Tainan
Taiwan’s oldest city — a low-rise sprawl of temples, fort ruins, and the best eating on the island.
Tainan is where Taiwan’s recorded history begins. It was the island’s capital for over two centuries, from the 17th-century Dutch trading fort through the Koxinga and Qing eras, and it still wears that age openly: there are said to be hundreds of temples within the old city, more per square kilometre than anywhere else in the country, many tucked between scooter shops and breakfast stalls on ordinary lanes. The pace is slow and southern, the winters are warm and dry, and the city is unhurried in a way Taipei never quite is. Above all, Tainan is Taiwan’s undisputed food capital — locals from the rest of the island make pilgrimages here just to eat.
What to do in Tainan
Begin in the historic Anping district, where the Dutch built Fort Zeelandia — today’s Anping Fort (Anping Old Fort) — and where the extraordinary Anping Tree House, a derelict warehouse swallowed whole by the roots and limbs of giant banyan trees, is the city’s most photographed sight. In the centre, climb the Chihkan Tower (Fort Provintia), another Dutch-era relic rebuilt in Chinese style. Then simply wander the temple district: the Confucius Temple (Taiwan’s first), the Grand Mazu Temple, and the God of War temple are the grand ones, but half the pleasure is the small neighbourhood shrines you stumble into between meals.
- Anping Fort — the old Dutch Fort Zeelandia, the cradle of the city.
- Anping Tree House — a warehouse consumed by banyan roots; unforgettable.
- Chihkan Tower — Fort Provintia, rebuilt as a Chinese-style pavilion.
- Confucius Temple — the island’s oldest, set in a calm walled garden.
- Shennong Street — a restored old lane of bars, cafes, and craft shops.
Where to eat in Tainan
This is the reason many people come. Tainan invented or perfected a long list of Taiwanese dishes, and they are best eaten at the humble, decades-old stalls that specialise in just one thing. Seek out danzai noodles (a small bowl of noodles in a savoury shrimp-and-pork broth, the dish the city is most famous for), peppery beef soup eaten for breakfast with paper-thin slices of raw beef cooked by the hot broth, coffin bread (a thick slab of fried toast hollowed out and filled with creamy stew), and milkfish in every form — soup, congee, fried — from the fish farms that surround the city. Come hungry and graze all day.
How to get to Tainan
Tainan is on the High-Speed Rail, putting it well under two hours from Taipei. The THSR station sits outside the centre; a quick shuttle train or taxi links it to Tainan’s downtown railway station, beside the old town. Within the compact centre, walk or rent a scooter or bike — everything historic is close together.
It pairs obviously with its southern neighbour, the harbour city of Kaohsiung, just down the line, and with the mountain detour up to Alishan from nearby Chiayi.