Following Taipei to Tainan, days 5–6 cover the move from Tainan to Kaohsiung and the final day in Kaohsiung.
This travel diary wraps up in three parts: Taipei, Taipei to Tainan, and Tainan to Kaohsiung (this post).
Itinerary for this post
- Day 5: Douhua and beef soup in Tainan → to Kaohsiung → hotel and night market
- Day 6: Lotus Pond & Dragon and Tiger Pagodas → Din Tai Fung and Creamia → airport
Day 5｜Douhua and beef soup in Tainan, then to Kaohsiung
Sherbet shop and douhua in Tainan
Day 5 started at the bus terminal near Tainan Station.
Lots of bus stops — safer to get a map from the hotel or tell them where you want to go.
Stops had actually moved that day too; tough if it’s your first time.
Following the hotel’s tip, I took a bus to a sherbet shop by the sea.
One bus, but 30–40 minutes each way.
The return was a hassle too — honestly not a spot I’d push hard.
Looks like this from outside.
The café next door wasn’t the main destination.
Shop name: NINAO — custom-order gelato.
Taste was… fine, I guess.
And the one dish I’d recommend most from this trip: this douhua.
About NT$50, and truly delicious.
Go for the black sesame douhua.
If you like Japanese sweets — or find Western desserts too sweet — try this. Bean sweetness front and center, nice aroma, portion not too big or too small.
Walking central Tainan, I also found a garden that looked good for tea. Skipped for time this trip.
Further on, turtles sunbathing and drying their shells. The river was a bit murky, but the smell wasn’t bad.
Beef in central Tainan
Walking the busy center, I reached an area with buildings from the Dutch colonial period.
A beef place that seems famous locally. Plenty of tourists. Lined up about 5 minutes — arrived around 11:30, a bit after lunch rush.
Ordered beef and lu rou fan, plus something chicken-based, I think. Yesterday’s beef soup shop had more of that devilish B-grade deliciousness for me.
Condiments are free to customize — I piled on shredded ginger. Soy-onion sauce and a miso-like sauce too; all a bit strong, all good.
Then walked toward the harbor.
A festival was on — locals doing outdoor karaoke. Older folks having a great time.
To Kaohsiung: station and hotel
From here, back to Tainan Station for Kaohsiung.
Under an hour by train.
Tickets mostly from machines — Japanese UI available, and staff at the counter ready to help.
Arrived at Kaohsiung Station.
Different vibe from Taipei and Tainan — the station felt very clean and modern.
Leaving the station, a mountain of Ichiban Kuji prizes.
Almost worryingly many.
On the way to the hotel, unique stained-glass art.
Looked like it might light up depending on the time of day.
Hotel exterior.
Didn’t realize it was a hotel at first (second time that happened in Taiwan).
Listed as renovated when I booked — inside was very clean, for under NT$800.
Snacks and coffee provided too.
Hair dryer neatly stored.
Bathroom didn’t feel cramped and was clean — but again, no shower curtain. Wonder if that’s common in Taiwan hotels.
Water was provided — free, I believe.
Nice to have this much in a room at this price.
Also mysterious that these amenities were free (day 1’s hotel had them too…).
At the entrance: free coffee, candy, chocolate.
Great value.
On the way to the night market, a shop called UFO.
Felt like a gas station vibe — details unknown.
Kaohsiung night market
About a 10-minute walk from the hotel.
Compared to Taipei, more open space.
As a night-market vibe though, I preferred Taipei and Tainan.
Tables in the middle of stall rows; lots of foreign tourists drinking.
Kimchi, pork rolls — more Korean than Taiwanese looking.
Looked fully Korean… then the taste raised a big “?”…
Shrimp and crab fried and covered in curry powder.
Batter like fried-chicken coating — snackable, a bit salty. (Probably great with beer.)
Finally bought the pai gu (pork rib) I’d been eyeing.
Sweet-savory pork, similar to Japanese tatsuta-age.
