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My Whirlwind 4-Day Adventure in Huế: A Personal Review!
I've been to Huế four times before, but work always got in the way of a proper exploration. This time? I was determined to conquer as much of this captivating city as possible! Most people find 3 days and 2 nights (3n2đ) enough to see the highlights, but I wanted more!
Check out my review below for all the juicy details! 👍👍
1. Getting Around & Where I Crashed
- Travel: I booked flights and hotels via Traveloka. Huế is entering peak tourist season, so flights are pricey! Book early to snag a good deal. My round trip from Hanoi cost 2.5 million VND.
- Accommodation:
- La Habana (Night 1): Right on the walking street – super convenient! Officially 350k VND per double room, but I got it for 300k VND through Traveloka. Fully equipped and central! BUT, being near the "backpacker street" meant loud music until 11-12 pm. Light sleepers beware! Also, the walls were a bit moldy and the damp smell was a downer.
- Tori Homestay (Nights 2-4): About 1.5km from the center, but squeaky clean and new! Only 250k VND per night. Score!
- Taxi: From Phú Bài Airport to the city center (about 15km), book in advance! Expect to pay 150-180k VND.
- Scooter: My ride of choice! Super convenient for zipping around. A regular scooter costs 100k VND/day, and an automatic is 130k VND/day. Contact Ha at 0931931289 – she's incredibly helpful and sweet!
2. Must-See Spots (Color-Coded for Your Convenience!)
I've marked the locations with colored circles below to help you plan your route. Group the same colors together for efficient sightseeing!
- 🟢 Imperial City (Đại Nội): 200k VND entrance fee (right in the center), 2k VND for parking. (I've been twice before, so this time I just wandered around outside snapping photos). The Imperial City is HUGE – bring a hat and water!
- 🟢 An Dinh Palace (Cung An Định): 50k VND entrance fee (right in the center). Classic, elegant, and perfect for a classy photoshoot!
- 🟢 Quốc Học High School: 5k VND for parking (right in the center). Open 5-7pm weekdays, full days on weekends. I went during the week, but the security guard let me in because I was so polite and charming! 🤣🤣🤣
- 🟢 Alley 73 Nguyễn Sinh Cung: Free! Go in the early afternoon or during golden hour.
- 🟢 Trường Tiền Bridge & Wooden Walking Bridge: Free! If you're in Huế for a few days, you'll probably cross these about eighty times. Just swing by whenever – best at sunrise or sunset!
- 🟢 Đông Ba Market: 5k VND for parking. A foodie paradise! Everything looks delicious! Check out Cô Ri's stall for fermented shrimp paste (Tôm Chua) and shrimp sauce (mắm ruốc) to take home as souvenirs.
- 🟡 Tự Đức Tomb (Lăng Tự Đức): 150k VND entrance fee (7km from the center). Free parking outside the shops. Buy a drink or souvenir to support them! I bought two mediocre sugar cane juices for 40k VND, but I was happy anyway! =))) Tự Đức Tomb is vast and has lots of great photo spots. The back is under construction, so it's a bit messy.
- 🟡 Incense Making Village: Near Tự Đức Tomb. I just passed by – not really my thing.
- 🟠 Minh Mạng Tomb (Lăng Minh Mạng): 150k VND entrance fee, 3k VND for parking (13km from the center). Not a ton of photo spots, but the signature ones are stunning!
- 🟠 Khai Định Tomb (Lăng Khải Định): 150k VND entrance fee, 3k VND for parking (13km from the center). This tomb's architecture made the biggest impression on me! Unlike other tombs, it has almost no shade – prepare for some serious heat if you go on a sunny day!
- 🟠 Thiên An Hill & Thiên An Monastery (Đan Viện Thiên An): Free! (8km from the center). Drive up and grab a coffee at a roadside cafe under the pine trees. Early mornings offer amazing views of the sun through the trees! So bliss.
