Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan.
Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. With a population of approximately 2.7 million people, it is Taiwan's third most populous city and the largest city in southern Taiwan. After merging with Kaohsiung County in 2010, the city extends from the coastal urban center across inland rural areas, and stretches into the mountainous Yushan Range, making it the largest city in Taiwan by area at 2,952 km2 (1,140 mi2).
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Kaohsiung
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01National Sun Yat-sen University
National Sun Yat-sen University is a public research university located in Sizihwan, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Recognized as one of six Designated National Research Universities, NSYSU is also the only university in Taiwan to host National Key Institutions in both semiconductor technology and international finance.
3.2 km · national research university in Kaohsiung, Taiwan · Wikipedia - 02National Stadium
The National Stadium, formerly known as the World Games Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It is currently the largest stadium in Taiwan in terms of capacity.
9.8 km · stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan · Wikipedia - 03Kaohsiung Mosque
The Kaohsiung Mosque is a mosque in the Lingya District of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Completed in 1949, it was the second mosque built in Taiwan, after the Taipei Grand Mosque.
4.8 km · mosque in Zhenggi Village, Lingya District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan · Wikipedia - 04Roman Catholic Diocese of Kaohsiung
The Diocese of Kaohsiung is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Taiwan. The diocese has the distinction of being the first Catholic ecclesiastical territory erected on the island of Taiwan.
900 m · diocese of the Catholic Church in Taiwan · Wikipedia - 05Chengcing Lake
Chengcing Lake, also known as the Cheng Ching Lake, Dabei Lake, or Toapi Lake in Taiwanese, is an artificial lake located in Niaosong, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The lake is not far from downtown Kaohsiung and the major suburban district of Fengshan.
7.5 km · lake in Taiwan · Wikipedia - 06Mount Shou
Shoushan is a mountain in Gushan District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, north of the main entrance to Kaohsiung Harbor. It was named Ape Hill by the Dutch in the 17th century to describe many Formosan rock macaques on this mountain.
4.9 km · mountain in Taiwan · Wikipedia - 07Holy Rosary Cathedral
The Basilica Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary is the oldest Roman Catholic church and Minor Basilica in the Republic of China. The shrine is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the venerated title of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
800 m · cathedral of Kaohsiung · Wikipedia - 08Kaohsiung Museum of History
The Kaohsiung Museum of History is a museum located in Yancheng District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It is administered by the Kaohsiung City Government.
1.6 km · museum in Kaohsiung · Wikipedia - 09Kaohsiung Confucian Temple
The Kaohsiung City Temple of Confucius is a temple dedicated to the memory of Confucius near Lotus Pond, Zuoying District, in the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. With an area of 167 square metres, it is Taiwan's largest Confucian temple complex.
8.3 km · Confucian temple in Kaohsiung · Wikipedia - 10Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages
Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages is the only university devoted to language education in Taiwan. It awards A.A., B.A., B.B.A. degrees, and offers a master's degree program conferring M.A., M.B.A., and M.F.A. degrees.
6.5 km · university in Kaohsiung, Taiwan · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
The Cijin District (旗津; Qijin) is a slender island in front of Kaohsiung which serves as a natural breakwater for the harbor. The district is filled with seafood restaurants selling freshly caught seafood which can be prepared right after you pick it. If you have only a brief period in Kaohsiung, skip Cijin. If you have more than a day, you will find the island to be a pleasant and relaxing place to take a break.
- 01Chihou Lighthouse
The lighthouse was built by English technicians during the rule of the Ching Dynasty (1883).
- 02Chihou Fort
Chihou Fort is a battery which was designed by an English engineer.
- 03Cijin Coast Park
The Cijin Seaside Park is a long area of picturesque terrain along the west coast of Cijin Island.
- 04TianHou Temple
Chihou area is the area in Kaohsiung where many fishermen live.
- 05Lotus Lake
The lake is surrounded by temples, some of which have built out onto the lake.
- 06Pei Chi Pavilion
From Wikivoyage: Kaohsiung, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
There are numerous seafood restaurants dotting the main street in Cijin Island, all offering the same fresh seafood for about NT$100-200 per dish. It is a great idea to go in a small group and order a few dishes to try, probably one more dish than the number of people in your group. In the evening, a night bazaar goes into full swing.
- 01Liouhe Night Market
- 02Michino Diner
- 03Sushi Express
- 04Smokey Joes
The menu is in English and the staff usually understands some English as well.
From Wikivoyage: Kaohsiung, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Kaohsiung
- Airports
- Kaohsiung (KHH), 7 km · Tainan / Tainan Air Base (TNN), 38 km · Penghu Magong (MZG), 126 km
- Stations
- Kaohsiung International Airport, 6.9 km · Port of Kaohsiung, 1.9 km · Kaohsiung main station, 2.8 km · Zuoying HSR station, 8.1 km · HSR Zuoying Station, 8.1 km
- Huxi → Kaohsiung127 km · quickest by ferry, 7h 13m · NT$625–2,245
- Taichung (Qingshui) → Kaohsiung185 km · quickest by road, 3h 5m · NT$405–540
- Hualien City → Kaohsiung201 km · quickest by road, 8h 5m · NT$660–880
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Kaohsiung
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Kaohsiung. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get aroundHowever, it is not yet legally possible to bicycle to and from Cijin as the underwater Kaohsiung Harbor Tunnel to and from Cianjhen District is officially closed to bicycles around the clock, even during late nights when ferries stop running.
- Get aroundAn inexpensive ferry service connects various areas of Kaohsiung City, including Taiwan's nearest island, Xiao Liuqiu () - Little Ryukyu - which is a coral island located just south of Kaohsiung and is reachable by ferry from Dong Gang (), which is only a 15-minute scooter or taxi ride from Kaohsiung International Airport.
- Get around31 at the Zhuo Iing Bus Station to the Ferry Pier.
- Get aroundOr, you may take a ferry: Gushan ferry terminal (from which one can take the ferry to Cijin island) is an easy 10 min walk from Hamasen MRT station (you may have to ask for directions though as the route is not that straightforward, but signboards are pretty clear nowadays)
From Wikivoyage: Kaohsiung, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01143 km
- 02283 km
- 03399 km
- 04431 km
- 05815 km
If you know how people move in Kaohsiung – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung is 7 km from Fengshan, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.
- Fongshan DistrictA district in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan5.8 km
- Cijin DistrictA district in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan3.2 km
- Siaogang DistrictA district in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan9.3 km
- Yancheng DistrictA district in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan1.5 km
- 2021 Kaohsiung tower fire14 October 2021 fire in Yancheng District, Kaohsiong City, Taiwan2 km
- Lingya DistrictA district in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan2.2 km