Day 6｜Lotus Pond, Dragon & Tiger Pagodas, Din Tai Fung, Creamia, airport
Morning walk and Lotus Pond
Spotted this while walking.
Last morning, heading toward the lake — found this illustration shop.
Wonder if Japan has these too… Taiwan still has so many Japanese things scattered around; always surprising.
Stopped at a supermarket while walking. Water spinach around NT$25 — cheap. Living in Thailand warps price sense further, but milk was about ¥500 a pack — surprisingly expensive. For travel or a few-month stay, eating at stalls is probably cheaper.
Arrived at Lotus Pond.
Famous temple across the lake.
Felt tropical.
The lake is large — temple and statues visible in the center of the photo.
You have to walk around the lake to reach the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas — along the way, ducks fighting hard.
Felt like I saw a lot of bird fights this trip… maybe Taiwanese birds are feisty… lol
Dragon and Tiger Pagodas and the temple
Reached the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas — the famous spot where you enter through the dragon’s mouth and exit through the tiger’s. Surprisingly few people climbing the towers.
Went underground too. Cheap-looking in a way, but charming.
View from the top. Zigzag entrance — probably feng shui / ward-off-evil design. Exits connect across the road to the temple.
Visited that temple. Impressive inside, not too crowded — worth a look once.
Café break, then Din Tai Fung and Creamia
Escaped the heat into an air-conditioned café.
Empty when I walked in — full soon after.
Ordered something like an “apple pizza” — apple pie fused with pizza.
Tasted about as expected… (around NT$200.)
Iced brew coffee — maybe NT$130 or 100, from memory.
From the temple to Hanshin Arena Shopping Plaza.
Couldn’t leave Taiwan without Din Tai Fung once — but one-hour wait…
Wandered the mall during the wait and had enough fun to forget the time. When stuck, ducking into a mall isn’t a bad option. Staff adjusted language and approach by group size and origin — felt very Din Tai Fung.
At the table: stylish shredded ginger, then order by scanning a QR code.
Ordered paigu fried rice — about NT$270. More filling than it looks; easy to get full. Flavor on the strong side, but good.
And xiaolongbao — no complaints.
Personally, the yellow-sign shop near the Taipei hotel still won for price-to-taste on this trip.
Then found Creamia.
Never had it in Japan, but people said it’s insanely good…
About NT$100 each.
Rich milk flavor — “ice cream” undersells it — and the cookie shell tasted a lot like Shiroi Koibito.
Gonna try it in Japan when I’m back lol
To the airport, then back
At night, stopped at a mall on the way to the airport.
That outlet vibe felt a bit like Kansai Airport’s outlets — a little nostalgic.
Waiting for the Kaohsiung–Thailand flight, the airport had a booth recreating old Chinese-character shopfront streets — nice atmosphere.
At the gate: a vending machine selling cup noodles.
No time to try it — pricey — but makes sense for an airport. (Next time, if there’s time.)
Highlights (and a few skips for time)
- Douhua in Tainan. NT$50 — the one I’d push hardest from this trip.
- Reliable? Din Tai Fung. And Creamia. Felt like a last-day treat.
- Renovated Kaohsiung hotel — excellent value.
Places & shops I visited
- NINAO Gelato
- 同記安平豆花 (Anping main shop)
- Fort Zeelandia / Anping Old Street
- 阿財牛肉湯
- Anping Recreation Wharf
- 橙居高雄館
- Liuhe Night Market
- Lotus Pond
- Dragon and Tiger Pagodas
- Lamore Coffee
- Hanshin Arena Shopping Plaza
- Din Tai Fung Kaohsiung
- SKM Park Outlets Kaohsiung Caoya
That’s the end of this Taiwan travel series that started with Taipei.
It turned into a photo-heavy diary, but I hope it’s a little useful if you’re visiting or planning a trip.
Also see Taipei and Taipei to Tainan.
