Kaohsiung Taiwan: The Ultimate Travel Guide to Taiwan’s Harbor City, Art & Islands

Kaohsiung is Taiwan’s third-largest city and one of the island’s major industrial hubs. What many travelers may not realize is that the city is packed with cool, creative, and surprisingly photogenic places to explore, from beautiful islands and historic temples to art districts filled with public art, creative shops, and Instagrammable corners that feel completely different from anywhere else. For me, Kaohsiung is one of Taiwan’s most underrated cities to visit. In this review, I will take you through the city’s highlights and landmarks in full, so let’s go explore Kaohsiung together.

Getting to Know Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung is the third-largest city in Taiwan after Taipei and Taichung. Located in the southern part of the island, Kaohsiung originally began as a small fishing village known as Takau. During the Japanese colonial period from 1895 to 1945, the city’s infrastructure was modernized, from the expansion of its port to the foundations of industrial development.

After World War II, Kaohsiung returned to Chinese administration and continued to develop rapidly. Over time, it became a strategic port city and home to Taiwan’s largest harbor. Beyond its industrial identity, Kaohsiung has also invested heavily in art and culture. One of the city’s most recognizable modern landmarks is the Kaohsiung Music Center, a major pop music performance venue approved by the government to support Taiwan’s pop music industry. Another key cultural landmark is Pier-2 Art Center, a former waterfront warehouse district transformed into a creative art hub with more than 30 pieces of public art, galleries, museums, and plenty of design-focused shops.

Kaohsiung also has temples known for their spiritual significance, including Sanfeng Temple, where many visitors come to pray for blessings and good fortune. The temple is also famous for its rows of red lanterns hanging beautifully across the courtyard. On top of that, the city has several galleries, museums, and Instagrammable spots that photography lovers will enjoy. In this review, I will take you through all of these places and show why Kaohsiung deserves much more attention than it usually gets.

How to Get to Kaohsiung from Other Cities

The best way to travel to Kaohsiung from other cities in Taiwan is by taking the Taiwan High Speed Rail, or THSR. It is more expensive than other options, but it is by far the most convenient, fastest, and most comfortable way to travel. Other choices include regular trains operated by TRA and intercity buses. Since most travelers start from Taipei, I will focus on the main transport options between Taipei and Kaohsiung.

Where to Stay in Kaohsiung

If you are planning a trip to Kaohsiung and still unsure which area to stay in, I will break down the neighborhoods that work best for sightseeing. I have also selected hotel options that are convenient and easy to use as a base for exploring the city.

Let’s Start Exploring Kaohsiung

Dome of Light at Formosa Boulevard Station

If you have ever searched for Kaohsiung travel photos and seen a huge, colorful dome glowing inside a subway station, that is the Dome of Light at Formosa Boulevard Station. It is one of the largest glass artworks in the world, measuring 30 meters in diameter and covering 660 square meters. The work was created by Italian artist Narcissus Quagliata and took four full years to complete.

The Dome of Light consists of 4,500 glass panels and was designed to represent the cycle of life through four main themes: water, earth, light, and fire. These elements symbolize birth, growth, creativity, and destruction, reflecting the essence of human existence and the universe.

If you are already using the MRT, I really recommend stopping here. The real thing is massive and photographs beautifully. I honestly did not expect a metro station to house a centerpiece this impressive. If you are coming specifically to take photos, I suggest visiting in the morning or around midday because the station gets quite busy in the evening.

Spring and Autumn Pavilions

Not far from the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas is another must-visit place: the Spring and Autumn Pavilions, one of the most popular attractions in Kaohsiung. Built by Chi Ming Palace in 1951 to commemorate Guan Yu, the god of war, the pavilions sit across the road from Lotus Pond. Their name, “Spring and Autumn,” represents balance and harmony. Architecturally, they look like two octagonal towers connected by an arched bridge, with a large statue of Guanyin standing on a dragon between them.

For me, the Spring and Autumn Pavilions are genuinely beautiful. The pavilions stand elegantly beside the lake, creating a really lovely atmosphere. You can also walk inside the dragon’s mouth to see wall carvings and sculptures related to Chinese religious beliefs. The craftsmanship is detailed and seriously impressive.

After exploring the front area, I recommend walking through to the back. There is a long walkway stretching out into the middle of the lake, leading to a large pavilion. You can go up to the upper level and take cool photos from above, looking back toward the Spring and Autumn Pavilions with Chi Ming Palace in the background.

