Martyrs’ Shrine to the Hamasen railway museums, Kaohsiung: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour from Shoushan down to Hamasen in Kaohsiung: 3 stops, about 2.2 km, about 30 minutes of walking plus about 18 minutes of listening. Start on the slopes of Shoushan at the Kaohsiung Martyrs’ Shrine, built in 1978 where the Takao Kotohira Shrine stood from 1910, high above the harbour. Walk down into Hamasen, the old port quarter named for a railway “beach line”, to the Takao Railway Museum in the former freight station, and end at the Hamasen Museum of Taiwan Railway, the island’s railways in HO scale.
- Stops:
- 3
- Distance:
- about 2.2 km
- Walking:
- about 30 min
- Listening:
- about 18 min
Two ways to do this walk
Kaohsiung with Mappu
Walk Mode, in the free Mappu app
It knows where you are, tells you about everything you pass between the stops, answers your questions and keeps you on the route. Your phone stays in your pocket.
A 2-hour live walk, €4.99.
50 credits from the Starter pack. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Free: the audio guides
Listen to each stop’s audio guide in your browser and find your own way between the stops.
Walking directions in Google MapsMartyrs’ Shrine to the Hamasen railway museums, Kaohsiung: how long does the walk take?
About 48 minutes in all: about 30 minutes on foot over about 2.2 km, plus about 18 minutes of audio at the 3 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Martyrs’ Shrine to the Hamasen railway museums, Kaohsiung: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Kaohsiung Martyrs’ Shrine, Takao Railway Museum, and Hamasen Museum of Taiwan Railway. The longest stretch between two stops is about 1.7 km, about 23 min on foot.
Route and map
Indicative route. While you walk, watch where you're going, mind the traffic and follow local signs and rules. The map is an aid, not a safety guide. Terms
Follow Mappu’s map: the route runs along the streets from stop to stop, and the stories keep playing as you walk.
To get to the first stop, or if you’re far from the route, Google Maps has walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
A hillside shrine above the harbour: the Takao Kotohira Shrine from 1910, rebuilt in 1973–1978 in palace style with golden glazed tiles, where a few stone lanterns still link the two eras.
about 5 min of audio
Next stop: Takao Railway Museum · about 1.7 km, about 23 min on foot
Stop 2
The old Takao freight station at the southern end of the main line, once the largest goods station in Taiwan, bombed in 1945 and rebuilt in 1947, in the quarter its branch line named.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Hamasen Museum of Taiwan Railway · about 0.4 km, about 6 min on foot
Stop 3
Taiwan’s railways shrunk to 1:87 in two former Penglai warehouses at Pier-2, a model layout billed as Asia’s largest in HO scale, opened in 2016 by the Kaohsiung Museum of History.
about 6 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
Planning a trip to Kaohsiung?
Get your plan
Mappu sketches your days free in the chat, no account needed. Then take the full plan with you:
- Weekend trip, €9.99: Your day-by-day plan plus 2 live walks
- Save your trip’s free guides on your phone in the Mappu app: they play with no signal
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
More walking tours in Kaohsiung
Lotus Pond to the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, Kaohsiung
4 stops · about 1.3 km · about 15 min on foot · about 23 min of audioLotus Pond, Kaohsiung → Spring and Autumn Pavilions → Chi Ming Palace → Dragon and Tiger PagodasFree audio at every stop, or walk it with MappuSee the routePier-2 Art Center to Holy Rosary Cathedral, Kaohsiung
3 stops · about 2.1 km · about 30 min on foot · about 18 min of audioPier-2 Art Center → Kaohsiung Museum of History → Holy Rosary Cathedral, KaohsiungFree audio at every stop, or walk it with MappuSee the routeWude Hall to Holy Rosary Cathedral, Kaohsiung
5 stops · about 3.8 km · about 50 min on foot · about 31 min of audioKaohsiung Wude Hall → Takao Railway Museum → Hamasen Museum of Taiwan Railway → Kaohsiung Museum of History → Holy Rosary Cathedral, KaohsiungFree audio at every stop, or walk it with MappuSee the route
Plan more days in Kaohsiung
These day-by-day Mappu itineraries include Kaohsiung. The day links open the days that visit stops on this walk.
Route checked by Mappu on November 1, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.