The short answer: you don't need a car for most of a Tainan trip. The old town and Anping are easy on foot, by tourist shuttle 98, by YouBike or by Uber. Several day trips work well by train or by a tourist shuttle, though some of those shuttles run only at weekends. The coast beyond the salt mountain and the hill country mostly need a car, a taxi or a driver for the day.
This page sorts the places we cover into three groups: easy without a car, possible but awkward, and realistically a car. The routes come from the operators and venues themselves, and the full details are on each guide. Check times before you set out.
Easy without a car
| Place | How without a car | Days / notes | Our guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| The old town | On foot, with city buses, YouBike or Uber between districts | At weekends and on holidays, the double-decker sightseeing bus also loops the main sights. | Walking the old town |
| Anping | Tourist shuttle 98 from Tainan Station, or YouBike on the flat bike paths | Shuttle 98 runs daily, 14 trips a day. | Anping neighborhood guide |
| Chimei Museum | Local train to Bao'an Station (保安車站), then about 15 minutes on foot; or the H31 bus from Tainan HSR Station | H31 is free for HSR passengers. Closed Wednesdays. | Chimei Museum |
| Ten Drum Cultural Village | Local train to Bao'an Station, then a walk across the tracks, or bus Red 3 | Pairs with Chimei on the same day. | Ten Drum and its drum show |
| National Museum of Taiwan History | Bus 105 or 18 from Tainan Station to Heshun Transfer Station (和順轉運站), about 60 minutes, then a 5-minute walk | Closed Mondays. | The Taiwan history museum |
| Sicao Green Tunnel | Shuttle 98, extended section, to the Sicao Ecological Cultural Park (Dazhong Temple) stop | Some trips turn back at the Anping sunset platform, so check the timetable. | Sicao's mangrove boat ride |
| Qigu Salt Mountain | Shuttle 98, extended trips only | Two segments, NT$36. | The Qigu salt coast |
| Xinhua and Hutoupi | Train to Xinshi Station (新市), then Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 168 | Seven buses each way. The last bus back leaves Hutoupi at 17:19. | Xinhua Old Street and Hutoupi |
| Yanshui | Train to Xinying Station (新營車站), then a Brown Line bus from the stop across the road | Check bus times. At weekends and on holidays, the Xinying sugar train makes a side trip from the station. | A day in Yanshui |
| Chiayi City | Taiwan Railway (TRA) from Tainan Station to Chiayi Station (嘉義車站) | Times and fares depend on the train, so check the TRA timetable. | Chiayi City by train |
| National Palace Museum Southern Branch | High speed rail from Tainan HSR Station to THSR Chiayi Station, then a bus or the museum's free shuttle from Exit 2 | Free shuttle Tuesday to Sunday. Museum closed Mondays. | The Palace Museum's southern branch |
| Alishan | The Alishan Forest Railway from Chiayi Station, or the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle A line (from THSR Chiayi) or B line (from TRA Chiayi) | Plan one night: the only train up arrives at 14:56, after the only through train down has left. Book ahead. | Alishan overnight by train or bus |
| Guanziling and Houbi | Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 33 from THSR Chiayi via Jingliao, Houbi Station and Baihe Station to Guanziling | Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays only, three runs each way. | Guanziling mud hot springs, Houbi and Jingliao |
| Dongshan coffee road | Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Dongshan Coffee line from Guanziling to the Henglu rest stop | Fridays to Sundays and national holidays only, six runs each way. | Dongshan coffee country |
One thing to watch: Shuttle 33 runs only at weekends and on holidays, so a Friday on the coffee road needs another way up to Guanziling. The Taiwan Tourism Administration lists Chiayi Bus 7214 from TRA Chiayi Station to Guanziling.
