Here’s a collection of all lighthouses we have been to over the years and some we have yet to visit. We love lighthouses, because they are usually in scenic locations with sea view and you can always learn a thing or two about local history. We start in the north of the island, make our way down south, go to the east, and finally jump to the offshore islands.
New Taipei City
Fugui Cape Lighthouse
富貴角燈塔
Present structure built in: 1962
Height: 14.3 meters
Location: At the northernmost tip of Taiwan, Fugui Cape; close by are Fuji Fishing Harbor and Laomei Beach (Laomei Green Reef)
Like the southernmost point of Taiwan (Eluanbi peninsula in the Kenting National Park), the northernmost point is also marked by a lighthouse, the Fugui Cape Lighthouse. Built in the late 19th century during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, the black-and-white tower has been rebuilt several times, including after it was destroyed during World War II. It’s part of the Fugui Cape Park, an area with lush greenery, easy to follow pathways, and access to the Fuji Fishing Harbor southwest of the lighthouse and the Laomei Beach to its southeast.
New Taipei City
Yehliu Lighthouse
野柳燈塔
Present structure built in: 1967
Height: 11.3 meters
Location: Highest spot of Guitoushan (Turtle Head Mountain) at the far end of the Yehliu promontory.
YEHLIU GEOPARK and YEHLIU OCEAN WORLD
Keelung City
Keelung Islet Lighthouse
基隆嶼燈塔
Present structure built in: 1982
Height: 12.3 meters
Location: Highest spot of Keelung Islet (182m), a tiny offshore island, located about 8km northeast of Keelung Harbor.
Keelung Lighthouse
基隆燈塔
Present structure built in: 1962
Height: 16 meters
Location: On the west side of Keelung Harbor, close to Baimiwong Fort.
Qiuzishan Lighthouse
球子山燈塔
Present structure built in: 1956
Height: 16 meters
Location: On the west side of Keelung Harbor, south of Keelung Lighthouse
New Taipei City
Tamsui Harbor Lighthouse
淡水港燈塔
Present structure built in: 1969
Height: 32.7 meters
Location: On the right bank of Tamsui River, between the Tamsui Old Street Area and Fisherman’s Wharf.
Bitou Cape Lighthouse
鼻頭角燈塔
Present structure built in: 1971
Height: 12.3 meters
Location: At the far end of Bitou Cape on the Northeast Coast. To the southeast is Longdong Bay and to the southwest is tiny Bitou Fishing Harbor.
Bitou Cape is well-known for its main trail, which brings you to high vantage points with rest pavilions from where you can enjoy marvelous 360-degree views of the coastal mountains and sea. One side trail takes you to the photogenic Bitou Cape Lighthouse, another to a former military barracks, recently restored and made accessible to tourists. The western end of the cape’s main trail is at the small, picturesque Bitou Fishing Harbor.
Sandiao Cape Lighthouse
三貂角燈塔
Present structure built in: 1935
Height: 16.5 meters
Location: The lighthouse sits on Sandiao Cape, the easternmost point of Taiwan.
The Sandiao Cape Lighthouse is inland off the coastal highway. There is a sign with clear English at the entrance of the narrow road that heads up the hill. The lighthouse was built in 1935 by the Japanese after two Japanese ships were wrecked directly offshore. It houses a small display gallery with old lighthouse equipment, maps, period photos, and other items. There are short, well-maintained pathways around the lighthouse, one leading to a fine lookout with information boards that have English explanations of the immediate area’s geology and history.
Taoyuan
Baishajia Lighthouse
白沙岬燈塔
Present structure built in: 1901
Height: 27.7 meters
Location: The lighthouse is located in Taoyuan City’s Guanyin District, close to Guanyin Beach on Taiwan’s northwest coast.
One of the oldest lighthouses in Taiwan is the Baishajia Lighthouse in Taoyuan City. It has helped to guide ships through the waters of the Taiwan Strait since 1901. Originally standing 38m tall, after being damaged during World War II it was rebuilt to the current height of 27.7m. After undergoing restoration and redesign of its inner space, the lighthouse was reopened in 2020 to visitors. Inside you will find an informative exhibition with interactive elements.
NORTHEAST COAST Train Ride — from Fulong to Toucheng
Taichung
Gaomei Lighthouse
高美燈塔
Present structure built in: 1967
Height: 34.4 meters
Location: Located right by the popular Gaomei Wetland on the coast of Taichung City
Taichung Harbor Lighthouse
台中港燈塔
Present structure built in: 1982
Height: 62.6 meters (Taiwan’s tallest lighthouse)
Location: The tower is part of a warehouse, located to the north of Taichung Harbor
TAICHUNG COAST — Many Interesting Spots!
Changhua
Fangyuan Lighthouse
芳苑-王功燈塔
Present structure built in: 1983
Height: 37.4 meters
Location: On the west coast, southwest of Changhua City in Changhua County.
Tainan
Guosheng Lighthouse
國聖燈塔
Present structure built in: 1957
Height: 32.7 meters
Location: On the southwest coast in Tainan City’s Qigu District.
Anping Lighthouse
安平燈塔
Present structure built in: 1948
Height: 21.8 meters
Location: North of the entrance to Anping Harbor in Tainan City’s Anping District.
Spending Time in the OLD CITY of TAINAN
Kaohsiung
Qihou Lighthouse
旗后燈塔
Present structure built in: 1916
Height: 15.2 meters
Location: On a hill at the northern end of Qijin Island in Kaohsiung City.
A snow-white 11-meter-high Baroque-style tower erected by the Japanese in 1916, it stands at the edge of a sea-facing cliff guarding Kaohsiung Harbor’s exceedingly narrow north-end mouth.
