When it rains, give the morning to one big museum, then spend the afternoon in the old town's civic core, where an art museum, a literature museum, a 1930s department store and plenty of cafés sit a short walk apart. Use a taxi or Uber for the long hops and keep the walks short. Most of the rain falls from May to September, so if you're here in summer, it's worth having this plan in your pocket.
Check the day first: most of Tainan's museums close on Mondays, but the Chimei Museum closes on Wednesdays instead. On a wet Monday, start at Chimei. On a wet Wednesday, start at the National Museum of Taiwan History.
Morning: one big museum
The Chimei Museum (奇美博物館) is the best rainy-day museum in Tainan: Western art, a famous violin collection, arms and armor and halls of animals and fossils, all under one roof. It's open 09:30 to 17:30 (last entry 17:00) and closed on Wednesdays. It has lockers for bags and two cafés inside, and the whole morning goes quickly. It's out in Rende near the high speed rail station: take a taxi, or a local train to Bao'an Station and walk about 15 minutes. Arriving by high speed rail, the H31 bus takes about 15 minutes.
Or the National Museum of Taiwan History (國立臺灣歷史博物館), the island's whole story in a big modern building in Annan, with a hands-on children's hall. It's open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30), with a café and free lockers. A taxi is about 25 minutes from Tainan Station; buses 105 and 18 take about an hour.
Lunch: back to the old town
Take a taxi or Uber into the old town for lunch on Tainan's small eats: bowl rice cakes, danzai noodles, shrimp rolls. Ask the driver to drop you at the door, and a short dash is all the rain you'll get. → What to eat in Tainan · Bowl rice cakes · Danzai noodles
Afternoon: art and literature in the civic core
Three museums sit close together in the Japanese-era civic core:
- Tainan Art Museum (臺南市美術館) in the 1931 police station, and the fractal-roofed National Museum of Modern Art Tainan a short walk away. Both are open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, and to 21:00 on Saturdays. NT$80 for the Tainan Art Museum, or NT$160 for both on the same day.
- The National Museum of Taiwan Literature (國立臺灣文學館), Taiwan's national literature museum in the grand 1916 Tainan Prefectural Hall. Free, open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 18:00.
An hour in each art museum is comfortable. Pick one or two rather than rushing all three. → All Tainan museums · Japanese-era Tainan
Late afternoon: Hayashi and a café
Hayashi Department Store (林百貨) is a short walk from the museums. It opened in 1932 and is still a shop: six floors of Tainan-made goods and snacks, a café and a douhua counter on the fifth floor, and a small Shinto shrine on the roof. Entry is free, and it's open 11:00 to 21:00 every day, so it works on a Monday too. It's also the easiest place in town for gifts.
Then settle into one of Tainan's old-house cafés, restored old buildings turned into cafés and tea rooms, where a rainy afternoon is no hardship at all. → Old-house cafés · Desserts
Evening
Night markets are outdoors, so on a wet night we'd pick a restaurant instead, or stay at Hayashi until it closes. On a rainy Saturday, the two art museums stay open until 21:00. → Food guide
Getting around in the rain
- Uber and taxis are the easy answer. Uber runs around the clock in Tainan, and street taxis are plentiful. → Getting around Tainan
- Trains and buses reach the big museums: a local train to Bao'an for Chimei, or buses 105 and 18 to the history museum. They're slower, and you'll wait at the stop.
- Walking works inside the civic core, where the art museums, the literature museum and Hayashi are close together. Bring a folding umbrella, or buy one at any convenience store.
- Scooters and YouBikes are best left for a dry day. → Scooters and cars
Typhoon days
Typhoon season runs through summer and early autumn. When a strong typhoon is coming, the city government decides whether offices and schools close, and the national personnel office publishes every city's decision on one page, in English and Chinese. Look for Tainan City.
- Expect closures. The National Museum of Taiwan History and the National Museum of Taiwan Literature both list typhoon or natural-disaster closure days as closed days. The Sicao Green Tunnel boats follow the city's announcements too.
- Check each venue's own notice, on its website or Facebook page, before you set out, even if the city hasn't announced a closure.
- Stay away from the coast and the boats. Anping, the Golden Coast and Qigu can wait for another day.
- Stock up early on water and snacks, and keep your phone charged. Hotels are the best place to sit it out.
More rainy-day ideas
- The old town's wet markets make a good wet morning too: Shuixian Gong Market runs about 06:00 to 12:00. → Markets
- The drum show at Ten Drum is indoors, in a theater built over an old sugar mill, though much of the park is outdoors. → Ten Drum
- With children: Chimei's animal halls and the history museum's children's hall. → Tainan with kids
- One high speed rail stop north, the Palace Museum's southern branch in Chiayi County is a big indoor day out. → National Palace Museum Southern Branch
Weather turned? Back to the sunny plans: → 1 day · 2 days · 3 days
Sources
Hours and closing days from the Chimei Museum, the National Museum of Taiwan History, the Tainan Art Museum, MoMA Tainan, the National Museum of Taiwan Literature and Hayashi Department Store. Work and school closures from the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration. The Sicao boats and typhoon days from Sicao Dazhong Temple. Transport, tickets and other details are on the linked guide pages, each with its own sources. Checked October 2026.