Tainan Travel Guide

Taiwan's old capital, where Dutch-era forts, temple courtyards and a night market on most evenings sit inside a city you can cross by bus. Chihkan Tower costs NT$70, the Confucius Temple nothing, and the right plan depends on the day of the week and the month.

1 Day With Kids Rainy Days At Night Winter Day Trips
October in Tainan averages 26.3 C and 74 percent humidity, with 30.8 mm of rain across roughly 3 wet days.

Tainan In One Day

One day works if you keep to the old city in the morning, Anping in the afternoon and a night market after dark.

Full one-day itinerary
1Morning
A historic Taiwanese temple courtyard with red walls and a tiled roof beneath trees

Tainan Confucius Temple

Free to enter, open from 8:30 to 17:30 every day, and the first academy of Taiwan.

Free
2Midday
A red-brick tower with Chinese pavilions standing in a plaza in central Tainan

Chihkan Tower

The Fort Provintia site, open until 21:30 every day for NT$70.

NT$70
3Afternoon
A white-walled fort lookout tower with a pointed red-tiled roof rising above old brick ramparts and palm trees

Anping Old Fort

The Dutch fort begun in 1624, open 10:00 to 17:10 for NT$70.

NT$70
4Evening
A crowded Taiwanese night market aisle lit by strings of warm bulbs, with food stalls on both sides

Tainan Night Markets

Garden, Wusheng and Dadong open on different nights, and Siaobei is indoors every day.

A small group on a guided walk through the old streets and temples of Tainan
4-Hour Food and Culture Walk 4.8 from 31 reviews · from $69
Check availability

Tainan In One Day, Two Days Or Three

One day means the old city and little else, and that is a good day. Two days add Anping and the coast. Three is the first length that reaches the salt flats, the hot springs or Alishan without spending the whole time in transit.

If the trip is short, keep the old city and the night market that opens that night, and leave Qigu and Guanziling for a return visit.

Which Night Market Opens Tonight

Tainan's night markets rotate. Garden opens Thursday to Sunday, Wusheng on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and Dadong on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Friday is the only night all three big outdoor markets run together, and Siaobei, which is indoors, opens every day.

Seven Kinds Of Tainan Experience, Compared

What separates one bookable Tainan experience from another is reach: whether a day stays on foot in the old city, gets out to the salt flats and lagoons, or crosses into Kaohsiung and back. Each row below lists what exists, with the rating and review count from the live listing.

Eight Places That Show Tainan, With The Fee Each One Publishes

Tainan's own tourism office publishes every price below. The full article covers the rest.

Read the full guide
A red-brick tower with Chinese pavilions standing in a plaza in central Tainan NT$70 Chihkan TowerThe Fort Provintia site, open 8:30 to 21:30 daily A historic Taiwanese temple courtyard with red walls and a tiled roof beneath trees Free Tainan Confucius TempleThe first academy of Taiwan, open 8:30 to 17:30 A white-walled fort lookout tower with a pointed red-tiled roof rising above old brick ramparts and palm trees NT$70 Anping Old FortDutch rampart walls and a 1975 lookout tower A historic Taiwanese temple courtyard with red walls, ornate roof decorations and stone paving in daylight Free Grand Mazu TempleOpen daily from 6:00 to 21:00 Old two-story street houses with wooden facades along a narrow lane at dusk Free Shennong StreetThe old street that is best in the late afternoon The classical stone facade of the Chimei Museum with its columned entrance and the museum park in front NT$200 Chimei MuseumViolins, sculpture and arms, closed Wednesdays A small covered boat gliding through a narrow mangrove channel with green leaves forming a roof overhead NT$200 Sicao Green TunnelA mangrove boat ride on the lagoon coast A large white mound of salt rising above a flat coastal plain under a blue sky NT$50 Qigu Salt MountainA white mountain of salt, open 9:00 to 18:00
822 traveller reviewsacross 25 checked tours
From $9cheapest paid tour today
Prices checkedagainst the booking page, refreshed monthly

Which Tainan Trip Fits You?

Twenty-five tours and tickets cover Tainan, from food walks and boat rides to day trips down the coast. Three quick questions sort them into a shortlist for your plans.

