Not to be confused with Tinian, an island in the Northern Mariana Islands.

Tainan (臺南; Tâi-lâm in Taiwanese, Táinán in Mandarin), in Southern Taiwan, is the oldest city in Taiwan. Tainan is famous for its temples, historic buildings and snack food. It may be even more under-appreciated compared to the current capital, but is well worth a stop on a round-island trip for a quintessentially Taiwanese experience for both stomach and soul.

Understand

Located on the southwestern coast of the country, it has had a complicated past, first starting as a Dutch colony before passing through Chinese warlords, Japanese occupiers and then into Kuomintang hands. This rich history and heady mix of traditional folk culture gives Tainan far more character than the bigger Taiwanese cities, and is a good contrast to the international Taipei.

History

Fort Zeelandia or Anping Fort, with statue of Koxinga

To truly understand the history of modern Taiwan is to trace its beginnings to Tainan. Tainan (and the start of a non-agrarian Taiwan) began in 1624 when the Dutch East India Company set up a colonial base in the Anping District (安平區 Ānpíng qū). The island of Formosa was strategically placed along major trade routes, and so the Dutch were keen to start building up a trading post and fort known as Fort Zeelandia. They were soon besieged by Ming loyalists led by Koxinga, and their surrender ended 38 years of Dutch colonial rule, bringing Taiwan under Han Chinese influence. However, Koxinga's own rule was similarly short-lived as he died four months after the takeover, yet he lives on as a local folk hero and religious icon of sorts. His grandson gave up control to the Qing dynasty, and Tainan was made the capital of Taiwan County of Fujian Province. However, Tainan, and Taiwan as a whole continued to be a Chinese backwater until the Second Opium War in 1858 forced the reopening of Anping port to foreigners, with British merchants stimulating growth in the city. Tainan lost its status as capital after Taiwan was declared a separate province in 1887, with the Qing government deciding to set up the provincial capital in Taipei instead.

The Great South Gate, a remnant of old city walls

Upon secession of Taiwan to Japan after the Sino-Japanese War in 1895, city leaders tried to declare independence (perhaps the first attempt at formal self-governance) although that failed and anti-Japanese sentiment grew into the Tapani Incident in 1915, when Aboriginal and Han Chinese fighters stormed several police stations in Tainan county. The armed uprising was brutally crushed, marking a turning point in relations between the local population and their occupiers as Japan enacted policies designed to assimilate the Taiwanese into the Japanese Empire, including by encouraging them to adopt Japanese names and Shinto religious practices. Modern infrastructure and urban planning transformed Tainan, befitting the largest Taiwanese settlement at the time. The odd impressive colonial building can still be found around the city, standing out against other less inspiring post-war architecture.

After the island was handed back to the Chinese Nationalists, following their retreat from the mainland after the communist victory, Tainan residents were harshly treated under the slightest suspicion of opposition to the new regime instituted by Chiang Kai-shek. Tainan and the rest of southern Taiwan remain strongly pro-independence to this day, since they have not actively thought of themselves as part of China for the last century or so.

Orientation

Sacrificial Rites Martial Temple

The city is the fifth largest city on the island after New Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung and Taipei with a population of 1.85 million (2022). For a city of its size by population, Tainan's size by land area is exceptional. Very few buildings are more than 5 to 6 stories in height and most are between two and three stories. Instead, wandering the older winding back alleys holds a lot of charm. Tainan is also extraordinary for its number of temples and shrines, Buddhist and Taoist, large and small, and you'll likely find one hidden around every other corner.

Modern Tainan is centered on the local TRA train station and Zhongshan Road, which runs through West Central District, though Anping District is the historical heart of Tainan. Anping is home to the Anping Old Fort (安平古堡;Ānpíng gu bǎo), the Anping Tree House (安平樹屋 Ānpíng shù wū) (a warehouse with massive banyan trees growing out of it), and numerous restaurants and food stalls. Qigu District in the northeast is noted for its history of salt production and the district's salt fields are also a popular attraction. Yanshui District is infamous for its notoriously fiery fireworks festival. Beyond the city center, the surrounding region is one of the major agricultural centers in Taiwan, and the amount of fresh produce may have inspired much of Tainan's snack food culture.

