Tainan: top things to do, hidden gems and key tips

Give Tainan two days: one for the temples and Chihkan Tower in the centre, and one for Anping and the Chimei Museum. From high-speed rail, change to the Shalun line for Tainan station. Plan your night market around the days it opens.

How long have you got?

• One day: the Confucius Temple, Hayashi Department Store and Shennong Street, then Chihkan Tower after dark. Add Garden Night Market from Thursday to Sunday.
• Two days: add Anping’s fort and Tree House on bus 98, and the Chimei Museum, which is closed on Wednesdays.

When are you going?

• February or March, at the Lantern Festival: the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks, on the 14th and 15th days of the first lunar month: a procession from Yanshui Wu Temple along five routes, with about 200 sets of fireworks. In 2026 it began on 2 March.1Taipei Times (opens in a new tab)taipeitimes.com To enter the firecracker zone at Yanshui Junior High, you must wear full protective gear; vendors in town sell helmets, thick jackets and gloves.2Tainan Tourism (opens in a new tab)twtainan.net
• Summer: mangoes, Tainan’s summer fruit, are in season.3Tainan Tourism (opens in a new tab)twtainan.net

Top things to do

• Chihkan Tower: on the site of the Dutch Fort Provintia, open 08:30 to 21:30 daily.Tip It’s open late, so save it for the evening.4Tainan Tourism (opens in a new tab)twtainan.net
• Confucius Temple: Taiwan’s first Confucian academy, more than 300 years old, open 08:30 to 17:30.5Tainan Tourism (opens in a new tab)twtainan.net
• Anping Old Fort (Fort Zeelandia): NT$70, 08:30 to 17:30 daily.6Tainan Cultural Affairs Bureau (opens in a new tab)historic.tainan.gov.twTip Tourist Shuttle 98 stops at the fort.7Taiwan Tourist Shuttle (opens in a new tab)taiwantrip.com.tw
• Anping Tree House: a warehouse swallowed by banyan roots, NT$70, 08:30 to 17:30, a short walk from the fort.8Tainan Tourism (opens in a new tab)twtainan.net
• Hayashi Department Store: Tainan’s first lift, from 1932, and a rooftop shrine; free, 11:00 to 21:00.9Tainan Tourism (opens in a new tab)twtainan.net
• Chimei Museum: art, arms and musical instruments in a mock-classical palace. NT$200, 09:30 to 17:30, last entry 17:00.Tip Closed on Wednesdays.10Chimei Museum (opens in a new tab)chimeimuseum.org
• Garden Night Market: Tainan’s biggest, 17:00 to midnight.Tip Open Thursday to Sunday only.11Tainan Tourism (opens in a new tab)twtainan.net
• Grand Mazu Temple and the Official God of War Temple: neighbouring temples, open from early morning to 21:00.Tip The matchmaking god, Yue Lao, is in the back hall.12Grand Mazu (opens in a new tab)twtainan.netGod of War (opens in a new tab)twtainan.net

Hidden gems

• Shennong Street: a lane of old shophouses and craft shops.Tip Many shopkeepers ban photography, so ask first.13Tainan Tourism (opens in a new tab)twtainan.net
• Blueprint Culture and Creative Park: murals and small studios, 10:00 to 21:00. Closed Tuesdays.14Tainan Tourism (opens in a new tab)twtainan.net
• National Museum of Modern Art Tainan: NT$160, open to 21:00 on Saturdays, closed Mondays.Tip The ticket also gets you into the Tainan Art Museum that day.15MOMA Tainan (opens in a new tab)momatainan.gov.tw

Getting there and around

• From Taipei: high-speed rail to Tainan, about 1 hour 50 minutes,16Tainan Tourism (opens in a new tab)twtainan.net NT$1,305 non-reserved.
• Into the city: walk through the second-floor corridor to Shalun station and take the Shalun line to Tainan station. Trains run from 06:25 to 23:39.17THSR (opens in a new tab)en.thsrc.com.tw
• Getting around: Tourist Shuttle 98 runs from the bus station past the Confucius Temple, Hayashi and Chihkan Tower to Anping, NT$18 a section, by EasyCard or cash.18Taiwan Tourist Shuttle (opens in a new tab)taiwantrip.com.tw City buses take an EasyCard; tap on and off.19Tainan City Bus (opens in a new tab)2384.tainan.gov.tw

If it doesn’t go to plan

• It’s Wednesday? Chimei is closed. Go to Anping and the art museums instead.
• It’s Monday? The art museums are closed. Go to Chimei, Chihkan Tower and the Confucius Temple.
• Garden Night Market closed? Siaobei Night Market opens daily, 12:00 to midnight.20Tainan Tourism (opens in a new tab)twtainan.net
• Raining? Chimei, the art museums and Hayashi are all indoors.