tourism News / 13.09.2023

One of the most popular attractions in Dalat. Sights of Dalat: excursion to the most interesting places in French Vietnam. Silk art workshop and gallery of XQ factory

One of the most popular attractions in Dalat. Sights of Dalat: excursion to the most interesting places in French Vietnam. Silk art workshop and gallery of XQ factory

Dalat is an inviting, pretty town with flower beds and cool mountain air. Dalat is truly a beautiful and clean city by Vietnamese standards. For Vietnam, it is like the Garden of Eden, among construction sites, chaotic traffic on the roads and dusty streets. Dalat has a lot of flowers, greenery and coniferous trees.

The very center of Dalat

Sights of Dalat. What to see in Dalat in 2-3 days

Let's start with the most important thing - what to see and do in Dalat? If not with an excursion, then most tourists come to Dalat on their own not for 1 day, but for at least 2-3 days, so as to slowly see all the interesting things (see article). We also went for 3 days, checked into a hotel and went everywhere without any problems and saw everything. Where is the best place to stay, see here: - a selection of hotels in the city center and about our hotel.

To explore the sights on your own, you can use cheap metered taxis or rent a bike. We went everywhere by taxi. There were no problems with understanding; if the taxi driver does not speak English, it always helps to show the point on the Google map.

A taxi around the city costs 20-50 thousand dong ($1-2), a taxi to distant attractions of Dalat, waterfalls and parks, will cost more, from 50-100 thousand dong and above. You can take a taxi for the whole day for $50 and see several attractions. A bike costs 120-150 thousand dong ($6-7) per day + gasoline 30-40 dong ($1.5-2) per liter.

So, what to see in Dalat.

City attractions, museums, temples

Parks

Waterfalls

Weather in Dalat

When is the best time to go to Dalat? Optimally in spring or autumn. Summer is the rainy season. And in winter it is quite cold here. In our opinion, the weather in Dalat in January is not very comfortable. Yes, it’s great to take a break from the heat, but the last time we experienced heat was only in Pattaya. In Sihanoukville and Phu Quoc, and even more so in Nha Trang, the weather in winter was warm, and in some places even cool.

I won’t speak for other months, but specifically in January it was terribly cold. We slept in socks, pants, hoodies and a blanket. In the morning, I didn’t want to get out of bed, but it was impossible to sleep any further, since all my bones ached due to the uncomfortable curled-up position to retain heat.


Weather in Dalat in January

We look at the current weather Gismeteo >

In January it is cold outside until 10-11 am. Clothing - pants, sneakers, sweatshirt. On one day, we put on 2 T-shirts for warmth, since we didn’t have any other warm clothes with us. When the bright sun appeared, it became hot, but as soon as we took off our clothes, after 5 minutes an icy wind blew and we warmed up again.


Dressed, undressed, and so on 10 times a day

One minute you’re hot in sneakers and a long-sleeved sweater, then the wind is already blowing into your ears. You are either sweating or suddenly cold. In general, the weather is not great. But at least it’s not raining!

Dalat: photos and features of the city

For an excursion from Nha Trang, Da Lat is like the French Riviera, which you enter from a tourist-crowded city. For a week, Da Lat is also a great option to travel to all the waterfalls and cool off from the tropical stuffiness. We recommend coming for at least 2-3 days. 5-7 days will be optimal. Because there is something to see here. In 3 days you can see little, unless you run from one attraction to another all days.


Dalat Vietnam Photos


European houses where wealthy Vietnamese live


Mansion hotels


Some kind of temple on a hill


Narrow streets of a provincial town


Multi-colored architecture is common. There is no heavy traffic on the roads

Sidewalks

There are sidewalks here! Moreover, they are often not crowded with mopeds. This means that you can easily navigate the city on foot. Cool weather also encourages hiking.

Gardens, parks, well-groomed meadows and flower beds

Surely, many of you have heard that Dalat has a large number of parks and gardens. But in reality these are all attractions. We expected to see all this beauty just by going outside. But it turned out that all the parks are paid and they are located a short distance from the city.


Interesting installation in the city

If it weren’t for the neat houses and the coolness, if you took me to that city with my eyes closed, I could easily confuse it with the city of Hue in Vietnam.


The main highlight of the city is its attractions


Go on excursions every day and then Dalat will be a blast

There are no public parks in the city, except for the lake in the center, where you can only hear the engines of bikes from the road around it. If we lived here, we would take a taxi to the parks and attractions and pay the entrance fee every time, like ordinary tourists. Fortunately, entry costs a penny, but still.

Evening Dalat

After six in the evening, when darkness covers the city and it becomes even colder, people gather at the city lake and sit on vases in which trees are planted. Unfortunately, there are no benches.


DaLat does not fall asleep in the evening


You can walk to the church


You can just wander around the city

Taxi in Dalat

Taxis are as cheap as in Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City. The cheapest taxis are these little yellow cars. Landing fee is 5,000 dong ($0.3). The car is tiny in appearance, but we didn’t feel cramped inside; our knees didn’t cover our ears.

