Kaohsiung

On disembarking at Kaohsiung cruise terminal, look for pedicabs by the big trees directly ahead. They are rarely found on the island, so take a ride when you see one rather than wait, as they do not come in large numbers.

A spectacular new cruise terminal opened in March 2023. Its new boardwalk links the Pop Music Center, arts and shopping districts through a green necklace along the waterfront. The boardwalk is planned as a 24 hour setting for shopping, dining and recreation.

The cruise terminal is approximately 3 kilometers from downtown Kaohsiung: normally a 10-minute taxi journey or a 20-30 minute walk.

Bring a printable map with you.

Sightseeing options include:

Kaohsiung is Taiwan's second largest city and the world's third largest container terminal, after Hong Kong and Singapore. It is also a major industrial center.

Despite being highly industrialized and commercialized, Kaohsiung has many tourism resources and facilities. Its hospitable residents, convenient transportation and comfortable climate accompany the city's current work to improve sight-seeing areas and become an important tourist destination.

Kaohsiung's year-round fine weather and low cost of living make it a place to visit.

Cijin District is a slender island in Kaohsiung harbor, forming a natural breakwater. It has seafood restaurants selling freshly caught seafood to be prepared once you choose it. Underwater tunnels connect Cijin to the rest of Kaohsiung City, but ferries are the transportation of choice across the harbor; the fare is NT$15 per person.

Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum is one of Taiwan's largest Buddhist complexes, with a massive Buddha statue and serene gardens.

Lotus Pond is known for beautiful temples and pavilions, including the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas.

Explore Kaohsiung on foot, as many sites of interest are not far apart.

Check that guide book maps show "english" as well as "chinese" characters, so you and a cabdriver can communicate by pointing to the map. Cabdrivers speak only chinese.

Dream Mall is Taiwan's largest shopping mall and Asia's 2nd largest. Although a little out of the way, it is worth visiting for the Hello Kitty Ferris Wheel on the roof.

As across much of Asia, night markets are central to Taiwanese entertainment, shopping and eating. These open-air markets, usually set on a street or alleyway, have vendors selling all kinds of wares on every side.

Bargaining is generally frowned upon.

Taiwan uses the New Taiwan Dollar (NTD, also called TWD). As a rough rule of thumb, NT$100 is about US$3. ATM's are plentiful.

Most hotels and department stores take credit cards, but most restaurants and small stores do not.

English is spoken only sporadically.

Cafes with free customer WiFi are plentiful, though you may need to wander before finding one. In Taiwan, Cafes offering free customer WiFi might instead be called gaming cafes.

Stores appear to have no set opening hours and seem to stay open while customers are there. Chinese New Year, 6 days long, is the time when all the Taiwanese are travelling, and transport can become very hectic.