Tainan
This old fort is a splendid place to roam around, or to enjoy an outdoor concert on weekends. However, only the foundation is the original. Chihkan has…
Must-see attractions in Taiwan's Southwest Coast
Story House of Naval Base Zuoying
Kaohsiung
In a compound next to Taiwan's largest naval base, this small museum pays tribute to Zuoying's strong military heritage. By means of relics, photos,…
Black-Faced Spoonbill Reserve & Exhibition Hall
Tainan
The exhibition hall at the Black-Faced Spoonbill Reserve on Tainan's west coast explains the ecology of the Tseng Wen River (曾文溪) and the creatures that…
Kaohsiung
Kids may enjoy this zoo on the northern border of Shoushan Park in Gushan District. While we think that the large mammals such as camels and ostriches…
British Consulate Residence at Takou
Kaohsiung
Built in 1865, this handsome red-brick consulate residence sits 70m above the mouth of Kaohsiung Harbour, a perfect location for watching giant container…
Kaohsiung
Known locally as 'Ginza' (銀座), this crumbling arcade was Kaohsiung's first shopping mall when it opened in 1937, although the current structure harks back…
Tainan
People come to this temple to communicate with the dead through spirit mediums. It's a fascinating place to catch a glimpse of Taiwanese folk culture. It…
Kaohsiung
Warehouse 2 is a pleasant glass-walled space with shops and restaurants at Pier-2 Art Center. It was built as an old sugar warehouse during the Japanese…
Military Dependants' Village Museum
Kaohsiung
Four houses of a military dependants' village have been restored and turned into a quaint museum. Besides exhibits on the KMT retreat from China and the…
Kaohsiung
Taiwan's first modern sugar factory (c 1901) is no longer in use, but you can still see the old mechanisms and the vats. There's also a village here that…
Tainan
A foreboding temple dedicated to the King of Medicine (sometimes erroneously translated as 'Drug Lord'), the first of its kind in Taiwan. It faces the…
Kaohsiung
Love River was once an open sewer and it has seen a remarkable transformation in recent years. The waters flow clean and the bankside promenades with…
Liu Chi-hsiang Former Residence
Tainan
The former residence of renowned Taiwanese painter Liu Chi-hsiang (1910–98) has been restored and turned into a museum on his life and works. Liu was…
Tainan
This shrine was built in the Qing dynasty, but its roots date back to a shrine commemorating Ming loyalist Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) in the 1660s. The…
Kaohsiung
A music-themed viewing bridge atop a hill between the districts of Gangshan and Yanchao. The attractive 88m-long structure is suspended 40m high by cables…
Kaohsiung
This lovely museum is housed in what was the city-government building during Japanese times. The building of the museum was one of the important…
Tainan
Tainan families have been coming here for generations on the 1st and 15th of every lunar month to pray to the supreme Taoist entity, the Jade Emperor. The…
Taiwan's Southwest Coast
The brief but charming Jingliao Old Street has an old clock shop, wooden houses, vintage hair salons and a handsome pharmacy, all built in a rural style…
Tainan
Behind the Mazu Temple, the fort was a stronghold of Dutch power until its 1661 capture by Koxinga after a nine-month battle. Most of it has been…
Tainan
There used to be 14 city gates in Tainan and a city wall spreading several kilometres. This old gate is the only one of the four remaining gates that…
Tainan
You pay by the hour at this unusual library-cafe stocked with magazines, comics and visual arts books. It's a great place to chill – there's free coffee,…
Kaohsiung
On the southern edge of Lotus Pond are the red-and-yellow seven-storey Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, built in full-blown '70s flamboyance. They're connected…
Tainan
A quiet temple hidden in an alleyway off Zhongshan Rd that worships Princess Seven Stars or Chiniangma (七娘媽), the protector of children, comes alive on…
Taiwan's Southwest Coast
This Japanese-built park commands clear, unspoiled views of Dadongshan and a sea of maples changing colour in winter. The most colourful time starts after…
Tainan
This antique arch used to be the outermost gateway to the Confucius Temple but became separated from the temple after Nanmen Rd was built in the Japanese…
Taiwan's Southwest Coast
This museum comprises two-dozen galleries and workshops housed in courtyard homes in Tugou village. Most are free to visit, but during special exhibitions…
Taiwan's Southwest Coast
If you are on the way to Meinong from Tainan, this geopark off Hwy 28 in Tianliao will give you a taste of a very different landscape. The strange-looking…
Kaohsiung
A nonprofit striving to protect Kaohsiung's history and culture has taken over this century-old Japanese house. You'll see a small display on the historic…
Tainan
One of Tainan's two most ancient Buddhist temples, Fahua has clean lines and understated aesthetics. A simple gourd, exorcist of evil spirits, sits on the…
Tainan
This temple is one of many claiming status as the oldest in Taiwan. Its interior is more elaborately decorated than most in central Tainan, and features a…
Kaohsiung
The largest temple in Lotus Pond area began as an ancestral hall for the followers of Koxinga. It was restored and considerably expanded in 1980. The two…
Tainan
This gate (1835) was part of Tainan's outer city walls in the Qing dynasty. You can see the coral stones in the base and the red bricks making up the low…
Kaohsiung
A large temple in the Shoushan Scenic Area, Longquan evokes a set from a period movie. It's said that when a cement company was extracting limestone from…
Kaohsiung
Taiwan's largest Confucius temple complex (167 sq m) is a stately 1970s replica of a Song-dynasty temple and the famous Qufu Confucius Temple in Shandong…
Kaohsiung
Down by Pier 12 (the Love Pier), Gushan Ferry Terminal and Fisherman's Wharf you'll find walkways, bike paths, cafes and beer gardens. Check at the train…
Kaohsiung
A contrast to the eccentric religious structures around Lotus Pond, this 18th century temple has intricately carved vaulted ceilings, and sculpted dragons…
Formosa Boulevard KMRT Station
Kaohsiung
Stop to see the resplendent Dome of Light (光之穹頂; Guāngzhī Qióngdǐng) by Italian glass-artist Narcissus Quagliata. Formosa Blvd is south of the main train…
Kaohsiung
Shihzuwan Beach is smaller than Cijin Beach, but it's a calmer swimming beach and is an excellent place for hanging out and watching the sunset.
Kaohsiung
Just back from the Love River is the film archive, with daily screenings of works by acclaimed Taiwanese directors like Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang,…
Kaohsiung
The lighthouse, built in the 19th century by British engineers and restored in 1918 by the Japanese, offers killer views of the Port of Kaohsiung.