Overall, the Spring and Autumn Pavilions are a place anyone visiting Kaohsiung should stop by. Beyond the beautiful photos, you also get to enjoy ornate architecture that feels both grand and meaningful.

Zuoying Yuandi

Just a short walk from the Spring and Autumn Pavilions, Lotus Pond has another important landmark: Zuoying Yuandi. This old and significant temple was built by early Chinese settlers to honor the Jade Emperor, one of the highest deities in Taoist belief. Often regarded as the ruler of heaven and the god above all gods, the Jade Emperor is believed to protect devotees and bring prosperity to those who worship him.

To visit, you first climb a short flight of stairs before reaching a bridge that leads toward the Jade Emperor statue. What makes the approach impressive is the row of concrete sculptures placed along both sides of the bridge, each one worth pausing to look at. Once you arrive inside, the center opens into a wide courtyard with the Jade Emperor statue standing more than 25 meters tall on a large base. The statue is painted and carved beautifully, and there are pavilions around the area where visitors can sit and rest.

Weiwu Mi Mi Village

For anyone who wants to walk through a neighborhood that feels cool, creative, and full of character, pin Weiwu Mi Mi Village on your map. This is Taiwan’s first street-art village, and visiting it feels almost like walking through an open-air art museum, with murals painted across walls and buildings by 50 artists from 24 countries.

What the local community seems especially proud of are the pastel-colored animal murals, many of which were created by Taiwanese artists. The residents feel that these works, filled with animals and living creatures, bring warmth and beauty to the neighborhood. When I visited, the buildings were covered with colorful murals, but what I liked just as much was seeing local residents and elderly people sitting together in open areas, community corners, and playgrounds, chatting and spending time together.

Overall, Weiwu Mi Mi Village is a wonderful example of how an ordinary residential area can be transformed into something meaningful and creative. It is also very photogenic. Each apartment-like building has a different design, making the whole neighborhood feel playful and fun to explore.

Sanfeng Temple

Sanfeng Temple has become especially popular among Thai travelers in recent years, not only because it is a sacred place of worship, but also because it is an incredibly photogenic Instagrammable spot. This was the first temple I visited in Kaohsiung. Built during the Qing dynasty around 1699, the temple originally served as a place of worship for early Chinese settlers in Taiwan. It is dedicated to the Taoist deity Sanfeng Zushi, who is believed to grant healing power and protection to worshippers.

Since its founding, the temple has been restored and renovated several times, while continuing to serve as an important religious and cultural center for the local community. What impressed me from the entrance was the grand and intricate architecture, from the columns and ceiling to the roof details and sculptures. Every carved element feels delicate and beautifully crafted.

After walking through the main gate, you will see buildings and corridors surrounding a wide central courtyard. Above the courtyard, hundreds of red lanterns hang in neat rows, creating the temple’s most iconic visual scene. Inside the buildings, several deities are enshrined across different levels, including Mazu, the sea goddess who protects fishermen, sailors, and travelers; Guanyin, believed to bring peace and protection; Baosheng Dadi, known as a healing deity; and the City God, a guardian figure in Chinese folk religion believed to protect the city, uphold justice, and guard against evil spirits. You can slowly walk through and pray at each shrine.

After praying, another highlight you should not miss is the second-floor photo spot. Walk up the stairs and look for the small pavilion on the right-hand side when facing the temple. From here, you can see all the red lanterns from above, framed by temple buildings, with another pavilion standing in the middle. It is a spectacular angle for photos. It looks beautiful during the day, and at night, people say the atmosphere feels like standing in a sea of lanterns. For me, this is absolutely one of the must-visit places in Kaohsiung.

Pier-2 Art Center

Pier-2 Art Center is one of Kaohsiung’s most popular creative spaces, especially among local young people, and I think most travelers will enjoy it too. The area was renovated from old warehouses into an art district where local creativity can really come alive. Inside Pier-2 Art Center, warehouse buildings are divided into different sections stretching along the waterfront, with more than 30 public art pieces placed throughout the area, ranging from small works to massive sculptures.

There are also galleries, museums, creative shops, home décor stores, and bookstores scattered throughout the area. Some museums even have drinks and fruit-flavored ice cream for sale. It is the kind of place where you can walk, browse, eat, and explore until your legs get tired.

One of the most iconic photo spots at Pier-2 Art Center is the large red container installation, where multiple shipping containers have been stacked and connected into one huge artwork. It is one of those places where people can instantly recognize that you are in Taiwan, even without checking the location tag.

