alishan forest train don't sell advance ticket to foreigner.

Dear all travellers:

I tried to book tickets for alishan forest train on 20th march and was told that foreigner are not allow to book advance ticket. moreover the ticket during that week and next have all been booked. Guess all the foreigner can forget about the train and stick to their bus journey as you don%26#39;t really have the chance.

alishan forest train don't sell advance ticket to foreigner.

Foreigners can%26#39;t book tickets for the train because they require payment within a week of reservation either in cash at the station, or through a wire transfer using a local bank account (why they won%26#39;t accept credit crad is beyond me). Since foeign visitors don%26#39;t have a Taiwanese bank account, they can%26#39;t get ticket unless they have a local friend or buy on the spot.

alishan forest train don't sell advance ticket to foreigner.

for those interested in procuring the tix, here%26#39;s the regulation on their official website:

The Alishan Forest Railway Tickets Reserve Regulation ※The Alishan Forest Railway Tickets Reserve Regulation (EXCEPT)

1.

Ticket Reservation

Reservation period: Telephone reservation only beginning 1 months prior to travel. No on-site reservation.

Tickets reserved: maximum of 4 tickets for each person.

Hours of reservation: 8am to 4:30pm everyday, with no lunch break.

Chushan Line: Trains running from Alishan to Jushan (the Jushan Line) opens for reservation 1 day prior to public holiday for the next-day tickets, or 6pm to 8pm at the Alishan Tourist Service Center for advance tickets.

2.

Advance Fare:

Fare: Full fare required for reservation, equal to “Full Fare times No. of Tickets Reserved” (which is Full fare.)

Payment: 1 week within reservation made, payment in full in person at the PeiMen station, or mail wire check/cash envelope to the Station. Failure to make/mail full payment within prescribed period will result in cancellation of reservation.

3.

Ticketing:

Deadline to pick-up ticket: Reservations require confirmation by both the “Station” and “Passenger”, and should be obtained at the Peimen station ticketing office 30 minutes before Train departure by the latest.

On-site ticketing: Additional seats not reserved are for sale at the ticketing office 3 days prior to departure.

Ticketing hours: 8am to 4:30 daily, no break during lunch.

Chushan Line: Complete ticketing at the Alishan Train Station with “reservation receipt”, one day prior to departure.

4.

Refunding:

Refunding may be made by: A). One week before departure for reserved tickets due to emergency or insufficient passengers. Charge 10% of total fare as processing fee, with deduction of postage and wiring charge. B). Cancellation one week before departure will be charged a processing fee equal to 30% of total fare, with deduction of postage and wiring charge. C). Cancellation is accepted up to 30 minutes prior to departure, and will be refunded 50% of the total fare.

Other: For cancellations due to Typhoons, natural disasters, railway interruptions, emergencies or other factors beyond control of men, full refunds will be made.

5.

Verification with acceptance:

The train station will issue and mail “reservation receipt” to passengers upon receipt of payments.

The train station will issue receipt for cancellation processing fees to passengers. Copies will be kept for reference. Cancellation charges will be processed along with Train fares on the same day.

6.

Additional Trains and Group passengers:

Additional Trains are arranged by coordination between the Railway department and Peimen station, upon demand for additional Trains over full reservation of regularly scheduled Trains.

7.

Group tickets:

School field trips for the study of outdoor forest ecology and railway cultural education during non-holiday period will be given 20% discount on full fare for student groups over 20 people. Fare is complementary for the accompanying teacher. (2 complementary tickets to teachers for groups over 40, and so on.) Discount is not granted for over-time Trains.

8.

Additional notes:

Public holidays include weekends, Chinese New Year holidays, Sakura season, spring break, summer break, and other national holidays. Full fares apply for public holidays.

Non-holiday discounts awarded to: Travel agencies (including professional travel tour guides) for groups over 25 people, outdoor educational activities for students (over 40 people.)

15% off on round-trip ticket, check-in and seat designation at the Peimen station; Train and seat are fixed, no switching is allowed.

Special tickets for the elders and handicapped tickets: half price fares for elderly(s) over 65 years of age, or for handicapped (with handicapped booklet) passengers with one company. The special tickets will be cancelled based on new regulation legislated, along with Taiwan Railway.

Children:

1. Half priced fares for children with body height between 115cm and 145cm.

2. Free fare to children under 115cm of height.

In the event of revisions, rules announced by the Station’s public display prevail.