Talk

Like other Taiwanese cities, most people in Tainan, including taxi drivers, cannot speak English well (except for high school and college students), though some of the older generation can converse in Japanese. However, to help visitors get around, there are free tri-lingual (Chinese, English and Japanese) map-guides available at the railway station. Taiwanese is spoken by many residents of the city, and the Tainan dialect is considered to be the prestige dialect of Taiwanese.

Get in

By plane

For flight options beyond the Taiwan Strait, the closest international airport is in Kaohsiung. From there you can take a train, bus, taxi, or rental car for a 45-minute to one-hour journey to Tainan. Flying into Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is also another choice, and you don't have to go into Taipei proper and can just take the HSR train (1½ hours and NT$1350) from Taoyuan.

• 1 Tainan Airport  

By train

Tainan TRA station

Tainan is a major stop on the Taipei - Kaohsiung High Speed Rail line (about NT$1500 one way from Taipei). Travel time is 1 hr 45 min from Taipei. The 2 Tainan HSR station is a bit outside of town (NT$400 by taxi), and you might think it's the wrong stop altogether since the station is surrounded by parking lots and open rice paddies. There are two free shuttle bus routes running from the city to the HSR train terminal: one to the Tainan City Hall, and another to the Chi Mei Medical Center.

You can also take the TRA (slow train) into 3 Tainan TRA station in the city from Shalun TRA station (linked to the THSR station and NT$25 each way). Besides the THSR, standard TRA rail from Taipei can take 3½-6 hours depending on the type of the train. For example, a class 1 (4 hours) ticket from Taipei will cost NT$758. On the Southern line, trains run very frequently to Kaohsiung (1 hour and NT$70-100), to Taitung (3 hours and about NT$500) and, less frequently, to Hualien.

By bus

Tainan has good inter-city bus connections with other cities in Taiwan. Most of the bus companies have offices on Beimen Rd, north of the train station.

• 4 Tainan bus station, No. 291號, Gongyuan Rd, North District (Next to Tainan Park), ☏ +886 6 220 1519. 08:00-20:00. This is the usual terminal, toilets, water fountains, tourist information, 7-eleven, other shops, usual orange lockers (40-60ntd/3h). From Taipei 450-455 ntd (~4h trip). (updated Jul 2024)
  • Ubus. Arriving bus may also stops at Yongkanglinshizhuanyun temporary bus station (near Queena Plaza Hotel Tainan), Liujiadang, and Yanping market. From Taipei 450 ntd (~4h trip). (updated Jul 2024)
  • Kuo-kang bus. From Taipei 455 ntd. (updated Jul 2024)
  • Ho hsin bus. (updated Jul 2024)

Get around

Tainan is a city which is problematic for pedestrians. Unlike Taipei, most of the sidewalk is essentially privatised, being an extension of the shops and restaurants behind it. The sidewalks are thus frequently blocked by various materials belonging to buildings behind , requiring pedestrians to walk on the roads and take their chances with the cars and motorcycles. Pedestrian crossings are unreliable and often blocked by traffic. If you’re disabled, don’t try and walk.

The best way to travel around the city is by car or motorcycle. Bicycle travel is possible but dangerous for a tourist who has to deal with the various obstacles emerging in the road spaces, which include frequent parked cars blocking the road, aggressive moped users and a general relaxed attitude to traffic rules and regulations amongst all concerned.

You can rent public bikes with an Easycard but you need to link your Easycard online to your credit card since it requires a deposit.

There are taxis and buses (公車 gōngchē), but they are not easy to use for non-Chinese speakers. There is a scooter rental shop next to the Tainan City TRA (slow train) station. Rentals cost around NT$600 per 24 hours. Whether a rental shop will check for a license varies from shop to shop.

All inner city bus routes pass through Tainan Station (train). There is a tourist information booth at the station with friendly staff (English speaking) who can show you how to use the bus system. On weekends and holidays, there are two free sightseeing bus routes (88 and 99) which can take you to and back from all the major historical sites but with low frequency (usually hourly and only 09:00-18:00 approximatively). Be careful when getting on buses at the train station, because they stop at two different places depending on which direction they're going. The direction is not obvious unless you read the sign or ask the driver, so make sure not to get on going the wrong way!

The transit cards (Easycard) from Taipei and Kaohsiung can be used on the buses. Many bus stops have electronic displays to tell you when the next bus is coming. Google Maps have (delayed) live update on bus location and are extremely useful. Bus+ is a local app that updates bus location faster.

