Things to do in Tainan

Tainan Zuojhen Fossil Park

Love fossils? Don't miss the Tainan Fossil Theme Park! With over 4,600 collections, it's the museum with the most local fossil exhibits. The park features five exhibition halls—Natural History Education Hall, Story Hall, Fossil Hall, Life Evolution Hall, and Exploration Hall—plus an outdoor plaza. The museum offers various fun augmented reality interactive devices, combining education with entertainment, making it a perfect destination for family trips! Look up at the evolving sky, witness the marine life's struggle for survival, marvel at the once-dominant dinosaurs that ruled the Earth, then observe the rise and prosperity of mammals, followed by the flourishing of prehistoric humans - experiencing firsthand the prosperity and decline of life's evolution on our planet. In 1971, fossil enthusiast Mr. Pan Changwu obtained a rhinoceros tooth from two students. With assistance from various parties, he completed the excavation work and named it the "Hasaka subspecies of Chinese rhinoceros," which lived in a thorny mixed forest environment approximately 900,000 to 450,000 years ago. Showcasing the unique natural and cultural aspects of the "Fossil Homeland," this exhibit takes you into Taiwan's precious fossil treasury. Rediscover the present and past of Taiwan's primates, along with the features and stories of unearthed fossils including crocodiles, sika deer, water buffaloes, porcupines, tigers, and black bears. Admire the Taiwanese elephant fossil displayed through artistic craftsmanship, revealing the anatomical wonders of different skeletal parts.

Eternal Golden Fort

The Erkushen Fortress, formerly known as the Anping Fortress, is commonly known as the Golden City of Eternal Life because of the inscription by Shen Baozhen above the entrance gate. The fort is a modern Western-style fort, designed and built by the French Pelto. The fort building at that time was a square bastion-style fort built in imitation of the Western geometric fortress. The bastion with protruding corners was equipped with cannons for long-distance attack; the concave wall was lined with guns to prevent close attack. Later, according to actual needs, five Armstrong front-bore cannons were installed on the side facing the sea, and four 20-pounder and 40-pounder cannons were installed on the other sides. During World War II, the fort was damaged and was once abandoned. After the Restoration, it was renovated on a large scale, which is the style it presents today. Today's Eternal Golden City is surrounded by a moat and surrounded by dense trees. It is now a park around it, with trails crisscrossing it. The Eternal Golden City attracts countless tourists with its spectacular gates and huge Armstrong cannons, and the towering trees that can be seen everywhere in the park allow tourists to enjoy historical stories and monuments leisurely even in the middle of the hot summer. In addition to the imitation ancient cannons, there is also a commemorative bronze statue of Shen Baozhen in the city, and there are swan boats and hand rowing boats on the surrounding moat for tourists to rent. Since January 1998, every holiday, the cannon fireworks of the Eternal Golden City are fired three times on the hour, and the antique creativity attracts many tourists to stop and visit.

Museum of Archaeology, Tainan Branch of Museum of Prehistory

The Southern Branch of the National Museum of Prehistory is a unique complex integrating a museum, archaeological site, and natural ecology park. Its main building features a facade design inspired by dry-hanging stone panels with horizontal decorative motifs. The museum focuses on the collection, research, and educational promotion of prehistoric cultures and indigenous heritage. It houses three major exhibition halls, fourteen galleries, and one special exhibition room, showcasing archaeological artifacts from prehistoric sites across Taiwan, early Austronesian cultural objects, and paleontological fossil specimens discovered nationwide.

Zheng Chenggong Ancestral Temple

The Ancestral Temple of Zheng Chenggong is the family temple dedicated to Zheng Chenggong. It was built in 1663 by Zheng Jing, the son of Zheng Chenggong. The temple is located in the Central and Western District of Tainan City. During the Qing Dynasty, the temple was once changed to the main ancestral hall of the Zheng family, also known as Zhaoge Hall. After several name changes, it was renamed Zheng Chenggong Ancestral Temple. And it was selected as a third-level historic site in Tainan City.

Tainan Art Museum Building 2

Tainan Art Museum Building 2 transforms the iconic flame tree flower of Tainan into a pentagonal design, creating square spaces through vertical stacking and staggered arrangements. Inspired by the blossoms of Tainan's official tree, the flame tree, its distinctive canopy shelters the museum's five stacked volumes housing 16 exhibition spaces, while the structure also forms semi-outdoor platforms. Overall, the building encompasses approximately 2,500 square meters of exhibition space, a collection area, a performance theater, a children's art center, and studios.

