Tainan travel guide
Where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Things to do in Tainan, planned over three days
Best time to visit Tainan
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, dry, warm and sunny, with spoonbills Oct to Mar and lantern season in Feb.
Second sweet spot, warm and mostly dry, Baihe kapok in March and Mazu pilgrimages around April.
Plum rain then hot, humid monsoon and typhoon risk peaking Jul to Sep, August is wettest and worst.
Autumn back to form, rain collapses, highs ease and spoonbills return.
What's on
- Yuejin Lantern Festival Jan/Feb, month-long
Yanshui riverfront becomes a lantern art exhibition, the evening to build a trip around.
- Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival 14th-15th nights of the lunar new year
Bottle rockets fired into helmeted crowds at Yanshui Wu Temple, watch only from official zones in full gear.
- Mazu pilgrimage season ~April
Major processions at Grand Mazu and Anping Kaitai Tianhou temples close streets.
- Dragon Boat Festival fifth lunar month, May/Jun
Races on the Tainan Canal in Anping with the city out to watch.
- Ghost Month seventh lunar month, ~Aug
Temples stay active while some travel and swimming quiets locally.
- Confucius ceremony September 28
Ceremony at the Tainan Confucius Temple, go early.
- Mid-Autumn Festival Sep/Oct
Barbecues and mooncakes as the summer heat finally breaks.
- National Day Oct 10
Holiday crowds across the city and hotels full, so book early for the long weekend.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Tainan
Anping Old Fort
Dutch fort taken by Koxinga in 1662, giving the founding story of Taiwan and harbour views in one site.
Anping Tree House
Former warehouse threaded through by a vast banyan, seen from raised walkways above the roots.
Chihkan Tower
Dutch fort turned pavilions and gardens with Qing stelae on stone turtles, the centre pick sight.
Tainan Confucius Temple
Taiwan's oldest Confucius temple from 1665, a calm red walled academy still used for ceremony.
Shennong Street
Lantern hung Qing era lane of cafes, bars and craft shops, most atmospheric after dark.
Grand Mazu Temple
Taiwan's first official Mazu temple from 1684, grand, incense heavy and alive with worshippers.
Official God of War Temple
One of Taiwan's oldest Guan Gong temples near Grand Mazu, with a famous plaque and calmer feel.
Chimei Museum
Huge private museum with world class violins, arms and armour, Western art and natural history.
Where to stay in Tainan
West Central District
first trip, all-round base
The old city itself, walkable to Chihkan, temples, Shennong Street, Guohua Street food and the museum district.
Anping District
quieter resort stay, second visit, families wanting a pool
Historic port and newer canal waterfront with larger, calmer hotels, but 20 to 30 minutes from West Central sights.
East District / around Tainan Station
transit and business, one-night rail stop
Station, university quarter and department stores, practical and well connected but with the least charm.
North District
budget stays near Garden Night Market
Residential and cheaper, with beef soup on the doorstep and 10 to 15 minutes to the centre by bus or taxi.
Think twice about
- Highway motel rows in Yongkang, Rende and along the provincial highways
Many are car first love motels in industrial areas with no pavements and no food within walking distance.
- Deep Anping and the far canal and yacht-resort fringe without a car
Pleasant resorts in an isolating location, you will taxi everywhere including to dinner.
- Tainan Station forecourt and busiest Zhongshan Road blocks
Not unsafe, but traffic choked and the least pleasant doorstep, a poor sleep for light sleepers.
- Yanshui during Beehive Festival nights
The town fills completely for the festival and prices and noise follow the rockets, unless you are there for it.
Best restaurants in Tainan
Yu Dao
Tainan's first starred table, one seasonal tasting menu with French technique on local produce.
Xiluodian Beef Soup
Great-value beef soup breakfast, clear broth poured over fresh local beef slices at the table.
Small Park Danzai Noodles
Great-value danzai noodles, the small 1895 Tainan bowl of pork shrimp broth, minced pork and one shrimp.
A Xing Congee
Great-value milkfish congee with oysters and fish belly, the other classic Tainan breakfast.
Yi Wei Pin
Great-value wagui rice pudding with handmade milkfish soup on Guohua Street, the local standard order.
