Are you looking for a budget-friendly travel destination for your honeymoon? You might want to consider going to Vietnam’s Da Lat on your honeymoon and here’s why!
Da Lat is a picturesque city in Vietnam that offers many fun-filled activities that you and your loved ones can enjoy! It also offers peace and quiet if you’re meaning to relax and chill out on your trip.
The city brings romance to life with its French colonial-style architecture that can be seen all throughout the city proper. That’s why it’s called ‘Little Paris’ for a reason! The city’s charm will definitely swoon you over too because you’ll find stunning lakes, gardens full of flowers, towering forests, and everything in between!
Going outside the city, Da Lat also has some of the most scenic mountain towns in Vietnam. These mountain towns are cool but the snuggle weather will surely keep you close to your loved one! But it’s also the perfect place to bring out the adventurer in you through trekking, mountain climbing, water rafting, and many more!
So, without further ado, let’s go through 11 of the best things to do in Da Lat Vietnam!
1. Linh Phuoc Pagoda
Without a doubt, the Linh Phuoc Pagoda is one of the most beautiful pagodas in Vietnam! That’s why it’s no surprise that it became the most famous temple in the country!
The Linh Phuoc Pagoda was built between 1949 to 1952 with the debris of glass, pottery bowls, and porcelain. The dragon temple, which stands 49 meters high, has over 12,000 beer bottles!
However, the bell tower, which is 37 meters tall, is believed to be the reason for the pagoda’s popularity. It is also considered to be the tallest of its kind in Vietnam. But aside from this, the carvings and the murals depicting the life of Buddha are quite amazing too!
One thing you can also try out in the pagoda aside from exploring the many structures it houses is the vegetarian restaurant that is located on the premise! The foods served here are healthy and fresh, and you might get to try out vegetarian Vietnamese cuisine here!
Location: Trai Mat, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lam Dong, Vietnam
Entrance Fee: FREE
Opening Hours: 8 AM to 5 PM, daily.
2. Crazy House
Do you want to see something crazy? The next attraction on our list is literally the craziest house you’ll ever get to visit!
Hang Nga Guest House and Art Gallery is dubbed as the ‘Crazy House’ not just because of its iconic architectural design but also because of its out-of-this-world interior designs!
Designed by Dang Viet Nga in 1990, Crazy House takes inspiration from the designs of Antoni Gaudi. The house looks like it sprouted naturally out of the ground. In fact, it looks more like a tree trunk rather than a house!
Inside, you’ll see whimsical statues, figurines, and decorations that will make you feel like you’ve stepped into Alice in Wonderland! From the walls to the stairs, you’ll find something to look at! But the rooms are more fascinating as each bedroom has its own theme like the tiger room and the kangaroo room! If only we could stay in all of the rooms, that would surely be quite fun!
This crazy house is simply… CRAZY! And because of this, it has gathered the attention of the media and was even featured on CNN!
Interested? You can quickly check the room prices for the Crazy House here!
Location: 03 Đ. Huỳnh Thúc Kháng, Phường 4, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng 66115, Vietnam
Entrance Fee: Room rates start at $21 good for two people.
Opening Hours: 8:30 AM to 6 PM, daily.
3. Bao Dai’s Summer Palace
If you didn’t know, Bao Dai was the last emperor of Vietnam who ascended to the imperial throne when he was just 12 years old! What were we doing when we were still 12 years old?
Bao Dai was famous for being the last emperor of Vietnam and from 1926 to 1945 and somewhere between that time, he commissioned a getaway mansion to be built. That mansion would later be called ‘Bao Dai’s Summer Palace’.
During Bao Dai’s reign, he would often come to his summer palace when the temperatures in Vietnam would get too hot. It is complete with a throne room, office, and bedrooms, and is decorated with portraits and sculptures of the royal family.
Surrounding the house are some of the most extravagant gardens that are just wonderful to see and walk around. These gardens earned the city its nickname, “City of Flowers”!
Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the palace but the landscape and the European-style architecture outside of the house are still worth taking!
Location: 1 Đường Triệu Việt Vương, Phường 4, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
Entrance Fee: $2 or VND40,000 for adults and $1 or VND20,000 for children.
Opening Hours: 7 AM to 5:30 PM, daily.
