Tainan in Two Days: Old Town, Anping and a Beef-Soup Breakfast

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Tainan (台南) was Taiwan's capital for two centuries and it still eats like one. Two days is enough to see the Dutch-era forts, the temples and the Japanese-era department store, and to eat through the beef soup, danzai noodles and rice cakes the city is known for. This guide follows the rule locals use: old town on foot on day one, Anping on day two, and breakfast early.

Every fare, opening hour and ticket price below was checked on the official Taiwan Railway (TRA), Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR), Taiwan Tourist Shuttle and Tainan heritage-site pages on 13 September 2026. Where no official page confirmed a number, we say so.

Getting to Tainan

THSR Tainan Station (高鐵台南站) is in Guiren (歸仁), well outside the centre, so the trip is not over when the high-speed train stops. Walk through the second-floor corridor to TRA Shalun Station (沙崙站) and take the Shalun Line local train (區間車) to Tainan Station (台南車站). On the TRA timetable we checked, trains take 12 to 14 minutes, cost NT$25, and there were 18 departures between 08:00 and 12:00, so you rarely wait long. THSR's station page lists the first Shalun Line train at about 05:50 and the last at about 23:00. Tap an EasyCard (悠遊卡) or iPASS at the gate and you do not need a paper ticket.

If you would rather not change trains, THSR passengers can ride the free H31 shuttle bus from platform 1 outside the station to Tainan City Government (台南市政府). THSR quotes about 50 minutes, and the driver may ask to see your high-speed rail ticket.

From Kaohsiung (高雄), the TRA is simpler than the high-speed rail because both stations are downtown. A local train (區間車) from Kaohsiung Station to Tainan costs NT$102 and takes between 58 minutes and 1 hour 14 minutes depending on the run; the Tze-Chiang (自強) and Puyuma expresses cost NT$158 and take 32 to 38 minutes. From Taipei, take the high-speed rail (the fastest services take well under two hours) and add the Shalun Line ride above.

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示意圖，非精確比例，由東到西排列。東邊的台南車站以台鐵連接：沙崙線區間車從高鐵台南站旁的沙崙站到台南車站 12 到 14 分、NT$25，首班約 05:50、末班約 23:00，高鐵台南站在歸仁，走 2 樓連通道到沙崙站；往南到高雄，區間車 NT$102、58 分到 1 小時 14 分，自強號與普悠瑪號 NT$158、32 到 38 分；H31 高鐵快捷公車到台南市政府約 50 分，持高鐵車票免費。第一天的赤崁樓／孔廟區離台南車站步行 15 到 25 分：赤崁樓 08:30 到 21:30、NT$70，往南步行 15 分到 1665 年創建的孔廟，林百貨 11:00 到 21:00 免費。往西是國華街小吃（牛肉湯一早吃，擔仔麵、碗粿、蝦捲，攤位多只收現金）與傍晚的神農街，兩者步行 10 分。最西邊的安平離台南車站約 5 公里：安平古堡、安平樹屋、億載金城（部分區域開放）08:30 到 17:30，各 NT$70、優待 NT$35，三處 NT$210，另有安平老街。2 路公車從台南車站到安平古堡，上下車都刷卡。台灣好行 98 府城台江線依序停台南車站、延平郡王祠、孔廟、林百貨、赤崁樓、億載金城、安平古堡、安平樹屋、四草、七股鹽山，每段 NT$18，台南車站一天發車 7 班（09:20 到 17:20），回程末班 18:30。Schematic, not to scale, east to west. Tainan Station connects by TRA: the Shalun Line local train from Shalun Station next to THSR Tainan takes 12 to 14 minutes for NT$25, first train about 05:50 and last about 23:00, reached from the THSR station through a 2F corridor; south to Kaohsiung the local train costs NT$102 and takes 58 minutes to 1 hour 14 minutes, Tze-Chiang and Puyuma trains NT$158 in 32 to 38 minutes; the H31 THSR shuttle reaches Tainan City Government in about 50 minutes, free with a THSR ticket. Day one's Chihkan Tower and Confucius Temple area is a 15 to 25 minute walk from Tainan Station: Chihkan Tower 08:30 to 21:30 for NT$70, a 15 minute walk south to the Confucius Temple founded in 1665, and Hayashi Department Store 11:00 to 21:00, free. West of it are Guohua Street for street food (beef soup early, danzai noodles, rice cakes, shrimp rolls, mostly cash) and Shennong Street at dusk, 10 minutes apart on foot. Anping, about 5 km west, has Anping Old Fort, the Tree House and Eternal Golden Castle (partly open), 08:30 to 17:30, NT$70 each or NT$35 concession, NT$210 for all three, plus Anping Old Street. Bus 2 runs from Tainan Station to Anping Old Fort, tap on and off. Tourist Shuttle 98 stops at Tainan Station, the Koxinga Shrine, the Confucius Temple, Hayashi, Chihkan Tower, Eternal Golden Castle, Anping Old Fort, the Tree House, Sicao and Qigu Salt Mountain for NT$18 a section, with 7 departures a day from Tainan Station between 09:20 and 17:20 and a last return at 18:30.

