[Travel]Flash Taipei One-Day Trip in Tainan – Taste All the Delicious Food and Be Fully Satisfied

Baby Wen

If you're a loyal reader of Baby Wen’s blog, you’ll know that every time we go on a trip, there are always two little ones tagging along. It’s really hard to find some alone time for a relaxing mini-trip. This time, thanks to Grandma Fubao’s help, we finally had a rare day off to go out and explore.

Go to the “High-Speed Rail Holidays” website, choose the same meeting spot where I met Mommy Fubao, and book your Tainan one-day trip with High-Speed Rail Holidays. Round-trip high-speed rail, private car transfers, and guided tours – perfect for lazy travelers, as all transportation is handled professionally.

One week before your departure date, your high-speed rail tickets and attraction tickets will be mailed to you. The day before your trip, you’ll receive an SMS with the meeting location and the contact numbers of your tour leader or driver.

Baby Wen chose to depart from Nangang Station, which is accessible by MRT. If you’re driving, parking for one day only costs NT$100, which is also very cheap.

It’s recommended to take the 619 high-speed rail train, arriving in Tainan at 11:06 AM, so you can enjoy local snacks right at the first stop. The return trip is on the 684 train, departing at 8:13 PM and arriving in Taipei at 9:59 PM, then reaching Nangang at 10:10 PM.

At speeds over 200 km/h, escape the rainy weather of northern Taiwan and head southward in search of the scent of rice fields.

The high-speed rail train arrived in Tainan right on time. Head to Exit 2 to wait for the Volkswagen T5 private car.

The first stop is Chihkan Cultural Park. Along the way, the driver will give you a guided tour of Tainan’s famous sights. For example, the Chunmei Theater shown in the photo below – it was only through the driver’s introduction that we learned it’s the only theater in Taiwan that still hand-paints its movie posters.

We were in such a rush getting off the train that we forgot to take a proper photo of the handsome driver. The tour guide was amazing today, the driving was smooth, and he even took us to try shrimp rolls and see the night view of the Chi Mei Museum. We really didn’t want the day to end. (Make sure to coordinate with the driver on the meeting times for each stop – everyone on our bus was super punctual today, so we had extra time to explore more.)

Spend about 50 minutes at Chihkan Tower. It’s recommended to just go straight for the street food – skip touring the tower itself. Just ask someone to take a group photo, and then dig in to the food.

The market next to Chihkan Tower is full of local delicacies. See something you like? Just eat it on the spot. Every stall looks amazing.

MAGMA Cheese Tart, a new shop in the old market.

The left side incorporates Tainan’s famous pineapples – Baby Wen thinks it tastes even better than the original flavor.

An impressive buffet, where everyone eating is a local.

When in Tainan, you have to try beef soup – and they’ve got it here too.

Songling Duanlu Police Station sells popular braised snacks and other special Tainan specialties.

The street food across from Chihkan Tower were all favorites from Baby Wen’s school days. Have a bowl of Dongqiao duck meat soup, paired with a cup of Yifeng winter melon tea, and you’ve got a full meal.

Still hungry? Keep going with the Wumiao rice balls across the street.

Tainan-style rice balls are steamed, with a soft and chewy skin that melts in your mouth. The filling is made with lean meat from the back of the leg, paired with sweet soy sauce.

If you love dried fruits made from fresh Tainan produce, don’t miss the Yujing Gate Fruit Dried Specialty Store.

Yujing Gate Fruit Dried Specialty Store is housed in a renovated old building, with walls preserved in their original state – take a closer look if you can.

In a flash, you’re at the Chi Mei Museum – this is the second stop, with visiting hours from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. You’ll have three hours to explore both inside and outside the museum. It’s also a popular spot for Instagram photos – just open the app to see how to take the best shots.

Just looking at the scenery here makes you feel like the High-Speed Rail Holiday was totally worth it. Guaranteed entry to the Chi Mei Museum is one of the highlights of the Tainan High-Speed Rail Holiday. Where else in Taiwan feels more like Europe? It’s truly stunning.

Photography is not allowed inside the museum, so put your camera down and enjoy the art.

