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    Old Town around Chihkan Tower

    Taiwan

    Old Town around Chihkan Tower

    City

    Tainan was the capital of Taiwan for over two centuries, and nowhere is this felt as strongly as around Chihkan Tower.

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    9. Old Town around Chihkan Tower
    Tainan was the capital of Taiwan for over two centuries, and nowhere is this felt as strongly as around Chihkan Tower. Within a few hundred meters you'll find the Dutch Fort Provintia, the official War God Temple, and the Grand Mazu Temple – a 17th-century princely palace.Further south, you'll find the island's first Confucius Temple and the Hayashi Department Store from the Japanese era. In between are food stalls with beef soup, rice dishes, and desserts, for which Tainan is famous throughout Taiwan.
    The Old Town is compact and best explored on foot: It's about a 20-minute walk from Chihkan Tower to Confucius Temple. Plan a full day if you want to visit the temples at leisure and eat along the way. Many temples open early in the morning, when it's still cooler and quieter. In the evening, a detour to the nearby Shennong Street is worthwhile.

    Sights in Old Town around Chihkan Tower

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Chihkan Tower (Fort Provintia)
    Attraction

    1Chihkan Tower (Fort Provintia)

    The Dutch built Fort Provintia here in the 17th century; later, Chinese pavilions were erected on its foundations. In front stand stone turtles with steles from the Qing Dynasty – the landmark of Tainan's Old Town.
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    Official War God Temple (Sidian Wumiao)
    Place of Worship

    2Official War God Temple (Sidian Wumiao)

    The temple for the God of War Guan Yu, diagonally opposite the Chihkan Tower, dates back to the 17th century and is one of Taiwan's most significant temples. A striking feature is the long, red-painted exterior wall, which you can see from Yongfu Road.
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    Great Mazu Temple (Datianhou Temple)
    Place of Worship

    3Great Mazu Temple (Datianhou Temple)

    The Temple of the Sea Goddess Mazu is located in an alley directly behind the War God Temple. It was originally a prince's palace and became Taiwan's first officially recognized Mazu Temple at the end of the 17th century.
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    Hayashi Emporium
    Historic Landmark

    4Hayashi Emporium

    The 1932 department store was one of Taiwan's first and featured one of the island's first elevators in the south. Today, across several floors, it sells local design, snacks, and souvenirs; on the rooftop are a small Shinto shrine and traces of bullet holes from World War II.
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    Confucius Temple Tainan
    Place of Worship

    5Confucius Temple Tainan

    Taiwan's first Confucius Temple, founded in the 17th century, was long the island's most important educational institution. Its tranquil courtyards beneath ancient trees offer a contrast to the city's hustle and bustle; opposite, the small Fuzhong Street shopping lane begins.
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    City walks in Old Town around Chihkan Tower

    Curated walking tours through the city's highlights, handpicked by experienced travel journalists.

    Tainan's Old Town: From the Confucius Temple to Chihkan Tower

    A walk through 400 years of city history, a good kilometer long and taking three hours with sightseeing and meal breaks. Start in the morning when it's still cooler, and treat yourself to a beef soup or a mung bean milk along the way.

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    Stops (5)

    Restaurants in Old Town around Chihkan Tower

    1

    A Lian Beef Soup (阿蓮牛肉湯)

    Tainan's specialty is beef soup with paper-thin raw slices that cook in the hot broth – found here at Tainan Park, rated 4.8 stars on Google from over 8,500 reviews. Traditionally, it's eaten for breakfast.
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    2

    Shuangsheng Mung Bean Milk (双生綠豆沙牛奶)

    Kleiner Laden an der Minzu Road, ganz nah am Chihkan-Turm, mit eisgekühlter Mungbohnen-Milch und anderen Smoothies – die perfekte Abkühlung bei Tainaner Hitze. Bei Google 4,5 Sterne aus fast 7.000 Bewertungen.
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    Dining in the Old Town

    Tainan is known as Taiwan's culinary capital, and you'll find many classics around the Chihkan Tower.

