10 Best Places Where Locals Love to Go in Tainan

Chihkan Tower, also called Fort Provintia, was built by the Dutch in 1652 and was completed in 1653. It was the political and economic centre of Tainan and retains most of its original style and features after centuries of reconstruction. As a historical spot and landmark of Tainan, Chihkan Tower is fully preserved and intact, allowing visitors to witness more than 3 centuries of history and travel back to ancestral times when people were cultivating the lands. 

You can visit Wenchang Pavilion, Haishen Temple, and Penghu College near Chihkan Tower to get a deep experience of the history of Tainan as the ancient capital. To bypass an endless stream of visitors, you can visit the site in the evening when the crowds subside. It’s also illuminated at night, immersing the centuries-old historic spot in a yellow glow that brings out its simple elegance – an unmissable night scene for professional photographers in Tainan.

Shennong Street, nicknamed Holy Land for Hipsters, is a major site for literary and artistic creation in Tainan. Many young artists set up stores dedicated to literary creation here, attracting a lot of amateur enthusiasts to pay homage to their exquisite handicrafts and ingenious cultural and creative ideas. In ancient times, Shennong Street was the entrance and exit of a river port, facilitating the travels of many shipmen and merchants, so it developed into an important business district. However, Shennong Street has gradually declined to become an antiquated street through the change of terrain and the passage of time. 

In recent years, many young artists have settled in and set up handicraft stores here. Driven by a surge in interest from the Internet, Shennong Street has regained its reputation with an influx of visitors. Those who visit Shennong Street for shopping can find many original cultural and creative goods, meander through the ancient lanes marked with the traces of time, and chat with local artists about their anecdotes of Tainan. Tourists can not only fill their luggage with cultural goods but also experience the touching stories of the city.

Chimei Museum has become an important artistic landmark of Tainan. Indeed, the ancient capital has a deep cultural and artistic atmosphere, full of museums and historic sites. Since its official opening in 2015, Chimei Museum was founded and built by Mr Shi Wen-Long of Chi Mei Group for his personal art collection. He generously donated the museum to Tainan as a public art space. 

Most of the collections in Chimei Museum are western works of art, such as sculptures and oil paintings, along with exhibitions of violins, weapons, and antiques. It is a rich collection of treasures for the city of Tainan. The outdoor garden of Chimei Museum is worth a prolonged visit, with the magnificent Apollo fountain in imitation of the Palace of Versailles, as well as artificial lakes, green spaces, and outdoor sculptures in the European style.

Fort Zeelandia Museum is one of the most representative landmarks among the many precious historic sites in Anping District of Tainan City. Its predecessor was Anping Taxation Office founded in 1822, which was changed into Zeikan Club in the era of Japanese rule, later becoming Anping District Office of Tainan. The historic site was preserved and transformed into Fort Zeelandia Museum following official survey and assessment. 

Fort Zeelandia Museum exhibits precious historical objects of Tainan in 4 themes: "Some miscellaneous histories", "Going back to the past", "Stories of this historic building", and "History of defence and war", allowing visitors to gain a deep understanding of the history of Tainan over the past few centuries. Fort Zeelandia Museum holds many precious historical treasures, such as the Wall Anchor, Anping pots, and centenary ceramic relics, which quietly tell the splendid history of Tainan.

Garden Night Market is the representative night market of Tainan among the many night markets scattered in Taiwan's major cities and towns. It is usually a car park but is cleared of cars on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday to make way for a popular night market. Nearly 400 vendors come here to hang up prominent signboards and flags to attract the flocking crowds. 

Garden Night Market offers many well-known Tainan snacks, such as chou dou fu (stinky tofu), hei lun (oden), cong you bing (spring onion pancake), and ma la ya xie (spicy duck blood). Customers patiently queue up before the stalls to taste delicious snacks. Apart from snack stalls, Garden Night Market also includes boutique department stores, trendy clothing stores, and leisure and entertainment areas, where the whole family can shop, eat, and play, enjoying a happy and relaxing time together.