1. What kind of experience are you after?
2. What should it cost per person?
3. How much time do you have?

Below is a starting shortlist of the best-reviewed tours and experiences. Answer any question to rebuild it around you.

  1. Eco Tour, Oyster Buffet Included from $12.65 ★ 5.0 287 Check availability
  2. Four-Stop Classics Day Tour from $25.15 ★ 4.5 188 Check availability
  3. Full-Day Qipao Rental 1 day from $18.35 ★ 4.9 137 Check availability
  4. Ten Drum, Salt Mountain Day Tour 1 day from $34.45 ★ 4.4 87 Check availability
  5. 1h 30m Oolong Tea Ceremony 1h 30m from $62.93 ★ 5.0 35 Check availability
  6. 4-Hour Food and Culture Walk 4 hours from $69 ★ 4.8 31 Check availability
  7. Green Tunnel Scenic Boat Ride from $9.09 ★ 3.8 28 Check availability
  8. 3-Day Southern Taiwan Loop 3 days from $1,095 ★ 4.9 9 Check availability
  9. 10-Hour Day Trip, Kaohsiung Departure 10 hours from $350 ★ 3.9 6 Check availability
  10. 8-Hour Reservoir and Capital Tour 8 hours from $350 ★ 4.8 4 Check availability
  11. 6-Hour Walk, Street Food Included 6 hours from $84.33 ★ 4.0 4 Check availability
  12. Shadows of the Past Full-Day Tour 10 hours from $330 ★ 4.7 3 Check availability
  13. Private Historical Highlights Tour 8 hours from $125.87 ★ 5.0 1 Check availability
  14. 2h 30m Photoshoot with Photographer 2h 30m from $300 ★ 5.0 1 Check availability
  15. Salt Mountain and Anping Day Tour 8 to 9 hours from $95 ★ 4.0 1 Check availability
  16. Green Tunnel and Lagoon Day Tour 9h 30m from $88 Check availability
  17. Bus Pass Plus Attraction Ticket 1 day from $10.13 Check availability
  18. History Museum Entry Ticket 1 day from $9.50 Check availability
  19. Two-Day Alishan Cloud Forest Tour 2 days from $1,199 Check availability
  20. 3-Hour Evening Walking Tour 3 hours Check availability
  21. Private Car, Local Guide 8 hours from $210 Check availability
  22. Tree House Admission Ticket 1 hour Check availability
  23. Chimei Museum Entry Ticket 2 to 4 hours Check availability
  24. Tainan Downtown Free Tour 2h 30min Like It Formosa No charge to enter See this free tour on FREETOUR.com
  25. Tainan Old Town Free Tour 2h 30min Like It Formosa No charge to enter See this free tour on FREETOUR.com

Tainan With Kids

City buses are free for the first 8 km with an electronic card, several major temples are free, and the indoor Siaobei Night Market is open every day.

A family walking along a tree-lined old street in Tainan in warm afternoon lightTainan With KidsA three-day family route built on child fares and free sites Families walking along a shaded path beside animal enclosures at a safari zoo in TaiwanWanpi World Safari ZooTainan's biggest zoo A wide view of white salt flats under a bright sky, with crystallizer ponds stretching toward the horizonTaiwan Salt MuseumHow salt was harvested, dried and shipped on the Qigu coast
A small boat gliding through the narrow mangrove canopy of the Sicao Green TunnelBookable TourGreen Tunnel Scenic Boat Ride3.8 from 28 reviews · from $9.09Check availability

Tainan On A Rainy Day

August is the wettest month at 466.1 mm, so keep an indoor plan ready: a museum, a covered market or a tea ceremony.

Rain falling on the tiled roofs and street of an old Tainan neighborhoodTainan On A Rainy DayIndoor museums, covered night markets and late-closing sites The classical stone facade of the Chimei Museum with its columned entrance and the museum park in frontChimei MuseumNT$200 entry, closed Wednesdays A modern museum building with a white perforated facade beside a tree-lined street in TainanTainan Art MuseumTwo buildings of art, NT$80 in, open late on Saturdays
A host pouring oolong tea during a Chinese tea ceremonyBookable Tour1h 30m Oolong Tea Ceremony5.0 from 35 reviews · from $62.93Check availability

Tainan At Night

Chihkan Tower stays open until 21:30, and which night market opens depends on the day of the week.

