Tainan 台南

Some pictures of Tainan

Presentation of Tainan
Taiwan’s oldest city and capital, Tainan boasts some of the island’s most important historical sites at its heart. Founded by the Dutch East India Company in 1624, it was conquered by Chinese separatists in 1662. Twenty years later, when the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) regained control of the island, it officially became a Chinese province. While Tainan is no longer the administrative capital of Taiwan today, the Taiwanese recognize it as their culinary capital. And rightly so: the city’s identity can be expressed through the food it offers. If Taipei has made its reputation for its gastronomy, it owes a lot to Tainan, from which it drew inspiration to create its dishes. But it would be unfair to summarize Tainan only by its gastronomy: it has so much to offer that it is unwise to explore the city and its region with your nose only in the plate (or the bowl). The jewels of Tainan are not specifically in its tourist sites often too popular with groups of local travelers, but quite simply in the calm atmosphere of the alleys that crisscross the old quarters of its city center, contrasting with the large, dynamic and commercial avenues. Here, time seems to have stood still. Stroll, venture into family craft workshops, sit in a vintage cafe and savor the street atmospheres that will take you back to times gone by. Ideal for a free day at your own pace, before heading to a night market. Then sit down with the locals and improvise your dinner on a makeshift table among the stalls selling skewers or simmered dishes full of color and flavor! Tainan is accessible by train and bus from all other major cities in Taiwan.
Interesting things to do in Tainan

Explore the island’s past
Discover the city’s new hipster culture
Taste everything in sight

What to do in Tainan?

Anping Tree House
Chimei Museum of Art and Natural History (also has the world’s largest violin collection)
Visit Fort Zeelandia and Fort Provintia, both of Dutch origin
Blueprint Culture & Creative Park
Hayashi Department Store (Taiwan’s oldest shopping mall)
Stay in a mountain farmhouse with an infinity pool (1.5 hours from Tainan)
Stroll at your leisure through the dead ends and alleys of another time

Where to eat in Tainan?
Tainan does not have luxurious or Michelin-starred restaurants, but rather small family-run restaurants, offering more traditional flavors, mostly seafood and snacks.

Ta’a noodles (or Danzi) at Du Hsiao Yueh (a Chinese restaurant) (has been around for over 120 years)
Fried seafood (fish, squid, shrimp, crab, etc.) at the night markets
Try the street food on Anping Old Street: coffin bread, rice cakes, dried noodles, etc.