Chimei Museum

A grand private museum on Tainan's southern edge, housed in a domed neoclassical building fronted by a fountain of Apollo and formal European gardens. Assembled by an industrialist, its collections range across Western fine art, arms and armour, natural history, and one of the world's largest gatherings of antique and fine violins. Marble halls and sweeping staircases give the interior the air of a European palace transplanted to subtropical Taiwan. The bridge of muses at the entrance is a favourite photo stop.