Asia Pacific

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

A Comprehensive Guide to Running in Kaohsiung City

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Kaohsiung City is one of our favorite cities for running in Asia. This major port city in southern Taiwan is located on the Taiwan Strait, with the Love River flowing into the harbor through the Old City and downtown. While the city itself is fairly flat, there are mountains at its northeast end and in southeastern Taiwan. Even though this is a busy industrial city and economic center, there is excellent running in Kaohsiung City, with a series of well-developed paths taking advantage of its waterfront location.

The best places to run in Kaohsiung City center around the harbor, and trails along the Love River. Another highlight is the extensive waterfront running on Qijin Island, a quick ferry ride away. We’ve also put together a ‘runseeing tour‘ of some of the city’s major sites and parks. For a unique run, and a challenge, there are the stairs to the summit at Shoushan Nature Park, which also has numerous hilly roads and trails for running.

Kaohsiung City has a good transport system, including the MRT subway, and buses. Most of our routes are reachable by transport. Runners should also be aware of Kaohsiung City’s weather — it is hot and humid in summer, with abundant rainfall June-August. Winters are warm and drier.

Editor's Picks

Some of our favorite runs in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

Love River Run

The Love River is signature spot for running in Kaohsiung. There are paths/decent sidewalks for ~10 km,... more...

Cijin Island

For our favorite run in Kaohsiung City, take the quick ferry over to Cijin Island. Here you'll... more...

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Kaohsiung City has what’s called a tropical savanna climate. It’s warm to hot year round, with high temperatures ranging from 23C (74F) in winter to 32C (89F) in summer. From May-October, nights don’t dip below 24C. The city averages 1900 mm (71 inches) of rain annually, with most of it falling between June and October. Sunshine is generally abundant. It’s humid nearly year-round.

Source: Wikipedia

Kaohsiung City is a major commercial center as well as a visitor destination. There’s a large number of hotels at various price levels. We recommend staying near the harbor or river to access the best running in Kaohsiung City.

RUNNING STORES

There are numerous outlets of major running shoe/apparel companies in Kaohsiung City: Nike, New Balance, and Brooks.

GROUP RUNS

Hash House Harriers has a Kaohsiung group.

The Kaohsiung City Marathon is popular and takes place in February.

The Puma Fluorescent Night Run, in November, is another popular event.