The 15 Best Kaohsiung Tours & Day Trips

1.Kenting, Taiwan｜PADI Basic Diving License Course｜Taiwan Diving Open Water Course

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 151 reviews · from $83Our pick

Spend three days at Taiwan Dive Center in Hengchun learning scuba skills in small groups of up to three students per coach. You will train in confined water, complete four marine sessions to a maximum of 18 meters, use Suunto ZOOP computers, and receive lunch, equipment, insurance, and underwater photos. English instruction can be arranged.

“Excellent experience doing Advanced Open Water course. Highly knowledgable and passionate staff fluent in English. I was impressed by the excellent facilities and optimal location. I will be back to dive more with TDC”

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2.Private Custom Kaohsiung Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 81 reviews

Spend about eight hours exploring Kaohsiung in a private air-conditioned vehicle with a local driver-guide such as Charlie, Aaron, Robin, or Ting Ting. Shape the day around temples, art, food, viewpoints, and cruise timing. The suggested route includes Fo Guang Shan, Dragon Tiger Tower, Pier-2, the Dome of Light, and Xiziwan.

“Richard was a fine tour guide. His Kaohsiung was beautiful and despite some language challenges, we felt touched by some uniquely personal experiences. Thanks for Lotus Lake, the glass dome subway station, the observatory lookout, ice cream, the old warehouse district turned art scene, and sunset beach. We would do it all over again!”

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3.Kaohsiung Private Tour – Discover Local Hidden Gems

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 34 reviews · 3 hours · from $44

Join Grace for a private three-hour tour of Kaohsiung, starting at Yanchengpu Metro Station. Walk through Pier-2, Glory Pier, Sizihwan, Formosa Boulevard, and Liuhe Night Market while learning about local life, temples, art, and food. The route can be adjusted to suit your interests, with one drink and pastry included.

“It was excellent the tour in general, and Grace awesome! Perfect in every aspect. Learned s lot, feel comfortable and enjoyed the whole evening”

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4.Private City Tour with Fo Guang Shan Museum

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 26 reviews · 8 hours · from $104

Spend eight hours touring Kaohsiung with a private English or Chinese speaking driver-guide. Visit Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum, Lotus Pond, Pier-2 Art Center, and the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, with time to adjust the pace. Guides such as Aaron, Charlie, Bruce, and Mr. Huang are praised for careful driving, local insight, and thoughtful help.

“Everything was perfect, from pick up till drop off Many thanks to Bruce, who was very kind and told us a lot about the country and the places we visit”

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5.Private Classic Kaohsiung Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 17 reviews

Spend about eight hours exploring Kaohsiung with a private guide and air-conditioned vehicle. Visit Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum and its sacred Buddha Tooth Relic, walk through Dragon Tiger Tower, see the Dome of Light, and finish at Xiziwan for sunset. Guides include Ben, Bruce Lee, TinTin, Ann, Vincent, and Arthur.

“Had a wonderful time with our guide Bruce Lee. He showed us around and even took us to a secret spot that was absolutely beautiful. Would definitely use him again when visiting Kaoshuing”

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6.Food and Culture Walking Tour in Tainan

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · from $78

Start with breakfast at Shuixian Gong Market, then follow a guide through Tainan temples, old craft shops, Quanmei Movie Theater, Snail Alley, and Hayashi Department Store. Guides including Jenny and Siewhong bring local stories and practical help. The $78 price covers guiding, but snacks, lunch, drinks, and desserts are extra.

“This was a very fun experience; Jenny is a great guide, willing to answer all of our questions and mindful of our tastes and requests. This walking tour has a good balance of “big” attractions, like the grand Mazu temple, and smaller and morRead more”

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7.Kenting & Ocean Coast Private Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 14 reviews · 9 hours · from $138

Spend nine hours exploring Kenting with a private driver-guide, stopping at the National Museum of Marine Biology, Sail Rock Beach, Eluanbi Lighthouse, Taiwan’s Southernmost Point, and Longpan Park. Guides such as Gary, Charlie, Aaron, Jackson, and Bruce can adjust the day around weather, swimming, food, and your interests.

“Aaron was a wonderful guide, he was knowledgeable, funny, and flexible. Lunch was also some of the freshest local seafood I've had in all of Taiwan.”

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8.Full-Day Private Guided Tour in Kaohsiung Port Shore

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 12 reviews

Your private driver-guide collects you at Kaohsiung Port Cruise Terminal for an eight-hour city tour. Visit Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum, Lotus Pond, Pier-2 Art Centre, Formosa Boulevard, Sizihwan, and the British Consulate. Guides named Andy, Samuel, and Liu Zhaogu have led past tours, though English and vehicle quality can vary.

