Spend days one and two on our two-day plan: the harbor and Cijin, then Lotus Pond and a night market. On day three, head inland: Fo Guang Shan for a half day, or Meinong and Qishan for a full one. Mind the closing days: Fo Guang Shan is closed on Tuesdays, so on a Tuesday pick Meinong (or swap the days around).
Day 1: the harbor
Light rail along Asia New Bay, Pier-2, the ferry to Cijin, Hamasen, and the Love Boat in the evening. → The full day
Day 2: Lotus Pond, the Dome of Light and a night market
Lotus Pond's pagodas in the morning, the Dome of Light at Formosa Boulevard, a museum, Shoushan or Weiwuying in the afternoon, and Ruifeng or Liuhe at night. → The full day
Day 3, option A: Fo Guang Shan (half day)
Take bus E02, the Harvard Express, from platform 3 at Zuoying HSR: about 30 to 35 minutes. Spend the morning at the Buddha Museum, eat at its vegetarian buffet, and be back in town by mid-afternoon for shopping at Sanduo or a sunset by the harbor. → Fo Guang Shan
Day 3, option B: Meinong and Qishan (full day)
Take bus E01B from Zuoying HSR to Meinong (about an hour). Eat Hakka flat rice noodles, see the Hakka museum and paint a paper umbrella, then ride back as far as Qishan for its old street, banana sweets and 1915 station. → Meinong and Qishan
Going further? → Kaohsiung and Kenting
Sources: times, buses and closing days are on each linked page. Checked October 2026.