Historic Tainan street lit by warm lanterns in the early eveningTainan After DarkLate-closing sites, rotating night markets and the canal at night A crowded open-air night market aisle lit by rows of yellow stall lights at duskGarden Night MarketThe biggest market, open Thursday to Sunday A covered night market aisle in Tainan with food stalls and shoppers under ceiling lightsSiaobei Night MarketIndoors, open every day from noon to midnight
A guide leading a small group through a lantern-lit Tainan street after darkBookable Tour3-Hour Evening Walking Tourprice at bookingCheck availability
A historic Taiwanese temple courtyard with red walls and a tiled roof beneath trees Old two-story street houses with wooden facades along a narrow lane at dusk

Free Things To Do In Tainan

The Confucius Temple, Grand Mazu Temple, Five Concubines Temple and Kaiyuan Temple charge no admission, and so do Shennong Street, the old Anping lanes and the Anping canal.

Visit The Confucius Temple Walk In The Grand Mazu Temple Stroll Shennong Street Follow The Anping Canal All Free Things
The red walls and tiled roofs of Chihkan Tower in the old city
Tainan Downtown Free Tour free, pay what you want
See this free tour on FREETOUR.com

What To Eat In Tainan

Beef soup at dawn, danzai noodles and milkfish are the three bowls the city is known for, and the night markets finish the day.

All food guides
A bowl of clear beef soup with sliced meat and scallions on a wooden table in a small Taiwanese eatery Beef Soup Hsi Lo Tien Beef Soup, 98 Gongyuan South Road, North District Clear broth over raw-thin sliced beef, eaten early. A small bowl of danzai noodles with shrimp and minced pork on a street food stall counter Danzai Noodles Tu Hsiao Yueh Tan-Tsai Noodles, No. 16 Jhongjheng Road, West Central District Thin noodles in shrimp broth, in a small bowl. A bowl of clear milkfish soup with fresh herbs on a wooden table in a Tainan eatery Milkfish Soup A clear broth of milkfish belly with ginger and rice.

The Tainan Travel Guide Map: Where Everything Actually Is

Loading the map. Every place is also listed below.

Click the map to zoom with the scroll wheel. Numbers match the list.

