Travel Tips

The Best Things to Do in Da Lat

Da Lat is Vietnam's cool-climate escape, a former French hill station set high in the Central Highlands where the air is fresh, the hills are covered in pine and flowers, and the temperature rarely climbs out of the low twenties. After the heat of the coast and the cities it feels like a different country, and it has grown into the country's honeymoon and adventure capital, all lakes, waterfalls, farms and quirky cafes. It is a change of pace and scenery that a lot of travellers do not expect to enjoy as much as they do.

Below is our honest guide to the things worth your time in Da Lat, from canyoning and waterfalls to the flower gardens, the heritage railway and the markets. It sits inland from the south coast and pairs naturally with Ho Chi Minh City, and our south Vietnam tours show how it slots into a wider route.

Go canyoning

Da Lat is the canyoning capital of Vietnam, and it is the activity most people remember. A guided day takes you abseiling down cliffs and waterfalls, sliding down natural rock chutes and jumping into pools, all in the forest outside town. It is a genuine thrill and run by experienced operators with proper safety gear, with routes graded so first-timers and thrill-seekers alike have a level to suit them. If you do one active thing in Da Lat, make it this.

Chase the waterfalls

The hills around Da Lat are full of waterfalls. Datanla is the easiest to reach and the most fun, with an alpine coaster that rattles you down through the forest to the falls, while Elephant Falls to the west is bigger and more dramatic, and Pongour, further out, is the widest and best saved for the wet season when it is in full flow. A morning at one or two of them, with the coaster for the children, is an easy half-day out.

Circle the lakes

Water is part of the character of Da Lat. Xuan Huong Lake curls right through the centre of town and is made for a gentle walk, a pedal boat or a coffee on the bank, while Tuyen Lam Lake just south is bigger, quieter and ringed by pine forest. A cable car glides from a hill above town down towards Tuyen Lam and the Truc Lam Zen Monastery, a working temple with gardens and lake views that is one of the calmest spots in the area.

Flowers, farms and the cool climate

The cool air makes Da Lat the market garden of Vietnam, and it shows. The Da Lat flower gardens by Xuan Huong Lake are a blaze of colour, and out of town the hillsides are terraced with strawberry farms, artichoke plots, greenhouses and even vineyards. Many farms welcome visitors to pick strawberries or taste the local wine and coffee, which grows well up here. It is a relaxed, pretty way to spend an afternoon, and a reminder of why the town feels so different from the lowlands.

See Da Lat's quirky side

Da Lat has a playful, slightly surreal streak. The Crazy House, an ongoing architectural fantasy of twisting staircases and tree-shaped towers, is the headline oddity and good fun to explore. Add the maze of the 100 Roofs Cafe, the sculpted passages of the Clay Tunnel out of town, and a scattering of themed cafes with valley views, and there is plenty here to fill a camera roll and an afternoon.

Ride the heritage railway to Linh Phuoc Pagoda

From the beautiful old Da Lat railway station, one of the finest colonial-era buildings in Vietnam, a short heritage train trundles out to the village of Trai Mat. The reason to go is Linh Phuoc Pagoda, an extraordinary temple covered inside and out in mosaics made from broken pottery and glass, with a tall bell tower to climb. The train ride there and back is a gentle, nostalgic hour and one of the more characterful things to do in town.

Climb Langbiang Mountain

For the big view, head to Langbiang, the peak that rises above the plateau north of town. You can walk up through the pine forest or take a jeep most of the way, and the reward is a panorama over Da Lat, the farmland and the hills rolling into the distance. It is the best high viewpoint in the area and a good half-day, especially clear and cool first thing in the morning.

Eat at the night market

Da Lat comes alive after dark around the central market and the steps above it, where the night market fills with food stalls making the most of the cool evening. This is the place to try the local specialities, grilled rice paper often called Vietnamese pizza, hot soy milk, mulberry wine and warming bowls of noodles, wrapped up against the chill. It is cheap, cheerful and the best way to spend an evening in town.

Getting there and the climate

Part of the appeal of Da Lat is that cool, spring-like climate all year round, so pack a light jacket for the evenings whatever the season. Most people arrive by a short flight from Ho Chi Minh City, or by a scenic drive up from the coast at Nha Trang, which climbs through the hills in three or four hours. Once there the sights are spread out, so a car and driver or a rented scooter makes the most of a short stay.

So how long do you need in Da Lat?

Two nights is the sweet spot: enough for a day of canyoning or the waterfalls, a slower day around the lakes, the flowers and the town, and an evening at the night market. One night works if you are just passing through for a taste of the cool air, though it is a lot of travel for a short stop. If you want to add Langbiang, the farms and a proper wander, three nights is easily filled, especially for families or anyone glad of a break from the heat.

How Da Lat fits a wider Vietnam trip

Da Lat sits inland in the Central Highlands, most easily reached from Ho Chi Minh City or the coast, and it works best as a cool-climate change of pace in the middle or latter part of a trip. As private planners, we carefully craft the whole route around you: we judge whether Da Lat earns its place in your time, match the activities to how you like to travel, pick the flights or the scenic drive, and handle the transfers so the highlands slot in without a scramble. Our south Vietnam tours show how Da Lat pairs with Ho Chi Minh City and the coast, our central Vietnam tours place it alongside the rest of the middle of the country, and if you are shaping a longer route, our private Vietnam itinerary planning ties it all together. If you are weighing up how it fits, our how many days in Vietnam guide helps.

Common questions about Da Lat

Is Da Lat worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you want a break from the heat and something different from the coast and cities. Da Lat has a cool, spring-like climate, pine forests, lakes and waterfalls, good adventure activities like canyoning, and a quirky, relaxed feel. It is a change of pace that many travellers end up rating a highlight.

What is Da Lat best known for?

Da Lat is known for its cool mountain climate, flowers and market gardens, its lakes and waterfalls, and as Vietnam's canyoning and honeymoon capital. It is also known for the French hill-station architecture, coffee and wine, and quirky sights like the Crazy House.

How many days do you need in Da Lat?

Two nights is the comfortable sweet spot, enough for a day of canyoning or waterfalls, a slower day around the lakes and flowers, and an evening at the night market. One night suits a quick taste, while three nights lets you add Langbiang, the farms and a proper wander.

What is the best thing to do in Da Lat?

For the active, it is canyoning, abseiling down waterfalls in the forest outside town. Beyond that, the mix of waterfalls, the lakes and cable car, the flower gardens and the heritage railway to Linh Phuoc Pagoda are the standouts, along with the night market for an evening.

How do you get to Da Lat?

Most people fly into Da Lat from Ho Chi Minh City, a short hop, or take the scenic drive up from the coast at Nha Trang, which climbs through the hills in three or four hours. There are also long-distance buses from Ho Chi Minh City. Once there, a car and driver or a scooter helps as the sights are spread out.

When is the best time to visit Da Lat?

Da Lat is cool and pleasant all year, but the dry season from roughly November to March is the most reliable, with clear skies and blooming flowers. The wet season from April to October brings afternoon rain but fuller waterfalls and greener hills. Bring a light jacket whenever you go, as the evenings are chilly.