Day 1: the old town on foot

Everything on day one sits within a 15-to-25-minute walk of Tainan Station, and the streets between the sights are the point: temples every few blocks, shophouses, and food stalls that have not moved in decades. Drop your bags, then start at Chihkan Tower.

Morning: Chihkan Tower (赤崁樓)

Chihkan Tower stands on the base of Fort Provintia, which the Dutch built in 1653; the pavilions on top are Qing-era. Opening hours are 08:30 to 21:30 daily with ticket sales until 21:00, and admission is NT$70 (NT$35 concession, free for Tainan residents). One honest warning: in September 2026 the site's own page still lists restoration work on the Sea God Temple (海神廟) and the stone-tablet turtles (御贔屭碑), so parts of the grounds are fenced off. It is still worth the ticket for the fort foundations, the courtyard and the row of stone steles, and the late closing means you can come back after dinner when the tower is lit.

Confucius Temple (孔廟)

A 15-minute walk south, the Tainan Confucius Temple was founded in 1665 and calls itself Taiwan's first school (全臺首學). The tree-shaded grounds and side halls are free to wander; the main Dacheng Hall (大成殿) may charge a small entry fee, and the gate posts the current price and hours, so check there rather than older blogs. Across the road, Fuzhong Street (府中街) is a short lane of tea shops and snack stands, a good pause before the department store.

Hayashi Department Store (林百貨)

Hayashi Department Store opened on 5 December 1932 as Taiwan's second large department store, built by a Japanese merchant, Hayashi Hoichi (林方一). Today it is a shop-and-museum hybrid, entry is free, and it opens 11:00 to 21:00 daily. Ride the hand-pointer elevator, look for the 1945 strafing marks from Allied air raids on the upper floors, and finish on the roof, where the small Shinto shrine (末廣社, completed 1933) is the only surviving rooftop shrine on a commercial building in Taiwan. The souvenir floors are the best place in Tainan for gifts that are not tacky.

Evening: Shennong Street (神農街)

Shennong Street is a single lane of Qing-era shophouses that fills with lanterns after dark; the cafés and bars in the old houses open in the evening as the day-time shops close. Walk it after Hayashi, then head to Guohua Street for dinner, which is a 10-minute walk east.

Guohua Street and the beef-soup breakfast

Guohua Street (國華街) is where Tainan eats at pavement tables. The four things to order, in the order locals would: beef soup (牛肉湯), danzai noodles (擔仔麵), rice cake in a bowl (碗粿) and shrimp rolls (蝦捲). None of these is expensive; almost none of the stalls take cards.

• Beef soup (牛肉湯): paper-thin slices of raw local beef go into the bowl first, then hot broth is poured over so the meat cooks in seconds. It comes with shredded ginger and soy for dipping; most shops sell a bowl of rice topped with meat sauce (肉燥飯) on the side.
• Danzai noodles (擔仔麵): a small bowl of thin noodles in shrimp broth with minced pork and a single shrimp. The portion is a snack, not a meal, so order two things.
• Rice cake (碗粿): steamed rice batter set in a bowl with pork, mushroom and salted egg yolk, eaten with a sweet-savoury sauce and garlic. Savoury, not a dessert.
• Shrimp rolls (蝦捲): minced shrimp and pork wrapped in caul fat and deep-fried. Order by the piece, dip in the sauce, eat hot.

