Chikan Tower (aka the former Fort Provintia 普羅民遮城)  is one of the most fascinating historical buildings in all of Taiwan. Originally built as a fort by the Dutch in the 1653, it was later made into two Chinese temples. Now it is a popular place for students to pray for good grades.

Historical Background:
Fort Provintia was built by the Dutch who controlled Taiwan at the time to fortify the western part of Tayuan, just two kilometres away from Fort Zeelandia; construction planning started in 1624 and it was completed in 1653. At the time the fort pointed canons at the Taijiang River. A Road was built from the Fort Provintia to Fort Zeelandia (Minquan Road today).
It was known by the local people as Red Hair Tower (紅毛樓 Hóng máo lóu) or Chikan Tower (赤崁樓 chì kàn lóu) which came from the plains aboriginal name Sakam, which was the settlement near the tower home to over5000 aboriginal villagers.
In 1652 the Guo Huaiyi Rebellion ( 郭懷一事件 guōhuáiyī shìjiàn) took place, in which Chinese settlers rose up against the Dutch due to heavy taxation. With the help of the aborigines, the Chinese were defeated and over 4000 Chinese were killed. 
As a result of the rebellion, the Dutch replaces bamboo walls around the fort with brick walls. 
In 1661, Fort Provintia was the first place that Koxinga attacked in his conquest of Taiwan. In the following months he conquered the Dutch and created the Kingdom of Donming in Taiwan. The fort was used as storage for gunpowder at the time.
After the Qing Dynasty took Taiwan, an uprising by 17 year old Zhu Yigui was successful in exiling the provincial government out of Taiwan after heavy taxation and a bad earthquake had left the people destitute. As part of the rebellion, the iron gates of Chikan Tower were destroyed. The Qing took back Tainan about a month later and Zhu Yigui was executed.
Later, typhoons and a large earthquake in 1862 left the tower in ruins.
In the 1800s, five temples were built on the ruins of Fort Provintia: Daishi Temple, Ocean God Temple, Fenghu Library, Wenchang Temple, and Wuzi Temple. 
During the Japanese Era, the temples were converted into student dormitories and an army hospital. During demolition of the Dashi Temple, they discovered the remnants of the Dutch Fort Provintia underneath. They then converted the tower into a museum which is basically in the same form today.
After WWII, the building was protected as a national historical monument and was made into a tourist attraction. Apparently there are also plans to improve the Dutch history of the site in the future. 

Hours:
8:30 AM to 9:30 PM (open late so you can see it with lights)

Price:
50 NT per person.
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How to get there:
By Car/Scooter: From Tainan Train Station, dive east on provincial highway 20, then turn left on Minzu 2nd Road. The Chikan Tower will be on your right.
By Bus: From Tainan Train Station, take bus 3 or five west about 8 minutes to Fort Provintia Station. 

Map:
Please see below:

Tainan's Anping Old Street (aka Yanping Old Street 延平老街, or Taiwan's First Steet) is said to be the oldest street in Taiwan. Right next to Anping Fort and surrounded by many other historical sites, as well as the center of the culinary capital of Taiwan, it is a great place to enjoy Taiwan's interesting history and its delicious cuisine.

Background:
After the Dutch defeat in Penghu in 1624, they turned their sights instead to the island of Taiwan (Formosa) and began building on what were then sandbars in what is now Anping, Tainan (the inland sea that once existed here has long silted in). Anping Old Street was the first street they built in that settlement. 
Fort Zeelandia was completed in 1634 after 10 years of construction, built on the high ground of one of the sand bars, along with other forts in the area, such as Fort Zeeburg. It included a one story outer fort armed with cannons. There was also a three story inner fort for administration, including a church and jail. The bricks for the building were shipped in from Java.
The Dutch ruled most of Taiwan until 1661 when they were defeated by Ming Loyalists lead by Koxinga. Koxinga sieged fort Zeelandia, for nine months, killing 1,600 of the Dutch people there before they surrendered due to lack of water. The victory at Zeelandia proved to be the end of 38 years of Dutch rule in Taiwan, the survivors fleeing to Batavia. 
After Taiwan was taken over by the Qing Dynasty in the late 1600s, Tainan became the provincial capital of Taiwan. Fort Zeelandia fell into disrepair as the bay silted in. The bricks on the outer wall were harvested for the Eternal Golden Castle fort closer to the ocean. 
During the Japanese occupation, the fort was repaired and renamed Anping Fort. 
In 1975 the fort was further repaired and the tower improved to what currently stands. The Old Street also became more and more popular with tourists after the Fort's renovation. 