A-Song Gua Bao
Gua bao shop next to Yi Wei Pin with 80 plus years, pork and tongue fillings and free pork broth dine in.
Eastern Castle Noodles
Acclaimed stir fried eel noodles in a sweet sour dark sauce by the old east city wall.
Huang Chia Shrimp Roll
Great-value Anping shrimp rolls, crispy whole shrimp with soy paste, mustard and pickled radish.
Outdoor things to do in Tainan
Sicao Green Tunnel
Boat ride down a narrow mangrove canal where branches close overhead, with crabs, mudskippers and egrets.
Jingzaijiao Tile-paved Salt Fields
Taiwan's oldest surviving salt field pattern, where low sun turns the pans into mirrors at sunset.
Guanziling Hot Spring
Rare mud hot springs in a Japanese era mountain village, silky grey water that leaves skin smoother.
Ten Drum Cultural Village
Converted sugar factory with powerful live drumming plus slides, swings and a sky walkway inside.
Yuguang Island
Pine shaded crescent beach reached by canal cycle paths, Tainan's favourite sunset spot.
Caoshan Moon World
Bare chalk badlands and mudstone ridges best at dawn, paired with the Zuojhen fossil museum.
Nan Yi Golf & Country Club
Championship hill course southeast of Tainan, the course most linked to pro events in the area.
Tainan Golf Club
Tainan's older golf club, closer to the city, with visitor play arranged ahead and caddies standard.
Best hotels in Tainan
Silks Place Tainan
The top central hotel by Xiaoximen, walkable to temples and museums, with a pool and large calm rooms.
Lakeshore Hotel Tainan
Strong mid range central hotel with pool, sauna and gym, and a big breakfast.
U.I.J. Hotel & Hostel
Design led hotel and upscale hostel near the Confucius Temple, with a well regarded restaurant and bar.
The Retro Tai-Pan
Small boutique hotel in industrial meets classical style near Hai'an art street, with breakfast included.
Kindness Day Hotel
Plainer excellent value alternative in West Central, with a big breakfast buffet and bright modern rooms.
Crowne Plaza Tainan
Anping luxury pick by the canal, with resort pools and polished service.
Aloft Tainan Anping
Modern international mid range hotel in Anping, predictable and good for families and drivers.
Hotel de L'eau
Local Anping alternative in the same mid range tier as Aloft, with a canal side feel.
Is Tainan expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NT$1,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NT$2,750 a person |
| Splurge | NT$6,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Sicao Green Tunnel: a few days ahead
- Nan Yi Golf & Country Club: a few days ahead
- Tainan Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Yu Dao: months ahead
- A-Yu Beef Shabu-Shabu: a few days ahead
- Gyu Go Zou: a few days ahead
- Yu Dao first, the moment dates are fixed, before hotels.
- Hotels for Lunar New Year and three day weekends sell out, West Central mid range goes first.
- Sicao Green Tunnel boats on weekends: arrive before 10am or book the ticket ahead.
- Chimei Museum special exhibitions are timed and sell out online. Golf needs concierge booking days ahead.
Is Tainan safe?
- Very safe by big city standards, standard market crowd bag awareness is enough.
- Main risks are scooter traffic, summer heat and sun, mosquitoes at wetlands and dusk, and typhoons cancelling boats.
- Emergency numbers are 110 for police and 119 for fire and ambulance.
Tainan travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Anping Old Street at 2pm on a Saturday is shoulder to shoulder, go at 10am on a weekday.
- Qigu Salt Mountain as a standalone destination disappoints, treat it as a photo stop only.
- Tainan as a day trip from Taipei misses beef soup dawn and lantern lit Shennong after dark.
- Ask price and weight first at tour group stalls with unposted prices.
Getting around Tainan: public transport and more
- No MRT in Tainan. Walk West Central, use buses 88 and 99, YouBike, taxis and Uber, and TRA for day trips.
- Bus 99 links Anping to Sicao and Taijiang. Pay buses with EasyCard or iPASS.
- HSR Tainan Station is in Guiren south of the city, a shuttle bus or local train ride from the centre.
- Rent a scooter only with a motorcycle endorsed international permit. As a pedestrian, watch scooters at every crossing.
Who Tainan suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Tainan your trip
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