  • Prices for travel around the city: 20-60 thousand dong ($1-3)
  • Trips to waterfalls and distant parks: 80-150 thousand dong ($4-7)
  • Car rental for the whole day: 1 million ong ($50-60)
  • Order a transfer from the airport you can here >

Where to eat in Dalat? Difficult choice of cafe

Where to eat in Dalat is another task that we barely managed to cope with.

It is very difficult to find a cafe where you can eat human food. Don’t drink coffee, don’t eat ice cream, but eat a full meal. We read that there are coffee shops and cute little cafes everywhere in the city where you can have a cake or a bun with tea, but we didn’t know that Da Lat consists almost entirely of this kind of coffee shops.


There are only Coffees all around. Maybe Dalatians think that whites eat air?

There are very few food establishments here and you still need to look for them. It’s not like you go out onto the street, as we’re all used to in Asia, and every 20 meters you’ll have cafes, bars, restaurants, convenience stores, eateries for locals, and the like.

You can't even imagine how much time we spent on the second day to find breakfast. Wherever you go, even to a fancy coffee shop, they have nothing but coffee and 10 varieties of cakes. We have never encountered such difficulties in Vietnam.

Then we finally found where they could prepare breakfast for us. The menu was in English and we found the treasured item Bread omelette (omelet with bread). We ordered an omelette and coffee with milk. The coffee they brought us was still tolerable. We have already become a little accustomed to the Vietnamese jokes that instead of milk there will be condensed milk and that coffee is served in tiny vodka glasses. But instead of an omelet they brought us fried eggs.


How I wanted to show the great chefs of Vietnam what an omelet really looks like and how it differs from fried eggs

Thankfully, don't eat fried eggs at all. I love them, but the Vietnamese cook them so disgustingly that I can’t eat them here. This whole dish consists of protein and an uncooked yolk that flops around inside. It's still an abomination. At least for us.

This morning we gnawed on baguettes with tomato and washed it down with a glass of coffee and went sightseeing on an empty stomach. I should have ordered a cake from a coffee shop, but who knows, maybe they’ll stuff it with onions again, like in one of them.

Where is a good place to eat? Delicious cafe in Dalat

We decided that we would not experiment on our nerves and stomachs and would eat every day where we had breakfast on the first day, as soon as we arrived in the city.

The cafe at the station - that’s what we called our magic wand, our deliverance from hunger. Here we have breakfast, lunch and dinner. The girls quickly bring the food, the portions are quite large and even tasty!

"Cafe at the station" is located on the ground floor of a two-star hotel Trung Cang Hotel, which we mention in the article: . In this clean and decent cafe, they will bring you an omelette, and not what they themselves consider necessary. This place is located close to our hotel and the food prices are reasonable.

Another option where to eat normally is Lotteria fast food. Similar to McDonald's, cheap and tasty. There are soups and rice dishes for those who don't like fries and hamburgers. Cheap ice cream. We didn’t go to the Dalat Lottery, we ate all the time in the station cafe, but we didn’t want fast food at all. The lottery is conveniently located in the very center of the city near the lake and the circle.

Maybe it’s our own fault that we didn’t look for cafes in other areas, but only within walking distance from our place of residence. But I think that this is also not entirely usual when you need to specifically go and look for a cafe with food. We have already been to the very center of the city and there we saw only two cafes with full-fledged food.

In general, you can live in Dalat for a long time only if you have your own kitchen, otherwise you won’t last long on just coffee and ice cream.

Market in Dalat

We also managed to see the evening market in Dalat. We've only been here once, but there's nothing else to do here. The advantage of this market over other markets in Vietnam is its relative cleanliness, there is no unpleasant smell, no one butchers animals, we haven’t seen fish offal or mucus on the asphalt, and it’s dry underfoot. We didn’t see any tourists in the market either.


Vietnamese cafes with low stools and miniature tables

Dalat strawberry

At the night market, women unfurl entire rows of baskets, buckets and bowls of strawberries. The strawberries are neatly placed in mounds and look delicious. Without haggling, we bought strawberries at a price of 60 thousand dong ($3) per kilogram. The price seemed high, and the berries were unappetizing, so we took half a kilo to sample for 30 thousand dong ($1.5).

We arrived at the hotel, I began to wash it and discovered that the Vietnamese woman had put almost half of the rot. I had to throw away most of it, but see for yourself what's left. Our mistake was that we allowed the seller to choose strawberries for us, instead of digging into the berries ourselves. We still can’t get used to the Vietnamese’s constant desire to deceive you.

Although, what to choose from, the merchant threw us all the berries in a row from her hill without looking at them. It turns out that all their strawberries are like this, half unripe, half with rotten rot.


