New Year’s Holiday Four-Day Guide: Top 5 Things to Eat, Drink and Do in Tainan

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family / Reported by MOOK Scenic Spots Family
 
With countdowns to 2019 already underway, everyone is starting to plan their four-day New Year’s holiday itinerary. Here’s a handy lazy guide to the most popular holiday activities — whether you want to party at a concert, welcome the first sunrise of the year, soak in hot springs and enjoy delicious food, explore must-see autumn and winter scenery, or stroll through the city’s old streets and alleys, Tainan has it all.

1. The craziest of the three New Year’s events
The “2018-19 Tainan New Year’s Trilogy” includes: Act One — bidding farewell to 2018 with a white sunset at the Wapian Salt Field in Jingzijiao, Beimen; Act Two — an unlimited-fun New Year’s Eve party at the High-Speed Rail Tainan Station Plaza; and Act Three — welcoming the first sunrise of 2019 at Erliao in Zhenxing. In addition to being the spot in Taiwan where you can see the sunrise and sea of clouds at the lowest altitude, Erliao also features the striking lunar-like barren and undulating badlands landscape that leaves visitors in awe. Depending on the weather, rain or time of day, it presents ever-changing landscapes like ink-wash paintings. After watching the sunrise at Erliao, you can head to the nearby “Hutoupi New Year’s Day Flag-Raising and Hiking” event. Get up early at this oldest reservoir in Taiwan, take part in the flag-raising ceremony, and embrace full vitality and energy. Hutoupi Scenic Area is also offering free admission before 10 AM that day.

2. Continue the Christmas vibe for a romantic getaway
Travelers who missed out on the Christmas decorations at various spots around Tainan will be glad to know that many attractions continue to maintain that romantic and heartwarming ambiance during the New Year’s holiday. We’ve also specially compiled and recommended several classic dreamy Christmas trees that are must-photo spots in Tainan, including the National Museum of Taiwan Literature, Chi Mei Museum, Haian Road Street Art Museum, and Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Xiaoximen Christmas Fantasy Land.

3. Soak in Hot Springs, Enjoy Delicious Food, and Sip Coffee
Winter is also the best season for hot spring baths. Travelers looking to escape the hustle and bustle can visit the Guanziling Hot Spring Scenic Area, where you can quietly take in historical traces or stroll along the hot spring old street before finding a hot spring inn to relax and enjoy the healing experience of mud hot spring water, washing away fatigue and soaking in the romantic atmosphere of this century-old hot spring town. Additionally, you can savor delicious Wa-zai Chicken and local vegetable dishes, then visit the 175 Dongshan Coffee Avenue farms and landscape restaurants to taste aromatic Dongshan coffee and specialty dishes — a truly unique treat.

4. Seasonal Autumn and Winter Scenery
The beautiful and romantic scenery of bald cypress trees has become widely popular online in recent years. Near Liuzhuang Lincuoying Jingpu Pond, there is a forest of a thousand bald cypress trees that has become a seasonal romantic spot in Tainan. The neatly arranged bald cypress trees give an endless sense of extension, and when paired with the rapeseed flower fields nearby, they enrich the scenery around Jingpu Pond. Especially when the bald cypress trees are reflected on the lake surface, it feels like you’re in a foreign land.