Start at Lotus Pond, where the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, the Spring and Autumn Pavilions and the Confucius Temple line one lake. In town, Sanfeng Temple is Taiwan's biggest temple to the child god Nezha, and on Cijin the Tianhou Temple sits by the ferry. Temples are working places of worship: walk through quietly and keep out of the way of people praying.
- Sanfeng Temple (三鳳宮), 134 Hebei 2nd Rd., Sanmin. Founded more than 300 years ago and rebuilt on this site by 1971 in northern palace style, with door gods painted by Pan Li-shui. The city calls it the largest Nezha temple in Taiwan. Open 06:00 to 22:00.
- Lotus Pond's temples: the pagodas, the pavilions, Qiming Hall and the Confucius Temple. → Lotus Pond
- Cijin Tianhou Temple (旗津天后宮), by the Cijin ferry pier, described by the city as Taiwan's first Mazu temple; the building dates from a 1926 rebuild. → Cijin
- Kaohsiung Guandi Temple (武廟), 52 Wumiao Rd., Lingya: more than 300 years old, for Guan Yu. Open 06:00 to 23:00. MRT: Wukuaicuo (O8), exit 6.
Not a temple, but nearby: the Wude Martial Arts Center
The Kaohsiung Wude Martial Arts Center (武德殿) in Gushan, at 36 Dengshan St., is a Japanese-era kendo and judo hall built in 1924, now a city monument. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00.
Wondering about the red crescent blocks and the incense? Inside Tainan has a plain-English guide to temple culture that works in any Taiwanese temple.
The biggest Buddhist site in the city is out in Dashu: the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum. Fongshan has Taiwan's second-oldest Longshan Temple. → Fongshan and the other neighborhoods
Sources: Fongshan Longshan Temple: Taipei Times; Kaohsiung Travel (Sanfeng Temple, Guandi Temple, Wude Martial Arts Center, Cijin); Sanmin District Office. Checked October 2026.