Kaohsiung to Magong on the Penghu Ferry: mostly a 23:30 night sailing, not daily

NT$860 buys the cheapest adult place on the Penghu Ferry from Kaohsiung to Magong: an economy seat, one way. The same seat back from Penghu is NT$819, because the operator, Taiwan Navigation, prints a separate fare table for each direction. The ship made its first run from Kaohsiung to Magong on September 5, 2023, carries up to 600 passengers and has a vehicle deck below. You may still see the older Taihua named on the Penghu National Scenic Area's ferry page, but the ship Taiwan Navigation sails on this route today is the Penghu Ferry.

There is no daily timetable. Taiwan Navigation publishes a calendar with a time against each date, and on many days there is simply no ship. In November and December 2026 the most common pattern is a night departure from Kaohsiung at 23:30 and an afternoon return from Magong at 15:30. A few Mondays switch to a daytime trip, 09:00 from Kaohsiung, with the return at 16:00. Dates marked with a dash, such as November 3 to 5, have nothing in either direction, so build your trip around the calendar rather than the other way round.

The night sailing saves a day of travel: the operator says the 23:30 reaches Magong around 06:00, depending on weather and passenger numbers. Passengers without a vehicle collect tickets by 22:30 and board between 22:30 and 22:50. A berth makes more sense than a seat on that crossing; berths in the economy cabin cost NT$980 from Kaohsiung.

Sailing dates for November and December 2026

Penghu Ferry sailing calendars for November and December 2026 (website tables and PDFs agree; December sheet revised 28 Aug 2026). This page covers November 2 to December 31, 2026; dates without a time have no sailing. Checked October 30, 2026.   Taiwan Navigation – Penghu Ferry sailing calendar · 2026-10-30

Seat, berth or cabin: the price in each direction

Two things set the price: the port you leave from and the class you book. Leaving Kaohsiung costs more than leaving Penghu. The cheapest option is an economy seat, NT$860 outbound and NT$819 back; a business-class seat and a berth in a shared economy cabin cost the same as each other, NT$980 out and NT$933 back. Adult fares apply from age 12, and the child fare covers ages 3 to 11, with proof of age.

The senior and disability fares, priced like the child fare, are for Republic of China citizens only, so most foreign visitors pay the adult fare. A baby under 3 needs an infant insurance ticket, NT$100, one per adult. There is also a Penghu-resident fare for registered county residents.

Penghu Ferry fare tables, one for each direction (no start date printed). Checked October 30, 2026.   Taiwan Navigation – Penghu Ferry fares · 2026-10-30

Hamasen in Kaohsiung, Linhai Road in Magong

The Kaohsiung end is due to move to Pier 8 and the Penglai passenger terminal, with ticket sales on sailing days at 1-10 Penglai Road. The move was pushed back to May 2027 and the exact day has not been announced, so every sailing on this page still uses Pier 1. Once in Magong, the county boats to the southern islands, such as the Magong to Wang'an ferry and the Magong to Qimei ferry, leave from the South Sea pier on Xinying Road, not from the Penghu Ferry terminal.

Across the strait to Penghu

The ship leaves Pier 1 in Kaohsiung and berths on the Linhai Road side of Magong Harbor. Taiwan Navigation only gives arrival times as approximate: around 13:30 for the 09:00 from Kaohsiung, around 06:00 for the 23:30, around 15:30 for the 11:00 from Penghu and around 20:00 for the 15:30, all subject to weather and passenger numbers. It publishes no arrival time for the 16:00 from Magong.

Boarding the Penghu Ferry as a visitor

• Collect your ticket an hour early

  Buy or collect tickets at the counter at least one hour before departure. Sales and vehicle loading stop 30 minutes before, and you must be through the check by then. The self-service kiosk only works for all-adult orders without a vehicle.

• Passport for every passenger

  Staff check the ticket and an identity document for each person, both at collection and at the gangway. Drivers shipping a car or scooter also need the original vehicle registration.

• New Year sailings open November 4

  Tickets for sailings from December 30 to January 4 go on sale at midnight on November 4, 2026. Normally you can book up to 56 days ahead and until 4 hours before departure, up to four passengers and one vehicle per booking.

• Bikes travel as freight

  Even a folded, bagged bicycle cannot come on board as hand luggage. Buy a bicycle ticket and hand it in at the pier's freight office on the day; an unbagged bike is charged as cargo.

• Pets ride outside

  Cats and dogs travel in a carrier no larger than 60 cm on each side, one per passenger, in the pet area on the open A deck, port side. Guide dogs may enter the cabins.

• Northeast monsoon season

  The operator warns that from early November to March the northeast monsoon brings strong wind and rough seas. Sailings on October 21 and 22 were called off for a typhoon; a cancelled date shows as suspended on the official calendar.

A ship bought as a public service

Taiwan Navigation's own history of the ship explains the arrangement. The Maritime and Port Bureau planned the vessel as a government-purchased transport service, the Executive Yuan approved the plan in April 2021, and Taiwan Navigation won the operating rights in May that year. The hull was built by Naikai Zosen in Japan, launched and named on April 4, 2023, and delivered on August 9, 2023, sailing straight from Japan to Kaohsiung. On board are 2 VIP rooms, 8 first-class cabins (2 of them accessible), 10 business cabins and 60 economy cabins, plus 60 business seats and 240 economy seats, with lifts to every deck.

It is built as a ro-ro vessel, and its lower deck carries cars, trucks and construction vehicles, as well as building materials and chilled and frozen goods for the islands. For a visitor that means two things. You can ship your own car or scooter across instead of renting one in Magong, booked in advance and checked against its registration papers; and the ticket offices keep hours tied to freight handling, so the Magong counter opens differently on sailing days and on days without a ship.

Taking the ship from Kaohsiung to Magong: questions from visitors