If you do take a taxi just make sure you have a map you can point at or the business card of your destination. The taxi drivers are very helpful, but sometimes even Chinese speakers take roundabout ways. Uber is widely used by taxi drivers and private cars alike. There are other local apps like Line Taxi and 55688 but they require a local phone number.

There are thousands of scooters and motorbikes packing the streets and if you injure someone while you are driving in Taiwan, the local laws require you to pay for whatever the person you injured cannot. Try getting your insurance company to write a waiver for you to be insured before driving in Taiwan.

See

At first glimpse, Tainan may seem all gray buildings with an alarming number of scooters, but thankfully it doesn't take long to discover its charms. Historical buildings and temples are mostly found in three main clusters: near Chihkan Tower and on Zhongzheng Road, which used to be within old city walls during the Qing Dynasty, and in Anping District.

Historical sites

Anping Tree House

• 1 Anping Tree House (updated Jul 2024)

Chihkan Tower at night

• 2 Chihkan Tower (updated Apr 2023)
• 3 Eternal Golden Fortress (updated Apr 2023)
• 4 Anping Fort (updated Apr 2023)
• 5 National Cheng Kung University (use rear exit of Tainan Train Station). Tu-Su 10:00-17:00. Free. 
• 6 Great South Gate (updated Nov 2017)
• 7 Yongcheng Theater (updated Nov 2019)

Temples

Entrance to Confucius Temple

Old Taoist religious customs, many of which have been wiped out elsewhere, are cherished and not forgotten here.

• 8 Sacrificial Rites Martial Temple  
• 9 Confucius Temple (updated Apr 2023)

• 

  Koxinga Shrine

  10 Koxinga Shrine Free. (updated Apr 2023)
• 11 Tainan Mosque (updated Feb 2021)

Museums

National Museum of Taiwanese Literature

• 12 National Museum of Taiwan History, 250, Changhe Rd Sec 1, Annan District (take bus 18 from Tainan Railway Station or bus 20 from Yongkang Railway Station), ☏ +886 6 3568889. Tu-Su 09:00-17:00. The museum covers a broad overview of Taiwan's history from prehistoric beginnings to the present, illustrating various eras with large-scale interactive displays and dioramas. Temporary exhibits focus more of the museum's historical artifacts. Most of the exhibitions have clear English explanations. Besides the museum, the building sits in a large park and is architecturally interesting, focusing on harmonious integration with the environment and housing a huge wall of solar panels that generates enough electricity to power the exhibition hall. NT$80. 
• 13 National Museum of Taiwanese Literature. Located in a restored colonial-era Japanese building, even with the limited English on display this museum is fascinating. The coffee shop is good too. 
• 14 Chimei Museum (奇美博物館), 66 Wenhua Rd Sec. 2, Rende District (Bao'an TRA Station). Tu-Su 09:30-17:30. Started by a private collector who has a vast collection of violins, many of them antique in nature and made by masters like Antonio Stradivari and Nicolo Amati. There's also various exhibits about Western art, weaponry and natural history. The building and surrounding park are astonishing in their incongruence and could have been transported entirely from classical Europe. NT$200. (updated Jan 2016)
• 15 Canal Museum (updated Nov 2019)
• 16 Fangyuan Museum of Arts (updated Nov 2019)
• 17 Former Tainan Weather Observatory (updated Nov 2019)
• 18 Hilltop Garden Watercourse Museum (updated Nov 2019)
• 19 Museum of Archaeology (updated Nov 2019)
• 20 Old Tainan District Court (updated Nov 2019)
• 21 Tainan Art Museum (updated Nov 2019)
• 22 (updated Nov 2019)
• 23 Taiwan Salt Museum (updated Nov 2019)
• 24 Yeh Shih-tao Literature Memorial Hall (updated Nov 2019)
• 25 Tainan City Zuojhen Fossil Park (updated Nov 2019)

Performing Arts

• 26 Ten Drum Culture Village (十鼓仁糖文創園區), ☏ +886 6 266 2225, [email protected]. Daily 09:30-17:00; and Sa Su 18:00-20:30, Tu-F 18:00-20:00. A former sugar factory that has been taken over by a troupe that puts on new age performances using traditional Chinese drums. (updated Aug 2020)