    Beef-based soup

    Paper-thin raw beef slices are doused with boiling broth – traditionally breakfast, as the meat is fresh from the abattoir each morning.

    Danzai Noodles

    A small bowl of pasta with minced meat sauce and a shrimp, originally a fishermen's snack in the off-season.

    Guancaiban (coffin-bread)

    Hollowed-out, deep-fried toast with creamy chicken or seafood filling – a Tainan invention.

    Temple City Tainan

    Tainan was Taiwan's political hub from Koxinga's 17th-century era to the 19th century. Hundreds of temples date from this era, many tucked into residential streets. Temple festivals feature processions with drums, fireworks, and deity palanquins parading through the alleys – if you see one, stop and watch.

    Nightlife

    1

    Chikan Pharmacy Bar

    Cocktail bar in a former pharmacy right by Chihkan Tower, with drinks playfully served like medicine. On Google, 4.8 stars from over 4,400 reviews.
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    Exploring the Old Town

    From Tainan Station, it's about a 15-minute walk to Chihkan Tower. Tainan has no metro; for longer distances, take city buses, taxis, or YouBike rental bikes, which you can rent with an EasyCard.

    Accommodations in Old Town around Chihkan Tower

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    Plan your trip to Old Town around Chihkan Tower

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      Trip to Old Town around Chihkan Tower

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      • 1Chihkan Tower (Fort Provintia)3 days
      • 2Official War God Temple (Sidian Wumiao)4 days
      • 3Great Mazu Temple (Datianhou Temple)5 days
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    Nearby

    Shennong Street and Hai'an Road

    Shennong Street and Hai'an Road

    West of the Old Town was formerly Tainan's harbor, of which only street names and old merchant houses remain. Shennong Street is the finest example: a narrow lane with restored houses, now home to bars, cafés, and small shops.All around, you'll find the Shuixian-Tempel hidden behind market stalls, the murals of Hai'an Road, and further south, the Blueprint Culture & Creative Park. In the evenings, this district is the city's nightlife hub.
    Tainan

    Tainan

    Tainan in the southwest is Taiwan's oldest city and was its political center for centuries. Those interested in history, temples, and traditional street food will find more here in a compact area than anywhere else on the island.The Dutch East India Company erected Fort Zeelandia in 1624 in today's Anping district; its remains are now known as Anping Fort. After Koxinga expelled the Dutch in 1662, the city served as the seat of his kingdom and later, under the Qing, as the capital of Taiwan Prefecture. The Confucian Temple, built in 1665, is considered the island's first Confucian academy, and the city boasts more Buddhist and Daoist temples than any other in Taiwan.
    Anping

    Anping

    The history of Tainan began in Anping: it was here in the 17th century that the Dutch landed and built Fort Zeelandia. The old alleys around the fortress are among Taiwan's oldest, and today, on Old Street, one snack stand follows another.Just a few steps away lies the Anping Tree House, a warehouse overgrown by a banyan tree, next to it the British trading house Tait & Co. To the south, the 19th-century Eternal Golden Castle guards the coast.
    Zuoying and Lotus Pond

    Zuoying and Lotus Pond

    The Lotus Pond in Zuoying District is Kaohsiung's open-air temple district. Along the shore and on jetties in the water stand the colorful Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, the Spring and Autumn Pavilions, and the colossal statue of Xuantian Shangdi. On the north shore lies the sprawling Confucius Temple.Immediately south of the pond, remnants of Fengshan's old city wall from the Qing Dynasty still stand. Zuoying is also Kaohsiung's arrival station for the high-speed rail – the pond is just a short ride away.
    South Taiwan

    South Taiwan

    The south is warmer, more leisurely, and for many, the culinary heart of Taiwan. Tainan, the island's oldest city, the port city of Kaohsiung, and the beaches in Kenting National Park are only a few hours apart.In Tainan, the Dutch founded Fort Zeelandia in 1624; later, the city was long the island's capital. Kaohsiung is the terminus of the high-speed rail from Taipei and the starting point for buses to the southern tip. There lies the Kenting National Park, founded in 1984, Taiwan's oldest national park.