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Kaohsiung
City in southern Taiwan

Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan.

Plan a trip to Kaohsiung→From Huxi

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).

Get in

Getting to Kaohsiung

  1. 01
    Kaohsiung International Airport
  2. 02
    Zuoying Station
  3. 03
    Kaohsiung Station

    Kaohsiung's main railway station for regular TRA trains, located in the city center.

See

Worth seeing

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.

  1. 01
    Chihou Lighthouse

    The lighthouse was built by English technicians during the rule of the Ching Dynasty (1883).

  2. 02
    Chihou Fort

    Chihou Fort is a battery which was designed by an English engineer.

  3. 03
    Cijin Coast Park

    The Cijin Seaside Park is a long area of picturesque terrain along the west coast of Cijin Island.

  4. 04
    TianHou Temple

    Chihou area is the area in Kaohsiung where many fishermen live.

  5. 05
    Lotus Lake

    The lake is surrounded by temples, some of which have built out onto the lake.

  6. 06
    Pei Chi Pavilion
Eat

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.

  1. 01
    Liouhe Night Market
  2. 02
    Michino Diner
  3. 03
    Sushi Express
  4. 04
    Smokey Joes

    The menu is in English and the staff usually understands some English as well.

How locals move

Getting around Kaohsiung the local way

  • 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. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.