Beef soup is a morning food. Tainan's cattle are slaughtered overnight and the meat goes straight to the shops, which is why locals eat it before work: the famous places open before sunrise and shut when the day's beef runs out, sometimes before noon. Turn up mid-morning and you get the end of the pot. Do what Tainan does: get up, eat a bowl, then start the day. Guohua Street has several beef-soup shops within a block, so if one has a queue around the corner, the next is fine too.

Day 2: Anping (安平)

Anping is the harbour district where the Dutch built Fort Zeelandia in the 1620s; today it is a low-rise neighbourhood of forts, a warehouse swallowed by a banyan, and a snack street, about 5 km west of Tainan Station. The three ticketed sites open 08:30 to 17:30 daily and each charges NT$70 (NT$35 concession) according to the city's heritage office, so a full loop costs NT$210 and takes a leisurely half day.

• Anping Old Fort (安平古堡): the base and the long brick wall are the Dutch original; climb the white observation tower for the view over the old harbour. City bus 2 stops right outside at Anping Old Fort (安平古堡站), which is the route the fort's own page recommends.
• Anping Tree House (安平樹屋): a nineteenth-century warehouse behind the Tait and Co. merchant house (德記洋行) that a banyan has grown through; raised walkways let you walk at canopy level.
• Eternal Golden Castle (億載金城): a star-shaped coastal fort from 1874 with a moat and a single gate. Part of the grounds reopened on 8 July 2024 while restoration continues, so read the notice at the gate for what is closed.

Between the sites, Anping Old Street (安平老街) sells shrimp crackers, candied fruit and tofu pudding; go before noon to beat the tour groups. With energy left, the Sicao (四草) mangrove boat ride and the sunset platform (觀夕平臺) are both stops on the 98 tourist bus below.

Getting around Tainan

Tainan has no metro, so you will use buses, YouBike and your feet. The city bus that matters is route 2 (2路), from Tainan Station to Anping via Anping Old Fort. City buses charge by section: tap an EasyCard when you board and again when you get off. The exact route 2 fare is on the Tainan bus site (2384.tainan.gov.tw), which has an English mode; the tourist bus below charges NT$18 per section.

The Taiwan Tourist Shuttle has changed. The 88 Fucheng loop and 99 Anping–Taijiang lines that older guides describe no longer appear on the official taiwantrip.com.tw list; Tainan's route is now the 98 Fucheng Taijiang Line (98 府城台江線), linking Tainan Station, the Koxinga Shrine, the Confucius Temple, Hayashi, Chihkan Tower, Eternal Golden Castle, Anping Old Fort, the Tree House, Sicao and Qigu Salt Mountain (七股鹽山). It costs NT$18 per section: one section for the city and Anping stops, two if you ride past the Sicao wildlife reserve to Qigu. The catch is frequency. On the timetable we checked there are only 7 departures a day from Tainan Station (09:20, 10:20, 11:20, 13:00, 14:20, 15:20 and 17:20) and the last return departure is 18:30; the site does not say whether it runs every day, so confirm for your date.

Renting a scooter is the local way to move, but shops will ask for your home licence plus an International Driving Permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention that covers motorcycles. Taiwan's road rules let a visitor drive on that permit for 30 days after entry; a longer stay needs an endorsement from a motor vehicle office. Traffic drives on the right and helmets are mandatory. YouBike 2.0 stations outside Chihkan Tower and Eternal Golden Castle suit the flat old town if you would rather pedal.

Before you go: entry, money and language

Most visitors, including US, UK, EU, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Japanese and Korean passport holders, enter Taiwan visa-free for 90 days; Singaporean and Malaysian passports get 30 days. Your passport needs six months' validity (US and Japanese passports only need to outlast the stay) and you may be asked for an onward ticket, per the Bureau of Consular Affairs list updated 17 July 2026. Fill in the online Taiwan Arrival Card before you fly.

Money: the TRA, THSR, buses and heritage ticket desks take EasyCard or cards; Guohua Street stalls and most beef-soup shops take cash only. Withdraw NT$ at 7-Eleven ATMs. Language: rail and heritage signage is bilingual, but street-food menus are usually Chinese only, which is why this guide gives the characters.

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