Besides the many public artworks, Pier-2 Art Center also has murals in several corners. It is a very complete art district, and anyone who studies art, loves creative spaces, or enjoys places filled with ideas and personality should definitely pin Pier-2 Art Center when visiting Kaohsiung.

Great Harbour Bridge

Walking from Pier-2 Art Center along the tram tracks or waterfront, you will reach another landmark and Instagrammable spot where both Taiwanese visitors and tourists often stop for photos: the Great Harbour Bridge, also known as Dagang Bridge. What makes it special is that it is Taiwan’s first horizontal rotating bridge and the longest cross-harbor rotating bridge in Asia, able to rotate horizontally within just three minutes.

The Great Harbour Bridge is 110 meters long and 5 to 11 meters wide, supporting up to 550 pedestrians and bicycles at a time. Its design was inspired by seashells and dolphins, giving the bridge its sleek white curved shape.

What I recommend is walking up onto the bridge, where there is a viewpoint accessible by spiral stairs. From there, you can take elevated photos and see Kaohsiung spread across both sides of the water, surrounded by old warehouses and the Pier-2 Art Center you just passed, as well as Dayi Warehouse and Kaohsiung Music Center, which are nearby. It is a very satisfying place to take in the harbor view.

Dayi Warehouse

After Pier-2, continue enjoying art at Dayi Warehouse, located nearby. What makes Dayi Warehouse different is that the shops here are more varied. They are not limited to crafts or art products alone, but also include home décor, handmade goods, stationery shops, and even bridal shops.

Dayi Warehouse consists of six old brick warehouse buildings lined up together. In the open spaces between the warehouses, you will find seating corners and cute art installations for photos and selfies. Inside each warehouse are stylish shops selling stationery, home décor, creative goods, and other design items.

In the evening, the riverside area becomes especially lively with stalls and small markets. The atmosphere reminded me a little of weekend creative markets back home, with cute accessories, clothing, food trucks, and snacks from different cuisines lined up for people to browse, eat, and shop.

Kaohsiung Music Center

If you look down from the viewpoint on the Great Harbour Bridge, you will notice a futuristic-looking building standing out in the distance. This is the Kaohsiung Music Center, a pop music performance venue approved by the government to promote Taiwan’s pop music scene and support the city’s creative industry. The surrounding area is also designed for leisure, with open lawns by the harbor where people can sit, relax, and enjoy the breeze.

The unusual design of the Kaohsiung Music Center was created by Spanish and Taiwanese architectural teams, using marine elements as inspiration for the building’s form.

If you are looking for a place to sit, rest, and enjoy cool harbor views with beautiful architecture, Kaohsiung Music Center is a great choice. It is especially photogenic for content creators. The building itself and the glass-sided areas look incredibly futuristic in photos, the kind of place that can easily make a social media post stand out.

Taking the Ferry to Cijin Island

If you want to switch from city exploring to a more seaside mood, with wind, sunshine, and waves helping you slow down, Kaohsiung also has Cijin Island. The island was originally home to Indigenous communities before developing into a fishing village. During the Qing dynasty from 1644 to 1912, it became an important trading and military base, with fortifications and a lighthouse built to protect Kaohsiung Harbor.

As Taiwan grew into an important trading center and Kaohsiung Harbor became one of the busiest ports in the world, Cijin Island gradually shifted from a defensive maritime outpost into a historic tourism destination. Today, it has a walking street, temples, beaches, and several attractions that continue to draw visitors.

To get here, you need to take a ferry. Ferries run throughout the day, and the fare is 30 TWD one way (around US$1), so getting there is very easy. After getting off the ferry, you first walk through Cijin Old Street, where both sides are lined with shops selling food, daily items, and souvenirs, before continuing toward Cijin Beach.

Cijin Beach

After about a five-minute walk from the ferry, you will arrive at Cijin Beach, the historic beach of Cijin Island. It is one of the most popular beaches in Kaohsiung, stretching for around 1.5 kilometers. The beach is known for clear seawater, fine sand, and some of the most beautiful sunset views in the city.

Over the past few years, the beach area has been continuously improved. While walking along the sand, you can easily head back up to the shore, where there are shops, cafés, and facilities nearby. For anyone who enjoys beach trips, this is a very easy place to visit. Personally, I really liked the sand here. It has a grayish, almost black tone, and the texture is smooth and fine, exactly as people say. It made me want to build a sandcastle right away.

Qijin Coastal Park

Besides the beach, Cijin Island has other places to explore too. The next stop I visited was Qijin Coastal Park, created as part of the city’s waterfront improvement and tourism development. Cijin Island was once more strongly tied to trade and industry, but as tourism grew, the government expanded the area and built this park to give people more open space for leisure and activities. The park is known for its wide public spaces, clean beach area, and walking paths with panoramic coastal views.

There are several photo spots in the park, and I visited two of the main ones. The first is the Rainbow Church, made from two large steel structures. The designers used geometric forms to create square and triangular shapes. As sunlight hits the structure at different times of day, the refractions and reflections change. Because Rainbow Church sits above water, photos also capture reflections on the surface, with the open sea as a backdrop. That is why so many people like stopping here for photos.

Around Qijin Coastal Park, there are also plenty of areas to enjoy the beach and sea views, bike lanes for riding along the coast, and sculptures inspired by the ocean.

The most popular highlight in the park is the giant shell near the Cijin Shell Museum. I should mention that I did not go inside the museum itself because my main goal was to photograph the huge golden shell sculpture by the sea. The sculpture has a golden interior with a white shell exterior and faces out toward the ocean.

What makes people come here for photos is its sheer size. When you stand beside it, you look tiny, which makes it one of the must-shoot photo spots on Cijin Island.

Kaohsiung Lighthouse

To end the ferry trip to Cijin Island, I went up to Cihou Mountain, where Kaohsiung Lighthouse is located. This is also one of the island’s most beautiful sunset viewpoints. The lighthouse was first built in 1883 during the Qing dynasty to help guide ships entering Kaohsiung Harbor. Its location is ideal because it offers a clear view of the Taiwan Strait, helping ships navigate safely. The original structure was simple, but in 1918 it was rebuilt in a Baroque style, with a white cylindrical tower standing prominently in the center and a lamp shining out toward the sea, giving it a more modern feeling than many lighthouses I had seen before.

From the top of Kaohsiung Lighthouse, you can see residential buildings on the island and wide sea views. Today, the lighthouse area also has restaurants and cafés, plus spacious viewing platforms for sunset watching. During peak times, it can get very crowded, but because there are several viewing platforms, you can still enjoy panoramic views from different angles. You can see Kaohsiung city across the water, divided by the harbor where cargo ships pass back and forth, then turn toward the island’s residential area surrounded by sea and beach. As the sun sets, the sky turns orange-gold with soft clouds drifting above. It was such a gentle, heartwarming scene, and honestly one of the views that impressed me most in Kaohsiung.

Liuhe Night Market

Coming to Taiwan without visiting a night market almost feels like missing one of the country’s essential experiences. In Kaohsiung, one of the best-known night markets is Liuhe Night Market, located right in the city center. It is also one of the city’s oldest and most famous markets. Founded in the 1950s, it began as a small roadside market where locals came to shop for fresh food, household items, and traditional street food.

As Taiwan’s economy grew rapidly, the market benefited as well. By the 1980s, Liuhe Night Market had become known for its lively atmosphere, diverse food options, and local culture. If you want to try classic Taiwanese street food such as stinky tofu, grilled seafood, papaya milk, or oyster omelet, this is a place where you can experience those flavors in a very local setting.

I tried grilled pork and chicken here, which gave me a barbecue-style feeling. The flavor was savory, rounded, and easy to enjoy. Another dish I tried was the Taiwanese sausage served with sticky rice. You can choose the rice flavor, and I picked sticky rice mixed with quinoa. The rice is grilled, topped with sauce and a little vegetable, then finished with Taiwanese sausage. I already love this dish, and no matter how many times I eat it, it is still satisfying. The sausage is crisp outside and soft inside, while the sticky rice is already seasoned. Taking a big bite of everything together is honestly so good.

Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts

Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts is another place art lovers should visit. Located within the Neiweipi Cultural Park, it is considered one of the most prominent art museums in southern Taiwan.

Founded in 1994, the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts plays an important role in promoting and developing art in southern Taiwan. Inside, it showcases works by both local and international artists. Over the years, the museum has become more than just an exhibition venue. It also has an outdoor sculpture park with 37 sculptures of different sizes set among natural surroundings, as well as spaces for activities and workshops. In that sense, the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts is another major cultural center of the city.

