Best things to do in Tainan

Tainan City Essentials

As Taiwan’s oldest urban center, Tainan preserves layers of history from 17th-century Dutch outposts like Fort Zeelandia and Chihkan Tower to the Qing-era Confucius Temple. The city’s architectural diversity includes the Western-inspired Chimei Museum and the Art Deco Hayashi Department Store. Spiritual life is anchored by the Grand Matsu Temple and Nan kun shen dai tian fu, while the Anping district offers unique sites like the banyan-entwined Anping Tree House and the defensive Eternal Golden Castle.

郭松樺 / CC BY-SA 3.0

Chihkan Tower

Fort Provintia or Providentia, also known as Chihkan Tower, was a Dutch outpost on Formosa at a site now located in West Central District,…

Diego Ruschel / Public domain

Fort Zeelandia

Fort Zeelandia was a fortress built over ten years from 1624 to 1634 by the Dutch East India Company, in the town of Anping on Formosa, the…

Pbdragonwang / CC BY-SA 3.0

Confucius Temple

The Tainan Confucian Temple or Quan Tai Shou Xue, is a Confucian temple on Nanmen Road in West Central District, Tainan, Taiwan.

Airbus330neo / CC BY-SA 4.0

Chimei Museum

The Chimei Museum is a private museum established in 1992 by Shi Wen-long of Chi Mei Corporation in Rende District, Tainan, Taiwan.

Kiddyweng / Public domain

Flower Night Market

The Tainan Flower Night Market is a tourism night market in North District, Tainan, Taiwan.

Wpcpey / CC BY 4.0

Anping Tree House

The Anping Tree House is a former warehouse in Anping District, Tainan, Taiwan.

Wpcpey / CC BY 4.0

Hayashi Department Store

The Hayashi Department Store is a department store in West Central District, Tainan, Taiwan.

Winertai / CC-BY-SA-3.0

The Grand Matsu Temple

The Grand Matsu Temple, also known as the Datianhou or Great Queen of Heaven Temple, is a temple to the Chinese Goddess Mazu, who is the…

總統府 / CC BY 2.0

Tainan Art Museum Building 1

The Tainan Art Museum is an art museum in West Central District, Tainan, Taiwan.

Nobutaka67 / CC BY-SA 3.0

Eternal Golden Castle

The Eternal Golden Castle, alternatively but less well known as Erkunshen Battery, is a defensive castle in Anping District, Tainan, Taiwan.

Mk2010 / CC BY-SA 3.0

Nan kun shen dai tian fu

The founding temple for Wangye worship in Taiwan, this expansive complex in Beimen District is dedicated to the Five Lords. It features traditional Minnan-style architecture and serves as a primary site for Taoist festivals and folk ceremonies.

Da Dong Night Market

Located in the East District, this market operates on a rotating schedule alongside other major Tainan night markets. It features a dense concentration of street food vendors, clothing stalls, and traditional games, primarily serving the surrounding residential and university areas.