Dadong Night Market

Tainan Dadongye perfectly combines Taiwan's aboriginal cuisine and various snacks, which is one of the major characteristics of Tainan.

Tainan Grand Mazu Temple

Datianhou Temple, commonly known as Tainan Mazu Temple, was built in the 23rd year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1684 AD). The Tianhou Temple has undergone several renovations and is listed as a historic site in Taiwan. The Queen of Heaven is Mazu, the goddess that boatmen, sailors, travelers, merchants and fishermen of all dynasties believe in together. Taiwan's Mazu culture is particularly strong, which is related to the fishermen's culture along the coast. Before the ship sails, it is necessary to make sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven, to pray for good wind and safety, and to enshrine the Queen of Heaven on the ship. Among the nearly 400 Mazu temples in Taiwan, Datianhou Temple is the only Mazu temple included in the official Spring and Autumn Festival. The statues and sculptures in the temple are all from the hands of famous craftsmen. The precious richness of ancient plaques and ancient couplets is even rarer in temples in Taiwan. Datianhou Palace can be divided into four main parts, Sanchuan Hall, worship hall, main hall and apse, which are called "four entrances". In front of the main hall, there is a Danchi stone wall, carved with flying dragons, treading waves and soaring clouds, quite imposing, rare in other temples, fully showing the style of imperial architecture. When you come to the main entrance, the first thing you see is a pair of stone lions in front of the door, which are finely carved and unique in shape. The entrance gate is tall and majestic. It does not have the painted door gods of traditional temples, but it is equipped with many protruding wooden nails. On both sides are the figures of eight horses and dragons and tigers carved from granite, which are majestic and rough. Looking inward from the gate of the main hall, through the elevated patio and the narrow space of the house, you can see the full-body statue of Mazu shrouded in cigarettes and under the golden curtain. Mazu has kind eyes, kind eyes, and a serene demeanor. It is said that Mazu was originally pink noodles, but after being surrounded by incense for hundreds of years, the Mazu you see now has become a black "cigarette noodles". This statue was made by a Quanzhou master about 300 years ago, and it can be said to be one of the representatives of Taiwanese clay sculptures. The shrines on both sides of the statue of Mazu also enshrine the dragon king of the east, west, south and north and the narcissus king. In addition, another feature of the temple is that in addition to the Mazu in the main hall called aunt, there are also so-called "second mother" and "third mother" Mazu statues, whose shape is only half of the aunt's, with a pink face and two eyes. Open, it is different from the drooping eyelids of the Mazu statue. You may wish to visit it when you have time.

Tainan Shan-Shang Garden and Old Waterworks Museum

Tainan's century-old Japanese colonial architecture takes you through the history of water facilities! Do you know where our daily tap water comes from? How did people access clean water before modern plumbing? All your water-related questions will be answered at the Mountain Garden Waterway Museum! This museum perfectly preserves Japan-era water filtration plants with complete machinery sets - rare historical treasures you won't see elsewhere! The Baroque-style factory building is both photogenic and fun! The rapid sand filter room in Hall B of the park has always been a must-visit spot for visitors since its opening, and a favorite photography location for wedding shoots and influencers. The 14 symmetrically arranged rapid sand filters on both sides create a truly spectacular sight! Building B is divided into three main sections: the water purification area, the administration and testing area, and the staff rest area. It plays an essential role in providing clean water! Taiwan's well-preserved Japanese-era waterworks facilities! In addition to the rapid filtration chamber, the park also houses intact rapid filter chambers and delivery pump rooms, all crucial components of the water filtration system. Thanks to these sophisticated facilities, we can enjoy clean tap water! A spacious open area perfect for kids to play! After exploring the museum exhibits, children can enjoy the vast grassy field outside the museum area, along with specially designed playground facilities—ensuring endless fun for the little ones! A specially crafted large puppet stands by the beach, accompanying children to enjoy their happy vacation time! The park features a large pool – the perfect place to cool off and have fun in the refreshing water on hot summer days! There are various attractions to enjoy, making it perfect for a full day of fun!

Guohua St, Yongkang District

Guohua Street is a famous local food street. When it comes to the food on Guohua Street, there are truly too many to count. Fusheng Hao Wa Gui, Jinde Spring Rolls, Asong Gua Bao, Qiu's Squid Rice Noodles, Braised Pork Rice, and Xiu'an Bian Dan Tofu Pudding, among others, are all famous delicacies with authentic, traditional flavors. Hole-in-the-wall eateries and trendy shops are all hidden along this relatively short street.

Yu Guang Dao