Kaohsiung itinerary — Suggested Kaohsiung itinerary 3 days & how to spend 3 days in Kaohsiung?

Referring to Taiwan tourism, we often think of the vibrant city of Taipei or ancient Taichung. Taipei, Taichung and Tainan are the places that always appear in the itinerary of tourists when exploring Taiwan. However, do not miss Kaohsiung. This second largest port city in Taiwan will give you interesting experiences with many beautiful places to visit, especially vibrant night markets. This Kaohsiung travel itinerary (Kaohsiung itinerary) was planned for 4 days (Kaohsiung itinerary 4 days) but on Day 4, exactly in the morning of Day 4, I only went to the Airport without visiting any other place, therefore I really had spent 3 days in Kaohsiung, so you can base on my itinerary to make your own itinerary. So, what to do in 3 days in Kaohsiung? Let’s check out our suggested Kaohsiung itinerary 3 days (Kaohsiung travel itinerary 3 days) from how to get, best places to visit, top things to do in Kaohsiung to find out the answer!

Kaohsiung itinerary 3 days — Day 1: Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) – Kaohsiung Airport – Formosa Boulevard Station – Pier-2 Art Center – Hamasen Railway Cultural Park – Singjhong Night Market – Sanfeng Temple – Ruifeng Night Market

Saigon – Kaohsiung: 7:00 am flying from Saigon to Kaohsiung International Airport. Because I already have an Easy Card (a type of public transport card in Taiwan), I topped up 500 Taiwan Dollar (TWD) for convenience when traveling. You can buy it in advance via klook.

* For those who do not know: Easy Card costs 100 Taiwan Dollar, it can be recharged continuously to travel on public transport such as Bus, Metro, TRA, HSR … This card can also be used for shopping and pay at some places. Overall, it’s quite similar to Ezlink Card in Singapore.

EasyCard (TPE Airport Pick Up)

Below are places I visited on the very first Day 1.

Formosa Boulevard Station

This is the most popular metro station and main transport hub for all subway lines in Kaohsiung, you will have to go through it daily if you want to travel around the city. This metro station is also famous for its colorful Sky hall (dome).

Address: 800, Taiwan, Kaohsiung City, Xinxing District, Zhongshan 1st Road, 115號地下一樓
Opened: September 14, 2008

Pier-2 Art Center

The complex area of dining – cafe – exhibition – books. In general, quite satisfied for anyone who wants to experience something new. Hamasen Railway Cultural Park (Address: No. 32號, Gushan 1st Rd, Gushan District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 804) is also nearby, walk about 5 minutes to reach. This place is extremely cool in the afternoon, Taiwanese people and tourists often come here to enjoy the wind, fly kites. In general, I was very satisfied.

Address: No. 1號, Dayong Road, Yancheng District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 803
Hours: 10AM–6PM

Singjhong Night Market (Xingzhong Night Market)

This small market is right near my hostel (near MRT Sandou Shopping District Station), so it’s convenient to have dinner.

Address: 802, Taiwan, Kaohsiung City, Lingya District
Hours: 4PM–2:30AM

Sanfeng Temple

As beautiful as Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with red lanterns hanging in the sky and over 300 years of history, dedicated to the Neza (aka Marshal of the Central Altar ‘Zhongtan Yuanshuai’). Taking photos here is extremely virtual, very impressive.

Address: No. 134, Hebei 2nd Road, Sanmin District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 807
Hours: 5AM–10PM

Rueifong Night Market (Ruifeng Night Market)

This night market is bigger than Singjhong Night Market, twice as big with an area of over 3,000 m2 and over 20 years of history with bustling, vibrant atmosphere and countless food to try. A must-visit night market in the city.