Things to do in KAOHSIUNG City
Pingtung
White Lighthouse
白燈塔
Present structure built in: 1929
Height: 10 meters
Location: On Xiao Liuqiu Island’s south summit
Eluanbi Lighthouse
鵝鑾鼻燈塔
Present structure built in: 1962
Height: 21.4 meters
Location: Close to the southernmost point of Taiwan in the Kenting National Park
KENTING — The BEST SPOTS from West to East!
Yilan
Su’ao Lighthouse
蘇澳燈塔
Present structure built in: 1927
Height: 7.9 meters
Location: North of the entrance to Su’ao Harbor.
The BEAUTIFUL COAST of southern YILAN
Hualien
Qilaibi Lighthouse
奇萊鼻燈塔
Present structure built in: 1963
Height: 13.4 meters
Location: Northeast of Hualien City, southeast of Qixingtan beach.
The first edition of the Qilaibi Lighthouse was built in 1931 during the Japanese era. After being destroyed during World War II, it was rebuilt in 1963 as a pentagonal tower with a height of only 13.4 meters. The lighthouse is off-limits to the public, but is in full view from points to the south, enabling you to take photos of it with the coastline further to the north serving as backdrop.
HUALIEN Places — Where to Go in East Taiwan’s Largest City
Taitung
Sanxiantai Lighthouse
三仙台燈塔
Present structure built in: 1915
Height: 7 meters
Location: On Sanxiantai Island in Taitung County
Once on the island you can follow a wooden boardwalk, passing strange rocks and tropical vegetation. Coming closer to the far end of the island turn right, leaving the boardwalk, and scramble across the sharp-edged black rocks, close to the water, to reach a steep staircase that leads to a small lighthouse. There you can enjoy an amazing panoramic view of the vast Pacific Ocean in front and the long mainland coastline in the distance behind.
TAITUNG — Chenggong and Changbin Townships
Taitung
Green Island Lighthouse
綠島燈塔
Present structure built in: 1939
Height: 33.3 meters
Location: In the northwest corner of Green Island off the coast of southeastern Taiwan
The Green Island Lighthouse is a beautiful white tower located in the island’s northwest corner close to Bitou Cape. It was a gift from the United States after the SS President Hoover liner hit a reef off the island and was grounded in 1937. Locals rescued the stranded passengers, and a year later, as an act of gratitude, the U.S. donated the funds to build the original lighthouse. The current lighthouse, built in 1948 after the original was destroyed in WWII, stands at just over 33m in height, and is reached by ascending a 150-step staircase. The lighthouse offers a 360-degree-view of Green Island. From March through May the area in front of the lighthouse transforms into blossoming fields of wild lilies. Close by is Wuyouku, a beach area with a large pool of saltwater that appears at low tide, teeming with sea creatures.
Lanyu Lighthouse
蘭嶼燈塔
Present structure built in: 1982
Height: 14.8 meters
Location: In the northwest corner of Lanyu (Orchid Island) off the coast of southeastern Taiwan
Penghu
Mudouyu Lighthouse
目斗嶼燈塔
Present structure built in: 1902
Height: 39.9 meters
Location: On Mudou Island in the north of the Penghu Archipelago
Xiaomenyu Lighthouse
小門嶼燈塔
Present structure built in: n/a
Height: n/a
Location: On Xiaomen Island, north of Xiyu Island, close to the Whale Cave
Jianyu Lighthouse
尖嶼燈塔
Present structure built in: n/a
Height: 3n/a
Location: In the southeast of Baisha Island
Yuwengdao Lighthouse
漁翁島燈塔
Present structure built in: 1875
Height: 11 meters
Location: Close to the southern tip of Xiyu Island
Huayu Lighthouse
花嶼燈塔
Present structure built in: 1939
Height: 12.5 meters
Location: On Hua Island in the southwest of the Penghu Archipelago
Qimei Island Lighthouse
七美燈塔
Present structure built in: 1902
Height: 8.3 meters
Location: Close to the southern tip of Qimei Island in the south of the Penghu Archipelago
Dongjiyu Lighthouse
東吉嶼燈塔
Present structure built in: 1911
Height: n/a
Location: On Dongji Island in the southeast of the Penghu Archipelago
The Amazingly Beautiful Islands of PENGHU
Matsu
Dongyong Lighthouse
東引島燈塔
Present structure built in: 1901
Height: 13 meters
Location: At the easternmost tip of Dongyin Island
The brilliant-white Dongyong Lighthouse’s physical setting – stark, lonely beauty. The lighthouse is perched, at first glance seemingly quite precariously, on the precipitous-angle flank of a mountain, the great sea looming before, nothing in view. The mountain’s upper half looms behind and above, nothing of human creation in view. On the dizzyingly steep complex walkways, you look straight down into the sea at your feet. Completed in 1877, designed by an Englishman in 18th-century British style, this lighthouse is Taiwan’s northernmost national heritage site.
Dongquan Lighthouse
東犬燈塔
Present structure built in: 1872
Height: 19.5 meters
Location: In Dongju Island’s northeast corner
Dongquan Lighthouse is informally called the “Red-Hair Lighthouse.” The term “red-hair” was commonly used for Westerners during China’s imperial days after the Dutch appeared in regional waters. Like Dongyin’s lighthouse, the tall British-built facility, finished in 1872, guided foreign vessels into the nearby China mainland’s Min River after Fuzhou city was opened to trade following the Second Opium War. Britain built numerous lighthouses in the region – China had none – after losing many vessels. The highlight at the cape-tip stronghold below the lighthouse, beyond the stupendous seagull-angle views, is a massive gun poking from a camouflaged emplacement.
