A Backpackers Guide to Kaohsiung

After a couple of weeks in Taipei, we made our way down south to Kaohsiung. We didn’t know very much about Kaohsiung before we arrived, but we were excited to check out the city.  Many people stay in Taipei or skip Kaohsiung to visit Kenting in the south, but we really enjoyed Kaohsiung and would highly recommend a couple of days there.

Here’s a guide to where we stayed, what we did + what we ate!

Where we stayed

We stayed at Backpacker’s Inn Kaohsiung in a double room with an en suite washroom. The Backpackers Inn in Kaohsiung is a new hotel located in the central area of Kaohsiung, right next to central station. You can’t miss the building – it is talk with red + green paint on the front that looks like a robot!

We arrived and were greeted by a friendly group of staff who checked us in and showed us to our room. The Backpacker’s Inn is a mix between a hotel and a hostel. It offers a breakfast service, and also has a few different areas to hang out and meet people, including a kitchen space and a roof top patio, yet you are still able to get privacy because each floor is structured like your standard hotel.

Our room was nice and new and the bed was extremely comfortable. Each morning, we were served breakfast downstairs, and while we ate breakfast, the cleaning staff tidied our room. The best part about our room was that we had a desk, a kettle AND a fridge. These are huge bonuses for us as budget travelers (stocking up snacks) and massive tea drinkers!

The Backpacker’s Inn was a great stay for us, and it’s awesome location and nice, clean and comfortable room really added to our stay and overall opinion in Kaohsiung.

Where we ate

To Be Smoothie – we ate here SO much. When we find affordable make your own salads + green smoothies, you can count on us returning for seconds, thirds… or in this case, fourths. If you’re craving your fruits and vegetables for a great price, don’t miss this place!

Coco’s Curry – this is a Japanese curry restaurant, but it’s a great go-to if you’re in search of a big portion for an affordable price.

Pepper Lunch – located just down the street from the Backpacker’s Inn, this is a great restaurant to visit if you want a quick + affordable stir fry. They are known for their sizzling beef, but they also have a great salmon option available, and the pepper rice is drool worthy!

Don Burrito – as with everywhere that we travel, we found Mexican while in Kaohsiung! This isn’t the best Mexican food, but it will do the trick if you’ve got a hankering for a taco, a burrito, or chips and salsa!

The food court in the basement of Grand Hi Lai hotel has many options, including pho, Taiwanese, Japanese, Udon, and much more. This was a great option for us being on a budget and wanting to enjoy different cuisines everyday.

What we did

We went on an awesome waterfall excursion with our friend Kirk from Taiwan’s Waterfalls. He runs these excursions regularly and it’s a great way to get out of the city and experience some of Taiwan’s beautiful nature. If you’re in Kaohsiung, be sure to check out the excursions he’s running!

We wandered through Formosa Boulevard station to check out the beautiful stained glass pillars in the station. We had seen photos of them before, and although they aren’t extremely impressive, they are worth a stop and a photo!

We also took a trip over to the Lotus Pond to see the Tiger + Dragon pagodas. This is a beautiful area of Kaohsiung that is worth spending a couple hours walking around.

We walked down to the river to take in the sunset views by the exhibition center.

Overall, we loved Kaohsiung and would highly recommend a visit while you are in Taiwan! Did we miss anything that you love? Leave a comment or send us an email!


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*A special thank you to the Backpacker’s Inn for hosting part of our stay! As always, all opinions are our own.

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