Possible, but awkward
- Wushantou Reservoir: train to Longtian Station (隆田). The Lingbo Guantian tourist shuttle runs on weekends and holidays only, twice a day each way, and city bus Orange 10 also runs from Longtian. On weekdays a taxi from the station is the simple option. Plan your way back before you go. → Wushantou and Hatta Yoichi
- The Shan-Shang waterworks and Zuozhen Fossil Park: both museums list Green line buses (the Green trunk line from Tainan Station, with changes in Xinhua for the waterworks). They work one at a time, but for a day linking several stops a car or taxi is the practical choice. Both close on Wednesdays. → Tainan's hill country
- Tsou villages near Alishan: Laiji, Tefuye and Dabang have township buses, but they need booking at least five days ahead, and Route 7314 stops short of Dabang at Shizhuo until 30 November 2027 because of a road closure.
- Tea farms at Shizhuo: the Alishan B line bus lists Shizhuo as a stop; the farm visits themselves need booking. → Tea farms near Tainan
Realistically a car, taxi or driver
- Erliao and the Moon World badlands: roadside viewpoints in the hills, with no bus we could confirm.
- The salt coast beyond the shuttle 98 stops: the Jingzaijiao salt fields, Beimen and the fan-shaped salt fields are spread along the coast, and buses there are sparse and slow.
- Wushantou plus Madou in one day: the stops are spread over four districts, and trains and buses don't chain them into one day.
- Dongshan from Monday to Thursday: the coffee line doesn't run (except on national holidays), and by car it's about 1.5 hours from central Tainan.
- Baihe's lotus fields: Shuttle 33 stops at Baihe Station, but the fields and Lotus Park are spread across the district. → Baihe in lotus season
- Ching Ye Coffee Estate: the Ruili line bus runs from TRA Chiayi Station only at weekends and on national holidays, and a car is far easier for one farm high in the mountains. → A mountain coffee farm in Chiayi
If you want to drive yourself, you'll need the right licence. → Licences, scooters and car rental
The tools that make it work
- A transit card: in 2026, tap an EasyCard, iPASS or iCash 2.0 on the city's main and branch bus lines and the base fare, NT$26 for about the first 8 km, is free. Tap on and off. The same cards pay on shuttle 98. → Buses, shuttles and taxis in Tainan
- Shuttle 98 day pass: the fare is NT$18 a segment, and a one-day unlimited pass is sold through KKday.
- Taxis and Uber: Uber works in Tainan, and Reserve lets you book up to 90 days ahead, though pickups can take longer than in bigger cities. Taxis start at NT$85 on the meter. Most drivers don't speak English, so carry your destination written in Chinese.
- A driver for the day: for the hills or the coast, hiring a driver or joining a Taiwan Tour Bus half-day or full-day package lets someone else plan and drive. For a guided day out, see the tours and platforms we trust. → Tours in Tainan
- YouBike: rent with a credit card in the app, no licence needed. There are stations in all 37 districts, as far out as Dongshan and Baihe. → Renting a YouBike
Sources
City bus fares from Tainan City Government (fares, citizen card) and the double-decker bus page. Shuttle 98 from Tainan City's notice on the merged route and the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle route page and timetable. Museum transport from the Chimei Museum, Ten Drum, the National Museum of Taiwan History and the National Palace Museum Southern Branch. Taiwan Tourist Shuttle routes and timetables: 168, 33, Dongshan Coffee line, Lingbo Guantian line, and the Alishan A line and B line. Chiayi Bus 7214 from the Taiwan Tourism Administration. Yanshui buses from the city's bus information site and the sugar train from Taisugar. Trains from Taiwan Railway and the Alishan Forest Railway timetable. Wushantou buses from the scenic area's getting there page (archived April 2026). Hill country buses from the waterworks museum and Zuozhen Fossil Park. Township buses from Chiayi County's iBus booking page. Uber from Uber; taxi fares from Tainan Airport; taxis and tour buses from Travel in Tainan. YouBike from the Transportation Bureau and YouBike. Checked November 2026.