And they bought a whole kilogram

We didn't like Vietnamese strawberries. Even if we ignore the fact that there are a lot of rotten berries, this can be attributed to an accident or a market scam, but still the strawberries in Dalat are hard and not particularly sweet. The same tasteless strawberries are sold in winter in Russia, when you buy 10 berries in a plastic box for 300 rubles. Probably, winter is not the strawberry season here, but truly delicious strawberries ripen in spring and summer. There is no comparison with our Russian strawberries, which grow in our gardens.

Dalat wine

Important information on wine. Now Dalat wine is sold in several types: classic, export, superior, etc. Buy PREMIUM. As a last resort, superior or export. But under no circumstances take the classic!

As for prices, in Dalat wine costs exactly the same as in Nha Trang and other cities in Vietnam. The normal price is from 80 to 140 dong ($4-7) for a 0.7 liter bottle. Price depends on type and store. The most expensive varieties are Premium and Superior.


This is what real Dalat wine Vang Dalat Premium looks like

Shopping in Dalat. Where to buy food and clothing

In addition to the evening market, where locals sell clothes and food, there is a large Big C supermarket with a wide selection of products. It is located on a square with a yellow dome opposite the lake. The shopping center is underground and also has several shops and boutiques with clothes and shoes. Also in Big C itself there are inexpensive clothes. So, if you need normal food or are frozen, we can give you a tip on where to buy warm clothes and provisions.

It is quite possible to walk to Big C from the other side of the island. It's about 20 minutes walk from the Lottery. Just follow the embankment until you see the square with the yellow dome.




Big C Dalat

Dalat. Reviews and our impressions

We agreed on one thing. We are great for not going to live in Dalat, as we originally planned to do after Fukuoka. After reading admiring reviews from tourists, we formed our own opinion.

Dalat is good for a short trip of 3-5 days, maximum a week. But not more.

We didn't feel any euphoria when we saw Dalat. I don’t know what makes people who come here fall in love with this city and then call it the best city in Vietnam. The city is excellent for 3-5 days, but with the same success you can go to Hoi An, which is not promoted and less known to Russian tourists, or just admire its charms, architecture and parks.

For example, in Hue there is a landscaped embankment with benches, where city residents and tourists gather in the evenings, the bridges are illuminated with multi-colored lights, young people play guitars, there is a night market with food, clothes and souvenirs nearby, and there are cozy cafes all around with ordinary food, not with ice cream and coffee. That is, there is life there. But there are no such places in Dalat. Where to go in the evening in Dalat? Perhaps to a restaurant, there’s nowhere else to go.

I think that if Hue and Hoi An were accessible to tourists, like Dalat, then everyone would praise them just as much. Or maybe we’re just so insensitive that we didn’t recognize something in Dalat for which we almost dedicate memoirs to him

I repeat, we really liked Dalat, we had a wonderful time in this city and had only pleasant impressions after the trip. We advise everyone to definitely visit Dalat. But we didn’t fall in love with it and we wouldn’t come here a second time.

PS: altitude sickness

Dalat is located on a mountain plateau at an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level. I didn’t think at all that at such a low altitude a miner could wake up. My first episode of shortness of breath happened in Crazy House. The house was built on a slight hill, but I felt it, and I felt unwell, even scared, because I didn’t understand right away. I felt faint and, in order not to fall from the height of 3-meter bridges, I stood and tried to inhale the air deeply so that it reached my lungs.

The second signal of altitude sickness found me at Chuk Lam Monastery. We were traveling by taxi and I was short of breath. It was stuffy in the cabin, add sharp turns and my lack of oxygen in the blood.

We were lucky to check into a hotel located in the lowlands. At higher elevations I would need an inhaler, otherwise there was no other way. If you have previously experienced similar symptoms in the mountains, then just in case, buy an inhaler for asthmatics at the pharmacy before the trip.

Conclusions about Dalat

Overall, we found Dalat to be a pleasant, clean and green city. There are many natural attractions, waterfalls, parks and gardens. In general, where to go and how to spend time is not a question.

If we were tourists on a tour package in Nha Trang, we would 100% go to Dalat and be delighted. In principle, as now, being independent people, we have only pleasant memories.

Dalat did not become our favorite city in Vietnam, we have no desire to go there again, and even more so, we did not regret one bit that we did not go to live in Dalat, but came to Nha Trang. Still, Dalat is good for excursions, but Nha Trang is most suitable for recreation and long-term accommodation. But we will still advise everyone to watch Dalat. Something like this

Sights of Dalat city and its surroundings

Dalat is a city that deserves special attention from tourists and travelers. It was built by the French at the beginning of the last century and does not yet have a rich history. It was once a resort where French officials, tired of the hot sun of Saigon, went to relax. The architecture retains European features. Dalat! Romantic, relaxed, very Vietnamese... and European. A favorite vacation spot for the creative intelligentsia of Vietnam and European tourists. Many travelers ask what to see in Dalat. There are a lot of interesting things in the city and its surroundings - temples, parks, waterfalls. But first things first.