When I visited, the museum had four floors with a wide range of art, including traditional Chinese painting, contemporary art, sculpture, and photography. A regular ticket without special exhibition access costs 90 TWD (around US$3) per person. For the route, I recommend taking the elevator up to the fourth floor first, then slowly walking down floor by floor. It feels much more relaxed that way.

I started on the fourth floor with the exhibition Essence Ablution: Inks, Brushes and Embodiment of YUAN Hui-Li’s Shanshui Painting, featuring works by YUAN Hui-Li from the past 30 years. The exhibition presents the artist’s work through the lens of the female body, showing how women use their bodies and emotional journeys to create contemporary ink paintings that are approachable and easy to interpret.

On the second floor, I visited Upcoming│Painting within Painting by Chen Shenson, which presents the artist’s work from the past 20 years. The exhibition features colorful landscape paintings connected to the artist’s hometown. Personally, I really liked these works. The colors are brushed and swept across the canvas in a way that, from a distance, feels like looking at beautiful landscapes from many places at once. It is another exhibition I would love people to experience in person.

The first floor has general exhibitions included with regular admission, as well as special exhibitions that require an additional ticket. But whichever ticket you choose, I think the visit is worth it. For anyone who loves art, this is a place I recommend following this route. Besides having plenty of artworks to see, the museum itself also has beautiful photo corners. The areas with glass roofing, where natural light pours in, photograph especially well. It was such a full and cool way to end my Kaohsiung trip.

Where to Stay in Kaohsiung
La Hotel Baseball Theme Hall

La Hotel Baseball Theme Hall is a great option if you are looking for a stylish, budget-friendly hotel in the city center. It is located near Liuhe Night Market and is also very convenient for transport because it is not far from Formosa Boulevard Station.

The fun thing about La Hotel Baseball Theme Hall is that the whole hotel is designed around a baseball theme, almost like staying inside a baseball museum. Baseball equipment is used as décor throughout the hotel, from the large baseball wall in the lobby to displays of signed memorabilia. If you look closely at the wall, you will see that hundreds of baseballs are signed by real players. From the lobby to the corridors, you will also find collections of signed baseball jerseys displayed in glass cases.

The room I stayed in was upgraded to a larger size, so it felt very spacious. It was a Superior Room, located in a corner of the building. When you open the door, there is a long walkway leading deeper into the room. Inside, there are two single beds and all the essential amenities, including a work desk, clothing rack, refrigerator, small drink bar, air conditioning, and Wi-Fi. The bathroom is clearly divided into wet and dry zones and also comes with toiletries, making the stay very comfortable.

As for other hotel facilities, I thought they provided quite a lot for the price. There is a laundry room where you can wash clothes, a dining area where guests can enjoy snacks throughout the day, and a 24-hour front desk. Breakfast also comes with a good variety, mostly Taiwanese dishes, along with milk, cereal, and desserts. Overall, I was very impressed with this hotel, from its unique baseball theme and signed memorabilia to the spacious room, comfortable sleep, affordable price, and great location just a short walk from the MRT. That made exploring Kaohsiung so much easier. If you are looking for a cool, affordable hotel with personality, La Hotel Baseball Theme Hall is hard to beat.

Final Thoughts on Visiting Kaohsiung

And that wraps up my cool-city trip through Kaohsiung. Overall, many places in the city have developed a lot, while the city itself still keeps a calm, easygoing atmosphere that makes it great for slowing down and taking a break. There are also many different kinds of attractions to choose from, and I genuinely enjoyed every place I visited. Sanfeng Temple, with its many deities and rows of red lanterns, is one place I really do not want people to miss. You get both a meaningful temple visit and beautiful photos to bring home.

For art lovers and cool-space seekers, Kaohsiung is also a very satisfying city. There are creative areas to walk through, from Weiwu Mi Mi Village, perfect for anyone who loves murals and graffiti-style art, to Pier-2 Art Center, a former warehouse district transformed into a hub for creative people. All of this helps make Kaohsiung’s artistic identity feel much clearer and more memorable.

If you prefer a relaxed seaside vibe, Kaohsiung also has Cijin Island, with beautiful beaches, a stylish lighthouse, and coastal landmarks to explore. The city also has a central night market where you can eat and shop easily. No matter what kind of traveler you are, Kaohsiung has a bit of everything in one city. If you have already visited Taipei or other cities in Taiwan, I really hope you give Kaohsiung a chance. Its nature, art, and landmarks are absolutely just as impressive as other major destinations in Taiwan.

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