Taiwan Salt Museum, located in Yancheng District, allows visitors to learn more about the salt culture and industry of Tainan. Yancheng District of Tainan is truly reminiscent of salt drying in the hot sun or sea salt piling up like a mountain since yancheng itself means 'salt' in Chinese. Taiwan Salt Museum is the only museum in Taiwan focusing on the theme of salt, with exhibitions oriented toward the local salt industry of Tainan and salt production methods from around the world, presenting a unique salt-centred world view in an interesting and informative way. 

Visitors to Taiwan Salt Museum can take part in the Meet with Salt Elves tour and follow a professional tour guide to learn more about the salt production process and all things related. While visiting the Taiwan Salt Museum, don't forget to taste the salt ice lolly, which gives a refreshing and long-lasting salty taste.

Tainan Art Museum is one of Tainan City's most important landmarks for art, boasting a wealth of precious collections. Tainan Art Museum is divided into 2 sections. The first section was originally located in the police station building of Tainan City, which is designated as one of the city's historic sites. It was transformed into an exhibition room following restoration. The second section is a new white modern building jointly built by Taiwanese and Japanese architects. 

Both sections of Tainan Art Museum were opened in 2019, providing a new art space in South Taiwan that is of great significance in cultivating local artists, regional art education, and cultural tourism. The street connecting the first and second sections of Tainan Art Museum is named You'ai Street, where the Tainan cultural authority plans to build an art gallery to connect the art spaces of both sections.

Tainan Confucius Temple is the first of many other Confucius temples all over Taiwan. Built in 1665, Tainan Confucius Temple has a long history and high historical value and is a historical monument in Taiwan. The temple was designed as a standard 3-section compound of the architectural layout, "colleges on the left, temples on the right, halls in the front, and pavilions in the back". The temple is divided into magnificent theme areas, namely Dachengfang, Panchi, Pangongfang, Limen, Dachengdian, and Chongshengdian. The temple's walls, eaves, beams, and columns are decorated with many fine details.

An autumn ceremony is held at the Confucius Temple to celebrate the birthday of Confucius on 28 September every year. The custom of "Plucking the Hair of Wisdom" after the ceremony attracts many locals and tourists to play the fun game of collecting the hair taken from the head of a sacrificial ox.

Taijiang National Park is the 8th national park of Taiwan. The name "Taijiang" is derived from the now-vanished inland Taijiang Lagoon. This large natural area has been transformed into a fish pond or wetland. Since being designated as a national park, this beautiful space is well-preserved from excessive development or destruction. Taijiang National Park brims with water from many wetlands and mangroves within its reach, along with the confluence of the Zengwen, Lu'ermen and Yanshui rivers and Zhufagang Canal slowly flowing past. 

A beautiful natural ecosystem is formed from wetlands and rivers that give birth to an abundance of life. Along with the ever-flourishing schools of fish, shrimp and shellfish, this is also the habitat for many waterfowl and the foraging ground for black-faced spoonbills as well as other rare migratory birds. Taijiang National Park is a large natural garden in Tainan and also a must-visit place for bird watchers and nature lovers.

Wushantou Dam in Guantian District of Tainan City was designed by the Japanese hydraulic engineer Hatta Yoichi and is the most indicative hydraulic engineering project of the early 20th century. Construction began in 1920 and was completed in 1930. Wushantou Dam is also known as "Coral Lake" because the completed reservoir lake is similar to coral in shape. 

Wushantou Dam is not only an important reservoir facility in Tainan but also a popular tourist attraction due to its beautiful scenery. Many Japanese visitors come to pay homage to the statue of Hatta Yoichi. Wushantou Dam is a well-equipped and provides visitors with a range of leisure activities, such as camping, boating, cherry-blossom admiring, horseriding, archery, barbecuing, and lake tours. Wushantou Dam allows young and old to get close to nature, breathe in the fresh air, and watch sunrise and sunset in a dreamlike setting.