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The Chi Mei Museum is located in Tainan Metropolitan Park, which also has a very European vibe.

Tainan Metropolitan Park is huge, and taking a walk along the lakeside trail is also incredibly beautiful.

Our group’s departure times were all right on the dot—great travel companions really do make a difference. With some extra time, our driver even let us stop by Zhou’s Shrimp Rolls for a quick bite.

Next to Zhou’s Shrimp Rolls is Ireyta Pudding. Their newly launched matcha cheesecake was quite pricey, but Baby Wen, being a matcha lover, couldn’t resist buying one.

We arrived at our third stop, Anping Tree House, for a half-hour visit. I’ve been here several times before, but the trees have grown even more lush. It’s a great spot for photos—don’t forget to strike a few poses.

The cultural and creative shops within the Anping Tree House complex.

We spotted Roll’s Ice Cream next to the tree house. It was expensive too, but ice cream fan Baby Wen still bought a scoop.

With about an hour left, we headed to Anping Old Street for a stroll.

No matter how many times I come to Anping Old Street, it always feels the same: pick up some preserved fruits, buy some shrimp crackers, sip a cup of winter melon tea, and the trip is pretty much done. But the real gems are hidden in the side alleys—stay tuned for Baby Wen’s next segment.

The alley leading to Haishan Hall is packed with little shops. If you’re in Anping and want to explore some alleys, this is the place to go.

Such an adorable mural wall.

In a quiet corner of the alley, we discovered some truly impressive artwork.

A fun sign that says, “Let’s go together!”

The alley preserves many historic houses—you won’t find these on the main street.

Exiting the alley, we returned to the bustling old street.

Crowds still gathered around the same few classic shops, but Baby Wen didn’t buy from those.

There’s a huge retro grocery store on the old street that’s a must-visit every time. It’s the perfect place to relive your childhood—and you’ll definitely find something here.

Baby Wen buys preserved fruits from “Zhenghexing,” located right at the entrance of an alley on the old street. Just look for the sign—it’s not hard to find. No need to wait in line, and they even have a “buy five, get one free” deal.

Our final stop: Taiwan’s most iconic Garden Night Market. With a shuttle bus provided, parking worries are a thing of the past. Watching the sea of colorful market flags fluttering in the wind is truly spectacular—each stall has its own banner. This night market is insanely cool.

No need to plan ahead at the night market—just follow the crowds. Try the Dax Tong charcoal-grilled chicken cutlet—the meat is tender, and the sauce is delicious. You absolutely have to try it.

The stalls selling rice sausages wrapped in intestine right next to Dax Tong are also popular queue spots.

The shawarma stand had a long line too.

The plating on this braised dish stall was so pretty, I couldn’t help but buy some.

I made my own milk tea—brewed the tea and wrapped the cup myself.

When I saw the dart game, how could I not play? That uncle was skilled—I even scared the shop owner out of his chair. On my last shot, I deliberately missed because I really didn’t want to walk around the night market holding a stuffed toy.

If Foxy the pinball wizard had been there, I definitely would’ve played—he once set a record of playing for half an hour with just NT$10.

We also found another popular queue: “Dongdong’s Caramelized Sweet Potato.” The line was super long, and the owner even came out to manage the queue.

The crispy scallion pancakes near the parking lot entrance also had a long line. Honestly, when in doubt, just join the queue—your chances of getting something disappointing are really low. My followers also recommended fried squid, Sichuan spicy skewers, Xiaodoudou’s pan-fried pasta, and Ah Ming’s pork heart—but my stomach just couldn’t take any more. Next time, I’ll come back for those.

With just one day off, it was such a treat for this office worker to escape from Taipei to Tainan. Especially on the ride back, gazing at the night view of the Chimei Museum—it was truly touching. Is this really Taiwan?

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This high-speed rail Tainan day trip was truly unforgettable for both Baby Wen and Momofuku.

[Authorized repost from [bobowin Travel Photography Life]Original source: [Tainan Chimei Museum, Anping Old Street, Garden Night Market – A High-Speed Rail Day Trip]]