Glory Pier

Kaohsiung’s harborfront between Singuang Riverside Park and the Kaohsiung Music Center is one long sunset spot, and Glory Pier sits right in the middle of it. The sun goes down in the middle of everything: sailboats and yachts in the marina in front of you, coast guard ships tied up across the water, the big ships further out toward the harbor mouth, and the hills of Cijin behind them.

What makes it special is how many angles you get in one walk. Start at the Singuang end for the open view across the harbor, then follow the water up past the marina to the Music Center, whose honeycomb towers look great with the sky lit up behind them. The light rail crosses the mouth of the Love River on a bridge here, so you get trains gliding over the water, and there are a couple of raised viewing platforms where you can look down over the whole scene rather than across it. Give yourself an hour before sunset and wander.

It’s all lit after dark, with the Music Center and the bridge coming on as the sky fades, and honestly the night view here is fantastic – the harbor lights on the water, the towers lit up – so there’s no rush to leave. The whole promenade is flat and paved, so there’s no hike, and it’s easy to reach: the light rail stops right at Glory Pier (C10), and Sanduo Shopping District MRT is about a 15-minute walk.

If you’re doing a Kaohsiung sunset tour, Cijin Island (see writeup here) and Xiziwan (see writeup here) are just across the harbor and give you the same sun from the other side.