To explore the sights of Dalat within the city, one day is enough. The main noteworthy places are located outside the city. You need to walk around the center of Dalat. There is a place that attracts both locals and visitors - Xuan Huong Lake. This is a romantic place where lovers come to be together, take a ride on the lake and watch the sunset.

Flower Park

Not far from the lake lies the huge Flower Park, a famous landmark of the city. The territory of the park amazes with the splendor of its landscape design. Here you can not only admire flowers, but also buy cut bouquets or planting material. International flower festivals are held here every year from the end of December to the first days of January.

Railroad station

The railway station is also a landmark in Dalat city. The building itself is attractive; it was once the most beautiful station in Indochina. And, of course, a miracle of technology - a railway in the mountains. Today, tourists are offered a train ride along the only operating section of the route from Dalat to the village of Trai Mat with a stop at the Linh Phuoc Pagoda.

Coffee shop

"Valley of Love"

On the outskirts of Dalat city there is a picturesque park called “Valley of Love”. Here the opinions of tourists differ. Some consider it a vulgar tourist place, while others admire the beauty and well-groomed nature of this attraction. If you are thinking about what to see in Dalat, feel free to go there.

In fact, it doesn’t matter how visitors feel about the park. For the Vietnamese, this is a place where lovers and newlyweds definitely come. Here you can rent costumes and take part in a varied costume procession. You can simply relax and have fun, walking along the alleys and watching what is happening.

Surroundings of Dalat

You can drive around the outskirts of Dalat endlessly and discover something new every time. Even an ordinary walk in the highlands will take you from sunny and hot Vietnam to the harsh alpine landscape. The lush emerald jungle of the pass gives way to pine trees, the air is crystal clear, you can feel the freshness of the mountain - the temperature does not exceed 25 ° C.

Coffee plantations

The first thing that greets you at the entrance to Dalat is the coffee plantations. These Dalat attractions allow you to stroll, pick and taste coffee berries. Rows of coffee trees are interspersed with even pineapple plantings. The climate of this mountainous region is ideal for growing coffee, the main variety being Robusta.

Prenn Park and Waterfall

Dalat waterfalls are another attraction of this area. There are many large and small waterfalls in the vicinity of Dalat. One of them is Prenn. The Vietnamese are brilliant landscape designers. There is a charming park around the waterfall, decorated with flowers and floral sculptures; fairy-tale characters walk along many alleys; in the depths of the park there is a small zoo and a place where you can ride elephants and ostriches.



The waterfall cascades in a wide fan over a huge boulder hanging over the path. For photography enthusiasts, Dalat's waterfalls provide a beautiful backdrop. You can walk under it and take impressive photos with this landmark in the background.

Another entertainment in the park for women is to dress up in the national Ao Dai costume and organize a photo shoot, fortunately there are plenty of places for this in the park.

In contrast to Prenn, Datanla is a stormy waterfall, rapidly running along huge rapids, over which a humpbacked bridge is thrown. To get there you need to go down into a gorge about 100 meters deep. There is a long staircase, but almost no one uses it, because it can be done on an electric sled along a track reminiscent of a roller coaster ride.

There are paths around the waterfall, you can walk along them, look at it from above, or you can observe the full power of this attraction from the observation deck or from the veranda of a cafe.

Chuk Lam Zen Buddhist Monastery and Ropeway

This is the place where you will want to spend the rest of your life. The monastery is small, several dozen monks live there - men and women. To get there, you need to climb a little more into the mountains. Locals get there by cable car, tourists are often taken by bus. The territory of this attraction is a blooming garden, carefully grown by the hands of the local inhabitants. It is full of flowers and flowering trees. Well-groomed alleys, benches and gazebos are conducive to relaxation and contemplation.



Huge bells are covered with small pagodas. At the entrances there is “wind music”, whose gentle chime does not stop for a minute. If you're here from Dalat on a group tour, take a break from what the guide says. Most likely, he will talk about the history of Buddhism. Stop and sit in one of the gazebos overlooking the lake and pine slopes. And you will feel how harmony comes in your inner world, how beautiful the world around you is, permeated with love and peace.

Built in 1994, the monastery today is one of the most beautiful temples in the vicinity of Dalat. This attraction is very loved by local residents, who come here to walk around the park, ride catamarans on the lake and just relax.
You can reach the monastery directly from the city by cable car. You will be delighted with the most picturesque views from a bird's eye view. The cable car, which is highlighted by travel agencies as a separate attraction, starts a few steps from the Dalat city bus station.

Read more about Hang Nga Guest House in.

Dalat Flower Park

A huge park in the city of Dalat, you can get here either on foot or by taxi (from the city center approximately 40−50 thousand dong). This botanical park was founded by French colonialists in 1966. There are so many plants here!

