A Perfect 2 Days Kaohsiung Itinerary

A Perfect 2 Days Kaohsiung Itinerary – If your first stop flying in Taiwan is Kaohsiung as we did.

We will write you with all the details a 2 Days Kaohsiung itinerary. We will give you the general facts about Kaohsiung and Taiwan. Click here to book activities with Klook in Kaohsiung!

Read here how to get from Kaohsiung airport to city center and where to stay in Kaohsiung

BOOK YOUR TRAVEL INSURANCE

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You can get Safetywing Travel Insurance for Digital Nomads valid for 28 days Safetywing for $50 USD per month with kids until 10 years old included

ATMS AND CASH IN KAOHSIUNG AIRPORT

There are few ATMs in the airport that they don’t charge commission. There are a couple of places to exchange money in the airport. The exchange rate $1 USD= 30 TWD.

Click here to know the exact exchange rate in Taiwan.

GETTING A SIM CARD IN THE AIRPORT

There is free wifi available in Kaohsiung airport if you have to check maps, email or directions. You can also purchase a Taiwanese SIM Card in the convenience stores.

Read here Taiwan sim card for tourist and best Taiwan eSim

HOW TO MOVE AROUND KAOHSIUNG CITY CENTER

BUYING EASY CARD

We have to say that for us was the best way to travel around Kaohisung since you just put load and you can use in MRT, buses and even going to places like Fo Guang Shang Memorial which is outside the center. You can also use it in Taipei. Plus you can use for buying in 7 Eleven and convenience stores in the country. So i’s pretty convenient. Read here how to get from Taipei to Kaohsiung.

You can purchase in convenience stores in Kaohsiung. Also available in the airport you will pay 100 TWD which is $3 USD non refundable. It’s comfortable and every time that you use your Easy Card you get 15% discounts in your MRT and bus trips. You can recharge in convenience stores or in MRT Stations. You can use that money to buy in convenience stores in Taiwan. It’s great since there are Family Mart 7 Eleven all over Kaohsiung and Taiwan.

Click here to get unlimited MRT Pass!

DAILY BUDGET TRAVEL IN KAOHSIUNG

For transportation you can go walking around city center and taking short taxi rides $3-4 USD. Public bus isn’t very efficient but of course if you are patient you will ride it for less thanIf you take buses and MRT will cost you around $1 USD.

For food you will find local places to eat $2-3 USD beef noodle soup. There are night markets that you can have proper meals with that price. If you prefer restaurants prices will go from $5-8 USD for a meal per person.

For accommodation, you can find accommodation prices starting from $20-30 USD depending on how much you want to stretch your budget. Until luxury hotels in Kaohsiung that can cost $100-300 USD for a room if you wish more comfort when visiting Kaohsiung. Click here to get the best deals via Booking and Agoda.

Kaohsiung Itinerary

Day 1 Kaohsiung Itinerary

For the first day of your itinerary in Kaohsiung. If you are staying around city center will be great visiting Formosa Boulevard Metro Station and Central Park. After this you can head to Sunfong temple which was our favorite temple in Kaohsiung.

For the afternoon you will have to get a bus or rent a bicycle to go to the Lotus Pond. You will see the Tiger and Dragon Pagoda and we advise you to go at sunset time. So you will be able to see them with day and night light. Both of them so beautiful around the lake. You can check it out the temple in front of the Pagodas. It’s always interesting to learn about the culture.

Obviously at night is a must visiting a night market. There are a few night markets in Kaohsiung. Ruifeang market was our favorite one. It’s not far from city center but you have to take MRT.

FORMOSA BOULEVARD MRT STATION IN KAOHSIUNG

Formosa Boulevard Station  was remodeled and it became one of the most popular places in Kaohsiung. This station is known for the “Dome of Light”, which is the largest glass work in the world designed by Italian artist Narcissus Quagliata.

The Dome of Light is just a beautiful sight to see because it’s made from individual pieces of colored glass that really looks awesome in pictures! Read here our full article Formosa Boulevard Station.

Click here to get a discount booking a tour in Kaohsiung with Klook!

DRAGON AND TIGER PAGODAS IN KAOHSIUNG

Like what we said earlier, Kaohsiung has a lot to offer, and one of which is the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas. This pair of connected temples is built in 1976, and it got the name because of the two temples resembling a tiger and a dragon.

