Kaohsiung is the largest port city in Taiwan. The next time you want to book a ticket to Taiwan, try going to Kaohsiung instead of Taipei. Although there are more things to do in Taipei, Kaohsiung is more laid-back and has its own share of historical attractions and fun day trips.
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To make your stay in Kaohsiung more convenient, you should have the following:
- EasyCard – Taiwan’s transportation card. The EasyCard can help you save money and time when traveling.
- HSR Tickets – If you are planning to go on a day trip to Tainan or nearby cities via HSR.
- Local sim card – To let you stay connected with friends and easier to make online reservations at restaurants
Where to stay in Kaohsiung
I have been to Kaohsiung twice, I stayed at the following hotels during my stay.
Hotel Cozzi Zhongshan Kaohsiung
I enjoyed my stay in Hotel Cozzi because the room was very clean and spacious. In addition, the location of the hotel is perfectly situated in the busy Sanduo shopping district. There were a lot of food options and shopping malls nearby. Not to mention, it is less than a 3-minute walk away from the nearest MRT.
Paris Business Hotel
Paris Business Hotel is an affordable hotel in Kaohsiung. The rooms were clean but smaller compared to Hotel Cozzi. The location of the hotel is also convenient because the nearest MRT is Formosa Boulevard Station, which is about a 5 to 8-minute walk. An added bonus is the Liouhe Night Market which is near the hotel, with just less than a 10-minute walk. However, we also encountered problems when we took a taxi from the airport and the driver did not know where the hotel was.
Things to do
Dome of Light
A public art installation that was made from glass. It is located at the Formosa Boulevard Station. The dome is 30 meters wide and has 4 themes about the story of human life.
Love River
The popular river in Kaohsiung is named Love River. Back in the old days, the river was surrounded by farms and used for irrigation. Nowadays, it is mainly for tourism, with boats and gondola rides for visitors to enjoy the view of the city. The river is surrounded by a beautiful park and flows from Kaohsiung to Kaohsiung Harbor. It is very popular with local couples, hence the name Love River. We visited the river at night, it was indeed a great place to relax and enjoy the peaceful scenery.
Dragon and Tiger Pagoda
When in Kaohsiung, you must visit the iconic temple at Lotus Lake in Zuoying District. Both towers have 7 floors with spiral staircases. The zigzag bridge connects the towers to the entrance. The dragon and tiger pagodas belong to the Cihji Palace which is located across the street.
When visiting the pagodas, you have to enter through the dragon’s mouth and exit through the tiger to get rid of your bad luck.
Besides the Dragon and Tiger pagodas, you can also visit Wu Li Ting and Yuan Di Temple nearby.
Shopping at Dream Mall
It is one of the landmarks in Kaohsiung and also the largest shopping mall in Taiwan. The mall has an iconic Ferris wheel with a diameter of 50 meters. There are usually New Year’s Eve countdown events held here.
Day Trip to Tainan
Tainan is a 20-minute ride away from Kaohsiung by HSR Train. Though it is best to stay at least 3 days to explore the city in depth, we visited some of the highlights in Tainan in one day. You can read more about the day trip to Tainan here.
Day Trip to Cijin Island
If you have a day to spare, plan a day trip to Cijin Island. Cijin district is the second smallest district in Kaohsiung, covering Cijin island and some islands in the South China Sea. The Cijin island is just 5 minutes away from Kaohsiung Harbor. We had a lot of fun exploring the island by bike. You can read more about our day trip to Cijin Island here.
Taiwanese Hot Pot
When you’re in Taiwan, you must try Taiwanese hot pot. There are a lot of hot pot restaurants to choose from. For one of our meals, we made an online reservation at Wulao Hotpot. The restaurant is conveniently located across shopping malls. It is not an eat-all-you-can hot pot. But we ordered quite a lot from the menu. The food was fresh and the soup base tasted very good.
Sanduo Shopping District
The Sanduo shopping district consists of three shopping malls – Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store, SOGO, and Mega’21 Far Eastern Shopping Complex. This is a must-visit for shopaholics, aside from the high-end shopping malls, there are small clothing boutiques and shops nearby. Since we stayed near the shopping district, we spent quite a lot of time here before returning to our hotel and calling it a day.
The British Consulate at Takow
This is the former British consulate situated at the peak of Shaochuantou. It is now a tourist attraction that allows visitors to learn about the history of Kaohsiung. There is a cafe and souvenir shop that sells tea sets. Don’t forget to check out the amazing view overlooking the Kaohsiung Harbour!
The consulate is located a bit far from other attractions. But if you plan to go to Cijin Island, you can take a little time to drop by the consulate before going to Cijin Island. The consulate is about a 10-15-minute walk from the Gushan Ferry Pier.