“This tour provided a great overview of Kaohsiung and the many treasures of the city. The car was comfortable and our driver Liu Zhaogu was very good and efficient in moving us from place to place and pointing things our along the way. The trip out to the Buddha Museum was worth the drive time. I would recommend this tour.”

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9.Private Walking Tour with a Local

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 10 reviews · 2 - 6 hours · from $48

Meet a local Lokafyer in central Kaohsiung for a private, flexible walk lasting two to six hours. Your guide can focus on food, street art, local life, city views, or practical tips such as using the subway and renting a bike. English tours are available for groups of up to six.

“The guide, Jason was very friendly and had a good itinerary organised for us. The problem was the meeting point chosen. We thought Jason had selected it, but learned that this was not the case. We don't know who made the decision to meet at the cafe, but it was very "out of the way" and we had to work out how to get there. Because of this, we were late to meet Jason. The cafe owner was good enough to call Him and he came to meet us. The tour was an hour late and Jason extended our time which was good of him. To get to the meeting…”

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10.Kenting, Taiwan｜Snorkeling Free underwater photography One-on-one with instructor｜Taiwan Diving Snorkeling

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · from $28Best value

Meet at Taiwan Dive Center in Hengchun for a roughly 90-minute snorkeling session in Kenting National Park. After a land briefing and equipment fitting, you’ll spend 30 to 40 minutes in the water with an instructor, looking for coral and fish while photos are taken. Bring a swimsuit and towel. Free pickup is available from the Kenting Avenue and Chuanfan Rock area.

“My guy had a lot of patience to me, showing me how to breathe well after a while I was gliding, and he really enjoyed the amazing views of the coral. He was very informative.”

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11.Kaohsiung Private Walking Tour with a Local

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 7 reviews · from $48

Plan a 2 to 6-hour private walk with a Lokafyer who lives in Kaohsiung. A pre-tour phone chat helps shape your outing around food, neighborhoods, nature, or major sights. Guide Yu has taken visitors from the cruise port to Monkey Mountain and Shoushan Nature Park by light rail, with tea houses and wide city views along the way.

“Yu was most helpful, meeting us at the cruise port and bringing us to monkey mountain via the light rail. The Shoushan Nature Park is an enchanting experience. After visiting multiple tea houses at lookout points, Yu had us speaking TaiwanRead more”

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12.Kaohsiung’s Cruiseship Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 6 reviews

This 4 to 5 hour private Kaohsiung tour takes up to six people from the cruise port to sights such as Lotus Pond, Chijin Island, Formosa Boulevard, and Pier-2. You can adjust the route in advance, add food, tea, cycling, or a licensed guide, and ride in an air-conditioned vehicle with WiFi.

“This would be a 5-star tour except for the fact that we paid for an English-speaking tour guide and the guide provided didn’t speak much English at all. Fortunately for us, we had a Chinese speaker in our group that provided translation. The Read more”

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13.Private Tour Shore Excursion in Kaohsiung City

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $199

Spend 6 to 8 hours seeing Kaohsiung with a Chinese and English-speaking driver guide. Visit Lotus Pond, Pier-2 Art Center, Formosa Boulevard Station, and Qijin Island, with private air-conditioned transport and ferry tickets included. Guides named Joseph Chien and Chin have been associated with this outing.

“We created our own agenda. (My son lived in Taiwan a short time ago and made a list for me.) Overall, we accomplished everything we set out to do. Chin communicated well before the trip and as we arrived by cruise ship where he met us. He made it easy to find him!”

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14.Tainan Ancient Capital & Wushantou Reservoir One Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews

Travel from Kaohsiung into Tainan with a private guide and air-conditioned vehicle. Walk through Anping Tree House, Anping Fort, and Anping Old Street, then take a boat across Wushantou Reservoir. Guides such as Richard or Maggie explain local history and water development, while driver Song is noted for safe driving.

“Easy booking. The guide showed up on time and had no issue finding our place. Richard knows history well and was explained to us. I’d tour with him again.”

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15.Discover Scuba Diving With Sea Turtles – Xiaoliuqiu, Taiwan

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $83

Learn basic scuba skills in shallow water, then head into the Pacific around Xiaoliuqiu with a dedicated instructor. No swimming skills or certification are required. You may see green sea turtles, puffers, eels, octopus, and sponge reefs. Equipment, fees, taxes, and underwater photos are included.

“A magical experience! We had zero diving experience, but it was no problem. The staff is amazing and took great care of us. We saw so many turtles and have awesome pictures to remember our time underwater. One of the best things to do in Taiwan.”

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