Kaohsiung 高雄

Kaohsiung is a port city located on the southern tip of Taiwan.

After I did my research on the places to visit in Kaohsiung and given the amount of time I had, I decided that it was a day trip for me and the objective for this leg of my adventure was to visit Cijin Island with a pit stop at The Dome of Light in KMRT Formosa Boulevard Station and of course, go foodhunting for some Kaohsiung food.

From Chiayi to Kaohsiung

I felt bad to cancel and get a refund for my discounted HSR ticket from HSR Tainan Station to HSR Zuoying Station (Zuoying is the HSR station in Kaohsiung) as my accommodation was at TRA Tainan Station and it was more convenient to get to Kaohsiung Metro (KMRT) Sizihwan Station where the Gushan Ferry Pier Station is, for me to take a ferry over to Cijin Island.

Arriving at Kaohsiung

As per my other legs of adventure, I deposited my backpack at the KMRT Kaohsiung Main Station before I went on with my day's adventure.

Lockers were available at B1F of the station.

In and Around Kaohsiung

As mentioned, I visited the following places while in Kaohsiung:

• The Dome of Light 光之穹頂
• Cijin Island 旗津島

As my day trip's itinerary was not that packed, I was on a more relaxed mode. After I deposited my backpack at KMRT Kaohsiung Main Station, I took a train's stop to KMRT Formosa Boulevard Station to visit the Dome of Light.

The Dome of Light 光之穹頂

It was created by renowned artist Narcissus Quagliata and tells the story of human life in four chronologically arranged themes: Water- The Womb of Life, Earth- Prosperity and Growth, Light- The Creative Spirit and Fire- Destruction and Rebirth, with an overall message of love and tolerance.

Spanning 30 metres in diameter and covering 660 square metres, it is the world's largest public art installation made from individual pieces of coloured glass. 

I admired the masterpiece for quite a while before, I proceeded to pamper myself with a nice breakfast top up my fuel tank for the island trip as I knew it was going to be quite strenuous.

After my hearty breakfast, I took the KMRT to KMRT Sizihwan Station and a stroll to the Gushan Ferry Pier to catch a ferry to Cijin Island.

Take exit 1 at KMRT Sizihwan Station, take a left, walk down the street, take a right and you should be able to see Gushan Ferry Pier.

When you arrive at Gushan Ferry Pier, take a left before the blue signboard you see in the photo to get to the ferry waiting area.

Some articles suggest to rent a bicycle from the mainland as you could bring it up the ferry but I would suggest to rent it when you are on the island as I felt it would be more convenient. Moreover, if you are an avid photographer/selfiegrapher who wants to capture your moments, not having the burden of a bicycle on the ferry would help quite a bit.

The ferry schedule and pricing were as follows:

iseasywith.me Friendly Reminder

You need to tap your EasyCard or iPass at the departure pier before boarding the ferry but do not have to tap when you exit at the arrival pier.

Cijin Island 旗津島

Cijin Island is a narrow and elongated island at the entrance of Kaohsiung Harbour.

There are various places to visit on the island including

• Cihou Fort
• Kaohsiung Lighthouse
• Cijin Tunnel of Stars
• Cijin Beach
• Cijin Old Street
• Cijin Rainbow Arch
• Cijin Windmill Park
• Kaohsiung Port VTC Tower

Personally, I would recommend cycling to get around the island as you would be able to visit the various places as some of them are quite a distance apart. If you are adventurous like me, you can cycle to the other end of the island where the port is.

When I rented my bicycle, the staff provided me with a map and suggested the cycling route, which started with Cihou Fort followed by Kaohsiung Lighthouse as it was a downhill route from the fort to the lighthouse, followed with the other places.

iseasywith.me Friendly Reminder

The bicycle rental shop should provide you with a bicycle lock to lock your bicycle when you visit the various places. If they do not, do request it from them.
The shop which I rented from shared that there were no designated bicycle areas and as long as bicycles were not blocking the way, that should be fine.

Cihou Fort 旗后砲台

iseasywith.me Friendly Reminder

There are no guardrails at the upper level of the fort so please exercise caution and always have safety in mind and stay well off the edges of the platforms.
As this is a national monument, do not vandalise the place e.g. graffiti, climb the walls or parkour.

Cihou Fort was built to defend against maritime threats and protect Kaohsiung Harbour, and features traditional Chinese military architecture including red brick walls, barracks, bastions, cannons, courtyard and watchtower. It is situated on a hill overlooking the sea, providing 360-degree views of the surrounding areas and serving as a vantage point for monitoring approaching ships and vessels.

Off the beaten track.... 🤫

Kaohsiung Lighthouse 高雄燈塔

The lighthouse stands at a height of 15.2 metres and features a traditional lantern room at the top which houses a rotating beacon that emits a flashing light to provide guidance and navigation assistance to ships entering and exiting Kaohsiung Harbour.

Cijin Tunnel of Stars 星光隧道

The Cijin Tunnel of Stars was a century-old military combat readiness tunnel. You may recall that you could see the 'runway' out to sea from Cihou Fort.

As you walk through the tunnel, you could feel the strong wind blowing through it from the sea.

Cijin Beach 旗津海水浴場

Unlike typical beaches, Cijin Beach features black sand originated from millions of years of volcanic activity and erosion.

Cijin Old Street 旗津老街

Cijin Old Street has shops and stalls selling local specialties and street food.

Cijin Rainbow Arch 旗津彩虹拱門

The rainbow arch features a series of colourful arches painted in rainbow colours. Some articles mentioned that the other structure is a church but I did not see any cross on it when I was there.

You should pass by at these places on the way to the Cijin Windmill Park.

Cijin Windmill Park 旗津風車公園

The park faces the Taiwan Strait and enjoys abundant wind, making it an ideal location for wind turbines. The turbines are used to generate clean power to illuminate the park during the night.

Kaohsiung Port VTC Tower (高雄港VTC塔台）

As mentioned at the start, if you are adventurous like me, you can cycle all the way to the other end of the island where the port is and check in at the VTC Tower.

If you want to check in at the VTC Tower, I would suggest to cycle along the path next to the sea after you have checked in at the windmill park. You would pass by these places on the way.

Once you reach this point, you would have to turn left and cycle on the pavement next to the main road.

Google Maps calculated the cycling distance between Kaohsiung Lighthouse and Kaohsiung Port VTC Tower is about 10.2 km and with some detours here and there, I cycled easily more than 20 km during my leg of adventure on Cijin Island.

The other places I stopped by on my way back.

When I returned the bicycle and shared my selfie at the VTC Tower with the shop staff, she was so surprised and congratulated me as she did not expect me to cycle all the way there. She added I was one of the very few who made it there and rewarded me with a packet of isotonic drink. 🎓

Food and Beverage

near KMRT Formosa Boulevard Station

Cijin Island

Departing Kaohsiung

After my day trip in Kaohsiung, it was time to move on to the last leg of my adventure. I went back to Kaohsiung Main Station to retrieve my backpack, and boarded the train for my long journey way up to the north and loop over to the east.... to Hualien.