Landscapes

• Qigu Salt Mountain
• Jingzaijiao Tile-paved Salt Fields
• Caoshan Moon World (草山月世界), Zuozhen District. An interesting region of mud hills and badlands surrounded by thick bamboo forest and some tropical fruit farms. Take the Green bus from Tainan train station to Xinhua (新化), where it's worth wandering around to grab a bite and see the sights. Then take the Green 13 branch line in the direction of Zuozhen (左鎮) and get out at Ganglin (岡林). Walk past the restaurant and the church then turn right and keep walking. A scooter would make this trip much easier, but keep your eyes open for photo ops along the road. As of June 2017 the published bus schedule is not correct, so make sure to confirm with the staff at Xinhua bus terminal.

Do

Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival

• 1 Tainan Park (台南公園), GongYuan North Rd. Beautiful park in a central part of the city. Great for a relaxing walk or a stay of a few hours. It has many beautiful trees, flowers and a pond. 
• 2 Uni-President Lions Baseball, Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium. Baseball games in Taiwan are lively and light-hearted with a lot of chanting and cheering in unison. Beer and barbecues are even allowed in the bleachers. Stadiums are divided into home and away crowd, infield or outfield. Wear green and orange to blend in with the home crowd. The team does travel between stadiums for games, so check the CPBL schedule. The season runs from March to June and July to September. NT$150-300. (updated Jan 2016)
• 3 Sicao Lushe Tunnel (Sicao Green Tunnel; 四草綠色隧道), 360 Dazhong Rd, Annan District. Found in Taijiang National Park, there are two boat rides to observe the marine life and migrant birds of a mangrove swamp reserve. The rare black-faced spoonbill can be seen here. The shorter route takes about 30 minutes, while the longer one is about 70 minutes. Queues are roughly the same time as the boat rides, and weekday boat schedules only run a few times per day. NT$150-200. (updated Jan 2016)
• Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival. 15th day of the first lunar month. Meant to chase off evil spirits, fireworks are piled into a structure resembling a beehive and set off at street level, which makes it a racuous celebration that requires full-face helmets and fire-retardant jackets for participation. 

Buy

The areas around Zhongshan Road, Beimen Road, and the train station make up the downtown of Tainan. South of the main train station is where you can find various boutique stores that mainly focuses on Japanese fashion and sport equipment stores (a popular place to visit for local students).

Hayashi Department Store

Traditional streets

• 1 Anping Old Street. Join the Japanese and Korean tourists on a street lined with stands selling snacks, drinks, souvenirs, and even medicinal herbs. Preserved plums (酸梅 suānméi) are a popular item. Other specialties include shrimp cakes and dried fruit. (updated Dec 2019)
• 2 Fuzhong Street. 
• 3 Shennong Street. 

Department stores

• 4 Far-East Department Store (遠東百貨), 60 Gongyuan Rd. The department store focuses more on midrange consumers. Downstairs food-court offers good selection of restaurants and Hong Kong-based supermarket Wellcome. 
• 5 Hayashi Department Store (林百貨), 55 Zhongyi Rd Sec. 2. Taiwan's oldest department store. On its opening in 1932, the building boasted a then state-of-the-art elevator, which still works. It was bombed during World War II and still has bullet marks to show on the rooftop, next to its Shinto shrine. Located on what was once the richest shopping street in Tainan, the site fell into disuse following the defeat of Japan and the end of World War II until restoration of its elegant interior was completed in 2014. It is now home to another department store selling Japanese and Taiwanese food and handicrafts. Tainan Land Bank diagonally across the road from the store is also a stately Japanese-era building. 
• 6 Shinkong Mitsukoshi (新光三越), 162 Zhongshan Rd. The department store focuses on both high end products and mainstream fashion. Luxurious brands such as Chanel, Hermes, Ferragamo can be found in the department store. Men's fashion includes Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Polo Ralph Lauren, Nautica, Esprit and more. There's also a movie theater inside. Two food courts offer various Asian, western cuisine and fast food chains. There is also a newer, more modern Shinkong Mitsukoshi at 658 Ximen Rd Section 1. 