  1. Chihkan Tower (Fort Provintia)Chihkan Tower, in the middle of the old city
  2. Sacrificial Rites Martial TempleAttraction · 100 m from Chihkan Tower
  3. Tainan Grand Mazu TempleAttraction · 130 m from Chihkan Tower
  4. Tiantan Altar Of HeavenAttraction · 420 m from Chihkan Tower
  5. Wu GardenAttraction · 460 m from Chihkan Tower
  6. Hayashi Department StoreAttraction · 620 m from Chihkan Tower
  7. West Central DistrictArea · 660 m from Chihkan Tower
  8. Shennong StreetAttraction · 690 m from Chihkan Tower
  9. Guohua Street Food QuarterArea · 700 m from Chihkan Tower
  10. Tainan Art MuseumAttraction · 710 m from Chihkan Tower
  11. Tainan Confucius TempleAttraction · 790 m from Chihkan Tower
  12. Tainan City God TempleAttraction · 860 m from Chihkan Tower
  13. Tainan ParkAttraction · 1.1 km from Chihkan Tower
  14. Around Tainan Railway StationArea · 1.1 km from Chihkan Tower
  15. Great South GateAttraction · 1.2 km from Chihkan Tower
  16. Koxinga ShrineAttraction · 1.2 km from Chihkan Tower
  17. Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Tainan XimenAttraction · 1.2 km from Chihkan Tower
  18. Blueprint Culture And Creative ParkAttraction · 1.3 km from Chihkan Tower
  19. National Cheng Kung University CampusAttraction · 1.4 km from Chihkan Tower
  20. Wusheng Night MarketAttraction · 1.5 km from Chihkan Tower
  21. Tainan Garden Night MarketAttraction · 1.5 km from Chihkan Tower
  22. Siaobei Night MarketAttraction · 1.6 km from Chihkan Tower
  23. North DistrictArea · 1.9 km from Chihkan Tower
  24. Dadong Night MarketAttraction · 2.4 km from Chihkan Tower
  25. East DistrictArea · 2.9 km from Chihkan Tower
  26. AnpingArea · 3.6 km from Chihkan Tower
  27. Anping CanalAttraction · 4 km from Chihkan Tower
  28. Anping Sword LionsAttraction · 4 km from Chihkan Tower
  29. Anping Old StreetAttraction · 4.1 km from Chihkan Tower
  30. South DistrictArea · 4.3 km from Chihkan Tower
  31. Anping Old Fort (Fort Zeelandia)Attraction · 4.3 km from Chihkan Tower
  32. Lin Mo Niang ParkAttraction · 4.4 km from Chihkan Tower
  33. Anping Tree HouseAttraction · 4.5 km from Chihkan Tower
  34. Eternal Golden CastleAttraction · 4.5 km from Chihkan Tower
  35. Annan DistrictArea · 5.8 km from Chihkan Tower
  36. Yongkang DistrictArea · 6.4 km from Chihkan Tower
  37. Taijiang National ParkAttraction · 6.6 km from Chihkan Tower
  38. Tainan Metropolitan ParkAttraction · 7 km from Chihkan Tower
  39. Sicao Green TunnelAttraction · 7.3 km from Chihkan Tower
  40. Chimei MuseumAttraction · 7.4 km from Chihkan Tower
  41. National Museum Of Taiwan HistoryAttraction · 7.6 km from Chihkan Tower
  42. Shalun And The HSR Side Of TownArea · 12 km from Chihkan Tower
  43. Mitsui Outlet Park TainanAttraction · 12 km from Chihkan Tower
  44. Xinhua Old StreetArea · 12 km from Chihkan Tower
  45. Black-Faced Spoonbill ReserveAttraction · 17 km from Chihkan Tower
  46. Qigu DistrictArea · 17 km from Chihkan Tower
  47. Taiwan Salt MuseumAttraction · 20 km from Chihkan Tower
  48. Qigu Salt MountainAttraction · 20 km from Chihkan Tower
  49. Qigu Lagoon And The Oyster RaftsAttraction · 21 km from Chihkan Tower

The Salt Coast And The Hills Beyond The City

Qigu's salt pans and lagoon are under an hour out, Kaohsiung and Chiayi are a short high speed rail hop, and the hot springs of Guanziling sit in Tainan's own hills.

Wide view of white salt mounds rising over the flat Qigu coastal landscape under a blue skySalt Coast

Qigu Salt Flats

Salt Mountain, mangrove boats and the tile-paved salt fields.

from $88Check availability
Misty forest of tall cypress trees on a mountain ridge at sunriseMountains

Alishan

One tight day by rail from Tainan, or two for the cloud forest.

from $1199Check availability
High-rise towers along the Love River waterfront in Kaohsiung under a clear skyHarbour City

Kaohsiung

The high speed rail fare from Tainan is NT$140 standard class.

High speed rail, NT$140Read the Kaohsiung guide
A view over a Taiwanese city skyline with low buildings and distant forested mountains under a blue skyGateway

Chiayi

A short high speed rail hop at NT$280 standard reserved.

High speed rail, NT$280Read the Chiayi guide
Steam rising from outdoor hot spring pools surrounded by green hills at GuanzilingHot Springs

Guanziling

A hot spring town in Tainan's hill country, best from September to November.

About an hour from the old cityRead the Guanziling guide
Coastal road with palm trees and a blue sea horizon on the Kenting peninsula in southern TaiwanBeaches

Kenting

Tight in a day by rail and road, easier on a three-day loop.

4.9 from 9 reviews · from $1095Check availability

All day trips

Tainan Right Now, And What The Weather Says

Weather decides more of a Tainan day than any timetable: the gap between a dry winter afternoon and an August downpour is the gap between walking the old city and giving up on it. The block below reads the Central Weather Administration directly.

October in Tainan averages 26.3 C and 74 percent humidity, with 30.8 mm of rain across roughly 3 wet days.

The month is dry but not cool: 24 days of it run above 30 C, so shade and a long lunch belong in any outdoor plan.

