Kaohsiung is known as a harbor and business city, but this second largest city in Taiwan also hosts interesting historical sites and temples, great restaurants and shopping opportunities, biking routes and lovely riverfront and lake areas, and is surrounded by beaches and scenic forested mountains. Despite all this, Kaohsiung is yet to be found by international tourism, which adds to the attraction of this warm, modern and safe Asian city.


A port city located in the southwest of Taiwan on the coast of Taiwan Strait, Kaohsiung is the harbor capital of Taiwan hosting the sixth largest seaport in the world, as well as a major industrial, shipbuilding, naval and financial center. Originally founded in the 1600s, Kaohsiung was known by the name Takau. The city started to grow during the Japanese rule in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and the growth has continued ever since the Second World War when it returned to Chinese rule. In recent years, Kaohsiung has transformed itself from a mere industrial and port city into an attractive Asian metropolis with beautification and mass transit projects.