TAIWAN FORESTRY BUREAU Chiayi Forest District Office

No.1, Linsen W. Rd., Chiayi City, Taiwan

Tel嚗?86-5-2787006

Do you mean they don%26#39;t take bookings from abroad, or they don%26#39;t accept bookings without an ROC ID card number? If it%26#39;s due to the advance payment rule, it MIGHT work if you booked and remitted after arriving in Taiwan, provided there%26#39;s sufficient time.

The fully-booked situation is due to it being Cherry Blossom %26amp; Firefly Season on Alishan (Feb.~April)---one of the year%26#39;s non-public-holiday peak seasons. Forumers have managed to buy on-the-day Alishan train tickets at Chiayi or Beimen Station during off-peak seasons without a problem---so timing is a crucial factor. Good luck to all!

Hi there,

I%26#39;ll be visiting Alishan in late may (around 22nd).

Taking the train is 1 of my highlight in my trip.. Will there be tix available coz i%26#39;m not sure if may is a peak season or not.

Thanks

Dear misskaya:

I%26#39;m going up alishan on the 20th march and the counter personnel already claim no more ticket is availuable. I guess you have better replan your trip to taking bus up to alishan but can still try your luck to get the downhill train instead. Cheers and enjoy your trip.

Thanks for the reply, eggy77. i think i%26#39;ll ask the minsu to fetch me from Chiayi. I do wish to get a tix on the way down.. i%26#39;ve been looking forward to taking the train ride!

Enjoy ur trip!! hope u have loads of fun! :)

Hi all..I just went to Alishan on 02/29,Friday %26amp; the tickets at the station was sold out...but u still can purchase standing tickets. Luckily I did not get it as I was almost immediately approached by this lady, Mdm Hou. She had the tickets with seats %26amp; was selling them at the exact price.But u need to buy a package from her, tickets + accomodation stay.

I got the combo since I needed the seats for the train. When I went up to this hotel,we actually got a better price from Mdm Hou than I thought. The hotel is also very clean %26amp; near to the alishan square,where all the food stalls are found.

You can call her at this number.(05)2351057

Her full name is Ho Bo Ru

U need the seats to enjoy the 3.5hrs train trip up the mountain.Advice is to buy the way up instead of downhill....u will get a much better experience.

Here is a short hilite on my Alishan trip.

Took 1330hrs train up, reach Alishan forest recreation area at 1700hrs.Checkin hotel %26amp; have dinner,walk around to shop.(Too late to visit any attractions) Take a NT300 bus trip next morning to Tatajia to watch sunrise,big tree %26amp; monkeys.Book this at your hotel %26amp; they will provide morning call.

Alternate is to take the Jhushan train,NT150.(Recommend the Tatajia since u will be very much nearer to the clouds) Return to hotel at about 0800hrs. Go for the Alishan forest attractions by foot or hire a mini-van(not sure how much) It should take about 2hrs - 4hrs,depending on how many sites u wish to visit.Taking the mini-vans will reduce ur walking by quite abit.

By noon..checkout %26amp; take a bus or share a minivan down to Chiayi train station.

At Chiayi,if u like to go back to Taipei, u have 3 options, HSR,TRA or bus. Bus is cheapest..but takes about 4.5hrs.

HSR- need to take transport from Chiayi station to HSR station,~30mins.Train Price NT1080

TRA - Train price is about NT600+ for Tze Chiang

Bus - NT380.

Thanks for sharing some fantastic info, Devion! Once again, we learn from others%26#39; firsthand experiences. This certain lady ticket-seller is gaining fame on the forum, it seems.

Oh also to add, Mdm Hou also sells a return pkg for NT400 per person. It includes a mini-van,pickup from ur hotel at 1130am.Travel to Fengchihu for the famous lunch,rice,meat,egg %26amp; many vegetables,shopping at a mini market there.Then down to another area in Chiayi where there was a very high long drawbridge %26amp; temple.Then to a reservoir site where a long stretch of pebbled path in between,ppl playing kites there %26amp; lastly to the Chiayi train station at 4pm.Also managed to grab a couple of snacks on the various locations.....

I would think this pkg is certainly worth the money as u can visit some other attractions in Chiayi on ur way back.

A bus trip is about NT200+ per person, straight to train station.Nothing to expect.....

Dear Devion:

I%26#39;ve been trying to contact this Miss Hou you mention by dialing +88652351057,is the number i dial correct? i have been dialling for 3 days and yet no body pickup the phone at all. did i dial the wrong number. please help.