Tainan, Taiwan

Tainan

The old capital of Taiwan, Tainan is Taiwan’s oldest city and is known for its’ temples, forts, and delicious food. Located in the southwest, you can take the high speed rail here from Taipei in under 2 hours. When we were there, I hardly saw any other tourists, and this was where we had all the best food. My husband was born here and much of his family still lives here, so they know all the great things to eat and the best places to get them. There aren’t a ton of tourist attractions to see here and it’s much more slow paced than Taipei, but there was still plenty to do.

I saw a couple of day tours advertised that could bring you to the main attractions, but there are also taxis. Uber is not available here yet, and the taxi drivers did not really speak English, so you would probably have to show them on a map or use a translator like google translate for where you want to go. The weather always seems to be quite a bit warmer here than in Taipei, and we were happy to get some sunshine after so many rainy cloudy days in Taipei.

Things To Do

Check Out a Temple

Tainan is packed full of temples, and you are guaranteed to run in to one if you wander more than a few blocks. If you are going to Chihkan Tower, there are a few that you can easily walk to before or after your visit. The God of War Temple and Tainan Grand Mazu Temple are both directly across the street from the tower. I enjoyed the temples here more than in Taipei because there are far less people and it is more peaceful. We visited Tiantan Tiangong Temple which was a little farther away, but it was just us and a few other people that were worshipping. At the temples, you can purchase joss paper, which is a representation of things like money or clothing. The thought is that when you burn the joss paper, the offering is brought into the spirit world through the smoke. You pray first, burn the joss paper, and have crackers for good health. Although no one will most likely be enforcing the dress code, you should still dress modestly.

Tiantan Tiangong Temple

Anping Fort

View From Anping Fort Tower

Also known as Fort Zeelandia, Anping Fort was originally built by the Dutch in the 1600s. It has had many different uses and owners since then, and after many years of neglect was rebuilt by the Japanese after WWII. Today, it is mostly all reconstructed, but there are still a couple of the original walls that you can see covered in tree branches. Replicas of cannons, a couple of statues, and a museum were also on the Fort grounds. You are able to climb the tower and get a nice view of the surrounding area. The admission fee was $NT50 (under $2USD) and you are can visit between 830am-530pm. We spent about an hour visiting the fort and reading about its history at the displays. Just outside the fort, there is Anping Old Street that has many local food options and little shops. It is also just down the street from Anping Treehouse.

Anping Fort

Cannons at Anping Fort

Anping treehouse

Inside Anping Treehouse

Not really a treehouse at all, Anping Treehouse is an old abandoned warehouse that has been completely taken over by banyan tree roots. Once owned by Tait & Co, the warehouse used to store sugar before it was exported. After being abandoned in the 1940s, the warehouse sat empty for over 70 years and became overgrown by the tree. It was reopened in 2004 as Anping Treehouse, and today is a popular tourist site. When you first enter the Anping Treehouse Complex, you will first see an old house that was occupied by Tait & Co. Walking along, you will also see a museum displaying the history of the treehouse, bathrooms, and a gift shop. There is a walkway through the treehouse that allows you to see all angles of it. This was unlike anyplace I have seen before, and it was pretty cool to see just how huge this one banyan tree had grown. You could even see some of the branches growing through the walls and over windows. When we were visiting, there was and art exhibition throughout the treehouse to enjoy. If you keep walking through the treehouse, you will find a small pond with many fish. The entry fee is $50NT (under $2USD) and you are able to visit from 830am-530pm.

A room inside Anping Treehouse

Walkway over ecopond

Chihkan Tower

Koi Fish on Chihkan Tower Grounds

Also known as Fort Provintia, Chihkan Tower is one of the most famous buildings in Tainan. It was originally built by the Dutch in the 1600s as an administrative building and has served many purposes since then. After being destroyed by an earthquake, the structure and design has been changed many times. Today, the grounds have 2 chinese style buildings where the original tower was. After climbing the many steep stairs, inside you will find exhibitions about the history of the tower. On the tower grounds, there are also ponds with koi fish, gardens, and many statues. Many people were sitting on the benches relaxing in the shade. Admission is $50NT (under $2USD) and it is open from 830am-9pm. Chihkan Tower is within walking distance some really great food and temples you can visit as well.

