Chiayi City

Introduction

Chiayi, officially Chiayi City, sits on the Chianan Plain in southwestern Taiwan, enclosed on all sides by Chiayi County. It is a compact city of the plain rather than the coast or the mountains, and the surrounding county wraps around it completely.

Getting around

Chiayi is compact and most of what you want to see sits within a small area, so getting around is straightforward once you know your options: the regular railway, the high-speed rail link, the BRT, local and long-distance buses, taxis, and your own two feet.

The main TRA station anchors the network. It serves the regular Taiwan Railways Administration mainline and is also the starting point of the narrow-gauge Alishan Forest Railway — both depart from the same station, but they have separate ticketing counters, so buy your Alishan ticket at the dedicated counter rather than the main TRA window. The Alishan line was severely damaged by Typhoon Morakot and runs only as far as Fencihu, with the remainder closed for repairs, so check the current status before building your plans around it; the local lines within the Alishan recreation area itself operate normally.

• High-speed rail and the BRT: the HSR station sits well outside town, and the Chiayi BRT is the practical way to bridge the gap. Its main line links the HSR station with the TRA station in roughly half an hour. The fare is modest and you need exact change, but travel directly between the HSR and TRA stations is free.
• Finding the BRT stop: at the TRA station it is on the rear side, reached by a pedestrian bridge. Arriving by BRT from the HSR station, cross the street at the intersection just past the stop and bear right for the pedestrian bridge into the "back station" area. Starting from the TRA station, walk far to your left as you face the station, past the taxi queue, and follow the signs upstairs to the pedestrian bridge; the BRT itself is on the ground floor, usually at bus terminal 1, for the free ride out to the HSR station.
• Buses: long-distance buses leave from a terminal immediately outside the TRA station, making onward connections easy if you arrive by train. Local buses, including services to the hot spring town of Guanzihling, use the Zhongshan Road bus terminal a few hundred metres further down the street. Announcements and signage are in both English and Chinese, so you can follow your route without speaking Mandarin.
• Taxis: plentiful, particularly around the train stations. Some drivers speak English, and a taxi is a convenient fallback for short hops when you do not want to wait for a bus.
• On foot: central Chiayi is walkable, with several main draws clustered along a couple of streets. Culture Road is the main shopping street, and Zhongshan Road runs from the main train station to a roundabout fountain at Culture Road. The Culture Road Night Market and the Carrefour Night Market on Bo Ai Road are part of the city's evening life, and turkey rice is sold cheaply at both sidewalk shops and indoor eateries. You can also walk to Chiayi Park and the Botanical Gardens, with trails through native plants and trees and ponds full of koi, turtles and frogs; the park is active from early morning until late afternoon. Hinoki Village, the Sun-Shooting Tower, the Old Prison, the Museum of Ancient Taiwan Tiles and the Chiayi Municipal Museum round out a compact set of sights, and the Chiayi City Municipal Baseball Stadium is also in the city. Walking between these is realistic, though you may want a taxi or bus for the longer legs.
• From the airport: Chiayi is served by Shueishang Airport just outside the city. Specific airport-to-city bus or taxi services are not detailed, so arrange your transfer on arrival — taxis are the most direct option, and the city's bus network connects the surrounding area to the centre. Arriving at one of Taiwan's larger international airports instead, you would typically reach Chiayi by high-speed rail and then connect via the BRT.

Practical points: buy Alishan Forest Railway tickets at the dedicated counter at the TRA station, separate from the main TRA ticket windows; keep exact change for the BRT, since the HSR-to-TRA direct trip is free; and allow extra time to find the BRT stop at the TRA station. Chiayi is a practical base for Alishan trips, with buses leaving frequently, and the mountain can be done as a day trip or over several days.

When to go

Three days in Chiayi City

Day one: Arriving in Chiayi City, you can orient yourself around the grid of streets near the centre before branching out. Zhongshan Road is a useful starting point for getting your bearings, and the Culture Road Night Market is where you can spend an evening eating your way through the stalls. Announcements around the city are often in Mandarin and Chinese as well as English, so getting around is manageable even without much of either.

Day two: Give the day to the Alishan Forest Railway, the historic line that climbs from Chiayi up toward Alishan. The railway's lower section and its history are part of the city's identity, and the route through the foothills is the reason many travellers pass through here at all. If you would rather stay at ground level, Chiayi Park offers a green pause, and the streets off Culture Road and Bo Ai Road keep you close to food and everyday city life.

Day three: Use the transport network to see a little beyond the city. The TRA and HSR both serve Chiayi, and the Chiayi BRT links parts of the surrounding area, including routes toward Guanzihling. Buses and taxis can take you out onto the Chianan Plain or toward Chiayi County, where the landscape opens up. Typhoon Morakot is a reminder that this part of Taiwan can be hit hard by storms, so keep an eye on conditions if you plan to head into the hills.