Kaohsiung

Tuntex Sky Tower (in Kaohsiung) at night

Tips for: backpackers • business travelers • luxury/exotic travel • hitchhikers • families • seniors • LBG travelers • pet owners

Hotels and lodging

• With Inn Hostel in Kaohsiung, the only 5 Star Hostel in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Attractions

Some major attractions from the point of view of a tourist are:

• Yuanheng Temple, a temple built in 1743, is located in the Gushan District of Kaohsiung. It is an ancient temple and is dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy. From the precincts of the temple, you may also have a wonderful view of the city of Kaohsiung.
• The Former British Consulate is an ancient building and was built in 1866 at Takao Port. This building had experienced substantial damages from past wars and has since been renovated. It has a large collection of antiques and many cultural relics.
• Fokuang Mountain is situated at Dashu (Kaohsiung County). The place is a major focal point for many Buddhist ceremonies in southern Taiwan. Fokuang Mountain comprises five small hills, and interestingly, the temple complex replicate the mountains in layout albeit on a smaller scale.
• Cheng Ching Lake is situated in Niaosung Hsiang (Kaohsiung County) and it is the largest lake outside the boundaries of the city. It is also known as the West Lake of Taiwan. The place is really charming, and is good for fishing, as also for simple strolling and roaming around with family and friends.
• Kaohsiung Harbour presents a charming spectacle of the city of Kaohsiung
• Chichin Scenic Area is actually located on an outlying island, and works as a natural protection for Kaohsiung harbour. You may have a great view of the sea from here. The island also has several temples and many other historical sites.
• Hsitzuwan Beach is beach located on the foot of the southwestern ranges of Shoushan. The beach has crystal clear water. You may also watch fabulous sunsets, frpm this Beach.
• Lotus Lake Scenic Area has a beautiful artificial lake. The lakeshore is densely planted with trees. The water lilies and duckweeds float on the water, and as the night falls, a mystic charm envelopes the entire environment. An added attraction is a Confucius Temple, a grand structure indeed.

Shopping

It is a good idea to carry few souvenirs, and one of the better places is the jade market at the junction of Shichuan Road and Tzli Road. You may shop there for a variety of souvenirs, some of them shall be as exotic as the place: Gangxhan honey or Meinung tobacco leaves. You will also find many types of bamboo baskets.

Maps and transportation

Exploring Kaohsiung

In a sense, Kaohsiung offers you a complete and integrated way to explore the place and its immediate neighbourhood. It has private taxis and coaches, buses, and to complete the list a number of ferry services. Hopefully, the subway system is expected to become fully operational very soon, and this will enhance the ease of movement considerably.

Taxis

Like in most of the comparable cities, taxis are rather common here, and may simply be flagged down. Rates are metered and rates for the day time and the night differs.

Buses

You may buy a smartcard (the Southern Taiwan e-Card) which can be used both in the buses and the ferries. Ferries are really great for some wonderful sight seeing while moving from one point to another.

MRT (Subway)

Presently under construction, and not of much value from your point of view as a tourist. When completed it will have two major lines - a north-south line running to a total length of about 28.3 km with 23 stations; and an east-west line running about 14.4 km with 14 stations. It is expected to be fully operational by end-2006.

Practical information and resources

• Currency: New Taiwan Dollar
• Official language: Mandarin
• Time zone: CST (UTC+8)
• Electricity: 110 volts/ 60 cycle AC
• Weather:
  • Average minimum temperature: 10 °C (January)
  • Average maximum temperature: 30 °C (July)

Restaurants

While in Kaohsiung, you should try to taste fried oysters and they are really delicious. There is also a street named Chichin, and you will find that seafood served there are equally good.

Restaurants

• Kaohsiung Milk King for general snacks

  Address: 65-5 Chungwa 3rd Road, Chianjin District (Telephone: 886-7 561 5656)

• Hanhsien Garden for Taiwanese cuisine

  Address: 1 Wufu 3rd Road (Telephone: 886-7 282 9458)

• Sea World for good seafood

  Address: 188 Linsen 2nd Road (Telephone: 886-7 281 0651)

Nightlife

Kaohsiung and its people have now imbibed a culture of having a fin filled nightlife, and they have fast taken to the culture of enjoying the nightlife to the hilt. You will find many bars and pubs, dance clubs and many other joints open until very late in the night. The nightlife scenes on the Love River is really exciting experiences, not only to participate but even to watch only. Kaohsiung’s nightlife has acquired the charisma of simply being intoxicating. In case, you may so desire, you would certainly find a place of your choice and inclination to spend a quite evening at Kaohsiung or an exciting party. Some of the choices to spend your time are:

Dog Pig Art Cafe (aka Dopie)

A combination of bar, coffee parlour, exhibition hall and live performances.

Pig & Whistle

You will get a choice of drinks and foods, both Chinese and western, and live performances almost on daily.

Overtime

Has many TVs and big projectors to show all your favourite sports. It is a place to sit and sip and see the adventure unfolding on the screen.

Photo gallery

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Love River

Cable Car

Everything else

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External resources

Add links to other sites here

• Kaohsiung City Government Official Website - Ha many useful information.