Port guide: Kaohsiung, Taiwan

This city on Taiwan’s southern tip has lately undergone a wonderful overhaul to become one of Asia’s most relaxed and easy-to-visit destinations.

Who goes there

Celebrity, Holland America, Oceania, Ponant, Regent Seven Seas and Royal Caribbean are among the gamut of cruise lines that visit, but the list is growing as Japan booms in cruise popularity; Taiwan often features on Japan itineraries. Kaohsiung is also a port call on wider Asian cruises between South-East Asia or Hong Kong and Japan.

Kaohsiung Port Cruise Terminal.Credit: iStock

Sail on in

Arrival is delightful. You sail between two breakwaters, then through a very narrow gap between headlands, one topped by a lighthouse and old fort. Then you glide down a busy working harbour of cranes, container ships and concrete apartment blocks so close you can see people eating breakfast through the windows. In the background, startling new buildings resemble space rockets and a giant honeycomb. Don’t be put off by the grittiness: this heavy-industry centre is a forward-looking, arty, relaxed and agreeable city.

Berth rites

Kaohsiung Port Cruise Terminal, opened in early 2023, is part of the city’s strategy to attract more tourists. Rumour has it the architectural design was inspired by a whale, fluke uplifted, although the striking building looks more like a giant metal tube bent in the middle. It’s light-filled, efficiently organised, and connects to boardwalks along the waterfront. Enthusiastic locals often wave from the terminal’s outdoor decks.

Going ashore

The best thing about Kaohsiung is that it doesn’t have big-name sights, nor any of the chaos and crowds of some Asian cities. Just set about strolling, enjoying its laid-back vibe, and taking in its recent transformation into Taiwan’s most agreeable city, helped along by an enviable subtropical climate. Check out the promenades along Love River, the lively harbour-side Pier-2 Art Centre, and the Yancheng neighbourhood behind, where smoky temples sit beside noodle shops. The Museum of Fine Arts has a significant collection of indigenous Austronesian art.

Don’t miss

Lotus Pond in northern Kaohsiung, especially if you haven’t seen many Chinese temples before. It’s inconveniently located from the cruise terminal but an easy 30-minute taxi or train ride; it also features on organised shore excursions. Two outrageously kitsch Daoist pavilions, one fronted by a giant tiger and the other a dragon, sit out in a lake across zigzag bridges. Further around the shoreline, the Spring and Autumn Pavilions are ornately decorated with woodwork, gilt and gaudy deities.

Get active

Kaohsiung is flat and well laid out, making it a great city for walking or cycling. You can use the yellow-and-orange bicycles from any of more than 1200 stations of the public YouBike system with your credit card, but you’ll need Wi-Fi on your phone.

Best bites

Taiwan’s national dish … beef noodle soup.Credit: iStock

Beef noodle soup is considered Taiwan’s national dish. Slow-roasted duck with rice is one of Kaohsiung’s best-loved dishes, along with fish congee, scallion pancakes, and a warming mutton hotpot. You’ll also find Hakka snacks such as sticky rice and pork wrapped in banana leaf.

For a between-meals nibble, try pineapple buns or deep-fried rice balls – crispy on the outside, soft in the middle – sprinkled with sugar and sesame seeds. Eating at Kaohsiung’s night markets is terrific but alas, your ship will have sailed before they get going.

Further afield

There are two main options. Cijin Island is a popular escape a short ferry ride away, and has Dutch-era history, seafood restaurants and souvenir shopping, but its appeal is probably greater to residents than Australians. More impressive is Fo Guang Shan, a gigantic contemporary temple complex with an enormous seated Buddha, rows of pagodas and a museum set in hills.