October against the whole year, from the Central Weather Administration's published 1991~2020 normals for station 467410, Tainan.

MeasureOctoberWhole year
Average daily high30.8 C29 C
Rain30.8 mm1,760.6 mm
Wet days2.884.6
Days over 30 C23.6185.8

A wet morning is the argument for the museum halls and the covered market stalls. A dry one is the argument for Anping, the salt flats and the coast, which is where the city gets interesting once the light drops.

Source: Central Weather Administration, Taiwan. The first line refreshes from the CWA's own observation, forecast and typhoon-warning data when you open the page; if it cannot, the published monthly normal above stands, and it is just as true.

When To Go, And How Tainan's Year Actually Runs

Figures are 1991 to 2020 climate normals for Tainan from the Central Weather Administration.

Tainan's busiest month is January, and its second busiest is February. That is the opposite of what most visitors assume, and it is not close: of the 24 Tainan sites in the Tourism Administration's own monthly visitor series, 18 peak in one of those two months, on temple pilgrimage and Lunar New Year rather than on beach weather. The scale of it surprises people too. Nankunshen Daitian Temple counted 6,583,100 visitors in 2023, about 15 times Chihkan Tower's 443,622, and the fort is the one that gets on the postcards. The weather explains the shape: the quietest month, September, sits at the tail of the wet season, and the busiest sits in the driest weeks of the year.

Visitor index is the mean seasonality index across 24 Tainan sites, where 1.00 is an average month; it averages 2015 to 2019 plus 2023 and excludes the COVID-depressed years. Rain and days above 30 C are Central Weather Administration normals for 1991 to 2020 at station 467410, summed across the season.
SeasonMonthsVisitor indexRainDays above 30 CWhat it means
WinterDec to Feb1.2559 mm1pilgrimage and Lunar New Year season, and the driest, most comfortable weather of the year. Book ahead
SpringMar to May0.97266 mm44quiet and warming fast. By May the rain has arrived and the 30 C days are most days
SummerJun to Aug0.891,211 mm83more than two thirds of the year's rain, peak heat, and typhoon risk. Mango season is the compensation
AutumnSep to Nov0.88225 mm58September is the emptiest month on the whole series; from October the rain stops and the city is at its best
Tainan Visitor Seasonality Against Monthly Rainfall, By Month Bars show the visitor seasonality index for 24 Tainan attractions, where 1.000 is an average month: it peaks at 1.34 in January and bottoms at 0.71 in September. A line shows the Central Weather Administration's 1991 to 2020 monthly rainfall normal for Tainan, which runs the other way: 16.2 millimetres in December against 466.1 in August. The busiest months are the driest ones. Visitor index (bars, left) against rainfall in millimetres (line, right) 0 0.5 1.0 1.4 January: visitor index 1.341, rainfall normal 20.7 mm 1.34 Jan February: visitor index 1.323, rainfall normal 21.6 mm 1.32 Feb March: visitor index 0.943, rainfall normal 30.4 mm 0.94 Mar April: visitor index 1.073, rainfall normal 69.8 mm 1.07 Apr May: visitor index 0.906, rainfall normal 165.6 mm 0.91 May June: visitor index 0.880, rainfall normal 370.5 mm 0.88 Jun July: visitor index 0.927, rainfall normal 374.6 mm 0.93 Jul August: visitor index 0.871, rainfall normal 466.1 mm 0.87 Aug September: visitor index 0.714, rainfall normal 170.5 mm 0.71 Sep October: visitor index 0.968, rainfall normal 30.8 mm 0.97 Oct November: visitor index 0.964, rainfall normal 23.8 mm 0.96 Nov December: visitor index 1.091, rainfall normal 16.2 mm 1.09 Dec January: 20.7 mm, CWA 1991-2020 normal February: 21.6 mm, CWA 1991-2020 normal March: 30.4 mm, CWA 1991-2020 normal April: 69.8 mm, CWA 1991-2020 normal May: 165.6 mm, CWA 1991-2020 normal June: 370.5 mm, CWA 1991-2020 normal July: 374.6 mm, CWA 1991-2020 normal August: 466.1 mm, CWA 1991-2020 normal September: 170.5 mm, CWA 1991-2020 normal October: 30.8 mm, CWA 1991-2020 normal November: 23.8 mm, CWA 1991-2020 normal December: 16.2 mm, CWA 1991-2020 normal 466.1 mm 16.2 mm 0 250 500 index mm Sources: Tourism Administration dataset 8116 (24 Tainan sites) and CWA normals 1991-2020, station 467410.
Crowds and rain run in opposite directions here. The bars peak at 1.34 in January and bottom at 0.71 in September; the rainfall line does the reverse, 16.2 mm in December against 466.1 mm in August. October and November are the months where both lines are kind: the rain has stopped and the pilgrimage crowds have not started.

