After the Taipei Dome guide, let's turn the lens to CPBL's most warm-and-human "Northern Prince's Castle" — Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium. Home of the Fubon Guardians, the stadium's hardware, food, and atmosphere have all climbed close to perfect in recent years. Whether you want to be in the 1st base zone for Fubon Angels, find a rain-shelter seat with a broadcast TV above you, or pinpoint the best value seat in the house — this insider's guide covers everything.
💡 Floor Number Reality Check Before You Enter
Many fans instinctively call the lower infield "1st floor" and the upper stands "2nd floor." But officially: the ground floor (1F) is the ticket office and main entrance; the hot-zone lower infield is actually "2F"; the high upper stands are actually "3F"! This guide uses official floor numbering throughout.
1. Seat Selection: Hot Zones, God Seats & Rain Cover — All Revealed
▸ Fubon Angels Hot Zones
2F Hot Zone Battle Area: The stage has been fully widened, putting blocks A3–A7 (1st base side) and B3–B7 (3rd base side) all within range. Rows 1–3 are season ticket reserved; the most coveted "premium heat zone" is rows 4–6 (NT$900 on weekends).
Best value pick: Rows 7+ in the "regular hot zone" cost significantly less yet deliver the same close-range impact. These are the insider consensus for best cost-to-experience ratio!
▸ Xinzhuang Exclusive: 2F Behind Home Plate — Hidden God Seats (A1, A2, B1, B2)
💡 The whole stadium's closest hidden highlight: On weekends, cheerleaders are stationed behind home plate. Their route to the stage is up the elevator and then walking directly through the A1, A2, B1, B2 block corridor — making these four blocks the closest seats in the entire venue to the cheerleaders' entry path!
▸ 2F Lower Back Rows: Rain Shelter God Seats + Broadcast TV
Rain shelter golden line: From row 11 onward, the 3F above provides full overhead cover — a perfect refuge when Taiwan's afternoon thunderstorms hit without warning.
Thoughtful back-row feature: Broadcast television screens are installed above the back rows (rare at other stadiums), so even if a towering fly ball blocks your line of sight, you never miss the moment!
▸ 3F Upper Infield (Top Zone): Tactical Bird's Eye + Cool Breeze
3F front rows (rows 1–5) offer an unobstructed panoramic view of the whole field. On summer evenings, the breeze makes for a comfortable experience at a lower ticket price — a hidden gem for those who want space.
2. Outfield Seats: Taiwan's Unique Outfield Cheer Stage
Home vs. away clearly divided: Right outfield is the Fubon home team cheer zone; left outfield is for away team fans.
Outfield cheer stage: Xinzhuang has a dedicated outfield cheer stage — extremely rare in Taiwan! You get the full Fubon Angels experience even if you're seated in the outfield.
Buy the outfield hot zone over free seating: The outfield hot zone is only about NT$100 more than unreserved seating, but you get direct front-of-stage proximity to the cheerleaders — a no-brainer value call.
🎰 Outfield Cheerleader Mystery Box: The team never announces the outfield roster in advance — who shows up is pure luck and fate every game!
3. Food Guide: In-Stadium is the Most Efficient
The 2F ring corridor hosts a wide variety of chain restaurants — fried chicken, bubble tea, premium bento and more. Theme game days often feature limited-edition collaboration food.
💡 In-stadium convenience store: There's a convenience store at the far end of the 3rd base side on 2F — no need to leave the stadium for mid-game snacks, drinks, or ice cream!
Outside options: If you arrive early, grab local street food near the MRT station or in the alleys around Xinzhuang Sports Center and bring it in. For a full late-night food guide, see the Xinzhuang Castle Night Food Guide.
4. Getting Here & Parking: Driving is a Major Test!
🚗 Parking queue warning
Weekend crowds are extreme. If you're not there 2.5 hours early, don't even attempt to park! You can try the "Zhenghao Parking Lots" on both the 1st and 3rd base sides, but if they're full, head toward the Carrefour direction. Parking fees are not expensive (daily max ~NT$200), but the time cost of queuing is very high.
🚇 Public transit is the only real answer
For the best game-day experience and to completely bypass traffic, public transit is the strong recommendation. The closest MRT stop is Zhonghe-Xinlu Line, Xinzhuang Station Exit 1 — about a 12-minute walk.
5. Photography Tips & Cheering Etiquette
▸ The Elbow Rule — Absolute Law
- Phone users: Switch to 2x+ zoom, keep elbows at chest height, shoot half-body frames. Don't drift into raising your arms to capture full-body shots — it blocks the person behind completely.
- Camera users: Use the LCD screen instead of the viewfinder. The viewfinder position naturally splays elbows outward, blocking fans on both sides.
- The golden rule of karma: "Today you block someone with your elbow, tomorrow the person in front of you blocks you with their telephoto."
▸ Pro Camera Settings (Outdoor)
- Focal length: The 2F lower stage distance is very close. Full-frame 70-200mm F2.8 covers the first 15 rows; APS-C sensors give you an advantage from row 15+ or 3F.
- White balance: Post-upgrade Xinzhuang lighting is accurate. Lock color temperature at 4300K–4800K — no additional WB shift needed for naturally glowing skin tones.
- 📸 Photos: Shutter at 1/400s+ to freeze cheer routines; 1/1000s–1/1600s for player fielding action.
- 🎥 Video: 4K 60fps with shutter at 1/60s–1/125s for the smoothest dance motion.
📝 Packing Checklist
Everyone has their own way of enjoying baseball. The passionate cheerers, the pure baseball watchers, the dedicated cheer photographers. Inside the stadium, everyone bought a ticket — what matters most is mutual respect. When you raise your camera, spare a thought for the person behind you. A little more consideration makes the experience better for all of us, and builds the baseball culture Taiwan deserves.