This 7-story tower with colorful exterior is a great place to visit in Kaohsiung and is said to reflect the traditional Kaohsiung culture. Read here how to get to Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung.

CIHJI PALACE LOTUS POND

Just in front of the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas there is the temple dedicated to Baosheng Dadi, god of medicine in Chinese culture. It can be busy during weekends but during weekdays is quiet. The temple is small and beautiful. Totally worth it the visit if you are around the lake.

CENTRAL PARK

Central Park is one of the Kaohsiung tourist spots that you can’t miss. We went there early morning and it’s so peaceful walking around. People doing yoga in groups.

At night we loved the vibe so quiet and calm with so much space to sit down around to have your milk tea. Plus if you are coming by MRT the Metro Station is so beautiful with a small waterfall on it.

SUNFONG TEMPLE (SANFENG TEMPLE)

Sunfong temple is located close to city center only one kilometer far. We recommend you to visit first thing in the morning since can be crowded during the day. Locals go and pray and give donations to the God. We loved it the top floor where you can see these colorful balls which represents donations.

Read here our blog post about Sunfong temple!

NIGHT MARKETS IN KAOHSIUNG

If we have to choose from this list of Kaohsiung tourist spots our favorite one would be night markets. Ruifeang market was our favorite one. It’s opened from 6 pm to 1-2 am.

Apart from having dinner you can have massages, buying souvenirs and even try karaoke. There are more night markets worth it to visit in Kaohsiung like Liuhe Night Market.

Day 2 Itinerary in Kaohsiung

For your day 2 Kaohsiung itinerary. You can go early morning to visit Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum. You will have to take a bus outside the city but it’s totally worth it.

You can also visit Pier 2 Art where you will have a nice walk around the area. Especially if you are traveling with kids they will enjoy a lot.

After walking around Pier 2 Art you can visit Cijin Island. You will have to take a bus or walking 15 minutes to catch the ferry. It’s only 5 minutes ferry ride. Once in Cijin Island you have a few plans to do. From hiking to the lighthouse, enjoy and relax in the beach to enjoy the huge street market.

If you have time you can go around the city. Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts and Sky Tower can be great plans before look for the night market. Great thing in Kaohsiung the night markets open around 6 pm but they are opened until 1-2 am.

FO GUANG SHAN BUDDHA MUSEUM

Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum is famous because the 108-meter high Fo Guang Big Buddha, or the tallest sitting bronze Buddha statue in the world, is situated there. There are also other attractions like the children’s gallery, pagodas, and sutra transcriptions.

There’s also a prayer service, and Tea Chan at the Twin Pavilions, and religious relics. It’s a few kilometers outside Kaohsiung! Read here how to get to Fo Guang Shan Monastery!

PIER 2 ART CENTER

Pier 2 Art is located two kilometers far from city center. You can go there by bus or even walking. The area is so beautiful and colorful. There are markets selling crafts, second hand and coffee shops. If you are traveling with kids is one of the Kaohsiung tourist spots that you can’t miss.

CIJIN ISLAND

To get to Cijin Island you have to ride a ferry only 5 minutes ride. Maybe you will be longer waiting in the line than the proper ride. Prices are around $1 USD. It’s 5 kilometers far from city center and you can visit after Pier 2 Art.

Cijin Island is great for spending the day you can visit the lighthouse and Cijin, Cihou Fort in, Starlight Tunnel and Cijin Rainbow Church. Just going down from the ferry you will see a huge food market. You can visit the beach or taking a bus to visit the lighthouse on the top. Or hiking if you are fit!

SKY TOWER

You can see the Sky Tower in Kaohsiung from everywhere since is the tallest building in the city. It was also the tallest building in Taiwan until the build Taipei 101. The rooftop is opened if you want to visit.

KAOHSIUNG MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts is located in Gushan District. To get there you have to write the Bus Red 35 or 8502 from Kaohsiung Bus Station. There is an entrance fee of 200 TWD. Once inside if you like art you will love visiting all the exhibitions make sure you have at least 2-3 hours to spend there.

More Days Kaohsiung Itinerary

If you more days in your Kaohsiung itinerary. You will find more places to visit around Kaohsiung. You can stay even for a week if you love the city as it happened to us.

