Anping Tree House, Tainan: A Century-Old Warehouse Swallowed by Banyan Trees — Tickets, Highlights & Nearby Stops

Almost everyone says the same thing the first time they see the Anping Tree House: “Is that a tree or a building?” A century ago this was a warehouse belonging to Tait & Co., the British trading firm — and the banyan trees have since swallowed it whole. Aerial roots pour off the roof like waterfalls and blanket every brick wall, while trunks push out through window openings and the roofline. Building and tree have long since become indistinguishable. This strange symbiosis of house and banyan has made the Tree House the one sight in Tainan’s Anping district you simply can’t skip. Here’s the full rundown — tickets, highlights, the Tree House Cafe, and how to fold it into a day around Anping.

What Is the Anping Tree House? Half Warehouse, Half Banyan, All Century-Old Ruin

The Tree House began life as a warehouse used by Tait & Co., the British merchant house that set up in Anping in 1867. Under Japanese rule it stored salt for a salt company, then gradually fell out of use after the war. Over the decades it sat empty, the banyans next door quietly took over the entire building: aerial roots burrowed down the brick walls, and the canopy replaced the collapsed roof, creating the most spectacular tree-and-building symbiosis anywhere in Taiwan. After restoration work and the addition of a steel skywalk, the site opened to visitors — and the “ruin” became one of Anping’s star attractions.

Tickets and Opening Hours (checked August 2026)

One ticket covers both the Tree House and the former Tait & Co. Merchant House in the same compound, and the Zhu Jiu-ying Former Residence next door is an easy add-on — three sights on a single ticket, which is remarkably good value. Prices and discounts are subject to on-site notices.

Highlight One: The Root-Draped Walls and Warehouse Ruins

The Tree House’s most jaw-dropping sight is an entire brick wall sheathed in aerial roots. Step inside the warehouse and look up: timber braces and steel beams overhead, weathered walls wrapped on every side in a “curtain” woven from banyan roots, light spilling through the broken roof. Every corner looks like a film set.

Highlight Two: The Skywalk — Seeing the Tree House from Canopy Height

A black steel skywalk threads through the site. Climb the stairs and your view shifts from gazing up at the roots to moving through the canopy itself — the warehouse roofs and gnarled branches spread out below your feet. This is the clearest vantage point on the whole tree-and-building symbiosis, and one of the most photogenic spots in the park.

Highlight Three: The Tree House Cafe — Coffee Beside a Century-Old Warehouse

No need to rush off after the tree house. The Tree House Cafe occupies the little white building on the grounds, serving lattes, plum soda, osmanthus oolong tea and more, plus a dessert case and a shelf of Taiwanese teas and local design goods. The airy white interior with old banyans out the window makes it one of the few genuinely relaxing places to pause in Anping.

On the Same Ticket: The Former Tait & Co. Merchant House

The white arcaded colonial building beside the tree house is the main hall of the former Tait & Co. Merchant House — white arches and green-glazed vase balustrades, one of the few trading-house buildings in Taiwan preserved intact. Inside, wax figures and period sets recreate the firm’s offices and daily life, right down to a faithfully restored dining room; one lap through and you’ll understand the story of Anping’s opening to foreign trade more than 150 years ago. Just past the exit, the Zhu Jiu-ying Former Residence displays works by the master calligrapher Zhu Jiu-ying — don’t miss it if calligraphy is your thing.

Getting There, and a One-Day Anping Charter Route

The Anping Tree House is about 20 minutes by car from downtown Tainan and Tainan railway station. The catch with Anping is that its sights are scattered and public transport runs infrequently: the Tree House, Anping Old Fort, the old street, Sio House (Xiyou Chuzhangsuo), and Yuguang Island all sit a short hop apart, and trudging between them under the summer sun drains everyone fast.

With a private charter, a day can run like this:

Morning — Anping Tree House and Tait & Co. (beating the sun and the crowds) → Lunch — shrimp rolls, douhua tofu pudding and other local snacks around Anping Old Street → Afternoon — Anping Old Fort and Sio House (Xiyou Chuzhangsuo) → Evening — sunset on Yuguang Island to close out the day.

Your driver drops you at each entrance and picks you up again — no navigating in the heat for grandparents or kids, and the pace can flex whenever you need it to.

A Few Tips Before You Go

• Bring mosquito protection: the whole park is essentially a grove of big trees, and the mosquitoes know it — long sleeves or repellent, take your pick.
• Come in the morning or late afternoon: there’s plenty of shade but summer is still muggy, and morning light slanting into the warehouse makes for the best photos.
• Watch your step after rain: the boardwalks and steel skywalk get slippery — slow down if you’re with seniors.
• Time budget: about 60–90 minutes for the tree house, around 2 hours including Tait & Co. and the cafe.

Fitting Anping into Your Taiwan Itinerary

The Anping Tree House slots neatly into a Tainan day trip — or a stop on a round-island journey. Day six of GO TAIWAN’s 6-Day Food & Culture Round-Island Tour already visits Anping Old Fort and Tainan’s street-food quarter, so adding the Tree House takes no effort at all; travelers starting in the south can extend a Kaohsiung private charter into a Tainan day trip. However you’d like to arrange it, just tell our travel consultants your group size and dates.