Price:
Anping Old Street: Free
Anping Fort: 50 NT per person (or 150 NT to see four of five sites: Anping Fort, 1661 Historical Shipyard, Chikan Tower, Anping Tree House, and Eternal Golden Castle)

Hours:
Anping Old Street: Every day 7 AM to 6:30 PM.
Anping Fort: Every day 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. 

How to get there:
By Car/Scooter: From central Tainan go west on Minsheng Road until it becomes Anping Road. After that keep going until you see the tower. There is free and paid parking nearby. There is a giant free parking lot near Anping Tree House. 
By Bus: Take Tainan Bus 2 from Tainan Train Station to Anping Old Fort station. The ride takes about an hour. 

Map: 
​Please see below:

Chukou Village in Fanlu Township (番路鄉) of Chiayi is a pleasant stop along the Alishan Highway, It features multiple suspension bridges, mountain temples, rivers and waterfalls, and lots of hikes. If you have time you should definitely stop here and enjoy the scenery. 
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Background:
Fanlu gets its name from the Cou Tribe that named the area Fan Village, and was an important trading spot between Han Chinese settlers and indigenous tribes-people. Fanlu Township was briefly a part of Tainan county after WWII, but was moved back to Chiayi county in 1951. Currently it has 11,000 residents. 
When the Alishan Forest Railway is damaged, this placed becomes an important stop for many travelers along the Alishan Highway.

Hours:
24/7

Price:
Free

How to get there:
By Car/Scooter: From Chiayi, take provincial highway 18 east until you reach the first switchbacks up the mountain. Chukou Village is at the base of the mountain; it's hard to miss. 
By Bus: From Chiayi Bus Station, take bus 7216A to Chukou Station (about 1.5 hours).

Map:
​Please see below:
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The Chung Tai Shan Monastery in Puli, Nantou County (aka Chung Tai Chan Buddhist Temple) is a large monastery, built by the same architect that built the Taipei 101. The building features a full size wooden pagoda inside the main tower, as well as a Buddhism museum. It is the tallest Buddhist Monastery in the world. 

​Background:
​The Chungtai Shan Buddhist Temple is a large complex built as the headquarters for the Chung Tai Shan Buddhist Monastic Order.
The Monastic Order was founded in 1987 by Master Wei Chueh. Now the order has branches all over the world.
The monastery itself was completed in 2001, and is 136 meters tall. The cheif architect behind the building was Chu-Yuan Lee, the same architect that built the Taipei 101. It is the tallest Buddhist Monastery in the world, and the second largest in Taiwan behind Foguangshan.

Hours:
8 AM to 5:00 PM every day

Price:
​Free

How to get there:
Car/Scooter: Take County Road 78 out of Puli (Shoucheng Raod) and continue north until you see the large monastery. It is hard to miss. There is free parking near the monastery.
Bus: Take an intercity bus from Taichung to Puli Bus Station. From there, take Nantou Bus 6651C to Chung Tai Monestary Station.
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Map:
Please see below:

Bishan Campground (aka Bishan Camping Area) in Neihu District of Taipei City is the only free campground run by Taipei City (although it has an extension campground in Beitou). Near the campground is Bishan Temple, which has one of the best views of Taipei. Besides camping and temple worship, the area is also a popular hiking spot, and there are multiple tourist farms and tea shops to explore. 

