Start Driving in KaohsiungKaohsiung, Taiwan’s largest harbor city on the southwestern coast, stretches along the Love River and the Taiwan Strait as a bustling port metropolis of roughly 2.7 million residents whose modern malls, night markets and smog‑tinged skyscrapers bake under 33°C humid summers and 18°C mild winters, shaped by Japanese colonial planning, fishing‑harbor trade and rapid industrialization since the late‑19th‑century harbor development. Must‑sees include the bustling Liuhe Night Market overflowing with grilled squid, oyster omelettes and bubble tea stalls, the Love River promenade lit by colorful bridges and riverside cafés, the striking Lotus Pond with its dragon‑and‑tiger pagoda and neighboring temples, the historic Pier‑2 Art Center housed in converted warehouses, the scenic Cijin Island and its long‑lasting lighthouse and seafood lanes, and the nearby Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum carved into a hillside with a colossal golden Buddha. Culture blends Taiwanese pop music, Hakka and indigenous traditions with strong local maritime identity, visible in dragon‑boat races, temple‑festival lantern displays, lively street‑food‑centric social life, and the city’s growing role in contemporary art and film festivals. Cuisine tempts with fresh seafood like grilled milkfish and stir‑fried clams, spicy beef noodle soup, steamed pork buns, piping‑hot stinky tofu, and sweet shaved‑ice desserts, often washed down with bubble tea, passion‑fruit juice or Taiwanese beer in open‑air food stalls and riverside restaurants.