There are also greenhouses on site where you can buy the specimens you like. By the way, only in one city in Vietnam - Da Lat - you can buy bulbs of all kinds of orchids (you can take them home with you in your luggage), in other cities only sprouts of these unusual flowers are sold, which Russian customs prohibits from being imported into the Russian Federation.

All photos from the Flower Park in Dalat:

Entrance fee to Flower Prak - 30 thousand dong ($1.3).

And not far from the Garden of Flowers you can see this unusual Catholic church, which, from afar, is a trip to a Buddhist pagoda:

We saw the top of the “pagoda” from a hill in the flower garden and decided to look at it, it turned out that it was a Catholic church

Where is the flower garden in Dalat on the map:

Linh Son Pagoda (in the center of Da Lat)

A small pagoda located directly in the city, so you can even visit it on foot. The pagoda itself is unremarkable; inside there is a statue of Buddha and a bell. But its territory is beautiful, there are many sculptures, a quiet garden and a view from the hill onto the streets.

All photos of Lin Son Pagoda in Da Lat:

Linh Son Pagoda on the map of Dalat (how to get to the pagoda from the city center):

Prenn Park and waterfalls

The second most popular (after the park with electric sleighs and cable cars) place to visit in Dalat. The park is famous not only for its waterfall (which, by the way, is very modest), but also for elephant and ostrich rides. The park is beautiful and large, it’s nice to take a walk here. You can also, for a fee, dress up in national costumes and take pictures against the backdrop of beautiful nature, which is what we did.

Entry to Prenn Park costs 30,000 dong ($1.3).

Read the article about Prenn waterfalls.

Datanla Park and Waterfalls (cable car and electric sled)

Datanla Park and Waterfalls are located just 5.5 km from Dalat. The park is famous for its electric sleigh (as on) and cable car. This is a must-visit place for absolutely all tourists coming to Dalat, so there are always crowds of people here. Read a more detailed story about our visit to Datanla Park.

Our photos from Datanla Park in Dalat:

How to get to Datanla Falls from Dalat on the map:

A magnificent hotel with a huge park area and a pond near Datanla Park:

Pongur waterfall in Dalat

The most beautiful and unusual waterfall in the vicinity of Dalat! And the most beautiful waterfall we have ever seen. Of course, we visited it at a good time and it was full of water. During the dry season, the impression may be spoiled.
The waterfall is located far away, 50 km from the city, but it is worth a visit!

For a more detailed story about Pongur Falls and other photos and a map, see.

Linh Phuoc Pagoda

The pagoda is famous for the fact that many different fragments were used in its decoration. In the main building (a bell tower of 7 floors), you can climb to the top floor and see the surroundings of Dalat from above:

How to get to Linh Phuoc Pagoda from Dalat using the map:

Truc Lam Pagoda

It's close to the Datanla Waterfalls, so it makes sense to combine a visit to these Dalat attractions. Entrance to the territory is free.
This pagoda struck us with its tranquility. Here you want to sit on the parapet and spend several hours in contemplation. The atmosphere is complemented by wind chimes hanging on all the trees and buildings.

The city of Dalat, located in the mountains, was built by the French at the beginning of the twentieth century. At that time, Vietnam was still colonized by France. And soon this place became a very popular resort among the French elite. For them, Dalat was a real escape from the heat of the coast.

The city is sometimes called the “Swiss Alps in Vietnam.” Due to its location, the climate here is very mild and favorable.

Despite the fact that the town is not so big, here you can admire a large number of waterfalls, wander through numerous flower parks, and enjoy the local landscapes.

Located in Nguyen Huu Hao Palace, the museum offers a very extensive exhibition on the life of the local people. National costumes, musical instruments, and handicrafts are presented here. To complete the picture, scenes from the life of the Vietnamese in miniature and life-size were recreated in the premises.

The history of the city of Dalat itself, including the war period, is widely covered. Also on the territory of the museum there is an ethno-village where you can order a photo session in folk costumes.

Location: 4 - Hùng Vương.

Crazy House, translated as “Mad House,” is the creation of a Vietnamese woman architect, Madame Nga. At one time, Madame Nga studied at the Moscow Architectural Institute, and was a big fan of the architect Gaudi.

Returning home, she decided to realize her architectural fantasies and began building this house, which is a combination of a museum, a mini-hotel and an art gallery.

The house resembles a mixture of a tropical fairy-tale forest with passages and corridors, like hollows cut into huge trees, and unearthly landscapes and architecture, where you will not find a single right angle. The most amazing thing is that all this is made of modern material, reinforcement and concrete.

The hotel house continues to expand and be built, bringing the creator’s fantasies into reality.

Location: 03 - Huynh Thuc Khang Street.

Bao Dai's Summer Palace is the palace of a real emperor, where you can get an insight into the life of twentieth-century Vietnamese aristocrats. Here you can see such ordinary things of the emperor as a luxurious sauna or a tanning machine.

