Hue itinerary: how to spend 1, 2 or 3 days

How many days

• 1 day: Day 1

  The Imperial City, Dong Ba Market, lunch on Hen Island, the old Chinese quarter and the walking street by the river; it leaves out the tombs.

• 2 days: Days 1 to 2

  Adds the tombs of Tu Duc, Khai Dinh and Minh Mang by car, lunch on Kim Long and a dragon boat to Thien Mu Pagoda.

• 3 days: Days 1 to 3

  Adds the Royal Antiquities Museum and An Dinh Palace on one ticket, a lunch of royal cakes and the tile-roofed Thanh Toan Bridge.

Day 1

Imperial City, Dong Ba Market and the river at night

07:00 to about 19:45 · 7 stops · entry fees VND 200,000 a person

1. 07:001

   

   Sight · 3 h

   Imperial City, through the Ngo Mon gate

   Cost: Adult; children 7 to 12 VND 40,000. Doing the tombs tomorrow? The four-site route ticket is VND 530,000

   Ticket sales open at 07:00 from 16 October to 15 March and at 06:30 from 16 March to 15 October. Go in through Ngo Mon, the main south gate, then Thai Hoa Palace, where coronations were held, and the Forbidden City behind it. Vietnam Tourism puts a visit at about two hours and says a guide gets you more; Colleen Sims of Then We Walked, there in February, found the shade limited and her three-hour guided walk ran over. Shoes come off in the temples to the emperors.

   Hours, fees and how to get there: Hue Imperial City

   Image: Chainwit. / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

   ↓About 5 min by taxi or Grab, 2.3 km. About 2.3 km by taxi, Grab or cyclo; agree a cyclo's price and route before you set off.

2. 10:152

   

   Market · 1 h

   Dong Ba Market

   Cost: Free to walk in

   Hue's biggest market sits on Tran Hung Dao by the river. It is open all day but busiest early, so by mid-morning the fish and vegetable rush has eased and you can look around. Vietnam Tourism suggests it as a first taste of Hue food: look for the small snacks the city is proud of, such as banh khoai (crisp turmeric pancakes) and banh beo (little steamed rice cakes). Ask the price before you take anything.

   Image: Chainwit. / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

   ↓About 25 min walk, 1.8 km. Across the Gia Hoi bridge to Hen Island, about 1.5 km.

3. 11:353

   

   Eat · 45 min

   Com hen lunch on Hen Island

   Cost: Stall prices vary

   Hen Island is a rural corner of the city in the Perfume River, small enough to walk round in under half an hour, and it disappears under water when Hue floods. Hen means mussel: locals gather the tiny shellfish on its banks, and Vietnam Tourism sends visitors to the island's com hen (mussel rice) and bun hen (mussel noodle) stalls. After lunch, go back to your hotel and rest through the hottest hours.

   Image: Phuong Huy / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

   ↓About 5 min by taxi or Grab, 3.7 km. About 3.5 km to Bach Dang Street.

4. 15:304

   

   Sight · 1 h 15 min

   Dieu De Pagoda and the old Chinese quarter

   Cost: Working pagoda; cover shoulders and knees

   Vietnam Tourism points to Chi Lang and Bach Dang streets for Chinese and Vietnamese shophouses, French buildings and temples such as Phuc Kien and Dieu De Pagoda. It is the place for an afternoon snack: the same guide names Ba Phung for bun bo Hue, Ba Ty for grilled pork rice-paper rolls, and Da Thao as the city's oldest cafe. Dieu De is an active pagoda, so keep your voice down inside.

   Image: Andrea Schaffer / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

   ↓About 5 min by taxi or Grab, 1.8 km. About 1.8 km to the Ngo Mon square.

5. 17:005

   

   View · 45 min

   Ngo Mon square at dusk

   Cost: Free; the square is outside the ticket gate

   Come back to the open ground in front of the Noon Gate, where you started the morning. Vietnam Tourism describes it in the late afternoon full of children flying kites and teenagers on skateboards, and as the sky fades the lights come on around the gate. It is a local scene, not a show, so find a bench and watch. From 16 October the monument gates close at 18:00.

   Image: Suicasmo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

   ↓About 5 min by taxi or Grab, 2 km. About 2 km across the river to Pham Ngu Lao.

6. 18:156

   

   Eat · 1 h 15 min

   Dinner on the south bank

   Cost: Meals vary

   Most visitors stay around Pham Ngu Lao and Le Loi streets, and that is where the evening restaurants are. For Hue cooking, Vietnam Tourism names Khong Gian Xua for traditional dishes and Thien Tam for vegan food. Order a few small plates to share: Vietnam Tourism's list of Hue specialties includes banh khoai, banh beo, banh nam and bun thit nuong, and says more than half of all Vietnamese dishes are said to come from Hue.

