A culture-and-creativity stay inside an old building: 3 Door
Less than five minutes on foot from Tainan Railway Station, a white building stands quietly. Its name is 3 Door Hotel.
This is not a hotel in the ordinary sense; it is more like a living space gathering history, architecture, design and a sense of beauty into one. It was once a cram school building, and the team chose “preservation” as the main theme of the conversion, joining the original structure to modern design so that what a traveller stays in is not merely a room but a passage of the city’s memory.
Every floor inside holds a surprise, from carefully chosen books and local publications to the artworks and retro furniture in the corridors — detail everywhere. Best of all is the location, right beside the railway station and the bus terminal, so you can set out to explore easily even without a car.
A sixty-year-old ice lolly shop you can walk to: Shuntian
*Image source: Ministry of Culture, National Cultural Memory Bank*
Set out from 3 Door and walk slowly along Chenggong Road towards the West Central District for about ten minutes and you will come upon an unassuming local favourite — Shuntian Ice Lollies.
Founded in 1959, Shuntian is the irreplaceable first choice for “old-style ice lollies” in the hearts of many people in Tainan. From the picture of founder Yeh Tsai selling ice from his bicycle in the streets back then, to the founding spirit of hand-making that continues today, time seems to have frozen here.
There are not many flavours, but every one is a classic: preserved plum, red bean, mung bean with milk, peanut — each one awakens the memory of an old home in Tainan. A line on the wall, “Making enough is enough; what matters is that everyone can taste the good flavour of Shuntian”, says everything about the sincerity and warmth of this old shop.
A flavour a little further on: Fangyuan Ice Lollies
If you are willing to stay a few more days in Tainan, do visit another classic — ..
Founded in 1966, Fangyuan is a little more inventive than Shuntian. Besides traditional flavours such as red bean rice cake, there are distinctive combinations like almond with egg yolk and cashew with egg yolk, one surprise after another.
They insist on no artificial flavouring, no additives and entirely handmade production, and in every bite you can taste their respect for the ingredients and the flavour. For people in Tainan, Fangyuan is not merely an ice shop but something you “must eat when you come home”.
We suggest hiring a YouBike at 3 Door and riding along Minzu Road, past the old trees at National Cheng Kung University and the Prefectural Governor’s Residence, following the scent of coffee as you go. A slow journey like this is the best way to feel the soul of Tainan.
An ice lolly is not merely an ice lolly
What people remember most from a journey is often not the famous monument but an unexpected small discovery.
In Tainan, ice lolly culture is exactly that kind of surprise — not merely a sweet thing to cool you down, but a vessel carrying memory and warmth.
For travellers who choose 3 Door Hotel, this is not merely somewhere to stay but the starting point of an exploration of Tainan.
The story of the next ice lolly is waiting for you to discover.
