North of the city, Kaohsiung's coast is a string of fishing towns: the city counts 16 fishing ports. Go to Kezailiao for its noon fish auction, Xingda Harbor for the tourist fish market and Lovers' Wharf at sunset, Mituo for milkfish and Yong'an for grouper and wetland birds. Bus 8043 runs up the coast from Kaohsiung Main Station, but the last bus back leaves mid-afternoon.
- Bus Kaohsiung Bus 8043 from Kaohsiung Main Station: Mituo about 45 min, Lovers' Wharf about 70 min
- Last bus back Leaves Qieding about 14:50 (Lovers' Wharf about 15:18)
- Buy Mullet roe, milkfish and grouper
- Birds Black-faced spoonbills, October to April
Kezailiao, Ziguan
Kezailiao Fishing Port (蚵仔寮漁港) lands the biggest catch in Kaohsiung and has long been called the "mullet roe gold mine"; it was voted Taiwan's most charming fishing harbor in 2012. The city's magazine says the market auctions fish every day at noon, and it was the first market in Taiwan with HACCP food-safety certification. The fresh fish market opens about 12:30 to 18:30, and the fishermen's association runs a minus-25°C ice-house experience by reservation.
Xingda Harbor and Lovers' Wharf, Qieding
Xingda Harbor (興達港) is a big modern fishing harbor with a tourist fish market (weekdays 11:30 to 19:00, weekends 10:00 to 20:00, as listed by the city) and is known for mullet roe. Next to it, Lovers' Wharf (情人碼頭) is open all the time, with sailing and canoeing, and the coastal recreation area beside it is the place for sunset. The Qieding Wetland nearby is a winter home of black-faced spoonbills.
Inside Tainan has a fuller guide to visiting Xingda's fish market, which is just as close to Tainan.
Mituo
Mituo (彌陀) is milkfish country, home to some of the best milkfish farms and a milkfish festival. Its fishermen's association sells milkfish gift products on Yugang 1st St. The Nanliao Seaside Lightspot (南寮海岸光廊) has a boat-shaped viewing platform and boardwalks over the sand, and a bike path runs along the coast.
Yong'an
Yong'an (永安) calls itself the hometown of grouper; Su's Giant Grouper Storyhouse (10:00 to 18:00) tells the story. The Yungan Wetland (永安濕地), a former saltworks turned mangrove park in 1996, is visited by black-faced spoonbills from October to April (08:00 to 16:30, closed Mondays and Thursdays).
Getting there
- Bus 8043 (Kaohsiung Main Station to Qieding) runs up the coast via Ziguan, Mituo and Yong'an to Xingda Harbor and Lovers' Wharf. Buses leave Kaohsiung at 08:20, 10:00 (not on holidays), 12:15, 16:10 and 17:10, but the last one back leaves Qieding about 14:50. For the dusk market, plan on a taxi back.
- Bus 8017 (TRA Xinzuoying to Gangshan) passes Kezailiao, about 43 minutes from Xinzuoying, but only about three times a day.
- From MRT Gangshan (RK1), buses Red 75 and Red 76 run to Mituo and Yong'an.
Good to know: the city's tourism bureau runs guided "Coastal Stylish Tourism" trips along this coast, from fish-auction bidding at Ziguan to the wetland and fish market at Qieding. Watch Kaohsiung Travel for dates.
→ Milkfish and the other things to eat · More day trips
Sources: the city's Coastal Tour and Kezailiao pages; auction and history: the city's Takao magazine; Nanliao: Mituo District Office; buses: Kaohsiung Bus 8043 and 8017; coastal tours: CNA. Checked October 2026.