City: Kaohsiung
Top Things to do in Kaohsiung
Top Restaurants in Kaohsiung
- 1. Wang Steak - Kaohsiung Zhongzheng
- 2. Din Tai Fung Kaohsiung Store
- 3. Xinglongju
- 4. San Antonio French Restaurant
- 5. Chamonix Teppanyaki - Kaohsiung Wufu.Branch
- 6. ikki (Kaohsiung Dream Mall Branch)
- 7. Tan Zuo Ma Li Grill & Japanese Restaurant
- 8. Harbour Buffet Restaurant-Grand Hi Lai Hotel
- 9. Hi-Lai Kaohsiung Arena
- 10. Tong Hua Shabu Shabu Restaurant
Things to do in Kaohsiung, Taiwan: The Best Points of Interest & Landmarks
A modern city in the south of Taiwan, Kaohsiung shifts from ancient to contemporary culture with ease. Don't miss the breathtaking Fo Guang Shan monastery and its hall of giant Buddhas. Dream Mall, the largest shopping mall in Taiwan, has a Ferris wheel on the roof. Drive to Kenting National Park for beautiful landscapes.
Restaurants in Kaohsiung
1. Fo Guang Shan
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 651 reviews
At the north-east point of Dashu Township in Kaohsiung county, South Taiwan, Fo Guang Shan Monastery (literally translated as Buddha’s Light Mountain Monastery) sits on a bamboo hill on the left bank of the Gaoping river. Here you will find the headquarters of a prominent Buddhist order, established by Master Hsing Yun and his disciples. The architecture of the buildings within the monastery complex is characteristic of the traditional Buddhist monastery, but one may be pleasantly surprised with the array of visitor-friendly amenities on offer. The southeastern face of Fo Guang Shan Monastery features the prominent Great Buddha Land, which is home to a standing Buddha image of 48 metres in height, and 480 smaller Buddha images that surround it. English-speaking visitors may find information and maps in English at the Reception, and prior contact via email can be made to discuss free tour options.
Reviewed By OrderintheHouse
In January 2020 my wife and I included a 6 night Wendy Wu private tour of Taiwan as part of our 18 day Asian trip we arranged to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. Our travels took us to Taipei, Taroko Gorge, Sun Moon Lake, Tainan and Kaohsiung. A real highlight during our all too short time in Kaohsiung (just an overnight visit) was our experience at the Fo Guang Shan Monastery, the biggest Buddhist Monastery in Taiwan, located approximately 30 minutes from the city. We began with a delicious buffet vegetarian lunch in the Baiweixuan Buffet Restaurant which we reached from the main entrance by an electric shuttle bus. After lunch we undertook a very pleasant walk to the very impressive Buddha Museum. Before touring the Museum we were able to admire the centrepiece of the Monastery, a 50 metre high outdoor statue of Buddha that is 108 metres tall when you take into account its base. This makes this the largest bronze sitting Buddha statue in the world. The statue, made of 1,872 tons of bronze, is very imposing and dominates the surroundings. In front of the statue is the Way to Buddhahood path, made of stone and flanked by Eight Pagodas on either side. The symmetry on display here is impressive and the overall effect is simply awesome. The Buddha Museum has to surely be one of the very best museums of its kind anywhere in the world. The extensive array of historical and cultural treasures on display provides a good insight into the Buddhist religion. One of the really interesting exhibitions we visited here was in the Museum of Buddhist Underground Palaces. The galleries exhibit artefacts from various Underground Palaces but predominantly from the one discovered beneath Famen Temple (located in Famen town 120 kilometres west of Xi'an, China). What we found pleasing about this museum was that as Christians we were being educated about Buddhism without feeling in any way threatened or uncomfortable. The museum succeeds in its aim for non Buddhist visitors to have a better insight and understanding of the Buddhist religion through a visit here. The museum has a wonderful philosophy inherent in its core values set out proudly on a display board at the entrance. Three core values revolve around acts of goodness – “Do Good Deeds, Speak Good Words and Think Good Thoughts”. Then there are four core values promoting giving – “Giving Others Confidence, Giving Others Joy, Giving Others Hope and Giving Others Convenience”. These are very laudable core values indeed. One pleasing display we enjoyed was the depiction of the Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the Monastery’s founding Monk, sitting at his long table where he takes his meals, writes his calligraphy, has his meetings and greets people. The table has no drawers or locks. It epitomises his refreshingly simple and humble philosophy on life and his non dependence on material things. There is also a very good display promoting the “Cloud and Water Medical Team Spreading Compassion Throughout The World”. A superb exhibit has to be the large carved out piece of tree trunk with well over a hundred carved out Buddha figures - so intricate and a true piece of wonderful art. These are just three of many fine displays we encountered on this excellent tour of the museum. We were so pleased to have had the privilege of visiting this wonderful Monastery and gaining understanding of its values, hopes and aspirations and to admire the cultural treasures and artefacts on display. It represented a very good reason for us to have included Kaohsiung as part of our Taiwan tour.
2. Kaohsiung Main Public Library
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 438 reviews
Reviewed By Hiroshi317 - Yokohama, Japan
I found this library because it’s illuminated so beautiful. This library has 5th floor and theater on the top floor. Well designed for visitors、easy to find categories. many desks, clean and quiet. And open until 22 o’clock midnight. Kaohsiung residents are happy to have such excellent library.
3. Wei Wu Mi Mi Cun
4. Dream - Kaohsiung Eye Ferris Wheel
5. Blueprint Culture & Creative Park
6. Zi Zhu Military Village
7. Spring and Autumn Pavilion
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 195 reviews
Located in the waters of Lotus Lake.
Reviewed By PaulSiow - Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
After the dragon tiger pavilions, we visited this place. As common in this area, there were big beautiful sculptures of dragons, goddess of mercy and others. There was also an area with plenty of turtles.
8. Dragon Tiger Tower
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,159 reviews
Reviewed By RobandMaryJean
Beautiful photos appear all about the lake and this is a great place to start. Going in through the dragon's mouth and departing from the tiger's mouth has symbolic good luck implications. A donation gets you a postcard. The lotus flowers are OK and there is a nice temple opposite the towers. Some decent places to eat are also nearby.
9. The Dome of Light
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,479 reviews
Reviewed By PaulSiow - Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
The Dome of Light is a very colorful stained glass ceiling, brightly lit. We visited this many times as we stayed beside the Formosa Station and this dome is found inside this station. Even the pillars were brightly lit and colorful. This has become a tourist attraction and is included in many tour itineraries. There were even chairs for you to sit and there is a white grand piano there. This place has many visitors, but the shops in this station were relatively quiet.
10. Yong'an Road
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1 reviews
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