The rooms feature preserved furnishings with documents and photographs of the emperor's family. Unfortunately, access to the basements where the entrances to the tunnels are located is closed. According to eyewitnesses, it was possible to use them unnoticed in the outskirts of the city.

Location: 4 - Trần Hưng Đạo, Phường 3.

The main market is located on the main square of the city. You can find everything here. From a variety of fruits to local souvenirs.

In the evening, the main square also turns into a center where they sell a variety of food. Here you can buy and immediately cook a variety of mollusks, shells, frogs and other exotic food. For the convenience of walkers, plastic tables and chairs are placed around the entire perimeter where you can sit down and have a snack.

Linh Son Pagoda was built not so long ago, in the forties of the 20th century. It has no historical value, but is also considered a cultural landmark of the city of Dalat. Upon entering, guests are greeted by a figure of a reclining Buddha, from whom you can make a wish and rub your elbow or toes. The main thing is that the desire is not material.

The pagoda is surrounded by a garden where you can admire sculptures and cool off in the heat by a small pond with lilies. There is a large bronze bell in the gazebo in the courtyard, which is rung at special moments.

Once you reach the top of the hill, you can see a huge bronze figure of Buddha sitting on a lotus. The weight of the sculpture is more than 1000 kilograms. Below the Buddha himself is the entrance to the temple. And from the platform you can admire the view of the city that this Buddha is called upon to protect.

Xuan Huong is an artificial lake created after the construction of a dam in the early 20th century. Named after the 17th century poetess. You can ride on boats and swan catamarans, and ride a horse-drawn carriage around the lake and just stroll around, enjoying the evening.

One of the main attractions of the city is the Flower Park, located on the northeastern part of Xuan Huong Lake. A sea of ​​flowers of various colors and shades is planted here. The flower beds are intricately designed, the lawns are unusually trimmed. In the greenhouses you can admire orchids. And buy seeds of the flowers you like in local shops.

Dalat railway station is considered the oldest and most beautiful station in Indochina. It was built in the 30s of the 20th century. Currently it is a historical site and is used as entertainment for tourists. You can ride along it for 12 kilometers and admire the surroundings. However, the train leaves only once a day, at 14:00.

On the platform you can see a Soviet steam locomotive. Inside there is a small cafe where you can have a cup of coffee.

Location: Nguyen Trai Street.

The Du Sinh Catholic Church was built in the mid-twentieth century on the initiative of a priest from the royal family. It is interesting because its appearance shows both Romanesque and oriental architectural features. From here you have a beautiful view of the city and surrounding area.

The cable car leads from Dalat to Thien Vien Monastery, which is located on the outskirts of the city. The road is quite long, and during the trip you have time to enjoy both the view of the city and the surrounding green mountains. Below are houses and gardens of oranges, olives and other fruit trees.

Thien Vien Monastery can be reached by cable car. The monastery itself is surrounded by greenery and flowers. You can walk along the well-kept paths and watch the life of the monastery. However, the residential part of the monastery is closed to the public.

After exploring the area, you can go down to the shore of the lake. The main alley is closed to passage, but you can find a descent on the left.

In the suburbs of Dalat there is a beautiful waterfall called Datanla. The descent to it is possible both traditionally - on foot, and on a kind of Vietnamese roller coaster. When on iron sleds, tourists slide down the slope at a controlled speed among forests and flying tropical birds. And the sleigh is pulled up to the top by cables. The attraction ticket is paid separately.

After driving 10 kilometers from Dalat, you can get to the park with the Prenn waterfall. The peculiarity of the waterfall is that you can walk between the streams of water and the rock. Although the height of the waterfall is small, the rainbow is beautifully reflected in the spray.

In the park you can walk along bamboo bridges, and also ride elephants, ostriches or buffalos for a fee. Feed the crocodiles at the mini-zoo. And by arriving early in the morning on your own, you can avoid the crowds of tourists and enjoy the peaceful walk to the fullest.

Pong Gua Falls is the largest waterfall in Vietnam. It is also called "Falling Elephant". Its power is especially visible during the rainy season. When the power of water falls with a roar from a 20-meter height and spreads 100 meters wide.

The beauty of the waterfall can be seen both from above and from below. But it is best to go down in comfortable closed shoes, as the stairs are quite steep and wet from the splashes. It's easy to slip and twist your ankle in flip-flops.

On the mountain slopes you can find many coffee plantations. The local red soil has a beneficial effect on the coffee harvest. At the plantations you can listen to how coffee is grown, dried, and buy coffee as souvenirs at the coffee shop. Fortunately, there are species for every taste.

Silk art workshop and gallery of XQ factory

Entering the silk workshop, you immediately find yourself in a small courtyard, where visitors are greeted by workers in national clothes and treated to tea.

After a short tour and stories about the difficulties of silk embroidery, you can walk around the workshop and gallery on your own.