Eat

Tainan is often known as "the City of Snacks" (小吃城). In addition to the wide variety of food available at night markets, the city also has an abundance of street vendors specializing in tasty and cheap dishes. Oysters in particular, are favored in Tainan, from the long association with Anping port. Try the oyster omelette (蚵仔煎 kèzǎijiān / o-a chen), and oysters and thin noodles (蚵仔麵線 kèzǎi miànxiàn / o-a mi soa~) which are cooked differently from those up north. Danzai noodles (擔仔麵 dānzǎi miàn) should not be missed either. Coffin toast (棺材板 guāncaibǎn), fried bread stuffed with various ingredients, such as chicken, beans, seafood, vegetables and milk-based sauces, was also invented here.

The area around Tainan is also known for producing high quality beef, so be sure to try some beef soup while you are here.

Night markets

Anping night market

There are over two dozen night markets of various sizes in and around the city. Regardless of size, night markets all possess an abundance of stalls selling clothing, shoes, jewelry, toys, food and drink. Some even have live entertainment. Most night markets are only held on certain days of the week. Check before going.

• 1 Garden Night Market (花園夜市 huāyuán yèshì), Haian Road, Sec. 3, between Lixian Rd and Hewei Rd. Open on Th Sa Su. The biggest and most famous open-air night market, there are tons of food stalls and game booths set up in a gigantic parking lot. This market can get very busy (i.e. mosh pit busy) on some days. (updated Jan 2016)
• 2 Da Dong Night Market (大東夜市 dà dōng yèshì), Linsen Rd, Sec. 1. Open on M Tu F. Very popular among the local university students, especially on Friday nights. (updated Jan 2016)
• 3 Wu Sheng Night Market (武聖夜市 wǔ shèng yèshì), Lane 69, Wusheng Road, West Central District. Open on W Sa. While also popular for its food, this night market stands out for its carnival-style games. (updated Mar 2020)

Local specialties

• 4 Du Hsiao Yueh (度小月), 16 Zhongzheng Road. A famous purveyor of dan zai mian (擔仔麵), also known as peddlers' noodles because it was made to be sold by fishermen on the roadside. It's a small dish of noodles in pork-shrimp broth, decorated with a single shrimp and delicately balanced with a dash of garlic on top. This is the original branch, and they have opened more stores elsewhere in the country, including one on Yongkang St in Taipei and another in Taoyuan International Airport. 
• 5 A Xia Restaurant (阿霞飯店), No. 7, Lane 84, Section 2, Zhongyi Road, West Central District. A restaurant famous for its crab sticky rice (紅蟳米糕), often patronized by government officials and foreign dignitaries whenever they visit Tainan. NT$ 500-1500. (updated Jul 2024)
• 6 SongChun (松村煙燻滷味), No. 319, Section 2, Minzu Road, West Central District. Famous purveyor of traditional Taiwanese braised meats. What makes them stand out from other braised meat shops in Taiwan is that they smoke their meats before stewing, giving it a unique smoky flavor. Takeaways only 
• Beef soup
• Eel noodles
• Rice cake (碗稞 wǎnkē)
• Don't forget to try the shrimp rolls (zhou-shi) down along the canal.
• Andi's Party Corner sells traditional Austrian food and beers, an oddity in Tainan.

Desserts

Tainan has a pronounced sweet tooth, and nowhere is this more evident than in their love of sweet treats.

• Elite Cake (狀元糕 zhuàngyuan gāo)
• Imma Bakery, Shulin St.. Coffee house with breads, cakes, cookies, etc. An Israeli chef and Western style. 

Drink

There aren't many shiny modern nightspots in Tainan; the city delights in retro bars instead, leveraging on its history and countless number of traditional houses to give an intimate, laidback feel. A smattering of Mandarin or Taiwanese will open more doors in terms of nightlife, otherwise it would be easier to stick to expat hangouts where the owners speak English. Some of the bars provide taxi service if you get too drunk.

Pearl milk tea (珍珠奶茶, zhēnzhū nǎichá), also known as bubble tea, is a must drink in Tainan. Look out for shops where it is made directly to order! The Hanlin Tea House (翰林茶館) is one of two claimants to having invented the drink. Fruit drinks and desserts are always refreshing in the sticky summer heat too.

