Confucian Temple to the Temple of the Five Concubines, Tainan: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour from the Tainan Confucian Temple to the Temple of the Five Concubines: 5 stops, about 2.1 km, about 30 minutes of walking plus about 32 minutes of listening. Start at the Tainan Confucian Temple, the First Academy of Taiwan, founded in the 1660s under Zheng Jing. Across Nanmen Road, the 1931 police headquarters is now Tainan Art Museum Building 1. Walk on to the Koxinga Shrine, a small temple of 1662 rebuilt in 1963, pass the Great South Gate of the old city wall and end at the quiet hilltop Temple of the Five Concubines.
- Stops:
- 5
- Distance:
- about 2.1 km
- Walking:
- about 30 min
- Listening:
- about 32 min
Two ways to do this walk
Tainan with Mappu
Walk Mode, in the free Mappu app
It knows where you are, tells you about everything you pass between the stops, answers your questions and keeps you on the route. Your phone stays in your pocket.
A 2-hour live walk, €4.99.
50 credits from the Starter pack. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Free: the audio guides
Listen to each stop’s audio guide in your browser and find your own way between the stops.
Walking directions in Google MapsConfucian Temple to the Temple of the Five Concubines, Tainan: how long does the walk take?
About 62 minutes in all: about 30 minutes on foot over about 2.1 km, plus about 32 minutes of audio at the 5 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Confucian Temple to the Temple of the Five Concubines, Tainan: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Tainan Confucian Temple, Tainan Art Museum, Koxinga Shrine, Great South Gate, and Temple of the Five Concubines. The longest stretch between two stops is about 0.7 km, about 10 min on foot.
Route and map
Indicative route. While you walk, watch where you're going, mind the traffic and follow local signs and rules. The map is an aid, not a safety guide. Terms
Follow Mappu’s map: the route runs along the streets from stop to stop, and the stories keep playing as you walk.
To get to the first stop, or if you’re far from the route, Google Maps has walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
The First Academy of Taiwan, founded in 1665 or 1666 under Zheng Jing and rebuilt under the Qing, with the oldest of Taiwan’s dismounting steles, from 1687, and a dawn rite every 28 September.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Tainan Art Museum · about 0.3 km, about 4 min on foot
Stop 2
The Art Deco police headquarters of 1931, its thirteen-groove bricks freed of 1970s red paint, joined to a new wing by Shigeru Ban; Building 1 opened as an art museum in January 2019.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Koxinga Shrine · about 0.6 km, about 7 min on foot
Stop 3
A small temple to Koxinga in 1662, rebuilt by the Qing in 1875, given a torii in 1914 and rebuilt again in 1963, with Dutch figures in Ming robes guarding his door.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Great South Gate · about 0.5 km, about 7 min on foot
Stop 4
One of four surviving gates of Tainan’s old wall: a wooden palisade gate of 1725, rebuilt in brick and stone in 1736, given a tower after 1788, repaired in 1927 and set in Nanmen Park.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Temple of the Five Concubines · about 0.7 km, about 10 min on foot
Stop 5
A quiet temple up the steps of Kuidou Hill for the five women of Prince Ningjing who died with him in 1683, built by their tomb in 1746, with palace maids painted on its doors.
about 6 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
Planning a trip to Tainan?
Get your plan
Mappu sketches your days free in the chat, no account needed. Then take the full plan with you:
- Weekend trip, €9.99: Your day-by-day plan plus 2 live walks
- Save your trip’s free guides on your phone in the Mappu app: they play with no signal
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
More walking tours in Tainan
Confucian Temple to the Flowers Night Market, Tainan
4 stops · about 3.8 km · about 50 min on foot · about 23 min of audioTainan Confucian Temple → Tang Te-chang Memorial Park → Duiyue Gate → Tainan Flowers Night MarketFree audio at every stop, or walk it with MappuSee the routeMartial God Temple to the Museum of Taiwan Literature, Tainan
4 stops · about 1.2 km · about 15 min on foot · about 25 min of audioState Temple of the Martial God → Fort Provintia → Koxinga Ancestral Shrine → National Museum of Taiwan LiteratureFree audio at every stop, or walk it with MappuSee the route
Plan more days in Tainan
These day-by-day Mappu itineraries include Tainan. The day links open the days that visit stops on this walk.
Route checked by Mappu on November 1, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.