If you want to see temples, this is the place, it has more Taoist and Buddhist temples than any city in Taiwan.
Tainan is the fourth largest city on the island. It is located in the southwestern corner and used to be the capital under the Qing Dynasty until 1887.
I did the historic walking tour from the Lonely Planet and stopped at least 12 or so temples before we called it a day and went to get dinner. The city itself takes up a very wide land mass because very few buildings are built over six stories. Taxi drivers here do not know any English so I had to put my little Chinese into full use. Only high school and university students will know English. The older generation, just like in most Taiwanese cities will speak Japanese due to the imperial rule.
Getting to Tainan is not as convenient as other cities along the High Speed Rail corridor. The station is about a 45 minute bus ride to get to downtown Tainan.
Tainan has several famous items for those interested in local cuisine. Those worth a try include: Oysters and Noodles (蚵仔麵線 kèzǎi miànxiàn), Dan Dan Noodle (擔仔麵 dānzǎi miàn), and the Oyster Omelette (蚵仔煎 kèzǎijiān).
K. Wahlgren 