   Image: Alpha / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

   ↓About 10 min walk, 0.8 km. About 700 m to the river.

7. 19:457

   

   Do · 1 h

   Nguyen Dinh Chieu walking street and Truong Tien Bridge

   Cost: Free

   At night Truong Tien Bridge is lit with coloured LEDs that reflect in the Perfume River. Right below it, VnExpress describes the Nguyen Dinh Chieu walking street and the wooden footbridge along the south bank, with snack stalls, live music and flashmob dancing (its 2020 account). Walk the riverside towards the bridge, then back along Le Loi to your hotel.

   Image: Bex Walton / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Day 2

The royal tombs and Thien Mu by dragon boat

07:00 to about 18:45 · 8 stops · entry fees VND 450,000 a person

1. 07:001

   

   Eat · 30 min

   Breakfast near Pham Ngu Lao

   Cost: Prices vary

   Book a car and driver for the morning loop before you eat: the tombs are 7 to 12 km out and spread over the hills, so a taxi or Grab car for each leg wastes time. A bowl of bun bo Hue, the city's beef noodle soup, is the obvious breakfast. Bring a hat and water for the climbs.

   Image: Chainwit. / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

   ↓About 10 min by taxi or Grab, 7 km. About 7 km.

2. 07:452

   

   Sight · 1 h 15 min

   Tu Duc Tomb

   Cost: Adult; children 7 to 12 VND 30,000

   Khiem Lang, the Tomb of Modesty, lies under Vong Canh Hill about 7 km from the city and was built in 1864. Tu Duc reigned for more than 36 years from 1847, the longest of the Nguyen emperors, and used the grounds as a retreat before they became his tomb, so you walk round a lake, pavilions and frangipani trees. Thuy Xuan incense village is about 1 km away if you want a short stop on the way out.

   Image: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

   ↓About 10 min by taxi or Grab, 7.1 km. About 7 km.

3. 09:153

   

   Sight · 1 h

   Khai Dinh Tomb

   Cost: Adult; children 7 to 12 VND 30,000

   Khai Dinh's tomb, begun in 1920 and finished 11 years later, climbs Chau Chu mountain over seven terraces and 127 steps. It is smaller than the older tombs but far more elaborate: inside Thien Dinh Palace every surface is covered in reliefs of porcelain and coloured glass, including an alarm clock and a tennis racket. Khai Dinh paid for it by raising the land tax by 30% across the country, a choice history has judged harshly.

   Hours, fees and how to get there: Khai Dinh Tomb

   Image: Chainwit. / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

   ↓About 5 min by taxi or Grab, 4.5 km. About 4.5 km.

4. 10:304

   

   Sight · 1 h 15 min

   Minh Mang Tomb

   Cost: Adult; children 7 to 12 VND 30,000

   Minh Mang's tomb sits on Cam Ke hill where two rivers meet to form the Perfume River, about 12 km from the centre. Inside a 1,750 m wall, its gates, courts, pavilions and the square two-storey Minh Lau tower line up along a central spirit way more than 700 m long, with stone mandarins, elephants and horses in the salutation court. Walk the whole axis rather than turning back at the first courtyard.

   Hours, fees and how to get there: Minh Mang Tomb

   Image: Christophe95 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

   ↓About 10 min by taxi or Grab, 13.4 km. About 13 km.

5. 12:155

   

   Eat · 1 h

   Lunch at Huyen Anh, Kim Long

   Cost: Meals vary

   Vietnam Tourism sends visitors to Huyen Anh, 52 Kim Long, for two Hue dishes: bun thit nuong, cold rice noodles with herbs, pickles and charcoal-grilled pork, and banh uot, soft sheets of fresh rice paper you wrap round grilled meat and herbs and dip in a garlic chilli sauce. Kim Long is the riverside garden-house district on the road to Thien Mu. Afterwards, rest at your hotel until mid-afternoon.

   Image: Luu Ly / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

   ↓About 5 min by taxi or Grab, 3.8 km. About 4 km to the Toa Kham pier on Le Loi.

6. 15:456

   

   Do · 45 min

   Dragon boat from the Toa Kham pier

   Cost: Per boat; agree the price, the stops and the return time before you board

   Dragon boats wait at the Toa Kham pier on Le Loi Street. VnExpress recommends going to Thien Mu by boat rather than by road for the river itself, and in 2022 put a dragon-boat trip to Thien Mu and Hon Chen Temple at VND 350,000; prices have moved since, so settle the price for the whole boat, the stop at Thien Mu and the time back before you step on. The same article suggests a 16:30 start for a sunset trip.

