Trip to Tainan
Visiting the Old City of Tainan
Tainan is the oldest city in Taiwan. It served as the first capital of Taiwan for two hundred years until 1887, when the capital was moved to Taipei.
Recommended Hotels in Tainan
Golden Tulip RS Boutique Hotel
A modern, high-quality 4-star boutique hotel. Free minibar in the rooms. Rich breakfast. Free washer and dryer available for guest use. Central location near a wide variety of restaurants and shops. The hotel features a restaurant, bar, and complimentary bicycles for guests.
Silks Place Tainan
A 5-star hotel in a central location. Features an outdoor pool, fitness center, restaurant, and bar. Excellent breakfast.
Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Tainan
A 5-star hotel in downtown Tainan, just a 2-minute walk from the Tainan Train Station. The hotel offers a swimming pool with a sauna and hot tub, a spa, and comfortable, spacious rooms with Asian-inspired decor. There is also a great on-site restaurant.
Attractions for Travelers in Tainan
Guided tours available for booking through Viator
A tour in Tainan for cruise passengers from the Port of Kaohsiung and a 5-day tour in Taiwan that includes Tainan:
Gubao Street Pedestrian Mall
A charming, long pedestrian street open to foot traffic on holidays and weekends between 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM. It is packed with food stalls and diverse shops. Further down the street and perpendicular to it is another narrower pedestrian street called Yanping Street, which is the oldest street in Taiwan and also features a variety of intriguing shops and food stalls.
Ten Drums
A former large sugar processing factory that was closed and converted after renovation into a performance hall, along with numerous halls and rooms hosting various activities such as drumming lessons, slides, a climbing wall, and more.
This is a truly unique place, offering a rare opportunity for anyone who has never seen a large chemical plant to tour a massive facility (a decommissioned one in this case, of course). Visitors walk inside a giant industrial structure complete with pipes, pumps, and massive storage tanks converted into entertainment halls—all without the chemicals, heat, odor, and noise of an active plant.
The highlight of the site is an extraordinary drumming performance in a large venue converted into a theater hall.
The attraction is located in southern Tainan.
Chimei Museum
The museum is housed in a magnificent, modern building whose architecture somewhat resembles the US Capitol Building.
While many travelers are not avid museum enthusiasts, this museum can appeal to anyone thanks to the remarkable diversity of exhibits across its different wings. The museum spans two floors, with each hall and section presenting an entirely distinct theme from the last. Near the entrance is a massive natural history hall featuring an extensive collection of taxidermy animals—ranging from massive creatures such as elephants, rhinos, and giraffes, to deer, zebras, and leopards, alongside a wide display of birds of all sizes and species.
The subsequent sections showcase weaponry from various historical periods, ranging from spears, swords, and bows to handguns, rifles, and cannons, along with various sets of protective armor worn by warriors.
Another hall displays a fine art collection of paintings by various artists. The museum also houses an impressive and diverse collection of sculptures.
A significant section of the museum is dedicated to a rich and fascinating collection of musical instruments, including antique, functioning music boxes demonstrated at scheduled times.
A unique attraction in the musical instrument wing consists of multiple TV screens placed throughout the hall, each showing a musician playing a different instrument. Together, they perform in complete harmony, synchronized to a central screen opposite them featuring a conductor leading the entire virtual orchestra. To our great surprise, while we were in that hall, the orchestra played "Hatikvah," the national anthem of Israel! It was an incredibly moving coincidence!
Anping Tree House
This site features the remnants of a large warehouse whose roof collapsed, after which large banyan trees grew inside and over its walls. The tree roots can be seen wrapping around the masonry like a giant octopus spreading its tentacles in every direction. For visitors' convenience, elevated walkways were built above the structure, allowing visitors to walk through and view the ruins and trees from above. Located in northwestern Tainan.
Sihcao Green Tunnel Mangrove Boat Tour
In northern Tainan, near the coastline around an estuary area, you can take a boat ride through mangrove bushes along a canal that is almost completely covered above, as the branches from both sides nearly meet. You can spot colorful fiddler crabs on the mudbanks along with several species of birds.
Additionally, next to a large stone on the bank, a sign indicates the remains of Fort Zeeburg from the era of Dutch colonial rule. The water is quite murky. Parts of the canal banks are reinforced with sandbags for stabilization. The ride takes place on open rafts shared with dozens of other passengers, seated on small plastic stools that are not secured to the boat. Each passenger is provided a life jacket, and the tour guide speaks Chinese. The boat tour lasts about 15 minutes.
The site can get quite crowded with tourists and often has long queues. Those who have already toured mangroves elsewhere in the world can easily skip it!
Confucius Temple
The temple was constructed in 1665 during the Koxinga dynasty. It is the first Confucius temple built in Taiwan.
The complex served as an educational center for Confucian teachings. The temple has been renovated several times since its founding. Today, it primarily functions as a historic tourist attraction and a venue for ceremonies. Ceremonial musical instruments used during these rituals are also preserved on site.
The grounds also feature the Wenchang Pavilion pagoda, which is frequently visited by students—especially prior to exams—to pray for academic success.
Forts from the Dutch Colonial Era
Tainan had a period of Dutch colonial rule. The Dutch built Fort Zeelandia in 1624, followed later by a second fortress named Fort Provintia. Dutch rule ended after just 38 years when they surrendered to the military commander Koxinga.
Fort Zeelandia
Only a single wall remains of the original fortress. The site features a small museum and an observation tower offering panoramic views of the surrounding area that visitors can climb.
Chihkan Tower (Fort Provintia Site)
Chihkan Tower was constructed where the second Dutch fortress, Fort Provintia, once stood before being destroyed by an earthquake in the 19th century. It is essentially a temple and pavilion complex built upon the original foundation of the ancient fort.
A scale model of the historic fortress that once stood here is on display at the site.
A Short Video About Traveling in Tainan: