Must-see attractions in Tainan

  • Smoke of joss sticks.

    Grand Mazu Temple

    Tainan

    This lively temple once served as the palace of Ning Jin, the last king of the Ming dynasty. If you wish to confirm visually that a king's status is lower…

  • City God Temple

    Tainan

    When you enter the temple, look up for the two large abacuses used to calculate whether you have done more good than bad in life; check out the most…

  • Thousand Fields Seed Museum

    Tainan

    This horticultural Eden is a home with a fantastical garden overrun with plants, and seeds, seeds, seeds – some 500 species, most endemic to southern…

  • National Museum of Taiwan Literature

    Tainan

    This serious and excellent museum details the development of Taiwanese literature from the time of the pre-Han indigenous peoples to the modern era…

  • Shennong Street

    Tainan

    Cafes, art galleries, fashion boutiques and B&Bs have flowered in the hub of Tainan's former Five Canals area, taking full advantage of the long, narrow,…

  • Ciji Temple Museum

    Tainan

    In focus here is Koji pottery that is used to embellish roof ridges and walls by sculptor Ye Wang (1826–87). The first such artist to be born in Taiwan …

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    Taijiang National Park

    Tainan

    Taiwan's eighth national park, Taijiang covers a patchwork of coastal lands north of Anping Harbour. The 50 sq km of land and 340 sq km of sea include…

  • People in front of the gate of the Confucius Temple, Tainan, Republic of China, Taiwan, Asia

    Confucius Temple

    Tainan

    Built in 1666 by the son of Ming loyalist Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga),Taiwan's first Confucian temple and official school is quiet, dignified and coloured…

  • Hayashi Department Store

    Tainan

    This art deco department store from the 1930s has been so beautifully restored that it's worth going in just to ascend the sweeping staircase, peer…

  • Land Bank

    Tainan

    The neoclassical-style Land Bank dates from 1928. Japanese architects were heavily influenced by western ideas at the time and neoclassical revival was a…

  • Official God of War Temple

    Tainan

    This is the oldest and most impressive temple in Taiwan dedicated to Guandi (Guan Gong), a Han-dynasty general deified as the God of War. He is the patron…

  • National Museum of Taiwan History

    Tainan

    Eight kilometres north of the city centre of Tainan, this three-storey museum is a good introduction to the ethnocultural history of Taiwan. The visually…

  • Anping Old Streets

    Tainan

    To the right of the Anping Fort entrance (with your back to the fort), you’ll find some of the oldest streets in Taiwan. As you wander about, look for…

  • Ten Drum Rende Creative Village

    Tainan

    Tainan's largest art village is this awesome 7.5-hectare Japanese-era sugar refinery run by award-winning native percussion group, Ten Drum (十鼓). You can…

  • Chuan Mei Theatre

    Tainan

    This old second-run theatre (1950) is worth a look for the movie posters created by Master Yan Jhen-fa, the last such painter in Taiwan. You can see…

  • Wind God Temple

    Tainan

    Nature-worship temples are hard to come by, which makes this one dedicated to the God of Wind unique. The small structure was originally part of an…

  • Xuejia Ciji Temple

    Tainan

    The magnificent Ciji Temple in the town centre of Xuejia worships the God of Doctors (保生大帝; Bosheng Dadi), a deified medical practitioner from Fujian who…

  • Tainan Art Museum Bldg 2

    Tainan

    Created by Japanese architect and Pritzker Prize–winner Ban Shigeru, Building 2 of the Tainan Art Museum has a dozen galleries spread over five floors…

  • Old Japanese Martial Arts Academy

    Tainan

    This sleek and poised Japanese building next to the Confucius Temple was a butokuden, a place where the Japanese taught and promoted martial arts such as…

  • Tainan Art Museum

    Tainan

    Both buildings of the Tainan Art Museum are now open – this one (Building 1), the former Tainan City Police Station raised in the Japanese era; and the…

  • 182 Art Space

    Tainan

    A fabulous gallery inside an attractive 50-year-old building. The three-and-a-half floors of space hosts well-curated exhibitions of works – paintings,…

  • Tourists in front of Chihkan Towers in the evening, Fort Proventia, Tainan, Republic of China, Taiwan, Asia

    Chihkan Towers

    Tainan

    This old fort is a splendid place to roam around, or to enjoy an outdoor concert on weekends. However, only the foundation is the original. Chihkan has…

  • Dongyue Temple

    Tainan

    People come to this temple to communicate with the dead through spirit mediums. It's a fascinating place to catch a glimpse of Taiwanese folk culture. It…

  • King of Medicine Temple

    Tainan

    A foreboding temple dedicated to the King of Medicine (sometimes erroneously translated as 'Drug Lord'), the first of its kind in Taiwan. It faces the…

  • Liu Chi-hsiang Former Residence

    Tainan

    The former residence of renowned Taiwanese painter Liu Chi-hsiang (1910–98) has been restored and turned into a museum on his life and works. Liu was…

  • Koxinga's Shrine

    Tainan

    This shrine was built in the Qing dynasty, but its roots date back to a shrine commemorating Ming loyalist Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) in the 1660s. The…

  • Altar of Heaven

    Tainan

    Tainan families have been coming here for generations on the 1st and 15th of every lunar month to pray to the supreme Taoist entity, the Jade Emperor. The…

  • Anping Fort

    Tainan

    Behind the Mazu Temple, the fort was a stronghold of Dutch power until its 1661 capture by Koxinga after a nine-month battle. Most of it has been…

  • Great South Gate

    Tainan

    There used to be 14 city gates in Tainan and a city wall spreading several kilometres. This old gate is the only one of the four remaining gates that…

  • Room A

    Tainan

    You pay by the hour at this unusual library-cafe stocked with magazines, comics and visual arts books. It's a great place to chill – there's free coffee,…

  • Kailung Temple

    Tainan

    A quiet temple hidden in an alleyway off Zhongshan Rd that worships Princess Seven Stars or Chiniangma (七娘媽), the protector of children, comes alive on…

  • Stone Arch

    Tainan

    This antique arch used to be the outermost gateway to the Confucius Temple but became separated from the temple after Nanmen Rd was built in the Japanese…

  • Fahua Temple

    Tainan

    One of Tainan's two most ancient Buddhist temples, Fahua has clean lines and understated aesthetics. A simple gourd, exorcist of evil spirits, sits on the…

  • Anping Mazu Temple

    Tainan

    This temple is one of many claiming status as the oldest in Taiwan. Its interior is more elaborately decorated than most in central Tainan, and features a…

  • Duiyue Gate

    Tainan

    This gate (1835) was part of Tainan's outer city walls in the Qing dynasty. You can see the coral stones in the base and the red bricks making up the low…

  • 321 Art Alley Settlement

    Tainan

    Artists, performers and cafe operators have moved into this village with giant banyans, shabby walls and vibrant art. Take a stroll along the tree-lined…

  • Lady Linshui's Temple

    Tainan

    For generations, women have come to this temple to ask Lady Linshui to protect their children. This is demanding work and the goddess employs 36…

  • Wufei Temple

    Tainan

    Dainty Wufei Temple was built in honour of the concubines of the Prince of Ningjing, Zhu Shugui, the last contender for the Ming throne. When Koxinga's…

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