They say if you haven’t been to Tainan, you haven’t experience Taiwan.
True in some sense.
If you never step into Tainan, you might not know the strong Japanese influence in the country.
Tainan is one of the oldest city in Taiwan. There are barely any high-rise buildings but they are well-known for preserving the colonial buildings – evidence of their occupation history.
We get a full day in this city, just 15 minutes HSR ride away from Kaohsiung. Here are the 5 things you can do in sequence when you’re there! Did I also mention most of these are FREE?
1. Anping Old Street 安平老街
If you are already in Anping District, there’s no way you will miss this bustling street filled with the smell of freshly made egg rolls and rows of colourful handicrafts shops.
A walk through this street is free of course but what you can expect from this street is also a walkthrough experience of what is it like in the olden days. They kept the local childhood memories of ice-cream machine, the original recipes and ways of making their local delicacies such as egg roll and sour plum drink.
We posted a card back on the spot but it never reached us till date – which we always are prepared for that possibility.
2. Sio House (Salt Museum) 夕遊出張所
Salt was one of the reasons why Tainan flourished as a trading port in the past and today although the same purpose no longer remains, this salt museum is transformed into a tourist attraction with innovative use of salt in the museum.
Entrance is free of charge but instead of a museum, it looks like a souvenir shop selling hundreds of colourful salt differentiating each day of the year, making it a meaningful memento. They also sell bath salts infused with different essential oils.
You can also do a little hand washing ceremony with their salt at the entrance – at no charge!
Rest your legs with a cup of coffee and a salt soft serve from a cafe located at the back of the house, in a Japanese house setting.
A great tip is to spend your golden hour here – it’s perfect for photo taking!
3. Candied Fruits Museum 台南安平蜜餞物產館
Speaking of free places, I can’t recommend this place enough! Out of many historical buildings within Anping District, this is my favourite for one reason – it was built during the transition period of Qing dynasty and Japanese rule. As a result, the back of the house started building in Qing design but due to the change in the ruling, the front of the house was finished in a Japanese design. You can see the house in two distinct styles at a glance.
Plus, this house is now converted into a museum where they showcase the life in the olden days, how 3 generations of family members stayed in the same house and some of the tools they used.
They are also selling candied fruits which taste amazing! Samples are provided and the staff is very friendly so there’s no pressure to buy if it doesn’t match your tastebuds.
4. Hayashi Departmental Store 林百貨
A place once for the rich and powerful but now is house to products of local creatives and a rooftop that you can access for free. They kept the touch of the Japanese interior design and a good mix of the modern Taiwanese products.
You can easily spend an hour browsing through this beautiful departmental store. Visit this place after dark to witness the stunning building lit up.
5. No-menu Dining
What’s travelling without local food? We discovered how you can have a taste of Tainan through an 8-course meal at 500 TWD per person! YES, please! Check out my full review of Xinzhuju restaurant.