Local bars

• TCRC Bar, 117 Hsinmei St. A bar hidden in a little side alley, but probably one of the busiest in Tainan. They don't have any menus, with drinks made on request, though the standard cocktails are happily made strong. (updated Dec 2015)
• 1 Seren Cafe Bar, No.26 Lane 371, Fucian Rd., ☏ +886 6-215-9377. 14:00-23:00. An intimate and laid-back cafe bar. Travel and friendship are the themes. (updated Mar 2016)
• Drifters Bar. 
• Kinks Pub, Lane 232, No. 25 Qingnian Rd. 
• Taikoo, 94 Shennong St. 
• Speakeasy Bar (赤崁中藥行), ☏ +886 62219599. Opens 20:00. This newest creation of renowned bar entrepreneur Shorty Wu is on the east side alley way of Chikan street lane 45. Reservations are almost mandatory as it is very popular. English-speaking staff. The 'Sampler' is a beautiful array of several of their famous cocktails. Why come here with so many cocktail bars around? The atmosphere is done perfectly. Good food also served. (updated Mar 2023)
• The Secret (海登CBC酒吧), Next door to the Speakeasy Bar 700台南市中西區赤嵌街 45巷6號, ☏ +886916308806. What are the chances to have two of the best bars next to each other? This bar starts with a different but equally exceptional atmosphere that combines a lounge feel with a long bar that's great for meeting people, having an upscale London and izakaya Japan feel. Anyone traveling in a group of 3 or fewer that want to meet others would do well to come here, and for larger groups it is a great place to hang out in the cushy lounge area towards the back. The owner Ben is frequently there. Excellent cocktails. (updated Mar 2023)

Western bars

• Dirty Roger, Dongmen Rd. (close to the railway station).Excellent small bar. Used to be very hip, still very good. Every Music imaginable.
• The Armory, Gongyuan Rd. Good for beers and sport
• Willies Second Base, for beers, sport, food and pool upstairs
• The Hangout Bar, 128-132 Gongyuan Rd (公園路), ☏ +886 6 226-4861. 18:00-02:00. Nice bar to relax, play pool and watch sports. They also have good burgers and steak, free public computer and WiFi. NT$100. 
• Tin Pan Alley, Beimen Road (Across from Tainan Park). Great partly outdoor pub and bar near Tainan. Wonderful friendly owners and delicious food ranging from pizza to falafel. 
• Yongfu Mansion. It's not Western because it is an almost near-replica on a famous bar in Shanghai, but that original place was in the French Concession and is styled as such. Unique and outstanding atmosphere that takes you back to 1920s expat life in the Pearl of the Orient. The other endeavor of Shorty Wu in Tainan, this bar captures both a cozy darkness and a light energy. Outstanding cocktails and English-speaking staff. (updated Mar 2023)

Sleep

The local heritage and religious festivals of Tainan mostly draws only domestic tourists, so weekends, Taiwanese public holidays and school vacations are particularly busy for hotels. There aren't the masses of Chinese tour buses that crowd touristy Jiufen or Sun Moon Lake, so Tainan is a good place to be if you happen to be in Taiwan during the Golden Weeks in January/February or October. Staying near the train station or Chihkan Tower may help simplify public transport as they are easy landmarks and most buses stop at either place.