4. Datanla Waterfalls
Datanla Waterfalls is an adventure-packed set of waterfalls located on the outskirts of Da Lat.
The waterfalls are a site to die for with white waters cascading down the soft rock formation. But the reason why it’s popular among locals and tourists is because of the activities that you could do here! You can go cliff diving in the pools of water at the foot of the falls, ride a rollercoaster from the peak to the pools, and you can even zipline down! But if these activities are too overwhelming, you can also just walk around the trails.
Going to the falls is already an adventure in itself since you have to trek to get there. But don’t worry, the waterfalls are still accessible by cable car so even those who have difficulties walking can enjoy the place.
Location: QL20 Đèo Prenn, Phường 3, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng 66000, Vietnam
Entrance Fee: $2 or VND30,000 for adults and $0.70 or VND15,000 for children.
Opening Hours: 7 AM to 5 PM, daily.
5. Xuan Huong Lake
Something straight out of a wallpaper image, the Xuan Huong Lake is a gorgeous manmade lake in Da Lat!
It was created in 1919 by the French administration. Ever since then, this banana-shaped lake has become a popular place for seizing the day relaxing, lounging, and just enjoying the sight.
You’ll find the Da Lat Flower Park as well as gardens full of colorful flowers around the area and lush trees and native plants surrounding it. It’s a perfect place for walking but there are tons of activities you could do here too like horse riding and biking around the 7 kilometers of land.
Location: D Tran Quoc Toan, Da Lat 61000, Vietnam
Entrance Fee: FREE!
Opening Hours: Always open.
6. Elephant Falls
Locally called ‘Lieng Rewoa Waterfall’ by the ethnic K’ho language, Elephant Waterfall is considered to be one of the most beautiful falls in the Central Highlands!
This hidden gem in Da Lat remains to be so because of the difficult path one should take to get there. However, because of this, it’s one of the less visited attractions in Da Lat. The good thing is that coming here will ensure that you won’t deal with crowds and you’ll get a chance to enjoy the waterfalls by yourself!
The waterfall is 30 meters high and stretches over 15 meters in width! It is surrounded by moss-covered rocks and trees that look over the waterfalls.
It takes 45 minutes to get to Elephant Waterfalls and you need to hike a bit to get there so make sure that you’re wearing good and comfortable shoes. The hiking can be a little tricky but we’re sure you’ll find it worth your time and effort!
Location: Nam Ban, Lâm Hà District, Lâm Đồng Province, Vietnam
Entrance Fee: $1 or VND20,000 per person.
Opening Hours: 8 AM to 5 PM, daily.
7. Valley of Love
Da Lat wouldn’t be called ‘Little Paris’ if it didn’t offer places for romance to bloom. After all, Paris is the city of love right? But you don’t have to go to Paris just to find love because, in the Valley of Love, you’ll either spend your time here with your loved ones or spend your time looking for someone to love!
The Valley of Love is a theme park popular with Vietnamese couples. It is decorated with various whimsical statues and sculptures that often have hearts or flowers in them, horses and ponies that you can ride on, and swan-shaped pedal boats that you and your significant other can hop on to!
Love is truly in the air in the Valley of Love and we recommend you visit on your honeymoon trip! Just don’t let the cowboy outfit-wearing staffs distract you from enjoying your date there!
However, you should probably refrain from visiting the area during major holidays since the amusement park can get too crowded. It might ruin your mood during your special day there or the sight might just be unpleasant especially if you’re allergic to couples wrapped around each other!
Location: 5 – 7 Đường Mai Anh Đào, Phường 8, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng 670000, Vietnam
Entrance Fee: $10 or VND250,000 per person.
Opening Hours: 7:30 AM to 5 PM, daily.
8. Dalat Flower Garden
Da Lat is also nicknamed, “The City of a Thousand Flowers”. From Bao Dai’s Summer Palace housing different flower gardens to the Valley of Love’s flower-filled amusement park, and now the Flower Garden in Da Lat!
This 7000-square-meter flower garden in Da Lat lies next to Xuan Huong Lake and is home to 300 kinds of flowers like hydrangeas, roses, lilies, daffodils, chrysanthemums, and even cacti and bonsai trees!
The garden is well taken cared of and it’s the most stunning sight you’ll ever get to see all year round, especially because flowers bloom at different times of the year. So, no matter what month it is, you’ll never run out of flowers to adore. But the prime time to visit Dalat Flower Garden is during the summer season when all of the flowers bloom at the same time!