How to apply for a camping spot:
You can apply using this online form (it's in English!):
 http://gisweb.taipei.gov.tw/TPCamp/en/ABishan.aspx
You must apply at least 7 days in advance, but no more than 30 days in advance. 
You must enter your passport ID or Taiwan ID. 
You can check the status of the application online as well. 
For more info, check here (Chinese): https://www.geo.gov.taipei/mp10504b/ 

Price:
Free!

Utilities:

• Free showers
• Free electricity (one or two outlets)
• Free parking
• Bring your own tent, sleeping gear, and food. 

Hours:
Camping time starts at 2 PM and ends at 1 PM the next day. 
You can only stay for two nights at a time. 

How to get there:
By Bus: You can take a bus to about 1 KM away from the campsite, but then you have to walk with all of that gear. If that's not what you want then you should take a taxi or your own vehicle. 
By Scooter/Car: From East Neihu, drive up Bishan Raod (碧山路) until you see the campground. It's hard to miss. 

Map:
Please see below:

Keelung's Miaokou Night Market is a large night market in northern Taiwan, full of all kinds of delicious Taiwanese street food considered by some to be the best in Taiwan. The market consists mostly of food stalls in front of the Dianji Temple  in Keelung, streching on both sides down the street. It is said to be a must see night market and one of the busiest in Taiwan. 

Background:
The Miaokou Night Market started up after completion of the Dianji Temple (奠基宮) during the Qing Dynasty in 1873. At the time the temple was surrounded by rice fields, but by the Japanese Era the area around the temple began to be developed. 
Food stalls really started to spread out at the entrance of the temple at the end of the Japanese Era. Since then, the famed food at Miaokou has brought more and more tourists to the area seeking delicious snacks.
In recent years (since 2017), many stalls at the night market have become vacant due to high rents, and there have been notably less people visiting the night market. Some say that this is because of the advent of online shopping and food delivery apps. However another big factor is overpriced properties and stingy landlords. The night market is not going to close down anytime soon, but Taiwan is going through an economic transition period that is not only affecting the rental market but also consumer trends. Despite this, you will still be able to find delicious food on the street any night of the year. 

Hours:
Every day 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight. 

Price:
Free admission.

How to get there:
By Train: Take the TRA to Keelung Station, then walk east on Zhongyi Road (忠一路) until you reach the night market. 
By Bus: Taking Keelung Bus (intercity bus) or K-Bus from Taipei Main Station or City Hall to Keelung. 
By Car: Take National Highway 1 north to the end of the highway until it becomes central Keelung, then turn right. There is plenty of parking to the south of the night market underground. 
By Scooter: Take provincial highway 5 to central Keelung. There is parking along the street but you might have to walk a ways to be able to park in a legal spot. 
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Map:
Please see below:

FIRE hot springs! What other reason do you need to visit this place? Hopefully that should be enough, because there is not much else to see besides a natural gas fire and a hot spring. It's name Chinese literally means water and fire coming from the same source (水火同源). Some have called it one of the seven wonders of Taiwan. This is a place that we have wanted to go for a long time, and the first place that we have checked off of our “secret places” list. 

Historical Background:

According to local Chinese folklore, the Kirin, a mythical Chinese Dragon-Horse creature, is said to have long ago lived in the spot where the fire spring now stands.  The spring water is his leftover urine and the fire his breath. This legend comes purely from the sign above.
Another legend from the Taiwan Tourism website says that the legend is actually about two dragons: a fire dragon and a water dragon. They both lost in battle, one became the spring's water and the other the spring's fire. 
In recent times the cave has become a popular tourist location especially for people enjoying the hot spring hotels in Guanziling. 

Hours:
24/7

Price:
Free

Getting here:
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We came south on National Highway 3 from Jiayi and exited near Tainan Baihe district. If you do not have a vehicle, Water and Fire hot spring can also be reached via Xinying Bus (新營客運) or tour bus.
 
Map: