My Trip to Tainan City

A few days ago, I had another chance to visit one of the cities in the southern part of Taiwan, Tainan city. Being known as the oldest city in the country, Tainan is very famous for its authentic foods and old streets – and this is literally what everyone says about the city. Thus once I set foot in the city, I knew that it would definitely be a food hunting adventure.

While strolling around the old streets, I couldn’t help myself from sharing with you the places that I visited during my weekend getaway. These are the places that I think are worthy enough to be visited when you had the opportunity to go to Tainan city. Since each of the places has its own special characteristics, I’m sure you would have a great time enjoying these places.

Anping Old Street and Anping Fort

The Anping old street is a longest and oldest old street in Tainan city. It is full with varieties of traditional Taiwanese dishes and snacks which are mostly different from the ones in Taipei. When I was there, I got to try several local street foods, including the famous Tainan coffin bread. This coffin bread is fried bread filled with sweetened chicken soup, resulting in a crispy and also creamy texture at the same time.

Once you reach the end of the street, you will find the entrance gate to Anping Fort, the iconic tourist site of Tainan city. There, you can take the stairs to the top of the tower and enjoy a scenic view of the city.

Huayuan Night Market

What else can be more attractive than spending the night around Taiwan night markets, right? Huayuan Night Market or Garden Night Market is one of the top three night markets in Tainan city. It is a large and well-structured one, so you can walk through each of the alleys and miss nothing. With its unique and authentic local foods, the Huayuan Night Market is fun for a night stroll.

Fried Mini Dumplings ($40 NT)

Pan-Fried Sausage ($50 NT)

Fish and Cheese Stick ($80 NT)

Crispy Pork Chop ($50 NT)

Sweet Potato Balls ($35 NT)

Fried Dumplings ($50 NT)

Win Chang Beef Soup

As one of the signature dishes in Tainan is beef soup, Win Chang Beef Soup is definitely a must-visit restaurant. Compared to the ones in Taipei, their beef soup is lighter and tastes more like a beef broth. Other than beef soup, they also offer other beef dishes like beef fried rice, beef noodle, and stirred fried beef. Win Chang opens for 24 hours every day and their beef soup is suitable for both breakfast and dinner. Pay a visit and you would not regret!

Shennong Street

If you love to walk around Tainan city in between your mealtime, Shennong Street is really a great option for you. The area is a small pedestrian street with many Taiwanese old houses, traditional workshops, and art galleries in which you would find a lot of photogenic spots.

Guohua Street

With just a few minutes’ walk from Shennong Street, you will find another famous tourist site, the Guohua Street. It offers lots of Taiwanese street delights ranging from snacks, main dishes, to desserts. Other than that, it also has fashion stores and stalls which are perfect for mid-day shopping.

Squid Rice Noodle ($80 NT)

Shrimp Stick ($20 NT)

Signature Mochi ($100 NT)

Cheese Tart ($40 NT)

Soufflé Pancake ($95 NT)

When in Tainan, I mostly walked from one place to another. Public bus is available to be used but it only comes every 20-30 minutes. If you’re not a fan of walking, you can just take the taxi to travel around the city.

Overall, Tainan was really a fun and authentic city. Should you love in exploring Taiwan and its local foods, this city is surely a must-visit for you.