Nantun Old Street 南屯老街

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Nantun Old Street is a historic area in Taichung, including historic buildings, shops, and Wanhe Temple. It is known as the oldest settlement in the Taichung Basin. Here you can also find food stalls and restaurants as well as Chinese medicine, clothing shops, and jewelry shops. It is definitely worth a stop on your next trip to Taichung.  

Background:
The area where Nantun Old Street stands was originally the land of the Babuza Aborigine Tribe, which was a Taiwan plains tribe that has some members that now live in Puli Township of Nantou. The first Chinese settlers came to this area in 1684, and created a settlement known as Litoudian (犂頭店 literally plough shop) that sold mainly farming tools to local settlers. Soon the area became filled with shops and became the center of commerce for the area and a transportation hub for goods moving north and south. 
There is a tradition during every Dragon Boat Festival for local residents to wear clogs and stomp on the streets. This is because in the olden days, Pangolins would hide near houses and hibernate, but if they were woken up, they could help to till the earth and provide a good harvest for the local farmers. 
The old street also includes buildings from the Japanese Era with baroque facades. 
Like many other old streets in Taiwan, it became obsolete with the completion of Taiwan's railway system. 
Today the old street is still a popular shopping area in Nantun with historical significance. 

​Hours:
24/7
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Tours:
You can book a tour of Nantun Old Street on Klook here. 

Hotels in Taichung:
Most of the accommodation you will find is near the city center.  If you will only visit downtown, you can consider a day trip from Taipei.
We have stayed at and recommend the Norway Forest Travel Hotel, a convenient hotel right in front of Taichung Station (you can book on Booking.com here or Agoda here), and Sin Fu Business Hotel which is also a great value for the money and great quality in downtown Taichung (you can book on Agoda here). 
Looking for a hotel? We recommend booking through Booking.com here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation in Taiwan.
Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.

How to get there:
By Bus: From Taichung station, you can take bus 290 to the old street. You can also book a Taichung sightseeing bus on KKday here. ​
By Car/ Scooter: From Central Taichung. take Nantun Road East until you come to Wanhe Road. The historical area sits around that intersection. There is limited scooter parking on the side of the road and some paid car parking nearby. Looking for scooter rental in Taichung? Check out Klook here or KKday here to search for options.
If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or KKday here. ​You can also check out our car rental guide here.  
By Bicycle: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan's landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can use Taiwan's many Youbike sharing stations, or search for rentals on KKday here, and search for tours on Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here. You can also book a Market Biking Tour in Taichung on Klook here.  
For more information, check out our Taiwan transportation guide here. 

Map: Please see below:

Our Journey:

I have been to Nantun Old Street once. I visited once after I moved away from Taichung and found it to be hardly distinguishable from any other street in Taiwan unless you are looking for historical buildings. You will not find a pedestrian area and tons of people, but you will find old buildings and plenty of shops. 

You can book a tour of Nantun Old Street on Klook here. ​

Crossing the bridge over into historic Nantun.

The street looks like any other street to the naked eye. But this is the oldest settlement in Taichung. 

Here you can find lots of pharmacies and jewelry shops. 

You can also see some very old brick houses here. 

More old houses. 

Grandma's shop, selling fish soup. 

Here is the very center of the old street. The photo is not very good, but on the left here is a Japanese era building, and on the right is a hundred year old rice shop. If you turn left down this street it will take you to Wanhe Temple. 

Lotto and some clothing shops. 

Another view looking down the old street. 

Another view down the old street with many traditional Chinese medicine shops.

Clothing shop.

From here you can center the Nantun Public Market which sells meats and vegetables. Overall the place is a great place to shop, but not a typical touristy old street either.

You can book a tour of Nantun Old Street on Klook here. ​

There are many tours of Taichung available on KKday here or Klook here, such as an Instagram Day Tour, Historic Downtown and Sun Cake DIY Experience, Taichung Railway Station Walking Tour, Local Market Biking Tour, Aboriginal Food Tour, and much more on KKday here or Klook here. 

​Be sure to check out our full guide to Taichung here.

You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here. ​

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