Address: 804, Taiwan, Kaohsiung City, Zuoying District, Yucheng Road, 南屏路
Hours: 4PM–12AM/Wednesday: Closed

Kaohsiung itinerary 3 days — Day 2: Yu Dian Tea – Wude Martial Arts Center – Kaohsiung Confucius Temple – Wuliting – Lotus Pond Scenic Area – Sanfeng Temple – Singjhong Night Market

Yu Dian Cha

Bubble milk tea is must-drink in Taiwan and Yu Dian Cha is a famous bubble tea shop in Kaohsiung. You should come here to try this specialty drink.

Address: No. 38號, Guyuan Street, Gushan District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 804
Hours: 11AM–10PM

Wude Martial Arts Center

Wude Martial Arts Center were built throughout Taiwan. The way leading here brings a typical Japanese style, even Wude Martial Arts Center is also. This place is a cultural space, a place to practice kendo and a museum as well.

Address: No. 36, Dengshan Street, Gushan District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 804
Opened: 1895
Hours: 10AM–6PM

Kaohsiung Confucius Temple

A temple dedicated to the great teacher Confucius. It is very large and stunning architecture. I come back to this place because on the first day I visited short, the lanterns were so beautiful, so I went back to shoot more. Just 5 minutes walking from here you will come Lotus Pond. With an area of up to 167 m2, it is Taiwan’s largest Confucian temple complex.

Address: No. 400, Liantan Road, Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 813
Opened: 1976
Hours: 9AM–5PM

Lotus Pond

This place has a variety of famous sightseeing places such as Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, Wuliting Pavilion … In general, I do not like many famous places of Kaohsiung so just drop by. This pond is quite large, so walking around is a bit tiring for anyone who is not familiar with. The pond is also a bit far from the city center, so walking to a metro station or a bus stop is also a matter for people who are not familiar too.

3 days in Kaohsiung — Day 3: Cijin Island – Dream Mall (Chun Shui Tang)

Cijin Island

It is an island that you should definitely visit when coming to Kaohsiung. This island located is not very far from the city center. You can travel by bus or ferry to get here. I went to Cijin on beautiful weather day, so it was mild, a bit hot, but not muggy because of cool sea breeze. The atmosphere on the island is very peaceful, suitable for a gentle picnic after days of grinding shoes in the city. You also can try seafood on the island, buy dried seafood as gift, especially Turkish ice-cream from a Turkish man stall on the island.

To get to Cijin of course you need to go to Kaohsiung first. There are 2 ways to travel from downtown Kaohsiung to Cijin.

By subway – bus: This way takes about 1 hour because the detour is quite far, there are many stops. In my experience, this is a common problem for all buses, in all countries I have traveled. On the island there is only 1 bus route and so waiting it also is a bit exhausting.

By subway – ferry: It takes about 30 minutes, taking a ferry is quite fast, enjoying sea breeze on the ferry is also great. There is a wonderful thing that Gushan Ferry Pier Station located right in the city center, you only need 1 step to find food.

Notes

• I traveled from MRT Sandou Shopping Station
• 2 ways above have the same price, about 40 Taiwan Dollar
• The cost in Cijin is a bit more expensive than in the city. If the night market in the center of Kaohsiung sells food around 50 Taiwan Dollar, Cijin sells 80 Taiwan Dollar
• You can getting around Cijin by foot, or rent a bicycle, or rent an electric bike (Limormini of the island)

Dream Mall

I didn’t plan to go to this place before. However, a friend (a Korean boy who I happened to meet during the trip) revealed that Dream Mall has a shop of delicious mixed noodles and bubble milk tea named Chun Shui Tang. So, I crossed a “thousand miles” to geet to the Dream Mall to try a bowl of noodles and a cup of bubble milk tea. The food is so delicious, super tasty, worth the effort to coming here. Dream Mall also has a Circle Eye, a giant ferris wheel for anyone who wants to sit on high to see the city, the price is 150 Taiwan Dollar.

