Trip deep into Tainan【West Central Dist. Section】Bye-bye hurrying one day trip, let’s arrange a 3 day 2 nights little trip
Updated：2023-09-27
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Introduce
Trip deep into Tainan【West Central Dist. Section】Bye-bye hurrying one day trip, let’s arrange a 3 day 2 nights little trip!
Hi, everyone, I am GODA
This time I will arrange a theme: “Bye-bye hurrying one day trip, let’s arrange a good deep adventure of Tainan trip” to introduce the attractions of Tainan.
This series will be divided into “West Central Dist.” and “Anping Dist.” sections and this is the “West Central Dist. Section!”
This section will be focusing on the attractions of the “West Central Dist., Tainan”!
West Central Dist., Tainan
“West Central Dist.,” is the focusing area of Tainan city tour.
Almost all of the famous attractions such as “Hayashi Department Store”, “Confucius Temple” and “Museum of National Taiwanese Literature” are located in this district and it’s in a very convenient location because it’s near to Tainan Train Station.
Certainly, there are other attractions in other districts of Tainan full of charm, however, almost all tourists came to Tainan choose to do the sightseeing in West Central Dist., first.
(And the reason why lots of tourists choose to stay in this district is because there are many hotels in West Central Dist., as well.)
So, let’s come to have a look!
Let me introduce the premier touring courses in the West Central Dist., and the must go touring experiences that you should not miss!
In order to let all of you travel more efficiently, I shall divide the West Central Dist., into 4 areas for you.
- The Confucius Temple area
- The Chihkan Tower area
- The Shengnong Street area
- The Garden night market area
① The Confucius Temple area
＜How to get to the Confucius Temple＞
From Tainan Train Station: about 11 minutes by bus no. 2, no. 6. about 5 minutes by bus no. 88.
From Chihkan Tower: Around 14 minutes by foot, about 5 minutes by taxi. (buses tend to detour, therefore suggest taking taxi to save time.)
From Shengnong Street: about 21 minutes by foot, about 6 minutes by taxi. (buses tend to detour, therefore suggest taking taxi to save time.)
From Garden night market: about 10 minutes by taxi. (buses tend to detour, therefore suggest taking taxi to save time.)
A lot of attractions are located quite near to the area of Confucius Temple.
Especially there are lots of historic monuments; it is an area with very high density of historic monuments.
Tainan Confucius Temple
Address: No. 2 Nanmen Rd., West Central Dist., Tainan Phone: 06-221-4647 Opening hour: 8:30~17:30 (open all year round) Entrance fee: NT25 for Tacheng Hall |
After entering the Confucius Temple, I walked casually in the court yard of the Temple.
The gate of the Confucius Temple
The plaque has to be read from the right to the left, not the other way around.
The meaning of the inscription is “The First School in Taiwan.”
The Tainan Confucius Temple was constructed in 1665; it is the earliest and the historical Confucius Temple in Taiwan. The whole place has been renovated during the Japanese rein era, which is the appearance we are seeing now.
Inside the court yard of the Confucius TempleThe whole court yard of the Confucius Temple is very spacious, and it is quite comfortable to take a walk in it.
Furthermore, the area shown in the pictures are free of charge, however, if you want to enter Tacheng Hall, you have to pay 25NTD ticket to get inside.
Suggest entering the Tacheng Hall if you are very interested in the history!
Coral Tree Alley
| Address: No. 140, Fuzhong Street, West Central Dist., Tainan Phone: Nil Opening hour: 24hr(open all year round) |
Then, I walked into the Coral Tree Alley beside the Confucius Temple.
There are many shops at both sides of the Coral Tree Alley, such as handicraft store, restaurants etc.; it is an alley for tourists.
The Coral Tree AlleySince it was a weekday, therefore not many shops opening, but it should be bustling with noise during holidays.
You can buy some presents, or take a rest to have some sweet treats, and of course you can try some delicious street foods of Tainan.
Small lane in the Coral Tree AlleyOther than the above, there is a very good atmosphere in the small lane beside the Coral Tree Alley.
There are very traditional local temples and some nice little café too....
This is a place that you want to keep on strolling to every corner to explore.
Tainan Museum of the Fine Arts
Address: No. 37, Nanmen Rd., West Central Dist., Tainan Phone: 06-221-8881 Opening hour: [Tues - Sun] Opens from 09:00 to 17:00 [Mon] Closed (Closed if public holidays are on Mondays) [Sat] Opens until 21:00 [Public holidays] Opens as usual, except for Chinese New Years Eve, the 1st and 2nd day of Chinese New Year |
After walking about 2 minutes in the Coral Tree Alley, I went to Hall 1 of the Tainan Museum of the Fine Arts.
Tainan Museum of the Fine Arts (Hall 1)Tainan Museum of the Fine Arts (Hall 1) is a museum renovated from a police bureau constructed during the Japanese rein era. This museum just opened from October, 2018, so it looks very modern and clean.
The exhibitsIn my impression, the exhibits are mainly the art works of Taiwanese artists.
The design and decoration of the museum are very eye-catching
Although the exhibits are wonderfully fine, however, the most impressive place is the decorative design of the museum.
Though it may not be easy to see from the picture, but it had added new building beside the old police bureau, connecting the two buildings to make it into the Museum of the Fine Art.
The way of the combination of old and new is truly amazing!
It took only about 6 to 7 minutes to walk from Hall 1 to arrive at Tainan Museum of the Fine Arts (Hall 2.)
Museum of the Fine Arts (Hall 2) just opened from January, 2019 and it is even more spacious than Hall 1.
“Because summer in Tainan is so hot, this is a very nice place to enjoy the air-conditioning...!” I smiled at my thought.
Tainan Museum of the Fine Arts (Hall 2) Opening hour: [Tues - Sun] Opens from 09:00 to 17:00 [Mon] Closed (Closed if public holidays are on Mondays) [Sat] Opens until 21:00 [Public holidays] Opens as usual, except for Chinese New Years Eve, the 1st and 2nd day of Chinese New Year |
National Museum of Taiwanese Literature
National Museum of Taiwanese Literature (Tainan State Government Hall) Address: No. 1, Zhongzheng Rd., West Central Dist., Tainan Phone: 06-221-7201 Opening hour: 9:00~18:00 Closing date: Every Monday Entrance fee: Free |
Then, I walked about 2 minutes from Tainan Museum of the Fine Arts (Hall 1) to the National Museum of Taiwanese Literature.
This place is the Tainan State Government Hall (that is, what the Taiwanese called the County Government Hall)
This is also renovated from the old historical building, so that the old building can be preserved well and to be utilized efficiently, this is truly a very good way to present the old historical buildings!
The decoration of the museum is very magnificent too
The decoration of the National Museum of Taiwanese Literature is pretty magnificent.
Souvenir shopBecause it is a museum, hence there many creative art products selling in the souvenir shop.
The exhibitsThe space of the exhibits area feels rather standard and formal.
I suggest visiting this museum if you like history and building.
Hayashi Department Store
Address: No. 63, Sec. 2, Zhongzheng Rd., West Central Dist., Tainan Phone: 06-221-3000 Opening hour: 10:30~21:30 |
If you walk from the National Museum of Taiwanese Literature towards west for about 2 minutes, you can see the Hayashi Department Store.
Hayashi Department StoreHayashi Department Store was a department store running by Japanese in 1932, it is now renovated as one of the Tainan attractions.
There are shops selling handicrafts in the department storeThe building has 6 levels, and lots of shops selling handicrafts, creative items and souvenir.
There are modern and lovely creative items too
From practical household utilities to merchandize that full of creative ideas that you cannot resist buying, they have everything that one expects to find. If you want to buy something back home as small presents, Hayashi Department Store is the exact location you should check.
The caféBesides, there are café and desert stores that you can take a rest if you felt tired after walking such a long distance.
Jinja on the roof topSimilar to the Japanese department store, there is a remained structure of Jinja on the roof top of the Hayashi Department Store.
By the time I have climbed up the roof top, it happened to be the sunsetting, so I was lucky enough to take a very beautiful picture.
Museum of Goxinga
Address: No. 152 Kaishan Rd., West Central Dist., Tainan Phone: 06-213-6207 Opening hour: 9:00~17:00 Closing date: Every Monday |
Finally, I went to visit the Museum of Goxinga (about 10 minutes by foot from Confucius Temple.)
There are related collections of KoxingaThe exhibits are mostly the old artifacts produced before the Japanese rein era, such as artifacts of the era of Goxinga or collections of Qing Dynasty.
I felt embarrassed to be able to see all those excellent quality of collections in this museum without having to pay for it.
This is truly a fabulous museum to visit!
The passport of the ancient times(This could be the passport of the ancient times, how interesting is that!)
② The Chihkan Tower area
＜How to get to the Chihkan Tower area＞
From Tainan Train Station: about 5～10 minutes by bus no. 5, no.99, no. 88;
From the Confucius Temple: about 14 minutes by foot, about 5 minutes by taxi and about 5～10 minutes by bus no. 88.
From Shengnong Street: about 12 minutes by foot; about 6 minutes by taxi (buses tend to detour, therefore suggest taking taxi to save time.)
From Garden night market: about 25 minutes by foot, about 7 minutes by taxi (buses tend to detour, therefore suggest taking taxi to save time. )
The most recommended attraction to go is the Chihkan Tower and Tainan Grand Matsu Temple
And there is a very delicious sweetened white gourd drink shop that always has a long que waiting along Sec. 2, Yongfu Road, the drink is extremely famous near the Chihkan Tower area, if you are interested, suggest you go and try some!
Chihkan Tower
Address: No. 212, Minzu Rd., West Central Dist., Tainan Phone: 06-220-5647 Opening hour: 8:30~21:00 (open all year round) Entrance fee: NT50 |
It is very important to visit the Chihkan Tower is a must go historic monument if you go to Tainan.
This old tower was constructed by the Dutch in 1653, and in the era of Goxinga, it had become active location of the extreme ruling power in Taiwan at the time.
Because Chihkan Tower was constructed before the Japanese rein era, therefore it is regarded as the worthiest historical monument in Tainan.
Address: No. 18, Lane 227, Sec. 2, West Central Dist., Tainan Phone: 06-221-1178 Opening hour: 6:00-21:00 (open all year round) |
Tainan Grand Matsu Temple is qualified as the Level One historic monument.
The matchmaking god in this temple is very famous, that many people come here to pray for a good match.
(According to locals, the matchmaking god is super effective! Don’t you miss this one if you happened to look for a better half!)
③ The Shengnong Street area
＜How to get to Shengnong Street area＞
From Tainan Train Station: about 15 minutes driving distance by bus no. 88（get off the bus at Shuixian Temple Stop in Shengnong Street）
From Confucius Temple: about 13 minutes by bus no. 88 （get off the bus at Shuixian Temple Stop in Shengnong Street）
From Chihkan Tower: about 12 minutes by foot, about 6 minutes by taxi, about 8 minutes by bus no. 88（get off the bus at Shuixian Temple Stop in Shengnong Street）
From Garden night market: about 20 minutes by foot, about 5 minutes by taxi（buses tend to detour, therefore suggest taking taxi to save time.）
Talking about the most representative old streets in Tainan, it should be the “Shengnong Street! “
It’s really producing a dreaming and fantastic mood after all the lanterns light up at night.
There are modern pubs and café, souvenir shops selling handicrafts and even fortuneteller’s stand on the street….
Simply walking on the street makes you feel more and more excited.
The entrance of Shengnong Street filling with the mood of fantasy
Everyone should go and see the night view of Shengnong Street which is truly majestic.
Not so many people around since it is a weekday
Although there were less people during weekdays, but almost all the shops were opening.
Therefore, it might be just as nice to go to Shengnong Street during weekdays!
The pubPubs here are not daunting or stressful, there are so many pubs that you can go and spend the night with no pressure at all.
The night life in Tainan is worth experiencing as well, simply try one!
④ The Garden night market area:
Address: No. 533, Sec. 3, Hai’an Rd., North Dist., Tainan Phone: 06-358-3867 Opening hour: 18:00~24:00 every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday |
＜How to get to the Garden night market area:＞
From Tainan Train Station: about 10 minutes by taxi, take bus “0 left line” (the circular line) and get off at the Garden night market stop.
From Confucius Temple: about 10 minutes by taxi, (buses tend to detour, therefore suggest taking taxi to save time.)
From Chihkan Tower: about 25 minutes by foot, about 7 minutes by taxi (buses tend to detour, therefore suggest taking taxi to save time.)
From Shengnong Street: about 20 minutes by foot, about 5 minutes by taxi (buses tend to detour, therefore suggest taking taxi to save time.)
This is the biggest night market in Tainan.
Although there are other night markets in Tainan, but my opinion is that the Garden night market is the best in both quality and scale!
There are hundreds of foods stands etc., in an open area as large as a parking lot.
In my opinion, even compared with the night markets in Taipei or Kaohsiung, the Garden night market maybe still the biggest night market among all.
If you love to have lots of delicious food without eating too much portions, then it is most suitable for you to come to the night market for good foods. And by the way, as the capital of gourmet, there are many local special delicacies in Tainan!
Oyster omeletteLike oyster omelette is one of the most representative street foods of Tainan!
It is said that this scrumptious street food might be the creation of Goxinga!
Deep Fried Sandwich”Deep Fried Sandwich” a piece of very thick deep fried toast spread with seafood cream soup which is the most famous street food in Tainan too.
It seems no other places are selling this special delicacy in Taipei or anywhere in Taiwan!
If you plan to have a little trip to Tainan, it is recommended for you to try a longer arrangement, such as a 3 day and 2 nights tour, not just one-day tour!
Though many people might choose to have a day of light trip to Tainan, but since you have left your crowdy and noisy city for once, why not enjoy much longer leisure hours in Tainan?
There is direct flight from Kansai International Airport to Tainan, and there is also very detailed description of websites for tourists to obtain information, it is very convenient for getting the touring information or transportations.
The reason why we recommend this “Trip deep into Tainan” is because ① Now there are direct flight between Osaka (Kansai International Airport) and Taiwan!
And because of the direct flight from Tainan to Osaka (Kansai International Airport)
(though it does not concern with the tourists in the Kansai area), the tourists from Japan don’t have to go to Taipei or Kaohsiung to transfer to Tainan, they can enjoy Tainan fully with their trip.
＜Basic information of flight from Osaka-Tainan＞
Airliner: China Airline
Depart from Kansai Airport: Depart: 12:00 arrive: 14:00／every Tuesday, Friday
Depart from Tainan: Depart: 15:30 arrive:19:30／every Tuesday, Friday
Air fare: About 16,000Yen one way～
Tainan airport: Direct distance to TRA Tainan Train Station is about 5.7km. Suggest to take City bus or taxi to go to downtown area，it’s all very convenient.
Although, I am a citizen of Aichi Prefecture and do not have much of a chance to use these flights...
I really envy people in Kansai area!
Reason for suggesting “Trip deep into Tainan” is that ② there are detailed and complete information on the websites.
Apart from the attractions introduced in this section, there are many other charming places in Tainan for you to explore!
Now I would like to introduce a website for searching Tainan’s suburban attractions and rarely known attractions.
That is the “Travel Tainan”↓↓
This website is managed by the Tainan City Government.
The website has been divided into different caption as “Historic monuments”, “Eco-Educations”, “Sightseeing Factories”, “Religious Temples” and “Touring Night Markets”, you can click whatever of the above themes to find the attractions you want to visit.↓↓↓
You can click the categories to find the attractions you want to go
There are full and detailed descriptions of each attractions.↓↓↓
Descriptions of the attractionsBesides, the comments of tourists and trip advisor can be found in the website so that you can refer to the comments of other netizens↓↓↓
Comments of trip advisor
Not only the information for attractions, you can search for information of various restaurants, dining places, events etc.
The best part is that there is Japanese version for this website, so I suggest everybody use it more often.
Reason for suggesting “Trip deep into Tainan” ③ Tainan Fun Card
Tainan Fun CardTainan City Government also presents “Tainan Fun Card” to let our tourists travel in Tainan more conveniently.
Tourists to Tainan can buy various entrance tickets for all kinds of facilities, or enroll and attend local city tour program.
The method of purchase is very simple.
After paid on line using credit card, the electronic tickets will be sent to your mobile phone, and you simply have to show the electronic tickets to the staff at site to enter any attraction you choose.
You can save time to line up for a ticket, how convenient it is!
But it’s a shame that currently these electronic tickets can only be purchased in the Chinese version website.
