Alishan Forest is one of the most beautiful parks to visit in Taiwan, with ancient forests, famous railway and breathtaking views.
Whilst there are Alishan day trips, we’d recommend you plan ahead and spend at least a night or two staying in Alishan hotels in the forest / park recreation area itself – this also makes it a lot easier to do activities like the Alishan sunrise and sea of clouds.
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On previous trips, we’d just visited Alishan for the day but in early 2025, we spent several nights in an Alishan hotel just steps away from the main park recreation area (where the station, shops, restaurants and visitor center are).
From affordable accommodation to forest retreats, here is our Taiwanderers guide to Alishan hotels and accommodation.
You might like – Our 2-3 day Alishan itinerary >
Taiwan checklist
We love using agoda.com and booking.com for researching and booking all our hotels, and Hostelworld for booking hostels.
For booking tours, transfers and SIM cards/eSIMs we recommend Get Your Guide, Viator, KK Day or Klook. You can also purchase eSIMs from Airalo.
For booking rental cars visit Discover Cars.
Why stay in Alishan Forest? Is it worth the extra cost?
Visiting Alishan can be a logistical challenge if you don’t plan in advance, especially during peak season, public holidays (like Lunar New Year) and Alishan cherry blossom season (March to April).
Tickets for the Alishan Forest Railway between Chiayi and Alishan can be bought here but you need to book in advance and tickets often sell out straight away.
On our most trip to Alishan in February 2025, we took the Alishan shuttle bus from Chiayi and bought our tickets in advance from FamilyMart – read our Alishan bus guide here >
The advantage of actually staying in the park is that you are close to all the trails and potentially within a few minutes walk of Alishan Railway station and Alishan Transport Center / Bus Station.
Within the park (mainly at the Alishan Forest park Recreation Center), you’ll find a few restaurants, shops plus the all important 24 hour Alishan 7-Eleven stores (there are two, including one in the park itself).
So plan in advance and look to book your Alishan hotels and accommodation in advance, with some recommendations below.
Alternatively, try these Alishan day tours and trips with Klook, Get Your Guide and Viator.
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Alishan Accommodation
There are many places to stay on the outskirts of Alishan, but if (like us), you want to stay within the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area itself, be sure to book your accommodation months in advance as they usually book up well in advance.
Whilst it isn’t cheap, there are lots of good quality accommodation in the park within walking distance of the train station.
Some of our recommended Alishan hotels and accommodation include:
Chinshan Hotel 青山別館
After much research, this is where we chose to stay based on the close proximity to all the Alishan Forest Recreation Area plus a 5 minute walk to Alishan Railway Station. It was also one of the more affordable options for us.
It is also within walking distance of Alishan Transport Center where the Chiayi to Alishan shuttle bus drops you off.
The bed was comfy and the room was lovely and bright, plus we had a nice view. The bathroom was in need of an upgrade though.
There are hot and cold water machines on every floor and free breakfast was served at various local restaurants organised by the hotel.
It wasn’t advertised, but there is a hotel shuttle that can drop you off at Alishan Transport Center.
Book on Agoda | Booking.com
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Alishan Hotel 阿里山賓館
If you want to splurge / treat yourself, the eponymous Alishan Hotel is a 4 star hotel with spacious rooms and views of the forest.
This hotel is located a little bit further away from all the restaurants and shops, and is a 14 minute walk away from Alishan train station (but they provide complimentary shuttle buses).
The hotel also has buffet restaurants, cafes, bar, karaoke room, gym and spa. It is also the highest rated (based on guest reviews) of all the hotels featured here on Booking.com.
Book on Agoda.com | Booking.com | Expedia.com | Hotels.com.
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Alishan Gou Hotel 阿里山閣大飯店
Located a little further inside the park near to Chaoping Station, this is the best Alishan hotel to base yourself in, if you want to be close to and walk the nearby Tashan Trail and Giant Tree Cluster Trail – the beautiful Alishan Shouzhen Temple is also a short stroll away.
Breakfast is available and the onsite cafe serves Starbucks coffee – a few people think it is a little remote at night given the location, but the main park restaurant and shop area is about a 10 to 15 minute walk away (or use their free shuttle service).
Book on Agoda.com | Klook | Hotels.com
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Ying Shan Hotel 櫻山大飯店
One of the older Alishan hotels that has mixed reviews, we’ve included this as one of the cheaper Alishan accommodation options plus it is one of the closest hotels to Alishan Train Station.
The rooms are generally small but clean at Ying Shan Hotel and most of the main Alishan amenities are within walking distance (although a shuttle bus is available).
A buffet breakfast is served on site although some guests do highlight the lack of air conditioning.
Book on Agoda.com | Booking.com | Hotels.com
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Dafeng Villa大峯山莊
Recently refurbished, Dafeng Villa is a five floor hotel and unlike a lot of Alishan hotels, has an elevator making it a bit more accessible than some.
This is one of the closest Alishan hotels to Alishan Bus Station and whilst some of the rooms are a little small, the location is ideal. Alishan Railway station is also only a 10 minute uphill walk away.
Book on Agoda.com | Booking.com | Klook
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Alishan Shermuh Hotel 神木賓館
One of the better quality hotels in Alishan (3*) but also one of the more expensive, Alishan Shermuh Hotel offers modern and clean rooms.
The hotel provides guests with breakfast vouchers for local restaurants and staff will pick you up at Alishan Bus Station upon request – just call them when you arrive.
Please note there is no elevator / lift in the hotel so be sure to request a low floor if you have mobility issues.
Book on Agoda.com | Booking.com | Expedia.com | Hotels.com
Gau Shan Ching Hotel 阿里山高山青大飯店
Our final Alishan hotel is Gau Shan Ching Hotel – we’ve included it last as some of the recent reviews are not so great BUT if you just need one night in the park to see the Alishan sunrise the next day, this MIGHT be OK.
It is also one of the cheapest hotels within Alishan park itself – just be aware it is the only Alishan hotel on this list with a guest rating below six out of ten.
Book on Agoda.com | Booking.com | Expedia.com | Hotels.com
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