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.

tainan city
Anping Old Street, Tainan
Fuzhong St Tainan Taiwan
Fuzhong Street, Tainan
Tainan Confucius Temple
Tainan Confucius Temple
Sihcao Dajhong Temple.
Sihcao Dajhong Temple, Taijiang National Park

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!

Cafe Moment
Cafe Moment
Tainan Flowers Night Market
Tainan Flowers Night Market | tainan travel blog
Jin Hua 61 Dessert Tau Suan Tainan Anping Old Street
A bowl of iced mung bean soup (a.k.a. tau suan), Anping Old Street
Oyster omelettes are one of Taiwan's most popular street snacks, and Tainan's Huayuan Night Market (aka Flowers Night Market, 花園夜市), ...
Oyster omelettes are one of Taiwan’s most popular street snacks, and Tainan’s Huayuan Night Market (aka Flowers Night Market, 花園夜市), …

Tainan blog — When is the best time to visit Tainan?

tainan maple leaf3

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.

Kapok flowers blossom in Tainan
Kapok flowers blossom in Spring

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.

tainan autumn
Tainan in Autumn
Red Maple Park-Tainan
Red Maple Park, Tainan

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?

Taiwan High Speed Rail 700T
You can travel to Tainan by Taiwan High Speed Rail. Credit: Tainan blog.
04 Business Class for Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR) 台灣高速鐵 (Large)
Business Class for Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR) 台灣高速鐵 (Large)

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_Taiwan_TRA-Tainan-Station-01
Tainan Railway Station

Tainan travel guide — Getting from Tainan Airport to the city

tainan airport
Tainan Airport

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.

tainan city bus
Tainan City Bus

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 taxi
Tainan taxi. Credit: tainan travel blog.

Tainan blog — Getting around Tainan

street-in-tainan-taiwan
You can walking to discover 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.

You can rent a bike from T-Bike
T-Bike

Tainan blog — Where to stay in Tainan?

Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Tainan
Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, one of the best hotels in Tainan with room rates starts at $110. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).

Here are some good hotels in Tainan you can refer to:

Silks Place Tainan

Hotel 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).

Hotel Silks Place Tainan

Hotel Silks Place Tainan

Address: No. 1號, Heyi Road, West Central District, Tainan City, Taiwan 700
Phone: +886 6 213 6290

Hotel Tainan

Hotel Tainan
| tainan travel blog

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).

Hotel Tainan

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 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).

Kindness Hotel - Tainan Chihkan Tower

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

dynasty hotel tainan
| tainan travel blog

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

FX Hotel Tainan Minsheng Rd

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

fuward hotel tainan

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

Tie Dao Hotel tainan

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

premier hotel tainan

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

At Tainan Inn

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

Edinburgh Motel tainan

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

Fuqi Hostel- ZhongZheng agoda
| tainan travel blog

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

Yi Pin Yuan Hotel

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

Rainbow Island B&B

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

Good Ground Hotel

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

Leo Ho Hostel

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

Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel

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

tainan blog

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

Anping Old Street (Yanping Old Street)
Anping (or Yanping 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 Old Street (Yanping Old Street)
Picture: tainan blog.
Anping Old Street (Yanping Old Street)
Credit: tainan travel blog.

Anping Old Street (Yanping Old Street)

Anping Old Street (Yanping Old Street)

Anping Old Street (Yanping Old Street)

Anping Old Street (Yanping Old Street)
Anping souvenir shop
tainan city
Anping Old Street, Tainan
Anping Historic (Old) Street in Tainan
Anping Historic (Old) Street in Tainan
Noodles shop Da You Xing Yi Noodles in tainan Anping old street
Noodles shop Da You Xing Yi Noodles in tainan Anping old street
Syphon coffee bottle in tainan anping old street
Syphon coffee bottle in tainan anping old street
Anping Old Street Oyster Omelette
Anping Old Street Oyster Omelette
Coffin Bread in Anping street
Coffin Bread in Anping street

Anping Fort (Fort Zeelandia)

Tainan_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.

General Koxinga
The statue of General Koxinga

Tainan_fort_Fort-Zeelandia

Tainan_fort_Fort-Zeelandia

Visitors can climb to the top of Fort Zeelandia's watchtower

cannon Picture: tainan blog.
Picture: tainan blog.

cannon

Bird's eye view of Fort Zeelandia in early 1600s in what is now Anping District
Bird’s eye view of Fort Zeelandia in early 1600s in what is now Anping District
The Dutch surrender
The Dutch surrender

General Koxinga2

Anping Tree House

Anping_Tree_House__4

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.

Anping_Tree_House__4

Anping_Tree_House__4
Credit: tainan travel blog.

Anping_Tree_House__4

Anping Treehouse Roof
Anping Treehouse Roof
114301-Anping-Tree-House
Picture: tainan blog.

114301-Anping-Tree-House

114301-Anping-Tree-House

114301-Anping-Tree-House

114301-Anping-Tree-House
Picture: tainan blog.

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1200px-Anping_Tree_House,_Tainan_(Taiwan)
Credit: tainan travel blog.

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

East Dacheng Gate

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.

1200px-TaiwanConfuciusTempleTainan

tainan confucius temple

1200px-TaiwanConfuciusTempleTainan

1200px-TaiwanConfuciusTempleTainan

1200px-TaiwanConfuciusTempleTainan

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.

1200px-TaiwanConfuciusTempleTainan

1200px-TaiwanConfuciusTempleTainan

1200px-TaiwanConfuciusTempleTainan

1200px-TaiwanConfuciusTempleTainan

1200px-TaiwanConfuciusTempleTainan

1200px-TaiwanConfuciusTempleTainan
Prayers being held inside Confucius Temple in Tainan city in Taiwan. Picture: tainan blog.

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