- 🟠 Hồ Thuỷ Tiên Abandoned Water Park: 5k VND for parking (7km from the center). See the abandoned dragon! I think a drone would be awesome here, but otherwise, it's just okay. It's a 500m walk from the parking lot, or you can rent a bike for 20k VND.
- 🔵 An Hiên Garden House: 50k VND entrance fee, 5k VND for parking. The archway of trees at the entrance is beautiful, but the rest is kind of underwhelming. Maybe skip it.
- 🔵 Thiên Mụ Pagoda: Free! 5k VND for parking (7km from the center). After visiting, grab a tofu dessert (tàu hũ) for 10k VND and watch the sunset over the Perfume River. So chill! (I was unlucky – no sunset both evenings I went. But the sunset was amazing on my way back to Hanoi! Ugh! 😒😒)
- 🔵 Huyền Không Pagoda: Free! A pretty new temple (9km from the center). Some great photo spots, but nothing particularly memorable for me. 😄
- 🔵 Huyền Không Sơn Thượng Pagoda: 5k VND for parking (12km from the center). The road to the temple is gorgeous – lush green rice paddies! Deeper in, there's a cool, shady forest. The temple has lots of beautiful miniature landscapes, but sadly the best ones are in the inner courtyard, off-limits to tourists. I was most impressed by the incense – the main hall uses something incredibly fragrant (not sandalwood or any incense I've smelled before). Some areas are still under construction, but it's going to be amazing when it's finished!
- 🟤 Lăng Cô Beach & Hải Vân Pass: 70km from the center. I spent almost a day visiting these two. Far, but worth it! Consider it if you have extra time.
Other spots to consider:
- Tân An Beach
- Vọng Cảnh Hill
- Phủ Cam Cathedral
- Gia Long Tomb
- Từ Hiếu Pagoda
- Tam Giang Lagoon
- Rú Chá Mangrove Forest
- A Lưới and Trúc Lâm Bạch Mã Zen Monastery – definitely visiting these on my next trip to Huế! ☑️
3. Foodie Paradise!
Huế cuisine is seriously impressive and totally my jam! Everything tasted amazing! Seriously, if you want someone to gain weight, just send them to Huế for a month! I've noted a few of the main places I visited, with my personal ratings.
- Bún Bò Mệ Kéo: 20 Bạch Đằng - 8/10
- Bánh canh Hàng Mã (evenings only): 74 Mạc Đĩnh Chi 10/10
- Bún mắm nêm O Bê: 1 Phan Đăng Lưu 9/10
- Bánh ép Gia Di: 4 Phùng Chí Kiên - 8/10
- Bèo, Nậm, Lọc tiệm Bánh Chi: 52 Lê Viết Lượng - 8/10
- Bánh canh nam phổ Thuý: 16 Phạm Hồng Thái - 8/10
- Bánh mì Trường Tiền O Tho (evenings only): 14 Trần Cao Vân - 9/10
- Cơm Hến, Hến xào Hoa Đông: 64/7 Ưng Bình - 9/10
- Cháo lòng Lịch Đợi (mornings only): 84 Lịch Đợi - 8/10
- Bún Bò Mụ Rơi: 40 Nguyễn Chí Diểu - 9/10
- Cháo hàu: 18 La Sơn Phu Tử - 7/10
- Bánh canh bột lộn O Mân: 66 Ngô Đức Kế - 7/10
- Vịt lộn um bầu: 11 Nguyễn Khuyến - 9/10
- Bún nghệ chợ Đông Ba: 8/10
- Chè chợ Đông Ba: 9/10
- Chè hẻm: 1 Kiệt 29 Hùng Vương - 8/10
Important Tips!
- Always wear a sun shirt and plenty of sunscreen, even on cloudy days, unless you want a free tan!
- There aren't many gas stations in inner Huế. They're mostly on the outskirts, about 3-4km from the center.
- Always have 1-2 bottles of water on your scooter. The Huế sun is intense and you never know when you'll get heatstroke!
- Don't trust the weather forecast too much. Just go! I checked the forecast and it said it would rain all week, but when I arrived, it was scorching hot!
#checkinvietnam #checkinhue
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