On the ground floor there is a gallery with ready-made embroidered paintings, which can be purchased immediately. On the second floor you can watch the workers at work.

Silk embroidery is a traditional heritage of Vietnam, passed down from generation to generation. Without this skill, the girl could not be married off. And, looking at the presented paintings, you are amazed at what masterpieces come out from under the delicate fingers of the craftswomen. Some are so airy and voluminous that they seem to be woven from clouds and hanging right in the air.

The Valley of Love is a large park where you can stroll among beautifully decorated flower beds, sculptures and gazebos. Unusual compositions in the form of clocks, teapots, peacocks and other animals are made from flowers. There are a lot of options for a romantic photo shoot here.

The park is roughly divided into two parts. Top and bottom. In the lower area there is a lake, and from the upper area there is a beautiful view of the lake and mountains.

Dalat is popular among tourists due to its unique natural sites. But not only picturesque lakes, waterfalls, and beautiful gardens deserve attention. The city also has many interesting buildings that are worth a look even if you only spend 1 day here.

The atmosphere of Dalat is noticeably different from other cities in Vietnam. The city of love and eternal spring – that’s what the locals call it. Here the buildings are so in harmony with nature that it is sometimes difficult to understand what was created by the hands of modern man and what was inherited from our ancestors.

Local travel agencies offer to purchase excursion packages to the most remarkable corners of Dalat and its surroundings. Most often, tours last 1-3 days. If you want to know what you can see in Dalat on your own in 1-2 days, then this article and a map with marked points will be a useful guide.

The only inconvenience that single tourists may encounter is the distance of the main attractions from the city center. In order to get there you will have to:

  1. use the services of a local taxi;
  2. use the services of a motorcycle taxi. The owner of the bike will also be a guide;
  3. rent a car or bike.

We took a small green taxi. The smaller the car, the cheaper. In one day we managed to visit 7 places. The price was 1,100,000 dong or $49. On the second day we visited 2 more places. We ordered a taxi by phone using an SMS message in English. In it they wrote down all the points that they wanted to go around. Indicate the hotel address and check-out time. Early in the morning the taxi driver arrived without delay.

Before leaving, we immediately discussed the amount of the trip. We agreed on 800,000 VND. But the meter showed 1,500,000 VND. The driver was very modest and could not ask for more than the agreed amount. We decided to pay him another 300,000 VND.

Here is a list of interesting places that we visited on our own in 2 days and we strongly recommend including them in your route when traveling around Dalat. If you still don’t know what to visit in Dalat, our list will help you make your choice.

  • The points are placed in the same order as we visited them.

Pongur Falls -

We decided to see the sights from the farthest point. We drove to the waterfall without stopping, and on the way back we stopped at other places.

Many call Pongur Falls the largest in Vietnam. Whether this is true or not is difficult to judge. After all, its height is only 30 m. But the waterfall cascades along wide steps. The spectacle is fascinating. It reveals itself in all its glory during the rainy season, i.e. in the middle of summer. At this time, all rivers overflow due to excess rainfall.

Even if you come to Dalat for just 1 day, feel free to include this place in your program. This is the best waterfall in the area.

Entrance – 10,000 VND ($0.5)

View of the waterfall from the observation deck

Territory

Road to the waterfall

Elephant Waterfall is very powerful. The water here rushes down with a deafening roar to splash everyone who came to admire the delights of the water element.

But before enjoying this view you will need to go down a rather dangerous descent. My children and I didn’t dare go there. Only the husband was sent.

Entrance – 20,000 VND ($1)

Vietnam is famous for coffee production no less than Brazil. Traveling through the suburbs of Dalat, every vacationer can stop and explore the huge coffee plantations. It's not often in life that you get the chance to see how fragrant grains grow. Those travelers who come to Vietnam during the flowering period of coffee trees will be especially lucky. It is a real miracle to see delicate white flowers with a magical aroma reminiscent of jasmine. At almost every farm you can try a freshly brewed drink and buy coffee beans to take with you.

Entry is free.

Prenn Waterfall -

This is not the largest waterfall in the vicinity of Dalat. However, when traveling around Vietnam, you should definitely visit a beautiful corner ten kilometers from the city. Water falls from a stone cliff into a lake. This is one of the favorite places for photography lovers. Walking along the bamboo bridge you can capture a lot of interesting shots.

Around the waterfall there is a magnificent park full of exotic plants. At every step there are flower beds with amazing flowers, many gazebos, galleries, and cafes. To feel unity with nature and enjoy the sounds of water and birdsong, it is better to come here early in the morning. At this time there is not such an influx of people as at noon. At this time, enterprising Vietnamese are already enticing guests with an offer to ride an ostrich or an elephant.

Elephant business is not uncommon in Dalat. Currently, animals are used only in tourism. Although not so long ago they carried out work on transporting goods or harvesting wood.

