred Tree and the wonderful Three Generations Tree, where one tree has grown on the trunk of an older one, which grew on an even older one.
- 5. Finish at Shenmu Station and ride the train back.
Take the loop clockwise to do the entire loop, or counter-clockwise for just a bit of a taste. It is the busiest path in the park since it is the best, and that mist hanging between those colossal trunks is just like the romanticized version of Alishan you imagined, and honestly exceeded our expectations.
4. Watch the sunset
But everyone is obsessed about the sunrise and forget that Alishan is very beautiful during the sunset too, and there are not so many tourists around this time. This is the place you should be aware of, as it’s a viewing platform next to Ciyun Temple on the Giant Tree Loop in a quieter west part of the trail, facing Datashan, the highest mountain in the area.
All you need to do is just leave after sunset; otherwise, you will miss the last train from Shenmu, because the way back takes only 20 minutes, so there is nothing to worry about.
5. Shuishan Giant Tree Trail
If you need one more walk that is easy and almost devoid of tourists, this is the one for you. The Shuishan Giant Tree Trail begins from Chaoping Station, goes along an abandoned railway track (you will have to cross a wooden railway bridge) and it takes approximately 60-90 minutes to get to a beautiful 2,700-year-old giant tree.
We did this hike in the afternoon right after our arrival and really enjoyed it. It can get a bit chilly so make sure to pack well.
6. For serious hikers: Mianyue Line and Tashan (check closures first)
If you are an experienced hiker and want the wild side of Alishan, we find that these two trails are the best options.
Mianyue Line is the cult classic, and yes, this is the same Mianyue Line you will spot on the railway map heading up past Tashan toward Shihou. Despite the name, it is not a train anymore. It follows an abandoned railway branch that was wrecked by an earthquake, and hiking it means crossing old iron bridges and walking through pitch-dark train tunnels (headlamp essential), including a section where a landslide took out the bridge and you cross with ropes. It is thrilling and completely unlike the gentle boardwalks. You can do a good chunk without a permit; the full route needs one because it passes through an orchid reserve.
Tashan Trail climbs to a high lookout over Tashan, the highest peak in the massif, and takes around four hours return.
Important 2026 heads-up: trail access here changes often due to repairs, so verify before you count on either. As of our latest check, the Mianyue Line access from Alishan was closed for repairs into September 2026, and the upper section of Tashan was closed for about a year starting July 2026. Always check the official Forestry Agency site or ask at the visitor centre the day before.
7. See the cherry blossoms (or plum, or fireflies)
Alishan is widely considered Taiwan’s most iconic cherry blossom spot, thanks to the Japanese planting them here a century ago. If you are dreaming of pink-and-white trees framing a red train, this is the season:
- Plum blossoms: December to January
- Taiwanese cherry blossoms (darker pink): February to early March
- Yoshino cherry blossoms (the famous white ones): mid to late March, peaking the last two weeks
- A few later varieties linger into early April
The catch is that cherry blossom season is chaos. Buses, trains, and hotels sell out far in advance and there are weekend traffic restrictions. If you go then, book everything as early as humanly possible. If you would rather have the trees to yourself, a shoulder season like Miriam’s November trip is calmer and still beautiful in its own misty way.
Bonus for spring visitors: firefly season runs roughly March to June, and the villages lower down the mountain (especially Fenqihu) are some of the easiest places in Taiwan to see them.
8. Go stargazing
There is not a huge amount to do at Alishan once the sun goes down and you have eaten, partly because you will want an early night before that 4am alarm. But if you have the energy, the Alishan Visitor Centre runs a nightly stargazing tour for about NT$300. Buy your ticket at the centre in the early evening. They shuttle you up toward the Xiaoliyuanshan area, where at nearly 2,500 metres and with almost no light pollution, the sky is ridiculous. The guiding is in Mandarin, but we did it and it was just fine even if we couldn’t understand it fully. Skip it on a bright full-moon night when you will not see as much.
9. Tea tasting
Alishan grows Taiwan’s single most famous tea, Alishan High Mountain Oolong, and drinking it at the source is an activity in itself. You can taste and buy it from shops in the tourist village, and many will brew you a cup on the spot before you commit to a bag. We liked Mt. Ali Tea No. 35 for its shop in the village (same folks as the little sunrise-trail teahouse) and its designs that break away from the usual train-and-sunrise packaging.
