Kaohsiung walking tour & city guide

The harbour and the old city

The harbour is the heart of Kaohsiung. At Pier-2 Art Center, a row of old warehouses beside the water now holds galleries, shops and large outdoor sculptures, and the light rail passes the new Kaohsiung Music Center and the cruise terminal on the way. Nearby Yancheng, one of the oldest parts of the city, keeps small traditional shops and food stalls, and the Love River runs from here through the centre, lined with walking paths and bright with lights after dark.

Across the harbour mouth, Cijin Island has an old temple street, a lighthouse and fort on the hill and a long black-sand beach. On the hill at Gushan, the red-brick Former British Consulate at Takao looks out over the port. North of the centre, Lotus Pond is ringed with temples, including the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, which you enter through the dragon's mouth and leave through the tiger's.

A classic walk: Pier-2 to Cijin Island

Start at Pier-2 Art Center in the late morning and walk among the warehouses and sculptures along the waterfront. Continue to the Gushan ferry pier and take the short boat ride to Cijin, then walk the old street past the temple to the lighthouse on the hill and down to the beach.

Take the ferry back at sunset, stroll along the Love River as the lights come on, and finish the evening at one of the night markets.

Good to know

October to April is the most comfortable time to visit, with warm, dry days; summer is hot and humid, with typhoons possible from July to September. The MRT, the waterfront light rail and public bikes make it easy to get around, and Formosa Boulevard station is known for its huge stained-glass ceiling. High-speed trains reach Taipei in about two hours.