Tainan is a small city located in southern Taiwan and also the oldest city, is the old capital of Taiwan with a rich and long-standing culture, cool climate, excellent cuisine, suitable for who want to explore the ancient cultural traditions, rituals and Taoism of the island nation. Initially, when the Dutch ruled, Tainan was established as a ruling and trading base. After that, in the 17th century, General Koxinga defeated the Dutch, regained Tainan and turned it into the capital for a long time. There is still a Confucius Temple built in the 17th century, and Tainan people are always proud because they still retain more ancient temples than anywhere in Taiwan. So when visiting Tainan, covering the city is a quiet nostalgic feeling, easy to see ancient and old architecture in everywhere, the mossy street corners, peaceful, vintage, slowly lifestyle, gentle life.
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So, is Tainan worth visiting, what to do in Tainan and how to plan a budget trip to Tainan for the first-time perfectly? Let’s check out our Tainan travel blog (Tainan blog) with the fullest Tainan travel guide (guide to Tainan, Tainan tourist guide, Tainan city guide, Tainan guide) from how to get Tainan, best places to visit, best time to come, what to eat as well as top things to do in Tainan to help you maximize your trip as follows!
Tainan blog — When is the best time to visit Tainan?
Tainan weather is relatively warm, the summer is often heavy rain, the best time to visit this city is in fall or spring.
In the Spring (February to April), the temperature is usually around 20 degrees Celsius, with little rain, dry, suitable for visiting tourist destinations such as national parks or museums. And this is also the time of the traditional New Year, and the Spring Festival, so the city scenery is more colors, more beautiful and more fun.
Autumn (September – November) with dry weather and cool climate so it is very convenient to travel, sightseeing. Autumn has beautiful scene, green color gradually change to yellow and red of Maple leaves.
Winter weather is colder, not favorable for traveling. But if you are a snow lover and winter activities, this is not a bad time.
Tainan travel blog — How to get to Tainan?
From Vietnam you can fly directly to Tainan or from other provinces of Taiwan to Tainan by train or by HSR high speed train. Normally in cities, train stations, high-speed trains and main bus stations are close together, so you can buy tickets at the central stations of cities/provinces. (In Taipei will be Taipei Main Station; Taichung station is Taichung station, Kaohsiung will be Zuoying station).
Tainan travel guide — Getting from Tainan Airport to the city
To getting from Tainan Airport to the city center, visitors have two public transportation options: bus and taxi.
Bus: There are two bus routes that visitors can travel from Tainan Airport to the city center: NO.5 Tainan City Bus and R3 Bus (Go through the Tainan Train Station – HSR train station – Tainan Airport). This is a type of city bus so travelers need to determined the area of their hotel located near the stop point to reach and down. Ticket price is around 20 TWD ($0.65)/trip.
Taxi: Taxis are available 24/24 at the airport so you can catch one at anytime to go to the city center. However, picking up the car at night will cost more than 20% more daytime.
Tainan blog — Getting around Tainan
Most of Tainan’s main tourist attractions are located near an area around the city center so you can walk to explore. Visitors who do not want to walk can contact and ask their hotel staff for a bicycle rental service or ask for a nearby bicycle rental. You can rent a bike from T-Bike: Phone: 0800-527527 (Local) / 06-2436668 (Mobile). Email: [email protected]. Website: http://tbike.tainan.gov.tw/Portal/en-US.
Tainan blog — Where to stay in Tainan?
Here are some good hotels in Tainan you can refer to:
Silks Place Tainan
Silks Place Tainan is the perfect place to feel Tainan and its surroundings. Only 58.6 km from Tainan Airport, so this 5-star hotel can be easily accessed from the airport. With the good location, from hotel you can easily to reach the popular attractions of the city. Whether you are a fun person or just want to relax after a busy day, you will feel comfortable when using the hotel facilities such as fitness room, outdoor swimming
pool, children’s playground, kids club. Silks Place Tainan is an ideal place for who want to stay and seeking charm, comfort and convenience in Tainan. Room rates from $131. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Address: No. 1號, Heyi Road, West Central District, Tainan City, Taiwan 700
Phone: +886 6 213 6290
Hotel Tainan
When visiting Tainan, you will feel at home at Hotel Tainan, where excellent quality and thoughtful service. From here, guests can enjoy easy access to all that the lively city has to offer. Guests can take a stroll around the city’s top tourist attractions such as: Tainan HSR station, Focus Square, Si Hua Tang…Rates from $57.83. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Address: 1 Cheng Gong Road, West Central Dist, Tainan 70050, Taiwan R.O.C., Tainan City, Tainan, Taiwan, 70050
Phone: +886 6 228 9101
Kindness Hotel – Tainan Chihkan Tower
Kindness Hotel Tainan, located in the Tainan City area, is a popular choice for travelers. From the hotel you can quickly and easily reach many local points of interest of Tainan city such as: Confucius Temple is only 400 meter away, National Museum and Chikan Tower are only a 5- minute walk away, 6-minute walking from Fuzhong Underground Station where you only take 12 minutes to Tainan Airport. Price range: $55 – $122. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Address: No. 97, Section 2, Minquan Road, West Central District, Tainan City, Taiwan 700
Phone: +886 6 225 3377
You can also refer to the mid-range, budget hostels, homestays with good ratings and reviews below:
Dynasty Hotel: 3-star hotel with room rates from $31. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Address: No. 46號, Chenggong Road, North District, Tainan City, Taiwan 704
Phone: +886 6 225 8121
FX Hotel Tainan Minsheng Rd: 4-star hotel with room rates from $38. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Address: No. 76, Section 2, Minsheng Road, West Central District, Tainan City, Taiwan 700
Phone: +886 6 511 6977
Fuward Hotel: 4-star hotel with room rates from $45. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Address: No. 28號, Section 2, Zhongyi Road, West Central District, Tainan City, Taiwan 700
Phone: +886 6 225 1000
Tie Dao Hotel: 3-star hotel with room rates from $11. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Address: No.2, Chenggong Rd., North Dist, Tainan City, Tainan, Taiwan, 70443
Phone: +886 6 221 3200
Premier Hotel: 3-star hotel with room rates from $45. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Address: No. 128, Gongyuan Road, North District, Tainan City, Taiwan 704
Phone: +886 6 225 2141
At Tainan Inn: 3-star hotel with room rates from $29. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Address: No.292 Rongyu Street, Tainan 70167, Taiwan
Phone: +886 6 290 5388
Edinburgh Motel: A good motel with room rates from $44. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Address: No. 77號, Yonghua 5th Street, Anping District, Tainan City, Taiwan 708
Phone: +886 6 297 0116
Fuqi Hostel – ZhongZheng: A very good hostel with room rates from $14. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Address: No.70, Zhongzheng Rd, Tainan City, Tainan, Taiwan
Phone: +886 6 703 4543
Yi Pin Yuan Hotel: A good hotel with room rates from $19. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Address: No.182, Baoan Rd., Tainan City, Taiwan
Phone: +886 6 221 2666
Rainbow Island B&B: A good hotel with room rates from $29. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Address: No. 94, Chenggong Road, North District, Tainan City, Taiwan 704
Phone: +886 982 050 400
Good Ground Hotel: 3-star hotel with room rates from $42. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Address: No. 18, Zunwang Road, West Central District, Tainan City, Taiwan 700
Phone: +886 6 222 1105
Leo Ho Hostel: 2-star hostel with room rates from $24. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Address: Weimin St., West Central Dist.,Tainan Train Station,, Tainan City, Tainan, Taiwan
Phone: +886 981 236 957
Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel: A luxury hotel with room rates from $231. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Address: No. 201號, Section 2, Dunhua South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
Phone: +886 2 2378 8888
You can find, check rates, availability & booking for Tainan hotels on Agoda.com or Booking.com or Airbnb.com.
Tainan blog — Best places to visit and top things to do in Tainan
Anping Old street – Anping Tree House – Anping Fort (#tainan travel blog)
These 3 places are close together, so if you visiting here, you should visit all three places.
Anping Old Street
Visiting Taiwan, you definitely have to visit Tainan’s Anping Old Street, which is an old, narrow, but still airy street, along the street are high brick houses, a bit old. Along the two sides of the street are dense shops but still very orderly. There are many unique items sold in this street such as: Tainan’s typical fruits, famous peanut candy, pig’s blood, Tainan sausage .. or you can find the unique souvenirs and gifts such as cloth dolls, wooden dolls which only sell in this market.
Anping Fort (Fort Zeelandia)
Fort Zeelandia, originally is a fortress was built by the Dutch, dating from the 17th century, so it is a valued historic landmark. Entrance ticket is very cheap only 50 NT, inside the fort is a small museum which exhibits the artifacts and information of the fort and Tainan history. The outside, the traces of the walls was built by red bricks stills remain, look so catch-eyes and vintage. Walking around a minute, you will meet the observation tower, but only to stand at the bottom and looking up. In the fort campus has the statue of General Koxinga, a Chinese talent general in the 17th century, who was regained Tainan from the Dutch.
Anping Tree House
Exactly this place is more like a garden, you can walk under the trees, walk a little more will encounter a small lake. Visitors who self-sufficient travel can spend an hour for strolling in the garden, breathe the fresh air of Tainan and watch the bizarre architecture of the unique house. Originally, Anping Tree House is an old warehouse of a factory, next to this storehouse is a huge banyan tree, the banyan tree grows, grows up, until one day its huge roots swallow up the storehouse. The root branches cling to and tighten the walls, even rising through the roof. From there, they abandon the warehouse and keep that unique feature so that people can come to visit.
Address: No. 50-2, Yanping St, Anping District, Tainan City, 708.
How to get there: Take the bus No. 2, 88 or 99 from Tainan Train Station.
Ticket price: 50 NT/place of sightseeing.
Confucius Temple
It was built around the 17th century. At that time, the place that built the Confucius Temple was a hill, with the Confucius Temple on the right and the National School on the left. In the East is the Hall of Morality, which is easily understood as a place of the preaching of the masters (like the university lecture hall today), the West is the Hall of the Great, is the worship Confucius and the disciples.
Now the Confucius Temple is preserved and respected. Although the temple is located in the middle of the street, but steps through the red gate (East Dacheng Gate) to enter the temple campus, completely like a world in another, sanctified, solemn but serene, peaceful, people are returning to the nature of each human being: man is innately good; human nature is basically good.