Sights
Sights near the food in Kaohsiung
Temples, forts, old streets and museums, each with the nearest places to eat. Use them to plan the gaps between meals.
旗後砲臺Cihou Fort
A Qing coastal fort on Cihou hill at the northern tip of Cijin, built to guard the harbour entrance.
旗津天后宮Cijin Tianhou Temple
Kaohsiung's first temple to Mazu, goddess of the sea, on the main street of the old fishing town on Cijin.
龍虎塔Dragon and Tiger Pagodas
Twin seven-storey pagodas on Lotus Pond, entered through a dragon's mouth and left through a tiger's.
鳳儀書院Fongyi Academy
A restored Qing academy in Fengshan, the largest surviving one of its kind in Taiwan.
打狗英國領事館Former British Consulate at Takao
A red-brick consular residence on the hill above the harbour mouth, joined by an old stone path to the former consulate office below.
美麗島站Formosa Boulevard Station
The MRT interchange under the Dome of Light, a 30-metre glass ceiling by the Italian artist Narcissus Quagliata.
果貿社區Guomao Community
Curving apartment blocks on the site of what was once Taiwan's largest military dependents' village.
鼓山代天宮Gushan Daitian Temple
Hamasen's main temple, whose front plaza is lined with old snack stalls.
玫瑰聖母聖殿主教座堂Holy Rosary Cathedral
Taiwan's oldest Catholic church and the cathedral of the Diocese of Kaohsiung, a Gothic and Romanesque building by the Love River.
左營孔子廟Kaohsiung Confucius Temple
A large Song-style Confucius temple on the north shore of Lotus Pond.
高雄燈塔（旗後燈塔）Kaohsiung Lighthouse (Cihou Lighthouse)
A white octagonal lighthouse on Cihou hill above the harbour mouth, with a keeper's house and a small café.
高雄市立歷史博物館Kaohsiung Museum of History
The 1939 city hall by the Love River, now the city's history museum.
高雄市武德殿Kaohsiung Wude Hall
A 1924 martial arts hall built for the police, where kendo is practised again.
蓮池潭Lotus Pond
A lake in Zuoying ringed by temples, pagodas and pavilions, beside the old Fongshan county town.
愛河Love River
The river through central Kaohsiung, with riverside parks, boat rides and the cathedral near its banks.
鳳山縣舊城Old City of Fongshan County (Zuoying)
Stone gates and walls of the Qing county town, the first stone-walled city in Taiwan.
駁二藝術特區Pier-2 Art Center
Harbour warehouses on the Yancheng waterfront turned into galleries, shops and event spaces.
空軍軍史館Republic of China Air Force Museum
An open-air museum of aircraft and air force history at the Air Force Academy in Gangshan.
三鳳宮Sanfeng Temple
A large temple to the child deity Nezha, a few minutes from the Sanmin Street market stalls.
壽山Shoushan (Monkey Mountain)
The forested hill behind the old harbour, home to thousands of Formosan rock macaques.
西子灣Sizihwan
A black-sand bay at the southern foot of Shoushan, on the edge of a university campus.
春秋閣Spring and Autumn Pavilions
Two four-storey octagonal pavilions on Lotus Pond, dedicated to Guan Yu, with a statue of Guanyin riding a dragon between them.
Taiwan Sugar Museum (Ciaotou Sugar Refinery)
Taiwan's first modern sugar refinery, now a museum next to the MRT station named after it.
舊打狗驛故事館Takao Railway Museum
The old Takao station in Hamasen, Kaohsiung's first railway station, now a small railway museum.
衛武營都會公園Weiwuying Metropolitan Park
A large park on a former army camp, with the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts on its north side.
Day trips
Towns outside Kaohsiung worth a train or bus ride. Each one says how to get there; check the official timetable before you go.
旗山車站Cishan Station
A small octagonal wooden station from 1912, the last trace of Cishan's sugar and banana railway.
旗山武德殿Cishan Wude Hall
A 1934 martial arts hall in Cishan that mixes Japanese temple style with Tang-style features.
瀰濃東門樓Meinong East Gate Tower
A gate tower built in 1755 on the east side of the Hakka village of Minong, now Meinong.
美濃客家文物館Meinong Hakka Culture Museum
A museum of Hakka life in Meinong, in a building modelled on a tobacco-curing shed and a courtyard house.