From visiting Confucius Temple, Dream Mall’s Amusement Park and Xinjuejiang Shopping around the city. To other plans like visiting Ciaotou Flower Farm if you want to take beautiful pictures. Tian Liao Moon World Landscape Park if you like hiking and Shoushan Natural Park if you love animals.

For day trips if you stay longer in Kaohsiung you can always go South to visit Kenting Natural Park or one hour North you will visit Tainan an interesting city to stay at least one or two days.

CONFUCIUS TEMPLE

Confucius Temple dedicated to the memory of Confucius is close to Lotus Pond. It’s the largest Confucian temple in Taiwan. It’s usually a quiet and calm place and not very busy.

XINJUEJIANG SHOPPING

Xinjuejiang Shopping is the best area for shopping in Kaohsiung. You will see small shops and it’s very cheerful in the afternoon before the evening. It’s located close to Central Park area. You can’t miss this shopping are in the list of Kaohsiung tourist spots.

DREAM MALL’S AMUSEMENT PARK

Dream Mall’s Amusement Park is the largest shopping mall in Taiwan. You can ride attractions especially if you travel with kids. The shopping mall is located close to the International Airport of Kaohsiung. The most popular attraction is the Kaohsiung Eye.

DAY TRIP TO KENTING NTIONAL PARK

Kenting National Park is located in Hengchun Peninsula in the southernmost part of Taiwan. To get there from Kaohsiung Bus Station will take you 2 hours and a half with the Kenting Express and it costs 260 TWD. You can rent a motorbike to move around. There are also a lot of hikes and beautiful beaches to enjoy like NanWan Beach.

Read here how to get from Taipei to Kenting and Kaohsiung to Kenting.

Day Trip To Tainan

For sure, Tainan was one of my favorite Taiwan tourist spots and I had so much fun exploring around here with locals. It’s a bicycle friendly city, with nice restaurants where you can try delicious Taiwanese food. 

There are also cool bars where you can have have tea and ice cream. Plus, the beaches were so beautiful and of course you can’t leave Tainan without visiting the night markets.

Read here how to get to Tainan!

CIAOTOU FLOWER FARM

Ciaotou Flower Farm is located 15 kilometers North of Kaohsiung. If you want to take colorful pictures the best time to visit this farm is November and December. You will see the most colorful part in Kaohsiung. There are many Kaohsiung tourist spots waiting for you.

TIAN LIAO MOON WORLD LANDSCAPE PARK

Tian Liao Moon World Landscape Park is one hour driving North Kaohsiung 36 kilometers far. If you go by public transportation you have to go to Gangshan South Station by MRT and later you have to get the Bus Red 70B.

You can also take Bus 8042 from Tainan HSR Station. Bring your own food if you are planning to spend the day since there aren’t many shops around the area. Be ready with your camera since the landscape is amazing.

SHOUSHAN NATURAL PARK

Shoushan Natural Park is located at the Southwest area in Kaohsiung. To get there you have to catch bus 56 in Kaohsiung Station. It’s also called Monkey Mountain and you will see many monkeys around. Great place for hiking and get amazing views. Plus there is no entrance fee!

WHERE TO STAY IN KAOHSIUNG

We already told you how easy was our way from Kaohsiung airport to City Center in Central Park. Now we will share to you our place in Kaohsiung in Brio Hotel and how amazing was the experience. Great views, breakfast and the best location in Kaohsiung.

BRIO HOTEL

The staff was so friendly to welcome us in our first day in Taiwan. The room was with amazing views and with all comfort that you need. Our favorite thing about Brio Hotel? Apart from the staff, comfort of the room and amazing views. We have to say that the food is so delicious.

You can have Chinese and Western Breakfast enjoying the views of the city from their rooftop. First quality of food everything was delicious. Apart from breakfast we loved enjoying sandwiches, cakes, sweets and juices, sodas and coffees after visiting the city. They offer free snacks in the lobby anytime and it’s the perfect way to rest after having an amazing day around Kaohsiung. You don’t have enough with the snacks? Well Brio Hotel is amazing and the mini bar is also free of charge!

Click here to check prices and availability!

Hope you liked our Kaohsiung itinerary. Are you planning to visit soon? Let us know in the comments below!

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Happy Travels!