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.
