Kaohsiung (高雄; Ko-hiông in Taiwanese, Gāoxióng in Mandarin), with 2.73 million inhabitants in October 2023, is the third most populated city in Taiwan after New Taipei and Taichung. It is located in the south of the island on the west coast. Kaohsiung is known for its harbor, although more for commercial than tourism reasons.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Kaohsiung has got Taiwan's largest port. Although the ranking has declined, Kaohsiung is still the world's 14th largest cargo-container seaport as of 2018. The city has high concentrations of heavy industry, including steel production, shipbuilding, and other exports that have led to Kaohsiung's relatively high levels of air pollution (though the situation has improved substantially). Unlike Taipei, Kaohsiung is a planned city with wide streets and slightly less traffic congestion than the capital.
A great way of getting around is to use the cheap city bicycles – see below. As the sidewalks double as scooter parking areas, caution and awareness are a must when walking through unfamiliar areas off of main streets. Generally, it is best to walk between the scooter parking row and store fronts, rather than between parked scooters and the road. Pedestrians should be especially aware when crossing a road as cars and motorbikes often run red lights. Exploring Kaohsiung on foot is highly recommended, as many of the distances between sites of interest are not far. Kaohsiung Metro operates both the MRT and LRT.
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. Most of the major sites can be seen within two hours. Cijin is connected to the rest of Kaohsiung City by tunnels, but the transportation of choice is one of the many ferries that traverse the harbor. Fare for the ride is NT$30 per person.
1 Pier 2 Art Center (駁二藝術特區), between Hamasen Metro Station and Yanchengpu Metro Station. 10:00-18:00 daily. This former warehouse district has been converted into a series of contemporary art galleries. As these are commercial galleries and not museums, admission tends to be free. Between the warehouses there are numerous outdoor sculptures. The district is near Fishermen's Wharf, which can serve as a great place to grab a meal after a day looking at art. (updated Apr 2025) 2 Fishermen's Wharf / Banana Pier, Near Hamasen Metro Station. This tourist area features a number of restaurants with live performers and seaside seating.
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. There are lots of little eats to eat as per Taiwan's night markets, BBQ squid, mochi to name a few are particularly good. Flavor of the Sea Seafood Restaurant, #75 Miao-chien Road, Cijin District, ☏ +886 7-5711861. Wen-Chin Seafood Restaurant, #28 Miao-chien Road, Cijin District, ☏ +886 7-5714568. 11:00-22:30.
Two local beer companies, Tsingtao and Taiwan Beer, are ubiquitous throughout the island and can be purchased by visitors cheaply with little hassle about age restrictions. Most major soft drinks are available, and tea stands on almost every corner offer concoctions of fruit, yogurt, green tea, the Taiwanese specialty "bubble tea," and a variety of other flavors. While tap water is most certainly not potable, good reverse osmosis filtration will remove bacteria and heavy metals, and is considered safe for consumption. Water dispensers, which resemble gas stations, are present throughout the city. However, they, along with many of the bottled water brands, are suspect.
Kaohsiung has a reputation among the Taiwanese for being crime-ridden, but its crime rate is still much lower than any Western city of comparable size, so tourists need not be too worried. Violent crime is very rare, and you should have a trouble-free visit so long as you take the usual precautions. Theft tends to be the most common crime encountered by foreigners, and expensive bikes and scooters are frequent targets. As a major seaport, organized crime has long been a problem in the city, and a fair number of businesses are nothing more than a front for local triads. That said, the triads generally do not target the average person in the street.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Aug, Kaohsiung typically sees ~30°C daytime highs and 23 rainy days.
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