   Image: P. Hughes / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

   ↓By boat, 5.4 km. Upriver to the Thien Mu landing; the boatman waits while you visit.

7. 16:457

   

   Sight · 1 h

   Thien Mu Pagoda at sunset

   Cost: Working pagoda; we found no official notice of a fee

   The Nguyen lords built Thien Mu in 1601 on a hill on the north bank, about 5 km upriver from the citadel, and its seven-tiered tower is one of the city's landmarks. Vietnam Tourism says late afternoon is the best time: the crowds have gone and you can watch the sun go down behind the mountains. It is a working pagoda, so cover shoulders and knees and keep your voice down.

   Image: David McKelvey / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

   ↓By boat, 5.4 km. Back down the Perfume River to Toa Kham.

8. 18:458

   Eat · 1 h 15 min

   Dinner near Le Loi

   Cost: Meals vary

   Eat close to the pier when the boat brings you back. For something grander, Vietnam Tourism points to the restaurant of La Residence Hotel on Le Loi, a restored 1930s art deco mansion by the river, while its list of Hue food favourites works for a simpler meal. If tomorrow is your last day, check your train or bus time now.

Day 3

Royal Antiquities Museum, An Dinh Palace and Thanh Toan Bridge

08:00 to about 18:00 · 5 stops · entry fees VND 80,000 a person

1. 08:001

   

   Sight · 1 h

   Hue Royal Antiquities Museum

   Cost: Two-site route ticket with An Dinh Palace; the museum alone is VND 50,000

   The museum of royal antiquities stands inside the citadel walls, a short ride from the Imperial City gate. Buy the two-site route ticket here: VND 80,000 for the museum and An Dinh Palace, against VND 50,000 each on their own, and children go free. The Hue Monuments Conservation Centre's sites sell tickets from 07:00 in winter and 06:30 in summer.

   Image: Gin The Wanderer / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

   ↓About 5 min by taxi or Grab, 3.3 km. About 3.5 km across the river.

2. 09:152

   

   Sight · 1 h 15 min

   An Dinh Palace

   Cost: Covered by the two-site route ticket

   Vietnam Tourism calls An Dinh a stunning royal residence from the end of the Nguyen dynasty, and says you can hire a guide at the entrance on Nguyen Hue Street if you came without one. On the way, the same guide suggests Bao Quoc Pagoda, from the 17th century and still in use, and the canal walk past Ben Ngu Market and Phu Cam church.

   Image: Chainwit. / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

   ↓About 5 min walk, 0.1 km. Next door.

3. 10:453

   

   Eat · 45 min

   Royal cakes at Banh Beo Huong

   Cost: Prices vary

   Vietnam Tourism's lunch tip for this morning is Banh Beo Huong, next to An Dinh Palace, for Hue's savoury royal cakes. Order a mix: banh beo, steamed in small saucers and topped with dried shrimp and pork crackling; banh nam, flat shrimp dumplings steamed in banana leaf; and banh bot loc. A few drops of sweetened fish sauce finish each one. Then rest through the middle of the day.

   Image: Christopher Crouzet / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

   ↓About 5 min by taxi or Grab, 5.7 km. About 6 km east; or cycle, as Vietnam Tourism suggests.

4. 15:004

   

   Sight · 1 h 15 min

   Thanh Toan tile-roofed bridge

   Cost: Check at the bridge for any charge

   Vietnam Tourism calls the ride to the tile-roofed Thanh Toan Bridge one of Hue's most captivating, winding past vegetable farms, footbridges and flocks of ducks. Go in the late afternoon, when the light is softer and the heat has eased, and if you came by bicycle, leave time to ride back before dark.

   Image: Contributeur2019 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

   ↓About 10 min by taxi or Grab, 6.1 km. About 6 km back to Pham Ngu Lao.

5. 18:005

   Do · 2 h

   Dinner and the Pham Ngu Lao walking streets

   Cost: Meals and drinks vary

   Pham Ngu Lao, Chu Van An and Vo Thi Sau streets form the walking area locals call Pho Tay, packed with bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes. VnExpress described it as busiest from 21:00 to 23:00 and closed to traffic from 18:00 to 02:00 on Friday and Saturday and to midnight on Sunday; those times date from 2020, so treat other nights as ordinary streets. For a quieter last night, VnExpress also suggests a Hue folk-singing boat on the river.

Tips for Hue

Getting there, where to stay and the weather by month are on the Hue page. Plan checked 24 October 2026.