If you’re visiting with your loved one, you can have a special bouquet arranged in the garden! All bouquets are one of a kind and will surely make memories as colorful as the flowers!
Location: 02 Tran Nhan Tong Ward 8, Da Lat 670000 Vietnam
Entrance Fee: $2.50 or VND50,000 per person.
Opening Hours: 7:30 AM to 4 PM, daily.
9. Dalat Market
A defining mark of a true Vietnam city is the local market that represents the local life of that area! And you wouldn’t want to miss the market in Da Lat!
The Da Lat Market’s origin dates back to 1937 when the old Cay Market burned down. The SIDEC Company built the now-known Da Lat Market in 1958.
Today, the market can hold up to 6500 people and offers everything you’ll ever need and more! Thanks to over 1,000 shops that sell all kinds of products. This is where the local trading culture can be observed. A culture that has been practiced and observed despite the turmoil the market had faced!
The Da Lat Market is bustling during the day with locals and tourists running about, trying to get the best deals on all kinds of essentials and/or knick-knacks. But if you think that the chaos ends as the sun goes down, you’re wrong because the fun has just begun!
At night, a different scene comes to play as food stalls pop up and open. There are already cafes and joints during the day but the street foods you’ll find at night are more diverse plus you can get a taste of local wine and beer too! If you plan on going out for the night, this is the place you should be as the Da Lat Market will entertain you throughout the night!
Location: Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Phường 1, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
Entrance Fee: FREE!
Opening Hours: Always Open.
10. Dalat Railway Station
The Da Lat Railway Station holds a special place in Vietnam’s history since it is the oldest remaining railway station in the country!
Built in 1943, the Da Lat Railway Station was designed by two French architects. The building is characterized by a three-pronged roof and its bright yellow color. It’s quite small in size but it will take you back to the olden days and the times when Vietnamese people used to take the railways to travel across the land.
One particular experience you can have is taking the Japanese steam train and going on a trip to the small village of Trai Mat! The journey is quite short which covers 7 kilometers but you’ll see the scenic view of the trees and landforms as you pass by.
We do have to remind you that the train requires four passengers for it to run, so if you’re not traveling in a group, you might want to join in on the others!
Location: Quang Trung, Phường 9, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
Ticket Price: $5 or VND106,000 for foreigners and $3 or VND72,000 for Vietnamese.
Train Operating Time: 7:45 AM, 9:50 AM, 11:55 AM, 2:00 PM, and 04:05 PM.
11. Truc Lam Pagoda
The Truc Lam Pagoda is one of the youngest pagodas in Da Lat. But just because it’s new, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have a story to tell!
The Truc Lam Pagoda is the largest Zen Buddhist Monastery in Da Lat. It sits on the peak of Phuong Hoang Mountain, surrounded by tall pine trees, and overlooks the Tuyem Lam Lake. It covers over 25 hectares of land with beautiful gardens and towering forests.
The Monastery can be accessed by the Da Lat Cable Car which costs $3.50 or VND80,000 for a return ticket. The ride is a fun experience in itself since you’ll be able to witness the amazing scenery of the lake and the mountain. And when you reach the top of the mountain, you’ll find the ambiance of the premise quite relaxing and peaceful.
This is definitely one of the best places to fall back on if you get overwhelmed by the noise of the city!
Location: WC3M+FQ9, Hoa Cẩm Tú Cầu, Phường 3, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
Entrance Fee: FREE!
Opening Hours: 7 AM to 5 PM, daily.
Is Da Lat worth a visit?
Da Lat is definitely worth a visit and you should add it to your Vietnam itinerary if you want to experience unique but mellow activities in Vietnam! Unlike its surrounding cities, Da Lat is perfect for those who simply want to casually enjoy their time in another country.
The city of Da Lat is also quite inexpensive and you won’t have to worry about spending unnecessary amount of cash since this city offers cheap and affordable deals. It’s no surprise though since Vietnam is an affordable country too and you can check out our blog where we discussed Vietnam’s cost of travel for 2023.
To know more about different cities in Vietnam, check out our blogs about, Sapa, Hoi An, Da Nang, and many more! Or you can also check out our other blogs for different countries in Asia and the world here!
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