The Love River (愛河) runs through the middle of Kaohsiung and out into the harbor at Love Pier. Take the solar-powered Love Boat from Hedong Road, walk the paths along its banks, and come back around Lunar New Year for the lanterns or in June for the dragon boats. We've done the Love Boat ourselves: it's a gentle way to end a day here.
- Love Boat 25-minute loop, NT$150 adult
- Hours 15:00 to 22:00 daily (to 23:00 on Saturdays), about every 30 min
- Board Opposite No. 176 Hedong Rd., Qianjin District
- Station MRT Cianjin (O4, Orange Line), about 500 m
The Love Boat
The Love Boat (愛之船) is a small solar-powered boat run for Kaohsiung City Shipping, the city's ferry company, by a private operator since August 2022. Its 25-minute loop starts from the pier opposite the Ambassador Hotel (愛河國賓站), goes up past Zhongzheng Bridge, then down to Love Pier by the Music Center and back.
| Ticket | Fare |
|---|---|
| Adult | NT$150 |
| Student | NT$120 |
| Concession | NT$80 |
| Kaohsiung resident (show ID) | NT$100 |
| Under 2 | Free |
Good to know: at big festivals the boat sells themed tickets at different prices. The pier's notice board and the Love Boat's Facebook page have the current ones.
The gondolas
For something slower, the Love River gondolas (愛河貢多拉) are Venetian-style boats, and the rower sings on the way. They board at the corner of Hedong Road and Minsheng Road, on the same riverside road as the Love Boat pier.
- Hours 16:00 to 23:00, every day except during the dragon boat races and on Lunar New Year's Eve
- Trip About 25 minutes, Zhongzheng Bridge to the old railway bridge, with a talk on the river's sights, history and wildlife, and a love song
- Fare NT$200; children under 110 cm NT$100
- Tickets On the spot; boats leave as they fill
Where the name comes from
The river begins at Bagualiao in Renwu District and flows through the city to the sea. It started as a shallow creek you could only cross by ferry. Under Japanese rule it was dredged into a canal and given its first official name, the Kaohsiung River. In 1948 a boat company opened by Zhongzheng Bridge and rented out rowing boats, which became popular with couples, and the river took the name Love River. It later became badly polluted, and the city, its residents and businesses have since cleaned it up.
Along the banks
Paths run along both banks through the centre. From the harbor end, upriver:
- Love Pier and the Music Center, where the river meets the harbor. Light rail: Love Pier (C11). → Shows and nightlife
- Kaohsiung Film Archive (高雄市電影館), 10 Hexi Rd., in Yancheng: classic and festival films and a VR film lab. Tuesday to Sunday, 13:30 to 21:30. Light rail: Love Pier (C11).
- Kaohsiung Museum of History (高雄市立歷史博物館), in the former city hall on the west bank. Free, Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 17:00. MRT Cianjin (O4) or Yanchengpu (O2), about 10 minutes' walk. → Kaohsiung's museums
- The Love Boat and gondola piers on Hedong Road, on the east bank.
The Heart of Love River
Further upriver in Sanmin District, at Bo'ai 1st Road and Tongmeng 1st Road, the Heart of Love River (愛河之心) is a pair of man-made lakes built to hold floodwater. The shallow eastern lake is kept as a wildlife pond; the deeper western one lets river boats stop. A bridge joins the two in a heart shape. It's open all the time. Light rail: Heart of Love River (C24).
Lanterns and dragon boats
- Kaohsiung Wonderland, the lantern season around Lunar New Year, lights up Love River Bay and the harbor piers. In 2026 it ran from 7 February to 1 March; the theme and venue change each year.
- The dragon boats race on the Love River between Qixian Road and Wufu Road bridges at the Dragon Boat Festival. In 2026 that was 19 to 21 June.
→ Kaohsiung's festivals by month · Kaohsiung events this weekend · The harbor
Sources: Love Boat: Kaohsiung City Shipping; fares and the gondolas: Kaohsiung Travel, water transport; the river's history: Kaohsiung Travel, Love River; Heart of Love River; Kaohsiung Film Archive; Kaohsiung Museum of History; lanterns and dragon boats: Kaohsiung Travel events calendar. Checked November 2026.