Currency in Kaohsiung

[Reina del Mar]

Please can anyone advise what currency is required for Kaohsiung ?

 

Also interested in hearing suggestions for sightseeing.

 

Is there much in the port area worth looking at ? 

 

Thanks.

[cruising cockroach]

NTD.

 

Ship was in port for only a few hours so didn't get off.

 

[ROCruiser]

Currency to use in Taiwan is the New Taiwan Dollars.

[zoohead23]

Depending what you are into, Kaohsiung offers a fairly good range of things to do + see.

 

Nice quick trip is upto the old British Consulate, good view with some good history to it.

If you like the outdoors and want to have a good walk, try Monkey Mountain (the biggest one on the coast), zoo is up there and some good trails up there too.

There are plenty of temples and palaces to check out as well. Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Centre is Taiwan's largest temple.

Dreams mall for the ferris wheel and lookout over the city.

Dome of light at the Formosa Boulevard MRT station, a fantastic unique sight!

Pier 2 Art Centre

Lotus Pond

Tian Liao Moon World landscape park

 

If you are extremely adventurous get a cab straight away and head to Kenting (Southern tip of Taiwan) good beaches, great national park. But that is around 90mins each way.

 

[edinburgher]

We didn't do a shorex or private tour here, instead we simply took a cab from the port to the Lianchi (Lotus) Lake .

Shared with another couple, paid in US$ and were dropped off at the taxi rank. When it was time to return we went back to the rank where the taxi had dropped us off and took another back to the port. There were other passengers from the ship there so we shared again. It was very easy. Before leaving the dock, speak with tourist info people and/or officials to be absolutely certain you have the name of the cruise terminal and the port written in the local language so you can show it to the driver for the return.

 

There is much about Lotus Lake online so you might want to do a search. Tripadvisor would be a good starting point. Lots of photo opportunities, a rather nice walkway alongside the lake with pagodas and temples, shaded areas to sit and many places to buy drinks and snacks. You could spend a few hours there.

 

[Reina del Mar]

Thanks for the info. Lotus Lake sounds a good option.

 

Good to hear you could pay using US Dollars.

Did you also take New Taiwan Dollars for smaller (soft drink)  purchases ?

 

Did you visit the Pier 2 Art Centre ?

Not sure whether it is walk-able from cruise port .

 

Thanks again.

[edinburgher]

Your question made me think to check my notes.

 

My apologies as we did not pay taxis  in USD we paid in NTD.

 

We had three Taiwanese ports on that trip and did one private tour and two ourselves. Everything we did in each was paid in TWD.

 

Sorry for any confusion. In some other ports on that itinerary we used either local currency or USD.

 

 

[Reina del Mar]

Edinburger,

 

Thanks for the update.

 

Do you remember the approximate cost of the taxi to Lotus Lake, please?  Will change some money to NT $ but don't want to have much left over as return rates are dreadful. Always carry US $ though.

 

We're not big sight seeing people..a few hours in taxi is about enough for us. Or as you say, somewhere like Lotus Lake, then back for an amble around port area.

 

Thanks again for your suggestions.

[edinburgher]

Sorry, I don't have that info now, also we shared both ways, but I remember everything we did at all three ports was very reasonably priced, even the private tour which we shared with a couple from our R.C. The round trip Keelung/Taipei train tickets we bought were so cheap we thought there had been a mistake, but there was not.

 

A few suggestions:

 

Start a thread on this Asia board for Kaohsiung questions, then ask about taxi cost and the location of the Art Centre.

 

Look on the Tripadvisor Kaohsiung forum for answers as a surprising number of cruise pax use TA forums for cruise related questions.

 

Try a general internet search for each of your questions and see what pops up in results.

 

Contact the local tourist info office and ask both questions.

 

Hope you get your answers!

[Reina del Mar]

Thanks for suggestions. .. 

 

Just trying to work out how much currency to order for each destination.

 

Thanks again.