Address: 806, Taiwan, Kaohsiung City, Qianzhen District, Zhonghua 5th Road, 789號1F
Hours: 11AM–10PM

Kaohsiung itinerary 4 days — Day 4: Kaohsiung – Ho Chi Minh

Day 4 has nothing much, woke up and went to the airport. Check-out procedure was quite quick at D’well hostel, this is a top hostel, near center city and high ratings, excellent service (If you want to stay here, let check rates on Agoda.com or Booking.com). I was returned 100 Taiwan Dollar of the magnetic card deposit.

There are 2 ways to go to the airport, Metro and taxi. But because I want to try a new transfer service with a new experience, I used Klook’s airport shuttle. The price from D’well hostel to Kaohsiung airport is about $23 for cars from 4 to 7 seats. This price is a bit expensive if you go alone like me, but if you go in a group, it is extremely reasonable because the shuttle bus will pick you up at your hotel, the driver also will help you carry your suitcase into the car. It’s convenient and save a lot of effort compare to traveling by subway or bus.

Kaohsiung International Airport Transfers – Private Car

Or you also can choose the serivce: Shared City Transfers between Kaohsiung Airport (KHH) and Tainan (Operated by iBus).

My car is a 7-seater car (a little waste for a young people to travel alone like me with small luggage, LOL).

A little note for you is not to spend all your money, you should keep about 1000 Taiwan Dollar in case of force majeure.

Kaohsiung itinerary: Where to stay?

Some cheap, budget and mid-range hotels in Kaohsiung with good ratings and reviews you can refer to below

• Hotel Dua, 4-star hotel, with room rates from $76/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
• The Riverside Hotel International, 2-star hotel, with room rates from $32/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
• Kindness Hotel – Xiongzhong, 3-star hotel, with room rates from $38/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
• La Hotel-Baseball Theme Hall, 3-star hotel, with room rates from $47/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).

You can find more, check rates, availability & booking for Kaohsiung hotels on Agoda.com or Booking.com.

Kaohsiung travel itinerary: Some notes you should know before traveling to Kaohsiung, Taiwan

+ If possible, you should arrange places to visit in advance to avoid going around, wasting money and time. Of course if you like wandering around like me then that’s not a big matter.

+ Money should be exchanged in your country in advance for convenience and get better exchange rate.

+ In September and October, there is often rain in Kaohsiung, so you should bring an umbrella. Luckily, during my trip, there was no rain.

+ Remember bargain before you buy anything. You should really bargain when shopping at the night markets or the Cijin night market or Cijin fish market.

+ Should know a few basic Chinese words to easily traveling and shopping. I suggest some words for you refer to. (I wrote pinyin without sign, plz don’t mind):

• Ni hao: hello
• Xiexie: thank you
• Duoshao qian: how much
• Zhenzhunaicha: bubble milk tea
• Mai: buy
• Huán: exchange
• Qian: Money
• Piaoliang: beautiful girl
• Shuai: handsome

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, to and from Kaohsiung you can refer to

• Kaohsiung Classic Attractions Day Tour
• Kaohsiung Unlimited MRT Pass
• Kaohsiung i-Ride Experience Center
• Mini Suzuka Circuit Kart Racing Ticket in Kaohsiung
• Kaohsiung Sea and Mountain Tour
• Kaohsiung Night Tour
• Suzuka Circuit Park Ticket in Kaohsiung
• [10% Off + 1 Extra Free Day] 4G SIM Card (TW Airport Pick Up) for Taiwan from Chunghwa Telecom
• 4G SIM Card (TPE Airport Pick Up) for Taiwan from Far EasTone Telecom
• [Sale – Taiwan Food Promo] Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) Discounted Ticket from Taipei
• Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) Consecutive Unlimited Pass (2 or 3 Days)
• Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) Discounted Ticket from Taoyuan
• THSR Exclusive Discount One Way Ticket from Taoyuan (Two Tickets for the Price of One)

Are you finding more top things to do in Kaohsiung: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Read more: Kaohsiung itinerary 2 days — How to spend 2 days in Kaohsiung, Taiwan? and Kaohsiung blog — The fullest Kaohsiung travel guide blog for a budget trip to Kaohsiung.