台南市

Why this place

Tainan was the island's capital for two centuries before the twentieth, so it has the oldest and densest concentration of temples, old streets and historic buildings. It is also regarded as the best food city in the Chinese-speaking world for cheap eating.

What to see

• Chihkan Tower and Fort Zeelandia, from the seventeenth-century Dutch period
• The Confucian Temple and the old town's temple districts
• Anping — the old port, with its tree house and the merchant houses
• Shennong Street and the narrow old lanes of the historic core

What to eat

• Beef soup — Tainan's breakfast, made from very fresh local beef
• 'Dan zai noodles' and 'coffin bread' (a thick toast filled with seafood chowder)
• Milkfish dishes, and the local 'shrimp rolls' and 'oyster rolls'
• Sweet treats: pineapple cakes, and the old-style shaved ice

Best time

October–April

Practical tips

• Eat early and often — the best places sell out by mid-morning or open only in the evening