Worth knowing: most of the actual tea farms are not inside the park but on the mountainside around Shizhuo village lower down, which is a whole lovely detour of its own (see number 11). If you have a spare afternoon and love tea, we think that is where the magic is.
10. Eat your way around the village
Let us be straight: Alishan is not a food destination and the restaurants in the village are fairly similar, mostly Taiwanese and Chinese sharing dishes that are better suited to groups. But there are a few genuinely good things to seek out.
- Cold tofu with fresh Alishan wasabi. This is the one to order. Real Alishan wasabi is milder and more fragrant than the nose-punch stuff at sushi places, and it is delicious over silky cold tofu. You can buy little jars of the wasabi in the souvenir shops to take home.
- Camellia seed oil chicken, an Alishan speciality, if you find it on a menu.
- Tea eggs and stewed tofu from the stalls at Shouzhen Temple, perfect trail fuel.
- Naromafei Food Court, the covered arcade of local food stalls across the car park, which is cheaper and much friendlier for solo travellers than the big sharing-plate restaurants.
- Most hotels give you a breakfast voucher for a pretty basic local breakfast. Do not feel guilty skipping it if you are out chasing sunrise, and just grab something from the (very high altitude) 7-Eleven instead.
And yes, go say hi to the dog at the 7-Eleven. It is a local celebrity.
11. Visit Fenqihu and the smaller tea villages
If you can spare more time, the small villages on the way up are, for a lot of travellers, the actual highlight. Locals consider them part of greater Alishan even though they sit outside the park, which is why you will see “Alishan” in their hotel and trail names.
Fenqihu is the big one. It is the main stop on the Chiayi-to-Alishan railway, it is famous for its railway bento boxes (a genuine must-eat, with vegetarian versions available), and it has a charming old street of food stalls plus lovely bamboo forest hikes right around town. In spring it is one of the best firefly spots in Taiwan. Even as a quick stop on the way up or down, it is worth it, and there are luggage lockers at the station so you can wander hands-free.
Shizhuo is the tea-farm village, and staying overnight on a tea farm run by a farming family, hiking the little trails between the plantations (they have names like Mist Trail, Cloud Trail and Sunset Trail), and watching the sun set over rows of tea is one of those quietly perfect Taiwan experiences. Very little English is spoken and you may need a pickup from the bus stop, but that is part of the charm.
Xiding, a bit further down, is home to the Eryanping Trail, a steep but stunning walk through tea plantations to a viewpoint that arguably beats Alishan’s own for both sunrise and sunset.
We would treat these as separate destinations with their own vibe rather than day trips from the park, but even fitting one in on your way through elevates the whole trip.
How to actually fit it together
You do not need us to hand you a rigid hour-by-hour plan (and how long you stay depends partly on where you sleep, which is in our where to stay in Alishan post). But here is the shape most first-timers should aim for.
One night, if that is all you have: Take a morning bus up so you arrive with the afternoon free. Do the classic forest loop (Sister Pond to Giant Tree Trail), catch sunset at Ciyun Temple, eat, sleep early. Wake up for the sunrise train, watch it from Duigaoyue or Xiaoliyuanshan instead of the Chushan scrum, then walk back down and do any trails you missed before checkout. This is genuinely enough to feel like you did Alishan.
Two nights, our sweet spot: Same as above, but add a night in Shizhuo or Fenqihu on the way in or out for the tea farms, bamboo hikes and a slower pace, plus time for a bonus trail like Shuishan. Almost everyone who plans one night wishes they had done two.
A few tips before you go
- Book the sunrise train the afternoon before, not the morning of. It sells out.
- Scout your route in daylight if you plan to hike to sunrise in the dark.
- Pack a real jacket, hat and a headlamp, whatever the season. Sunrise is cold and dark.
- Don’t over-trust the weather forecast. Alishan fog rolls in and clears within minutes. A grim forecast is not a reason to cancel.
- Search “Alishan National Forest Recreation Area weather,” not just “Alishan weather,” or you will get the temperature for the town far below the park.
- Keep your bus ticket for the discounted park entry, and remember entry is valid the next day.
- Check current trail closures on the official Forestry Agency site before you go, since repairs shift constantly.
More on Alishan
Is Alishan Worth Visiting? My honest take for your 2027 trip
Where to Stay in Alishan: My Take on the Best Hotels and Areas for the Sunrise
How to Get to Alishan: Every Route from Taiwan’s Main Cities (2027 Guide)
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