Budget

• 1 Guest House Hamuya (Tainan Guest House), No. 39, Alley 20, Lane 158, Section 2, Zhongyi Road (忠義路二段158巷20弄39號) ("Alley 20" is vertical to "Lane 158", which is vertical to Zhongyi Road. No. 39 is the vertical alley right before No. 41.), ☏ +886 6 2211239, +886 973713482, [email protected]. This is a guest house of a nice and relaxed Taiwanese-Japanese couple. The toilet is a little weird next to the kitchen and only separated by a curtain, if this bothers you. But the rest is authentic and friendly. FB. Dorm NT$500/bed, even during weekends. (updated Nov 2017)
• 2 Guang Hwa Hotel (光華商務飯店), 155 Beimen Rd Sec 1 (near the train station), ☏ +886 6 226-3171, [email protected]. Check-out: 11:00. Free internet and breakfast. Double from NT$700. 
• 3 Seren Hostel (賽倫青旅), No.26 Lane 371, Fucian Rd., ☏ +886 6-358-0972. In the city center. Most must-see sites and popular eateries can be reached on foot within 5-15 min. NT$530. 
• 4 Cheng Kuang Hotel, 294 Beimen Rd Sec. 1 (near the train station), ☏ +886 6 222-1188. The hotel is a little old, but the rooms are OK for the price. 
• Tainan City Labour Recreation Centre, 261 Nanmen Rd, ☏ +886 6 215-0174. Check-out: 11:00. Large single room including private bathroom NT$550/Double room. Open 06:00-00:00, hot water only from 18:00-00:00. They no longer offer dorm rooms. 
• FuQi Hostel, No.76-2, Zhongzheng Rd., West Central Dist., Tainan City 700 (The hostel is on the 2nd and 3rd floor. The entrance is not very obvious, it's just a metal door with the name of the hostel on it.), ☏ +886-6-7034543. WiFi, free internet, kitchen, living room and laundry plus very helpful and friendly staff. Dorm rooms for NT$450. 
• City Hut 1828 (Dorm1828), No.28 Lane 18, Dasyue Road. 15-minute walk from the train station. NT$600. 
• 5 loft18 hostel, 號 No. 18, No. 5F-1, Lane 270, Section 2, Hai'an Rd, West Central District (Inside YongLe market, behide Funkoo bar), ☏ +886 961 103 612. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Clean and comfortable. 10-beds dorm, bedlight, 3 power plugs, bedsheet/blanket, towel, curtain, large locker with key (ok 80L), wifi, aircon. Kitchen with fridge, toaster, microwave, one electric stove/fire. Living with tv, xbox, books (mostly in Chinese). Shower x2, soap, shampoo, hot water, hair dryer. Western toilets x2, toilet gun, toilet paper. Mosquito nets on windows. 5F, stairs only. Rooftop 6F with few chairs and one small table, also laundry space. "Free" walking tours with https://www.likeitformosa.com/tainan-downtown (but tip expected). dorm NT$ 510. (updated Jul 2024)

Mid-range

• Sendale Yong Fu - Tainan City 新大福軒館, 115 Yong Fu Rd Section 1 (behind Landis Hotel, 3 minutes by walking to New Life Square-Mitsukoshi Department Shopping Mall), ☏ +886 6 214-2988, fax: +886 6 214-2799. 
• Dynasty Hotel, 46 Chengkung Rd, ☏ +886 6 225-8121, fax: +886 6 221-6711. 
• Cambridge Hotel, 269 Sec 2 Mintzu Rd. 

Splurge

• Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, 89 Section West, University Rd, ☏ +886 6 702-8888, fax: +886 6 702-7777. Five-star property near the train station (regular, not HSR). Free internet (wired and non-wired). 
• Tayih Landis Hotel, 660, Shi-Men Rd, Sec.1, ☏ +886 6 213-5555, fax: +886 6 213-5555. 5-star property adjacent to an enormous Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store. Nearby Confucius temple and the Chihkan towers. 
• Evergreen Plaza Hotel, No. 1, Lane 336, Chunghua E. Rd., Sec. 3, Tainan City, ☏ +886 6 289-9988, fax: +886 6 289-6699. 4-5 star property about 10 min south of the train station (regular, not HSR). Free internet. 

Stay safe

Tainan, like the rest of Taiwan, is very safe for tourists with respect to crime. However, you should keep alert when on the roads - the Bureau of Transportation reports an average of 200 deaths and 20,000 injuries per year from traffic incidents in Tainan alone.

Noise

Adding to the constant flow of traffic in the streets, Tainan also host the greatest number of temple parades in the country which means loud fireworks at potentially any time of day. Moreover, fighter jets performing low passes over the city are a frequent occurrence every day (sometimes up to 30 times a day!), so people who are sensitive to such loud events should be wary.

Go next

• Guanziling – One of Taiwan's best-known hot spring areas.
• Fo Guang Shan – The largest and most impressive Buddhist monastery of Taiwan, just 1 hour southeast of Tainan.
• Kaohsiung – The second largest city of Taiwan, and a port city that took over Tainan's place as the Harbor City, one hour south by TRA train.
• Chiayi – The next northern city and natural jumping off point for the beautiful Alishan, e.g. by the scenic narrow-gauge Alishan Forest Railway.
• Kinmen – If Tainan is the bastion of Taiwanese identity, then Kinmen is an interesting study at the opposite end of the spectrum as a pair of islands inextricably tied to the Chinese mainland.

Routes through Taichung (THSR)

Taichung ← Chiayi ←

N  S

→ Kaohsiung

Routes through Taichung (National Highway)

Taichung ← Chiayi ←	N  S	→ Kaohsiung
Nantou County ← Chiayi County ←	N  S	→ Kaohsiung → Pingtung