高雄市

Why this place

Kaohsiung is the island's second city and its main port, a hot, working harbour with a very good art district in old warehouses and the Love River running through the centre. The nearby mountains hold Fo Guang Shan, the largest Buddhist monastery in the Chinese-speaking world.

What to see

• The Pier-2 Art Center, in converted harbour warehouses
• Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum, with its 36-metre seated Buddha and its monastery
• The Love River and the harbour, best by boat or on the waterfront at night
• Cijin Island, reached by ferry, for seafood and a bicycle loop
• Meinong and the Hakka districts inland, and the Liugui hot springs

What to eat

• Kaohsiung seafood, especially at Cijin and the harbour markets
• The local 'dan zai' noodles and the night markets of Liuhe and Ruifeng

Best time

October–April; Kaohsiung is hot all year