Walking through the park is available to tourists every day until 17:00.

Datanla Park -

Datanla Park and Waterfall are popular among tourists as it is located close to the city. The waterfall is relatively small. Its length is just over 300 meters. However, a walk through picturesque groves with strange plants will give you a lot of pleasure.

Many tourists come here just to ride the famous attraction. You can get right from the beginning of the park to the foot of the waterfall along the “Vietnamese roller coaster”. Tickets for the electric sleigh are sold at the ticket office at the entrance. The price for a sleigh is 2.3 dollars (or 50 thousand Vietnamese dong) round trip.

Adult ticket – 30,000 VND ($1.5)

Child ticket – 15,000 VND ($0.75)

Buddhist complex Chuk Lam -

Chuc Lam is an active monastery, which is located in the mountains south of Dalat at an altitude of 1.5 kilometers. The complex was founded in 1994 with the aim of reviving the religious school, which was founded by King Tran Nhan Tong.

You can get to the place by cable car, taxi or motorbike.

The architectural project belongs to the Vietnamese Ngo Viet Thu and Nyung Ngoc An. During the construction process, the building was supplemented with massive gates and a bell tower, which were missing in the original version.

Currently, there are two monasteries, a Buddhist school, and several temples. There is even a small hotel for pilgrims on site.

On the territory of the temple we felt extraordinary harmony and peace.

Entry is free.

Madhouse -

Yes, yes, in the very heart of the city there is a real madhouse. This is what the Vietnamese call a bizarrely shaped hotel. This is a building made in the shape of a tree. Hang Nga, as it is also called, is full of architectural surprises. The architect of Crazy House is Dang Viet Nga, the daughter of the country's party leader. In her work, the author tried to completely get away from the stereotypes inherent in classical buildings.

The hotel is designed in an abstract style. The buildings resemble the silhouettes of various animals, and the entire building seems to be located in a huge hollow. The appearance of the hotel is difficult to describe verbally. To plunge into the fantastic atmosphere of “Crazy House” you need to see everything with your own eyes.

It is worth noting that this is not the only work of the architect in Dalat. You can get acquainted with her work by visiting the Catholic Church or the Palace of Culture.

Adult ticket – 40,000 VND ($1.8)

Child ticket – 20,000 VND ($0.9)

Temple of the Golden Buddha - Thien Vien Van Hanh Da Lat

The majestic Buddha statue is visible from almost every corner of Dalat. Its height is 24 meters and its weight is more than a ton. The statue was built in 2002 on one of the most elevated places in the city. Since then, not a single tourist leaves the city without admiring the majestic Buddha sitting on a huge lotus.

Shakyamuni holds another lotus in his hand. According to legend, one day Buddha, speaking to the people on the Sacred Mountain, showed a flower and watched the faces of his listeners. Then only one of those present smiled sincerely, looking at the beautiful plant. It was this man who was honored to have the Buddha impart his knowledge to him. There is a Buddhist temple next to the statue. Here you can also buy souvenirs with local symbols and small copies of the landmark made of bronze.

Free admission

Flower Garden – Dalat Flower Park

Dalat flower gardens were created in the late 60s of the last century. But during the Vietnam War they fell into such a deplorable state that they had to be reconstructed almost from scratch. Today, about a thousand different flowers grow on a vast territory. Roses, gerberas, hydrangeas of a wide variety of colors are planted in the form of fancy patterns and paths. The garden gate is made in the form of several arches, each of which is decorated with thousands of flowers. Throughout the territory there are flower sculptures in the form of animals, various objects and fairy-tale characters.

The collection of orchids deserves special attention. There are a huge number of them here. In addition to the usual unpretentious varieties, in Dalat Park you can find rare species that are very difficult to grow under artificial conditions. For such capricious species, special pavilions have been built, where gardeners recreate familiar natural conditions for plants.

The Flower Park is a favorite place for Vietnamese needlewomen. Women of all ages come here not only for the next dose of inspiration, but also put their work up for sale. Tourists have a wonderful chance to return to their homeland with a handmade souvenir.

Adult ticket – 30,000 VND ($1.5)

Child ticket – 15,000 VND ($0.75)

Xuan Huong Lake

The famous artificial lake in the city center. It was formed after the construction of a dam in 1919.

Not only tourists but also locals love to walk around the lake. Along the lake you can ride in a horse-drawn carriage and swim on swans.

Visiting is free.

Area near Big C

Often, at night, local musicians perform on the square, and children and youth enjoy roller skating, hoverboards, Segways and other devices.

Visiting is free.

Additionally, you can buy a snack from local merchants or rent a Segway or hoverboard.

Attractions on the map

All of the above places are indicated on Google map.

How I save on hotels when traveling

I select the appropriate option through a search aggregator. I really like this one - Hotellook. He searches for hotels on several sites at once (including booking.com and agoda.ru). In the end, I choose the best offer.


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