Visiting Kaohsiung, Taiwan: Top Sights on Foot

The best things to do in Kaohsiung include exploring historic temples, railway museums, harbor landmarks, old fortifications, and the distinctive cultural sites around Lotus Pond and Cijin Island. Southern Taiwan’s port city brings together layers of Qing-period, Japanese-era, religious, and industrial history in a relaxed urban setting. Neywo has a free audio guide for Kaohsiung with 94 narrated places.

What to see in Kaohsiung

Lotus Pond and the old city of Zuoying

Lotus Pond is one of Kaohsiung’s most recognizable cultural landscapes. The northern shore is home to the Kaohsiung Confucian Temple, Taiwan’s largest Confucian temple complex. Built between 1974 and 1976, it follows the style of grand northern Chinese palace architecture and includes the Dacheng Hall, Dacheng Gate, side galleries, Chongsheng Shrine, Lingxing Gate, and several other ceremonial structures.

Nearby, the Spring and Autumn Pavilions form a distinctive Taoist complex beside the lake. Built in 1953 by Chi Ming Palace, the two palace-style pavilions are among the area’s memorable landmarks and can also be seen from the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas.

The East Gate of Zuoying, formally known as Fengyi Gate, is another important remnant of the old city. The gateway and surrounding wall remains mark a historic route from the old Fongshan County City toward Pitou Street.

Fongshan Longshan Temple

Fongshan Longshan Temple, also called Fengshan Longshan Temple, is a Buddhist temple with roots reaching back to the Qing period. It was already recorded in the Fengshan County Gazetteer in 1764, showing that a substantial temple had been completed by then. It is Kaohsiung’s only nationally designated historic monument among its temples.

The Love River and Holy Rosary Cathedral

The banks of the Love River are home to Holy Rosary Cathedral, also known as Qianjin Catholic Church. Founded in 1859 during the Qing dynasty, it was the first church built in Taiwan after Catholic missionary activity was allowed to resume. The cathedral became the starting point of the modern Catholic Church in Taiwan and was ranked first in Taiwan’s selection of its hundred historic buildings in 2001.

Kaohsiung’s museums and railway heritage

The Kaohsiung Museum of History occupies the former Kaohsiung City Office and later old city-government site in Yancheng District. The building itself is a Kaohsiung municipal historic site, making it a useful place to connect the city’s history with its former civic center.

The Kaohsiung Vision Museum is linked to the old railway station in Sanmin District. The surviving building formed the entrance hall of the third-generation Kaohsiung Station and was designated a historic building by the Kaohsiung City Government’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs in 2003.

For a closer look at the city’s railway story, visit the Takao Railway Museum, also known as the Old Takao Station Story House. The site began as Takao Station in 1900, the southern starting point of Taiwan’s longitudinal railway line. It later became Kaohsiung Port Station, closed in 2008, and was transformed into a railway story house in 2010. The former station grounds are part of Hamasen Railway Cultural Park.

The Kaohsiung Wude Hall, or Wude Martial Arts Center, is another historic building in Gushan District. Completed in 1924 during Japanese rule, it was originally called Zhinwukan and belonged to a branch of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai associated with the Kaohsiung State police department. Its single-storey Japanese-style architecture includes brick walls, a hipped gable roof, Tuscan-style columns, and a karahafu roof. Today, it functions both as a museum and as an active martial-arts venue.

Kaohsiung Harbor Museum and the old harbor

The Kaohsiung Harbor Museum explores the development of Kaohsiung Port through preserved artifacts. The building dates from the second phase of the harbor’s construction and first served as a customs office before becoming port-authority offices. Only one third of the planned structure was completed because of financial difficulties, leaving an unfinished quality that is now part of the building’s story. It opened as a museum in 2002 and was designated a historic building in 2003.

The North Gate of Xiong Town, also called Syongjhen North Gate, preserves part of a former harbor fortification in Gushan District. Once known as the Shauchuan Tou Fort, the site included a fort and a camp gate. Its remains were recognized as a historic monument in 1985 and are now designated a city historic monument in Kaohsiung.

Shoyoen, or Xiaoyao Villa, offers a different view of the city’s layered past. The site was once a tropical farm and holiday villa for Ōtani Kōzui, the twenty-second head of the Honganji branch of the Jōdo Shinshū school of Japanese Buddhism. After the Second World War, the grounds became part of Xingren New Village and housed military families. The villa was designated a historic building in 2010, restored from 2017, and opened to visitors in 2020.

Cijin Island and Cihou Fort

Cijin Island is the place to explore Kaohsiung’s maritime history and coastal setting. Cihou Fort, also known as Cihou Battery, stands on Cihou Mountain and once guarded the northern entrance to Kaohsiung Harbor. Designated a level-two historic monument in 1985, it was elevated to national historic monument status in 2019.

The island also has a strong religious heritage, including Cihou’s temples and churches, while the Kaohsiung Lighthouse adds another historic landmark above the harbor. Cijin’s combination of coastal scenery, fortifications, and religious sites makes it one of the most varied places to visit in Kaohsiung.

National Sun Yat-sen University and the Kaohsiung skyline

National Sun Yat-sen University occupies a setting in Sizihwan beside the ecology of Shoushan National Nature Park. Founded in 1924 and established as a university in 1980, it is the only university in Taiwan to host national key institutions in both semiconductor technology and international finance.

In Lingya District, the Tuntex Sky Tower—also known locally as the 85 Sky Tower—rises beside the harbor and Xinguang Wharf. It is Kaohsiung’s tallest building and Taiwan’s second tallest after Taipei 101. Its two lower sections split into separate prongs before joining a central tower, a design inspired by the Chinese character “Gao,” meaning “tall” and appearing in Kaohsiung’s name.

Explore Kaohsiung with a self-guided audio tour

A Kaohsiung self-guided walking tour lets you explore the city’s landmarks without joining a group or following a fixed schedule. Neywo offers five walking tours, one bus route, and one bike route in Kaohsiung:

• Lotus Pond: Dragons, Tigers and Old City Gates — 3.96 km, 101 minutes, 7 narrated stops.
• Hamasen: Trains, Warehouses and the Old Harbour — 3.87 km, 107 minutes, 8 stops.
• Cijin Island: Sea Goddess, Fort and Lighthouse — 2.4 km, 67 minutes, 6 stops.
• Downtown Kaohsiung: Cathedral, Night Market and White Terror Memory — 4.95 km, 115 minutes, 7 stops.
• Fongshan: Temples, Wetlands and a Japanese Radio Station — 3.2 km, 74 minutes, 5 stops.
• Red 51A: Ride to Lotus Pond — a 12.4 km bus route lasting 53 minutes, with 4 stops.
• Cijin Island Cycle Path — a 4 km bike route lasting 20 minutes, with 5 stops.

Download Neywo and explore Kaohsiung at your own pace. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, so you can walk, ride, or take the bus with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, and the guide is free.

Kaohsiung is part of Taiwan, alongside cities such as Tainan, Taichung, Taipei, Hualien, Taitung, and Keelung.