Chihkan Tower

Gardens at Chihkan Tower

Eat At the Food Markets

YongLe Market

There were many markets scattered around Tainan, and we stopped at a couple of them to walk around, eat, and shop. YongLe Market is the main food street that we visited while we were in Tainan, and we ate here every day at least once. It is not very long but has all the best foods. You can easily walk to the market from Chihkan Tower and the temples I mentioned before. Hardly anyone at the market spoke English and you will need cash, but you should not miss it. When we wanted to order something, we just pointed or held up our fingers for how many we wanted and had no problems!

Here is a screenshot of google maps that shows where the places I am talking about are located

What To Eat

Oyster Omlette

Woman making Oyster Omlettes

After visiting Tainan for the first time, this was the food that I remembered most and couldn’t wait to eat again. We have always gotten it from the same stall on YongLe Street, but we also saw it a few other places as well. They are made on a large stovetop, and are oysters cooked with egg, lettuce, bean sprouts, and sweet potato starch, and topped with sweet and sour sauce.

Oyster Omelettes

 Taiwanese Burrito

I’m not really sure what these are called, but my husband calls it a Taiwanese burrito so we will go with that. There is always a really long line to wait for these delicious things, but it moves really quickly. The shop is located on the corner on one end of YongLe Street and is definitely worth looking for. It is an interesting combination, but the end result is so yummy. The Taiwanese burrito is slices of pork, eggs, shrimp, tofu, cabbage, lima beans, and garlic all topped with a sugary powder and wrapped up like a burrito. It is not super filling because it is mostly vegetables, so you will have plenty of room to try all the other foods at the market too!

Scallion Pancakes & Scallion Bread

Scallion Pancake is unleavened bread with green onions, and oil rolled into it and pan fried. Sometimes, an egg is cooked on the top as well. It is flaky, a little chewy, but still a little crunchy on the outside. Scallion Bread is what we ate almost every day for breakfast. It is more like a bun with green onions and a little salt cooked in to the top.

Seafood

Local Fish

Tainan has wonderful seafood as you may have guessed. We ate all of it that we could find and found it all to be delicious. The pepper snails, crabs with ginger vinegar sauce, and fish roe are some of our favorites. You can find many seafood restaurants around the city, so just take your pick.

Conch

Pepper Snails

Crabs with Ginger Sauce

Bubble tea

Bubble Tea

Bubble tea was said to be invented in Tainan, so what better place to enjoy this delicious drink. It is served cold and is basically just milk mixed with tea and sugar with tapioca balls in the bottom. It comes with a thick straw so you can easily slurp up the tapioca balls and eat them. The place we usually get our bubble tea from is near Chihkan Tower on a corner directly next to a man selling some sugary fried dessert that goes great with it. I’m not sure what the dessert is called but it is fried dough covered in sugar, similar to funnel cake that we have at home.

Man making sweet dough on the street

Sweet Dough Dessert

Beef Soup

Beef Restaurant

Within walking distance from YongLe Market, we had some really delicious beef soup and beef with vegetables. I am not sure what the restaurant was called because it is written in Taiwanese, but I labeled it on the map above. It’s a small place on the corner and they only accept cash. They get the beef fresh that morning and usually are sold out by 2pm. My husband’s uncle comes to this restaurant every single day to eat because he likes it so much.

Beef soup with rice and vegetables

Beef with vegetables

 Itinerary

You really only need a couple of days to see the main attractions and try out the food in Tainan. We have always stayed longer to visit with family. If you have some extra time, there are some places to go farther outside of Tainan, but we have not made it that far yet. Taijiang National Park is near Anping and has many rare species of animals that would be cool to see. If you are feeling really adventurous, Tainan has direct flights to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

Day 1- We took the high speed rail to Tainan from Taipei and, after checking into our hotel, we went to meet up with family who took us to Chihkan Tower and a nearby temple. Afterwards, we went to one of the fish restaurants for a fresh seafood dinner and to a karaoke bar afterwards.

Check out my Taipei Blog here!

Day 2- After sleeping in, we went to the beef restaurant for an early lunch then headed to Anping to see Anping Fort and Treehouse. Afterwards, we went to YongLe Street to eat all the food for lunch. We relaxed by the hotel pool for a little while before heading out to dinner and more seafood.