Visitor figures: Tourism Administration, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, dataset 8116, historical monthly visitors at major scenic spots, 2012-2023 for Tainan (2024 rows exist nationally but not for Tainan spots). Climate figures: Central Weather Administration, Taiwan, monthly normals 1991~2020 for station 467410, Tainan. Both are published under the Open Government Data License, Taiwan, version 1.0.

Where To Stay In Tainan, By Area

Pick the half of the city before the hotel: West Central for the temples and food lanes, the railway station for trains and night markets, or Anping for the forts and the waterfront.

Where to stay guide
Historic street buildings in Tainan's West Central District under a warm evening sky

West Central District

Best for a first visit

Chihkan Tower, the Confucius Temple, Shennong Street and Guohua Street are all on foot.

West Central guide
The historic facade of Tainan Railway Station with its front plaza and waiting travelers

Tainan Railway Station

Best for trains and night markets

The Garden and Siaobei night markets and the early trains are close.

Station guide
Old brick rampart walls of Anping Old Fort under a clear sky with the white lookout tower behind them

Anping

Best for forts and the waterfront

Anping Old Fort, the Tree House and the canal within a 15-minute walk.

Anping guide

What Tainan Is Famous For

1

Chihkan Tower

The Fort Provintia site, open until 21:30 daily at NT$70.

2

Anping Old Fort

Dutch Fort Zeelandia, begun in 1624, completed in 1634 and taken by Koxinga in 1662.

3

Beef Soup

Clear broth over raw-thin sliced beef, traditionally eaten at dawn.

4

Danzai Noodles

A small bowl of thin noodles in shrimp broth, topped with minced pork.

5

Rotating Night Markets

Garden, Wusheng and Dadong open on different nights, and Siaobei is indoors daily.

6

Free Temples

The Confucius, Grand Mazu, Five Concubines and Kaiyuan temples charge no admission.

Is Tainan Worth Visiting?

Tainan was Taiwan's capital for more than two centuries, and the city that remains is dense with temples, Dutch-era ruins, rotating night markets and a food scene locals defend as the island's best. Here is what the verified record says about whether it deserves your days.

Read the full answer

What Is Tainan Best Known For?

Tainan is best known as Taiwan's ancient capital: the island's oldest city, the seat of Dutch, Koxinga and Qing power for more than two centuries, and the place Taiwanese food culture traces its richest dishes to.

Read the full answer

How Many Days Do You Need in Tainan?

Two full days is the honest minimum for Tainan, three is the comfortable standard, and four pays off if you want the lagoon coast, the museums or a hot spring day trip.

Read the full answer

What Is the Best Area to Stay in Tainan?

Tainan splits its appeal between the old city core around Chihkan Tower and the waterfront district of Anping, and the right place to sleep depends on which of those two clusters you plan to walk and which night market nights your trip falls on.

Read the full answer

How Far Is Tainan from Taipei?

The distance between Taipei and Tainan is best measured in fares and transfers rather than kilometres, and the operator's own fare table is the honest place to start.

Read the full answer

Tainan Night Markets: Which Night, Which Market

Tainan's night markets do not all open every night. The city's own tourism pages publish a rotating schedule: Garden runs Thursday to Sunday, Wusheng Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, Dadong Monday, Tuesday and Friday, and indoor Siaobei every day. Planning around that rotation is the difference between a full market and a shuttered street.

Read the full answer

More Tainan Guides

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25 tours compared by price and rating · from $9.09 Compare Tours →