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…
Must see attractions in Tainan
- Top ChoiceGrand Mazu Temple
- CTop ChoiceCity God Temple
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…
- TTop ChoiceThousand Fields Seed Museum
This horticultural Eden is a home with a fantastical garden overrun with plants, and seeds, seeds, seeds – some 500 species, most endemic to southern…
- NTop ChoiceNational Museum of Taiwan Literature
This serious and excellent museum details the development of Taiwanese literature from the time of the pre-Han indigenous peoples to the modern era…
- STop ChoiceShennong Street
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,…
- CTop ChoiceCiji Temple Museum
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 …
- Taijiang National Park
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…
- Confucius Temple
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…
- HHayashi Department Store
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…
- LLand Bank
The neoclassical-style Land Bank dates from 1928. Japanese architects were heavily influenced by western ideas at the time and neoclassical revival was a…
- OOfficial God of War Temple
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…
- NNational Museum of Taiwan History
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…
- AAnping Old Streets
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…
- TTen Drum Rende Creative Village
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…
- CChuan Mei Theatre
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…
- WWind God Temple
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…
- XXuejia Ciji Temple
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…
- FFormer Tait & Co Merchant House and Anping Tree House
The merchant house was built in 1867 and holds a permanent exhibit of household artefacts from the 17th century. Through a series of decorated rooms, the…
- TTainan Art Museum Bldg 2
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…
- OOld Japanese Martial Arts Academy
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…