Kaohsiung: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Kaohsiung began as Takao, a fishing village at the mouth of a lagoon, and the harbour made it Taiwan's great port. The British opened a consulate here in the 1860s, the Japanese built a railway to the docks, and in the 2000s the warehouses turned into an arts district. This walk follows the harbour from the old consulate to Pier-2 and across to Cijin. On foot and by ferry, about half a day; the light rail links the waterfront.
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A short history of Kaohsiung
In the 17th century, during Dutch rule in Taiwan, there was a fishing village here whose name the Chinese wrote as "Takao". After the port was opened to international trade in 1864 it began to grow, and the Japanese, who ruled the island from 1895, turned it into a major port and industrial centre. In 1920 the city's name was changed to Japanese characters with a similar sound, which gives the name Kaohsiung. On 10 December 1979 police broke up a human rights demonstration in the city, and the "Kaohsiung Incident" became a turning point in Taiwan's struggle for democracy. In 2008 the city's metro opened, and in 2009 it hosted the World Games. Today it is the third largest city in Taiwan, and its port is the largest on the island.
The ten best sights in Kaohsiung
1Formosa Boulevard StationFree with a metro ticket, or just walk down to the concourse; the glass dome is the point
2Dragon and Tiger PagodasGo in through the dragon's mouth and out through the tiger's, never the other way
3Spring and Autumn PavilionsA short walk along the lake from the pagodas; climb the pavilions for the view
4Zuoying Old City WallQing-era gates and wall a few minutes from Lotus Pond; free
5Fo Guang Shan Buddha MuseumAn hour inland; free entry, vegetarian lunch on site, and a lot of walking
6Fo Guang Shan MonasteryNext to the museum; modest dress, and quiet in the main shrine
7Former British Consulate at TakaoRed brick on the hill above the harbour; come for sunset tea on the terrace
8Pier-2 Art CenterOld port warehouses full of art and shops; best on a weekend evening
9Takao Railway MuseumThe city's first station, in Hamasen; walk along the old tracks to Pier-2
10Weiwuying Arts CenterWalk under the wave-shaped roof even without a ticket; tours run most days
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Kaohsiung →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Kaohsiung:
Free walking tours in Kaohsiung
Harbour of Takao
Kaohsiung began as Takao, a fishing village at the mouth of a lagoon, and the harbour made it Taiwan's great port. The British opened a consulate here in the 1860s, the Japanese built a railway to the docks, and in the 2000s the warehouses turned into an arts district. This walk follows the harbour from the old consulate to Pier-2 and across to Cijin. On foot and by ferry, about half a day; the light rail links the waterfront.
- Former British Consulate at Takao · The red-brick residence on the hill was built in 1879 for the British consul, with the office down by the water. It is one of the oldest Western buildings still standing in Taiwan.
- Takao Railway Museum · This was Takao station, the southern end of the line built by the Japanese down the west of the island in 1908. The area around it is still called Hamasen, from the Japanese for beach line.
- Pier-2 Art Center · The warehouses stored sugar and bananas for export, and stood empty until artists took them over around 2000. The name comes from the second pier of the port, where it began.
- Gushan Ferry Pier · Cijin is a long thin island only because the harbour's second entrance was cut through its southern end in the 1970s. Before that it was a spit joined to the mainland.
- Cijin Tianhou Temple · Founded in 1673 by fishermen from Fujian, it is counted as the oldest temple in Kaohsiung. It honours Mazu, goddess of the sea, and the village of Takao first grew up around it.
- Cihou Lighthouse · The first lighthouse here was designed by a British engineer in 1883; the Japanese rebuilt it in its present white form in 1918. From the top you see ships squeezing through the harbour mouth just below.
Lotus Pond and the Buddha
The north of the city is old Zuoying, the walled seat of Fengshan county in Qing times, and its lake is lined with temples. Further inland, the Buddhist order of Fo Guang Shan built one of the largest monasteries in Asia. This route goes from the folk temples by the pond to the great Buddha in the hills. Half a day to a day by car; the temples are free and want quiet and covered shoulders.
- Dragon and Tiger Pagodas · Built in 1976 by the Ciji temple across the road, the twin seven-storey towers rise from the lake on a zigzag bridge. Walking in through the dragon and out of the tiger is said to turn bad luck into good.
- Spring and Autumn Pavilions · The pavilions honour Guan Yu, the general of the Three Kingdoms who became a god of loyalty. In front of them rides Guanyin on a dragon: the story is that she appeared on a cloud and told believers to build her a statue here.
- Zuoying Old City Wall · Built of coral stone in 1826, it is one of the best-preserved Qing city walls in Taiwan. The north gate still has its two door-god guardians carved in relief.
- Weiwuying Arts Center · It stands on a former army training camp and opened in 2018. The Dutch firm Mecanoo designed its rolling roof after the banyan trees of the park, and it is listed as the largest performing-arts centre under one roof.
- Fo Guang Shan Monastery · Master Hsing Yun founded it in 1967 on a bamboo-covered hill, and it grew into one of the largest Buddhist orders in the world, with temples on every continent. He died here in 2023.
- Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum · Opened in 2011 to house a tooth relic of the Buddha, brought from India by way of Tibet. The seated bronze Buddha behind it is about 108 metres high including its base.
The city that changed Taiwan
Kaohsiung was the industrial city of martial-law Taiwan, and twice it was the place where the island's politics broke open: in 1947 and in 1979. Today it is the city that put a glass dome in a metro station and a concert hall on an army camp. This route is about that change. By metro and on foot, an afternoon into the evening, ending at a night market.
- Kaohsiung Museum of History · In March 1947, during the crackdown after the 228 Incident, troops attacked this building, then the city hall, where local leaders had gathered to negotiate. Many were killed, and the museum keeps that story at its centre.
- Love River · In the industrial years the river was so polluted that it stank, and a long clean-up from the 1980s on turned it back into the city's promenade. The museum stands right on its bank.
- Formosa Boulevard Station · The station is named after the Formosa Incident of 10 December 1979, when a human-rights rally at this crossroads was broken up and its leaders jailed; several later led Taiwan's democracy. Its Dome of Light, by the Italian artist Narcissus Quagliata, is made of about 4,500 glass panels.
- Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts · Opened in 1994 in the wide Neiweipi park, it collects above all the artists of southern Taiwan and its indigenous peoples. Its children's museum is in a separate building across the lawns.
- Kaohsiung Main Station · The old 1941 station building, in the Japanese imperial crown style, was moved 82 metres on rails in 2002 so the new underground station could be built. It now stands back in front of it.
- Liuhe Night Market · The market has run since the 1950s and became the best-known night market of the south. Papaya milk, served in tall cups, is the drink to order.
Getting to Kaohsiung and getting around
- Zuoying HSR Station · The end of the route: the high-speed train reaches Taipei in about 1.5-2 hours; return the car here
- Kaohsiung Main Station · Regular trains and the metro; the old station building now stands in front of the new one
- Kaohsiung International Airport · On the metro red line, 25 minutes from the centre; regional flights across Asia
Cheap eats in Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung is a port, and its food is seafood, beef noodles and the morning breakfast shop. Locals start the day with soup dumplings or rice rolls, eat dry-mixed beef noodles at lunch, and end it at a night market or a seafood street on Cijin. The sweet tooth goes for shaved ice and papaya milk, the city's signature drink. Most meals cost between NT$60 and NT$200.
- Gang Yuan Beef Noodles · A bowl of dry beef noodles about NT$150-200
- Xing Long Ju · Soup dumplings and soy milk for about NT$50-100
- Ya Rou Zhen · Duck rice and sliced duck in Yancheng, about NT$40-120
- Guo Jia Rou Zong · Sticky-rice dumplings in bamboo leaves, about NT$40-60 each
- Hai Zhi Bing · Shaved ice in giant bowls by the Gushan ferry, about NT$60-150
- Ruifeng Night Market stalls · Grilled squid, oyster omelette and bubble tea, about NT$40-120 a snack
Holy places in Kaohsiung
- Fo Guang Shan Monastery · Monks and nuns of the Humanistic Buddhism order; visitors welcome
- Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum · Free; allow at least two hours
- Dragon and Tiger Pagodas · Folk-temple towers on the lake
- Cijin Tianhou Temple · The oldest temple in the city
- Spring and Autumn Pavilions · Guan Yu and Guanyin on the lake
- Kaohsiung Confucius Temple · The largest Confucius temple in Taiwan, on the north shore of the pond
Museums in Kaohsiung
- Kaohsiung Museum of History · The 1947 massacre and the city's growth; free
- Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts · Indigenous and southern Taiwanese art
- Takao Railway Museum · Free; the rail park runs to Pier-2
- Former British Consulate at Takao · Rooms of the consul and the trade in camphor and sugar
- Pier-2 Art Center · Free outdoors; some galleries charge
Nature and day trips near Kaohsiung
- Shoushan · Trails and monkeys right above the city
- Sizihwan · The sunset bay below the consulate
- Cijin Beach · Black-sand beach and a bike path on the island
- Tianliao Moon World · A strange grey landscape, 40 minutes inland
- Chengcing Lake · A reservoir with a nine-turn bridge; quiet mornings
Things to do in Kaohsiung with kids
- Dome of Light · Inside Formosa Boulevard station; free to look
- Cijin Beach · Pedal carts and bikes by the ferry; swim only in the marked area
- Children's Art Museum · Hands-on exhibitions in the Museum of Fine Arts park
- Takao Railway Museum · Old engines on the grass and rail paths to bike along
- Love River · A short evening boat ride past the lit bridges
Frequently asked questions about Kaohsiung
What is there to see in Kaohsiung?
The top sights in Kaohsiung are Formosa Boulevard Station, Dragon and Tiger Pagodas and Spring and Autumn Pavilions. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Kaohsiung?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Kaohsiung without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Kaohsiung?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Kaohsiung, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Harbour of Takao.
How do you get to Kaohsiung and get around?
The main ways are Zuoying HSR Station, Kaohsiung Main Station and Kaohsiung International Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Kaohsiung, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Kaohsiung that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Kaohsiung for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.