We didn’t expect to spend so much time in Dalat, but after ten days we had trouble tearing ourselves away! It’s a charming city in the mountains of Vietnam, perfect for couples looking for a romantic retreat, adventurers looking to get outside, foodies looking to eat — basically, us! Dalat has something for everyone! More than anything, I suggest you take a long walk around Dalat. There is so much to see, various flower parks, cute neighborhoods, old French mansions, and more. If you’re planning a trip to Dalat {as you should!}, feel free to shoot me an email for more suggestions. Otherwise, here are my top five things I think everyone should do in Dalat, in no particular order.
Cable Car to Truc Lam Pagoda
We started out just wanting to take the cable car {like a gondola at a ski resort} for the view, but when we arrived at the top, we were blown away. We hadn’t really known what we were going to see, and ended up loving our time at the monastery! Truc Lam is a zen monastery sitting on the edge of Tuyền Lăm Lake. The same lake we stayed on at Binh An Village! The monastery sits on a huge swatch of forested land, a small portion of which have various buildings and temples. You can walk around the flower gardens and temples, see monks walking peacefully in their orange robes, take in a view of the lake. We were, randomly, interviewed by a Vietnamese Tourism TV crew who asked us what we felt while visiting the monastery. Both of us could think of no better word than “peaceful” — it was such a calm, serene environment. I was ready to move in! The cable car ride was worth it, too, for a great view of Dalat and the mountains.
Pongour Waterfall
About 40 kilometers south of Dalat you’ll find Pongour Waterfall. You can arrange for a tour, or rent a motorbike and make your way down there on your own! We stopped on our way out of town en route to Mui Ne, and I’m glad we did! You have to make a steep climb down to the bottom of the waterfall, but the view is absolutely worth it. Be careful on the slippery rocks, and have fun taking in the scene!
Canyoning {aka Canyoneering}
I was skeptical about this, since it was rainy and semi-cold while we were in Dalat, but we had SO MUCH FUN! I rappelled down a waterfall while I was in Colombia and loved it, but this was that times one hundred — way more action. Overall you’ll rappel down two large waterfalls, one dry cliff, do one cliff jump (7 or 10 meters), float down the river, slide down a rock slide {feet first, head first, with a buddy, alone, etc.}, and do plenty of rocky scrambling. Choosing your outfitter is really important here! There are a lot of different tour companies that do this trip, but most have huge groups {20+ people} and rush you through everything. Not only is that less enjoyable, it’s dangerous! You need to be sure you’re comfortable with your skills, the equipment, etc. and being rushed prevents that. We went with Pine Track Adventures, and they were awesome. They keep groups small, have FAR superior equipment {like ropes, which we were appalled at when we saw the other companies’ ropes in terrible condition}, fabulous guides, and really take care of you and make sure you have fun! Our guides were Ting and Tang, and they were both incredible — spoke perfect English, were funny, kind, and incredibly caring. Highly recommended! If I didn’t die, you won’t either!
Motorbike to Lak Lake
If you want to experience a little bit of the central highlands motorbike experience, this is a great one-day drive from Dalat! Lak Lake is beautiful, surrounded by rice paddies and ELEPHANTS {!!}, and great place to spend a quiet night outside of the city. You can go by yourself, or hire one of the many “Easy Riders” in Dalat to take you up there for an overnight. From there you can either continue up to Buon Ma Thuat and see coffee and tea plantations before making your way back to Dalat or down to Nha Trang on the beach.
Windmill Coffee
We were shocked at the abundance of cute coffee shops in Dalat. It seemed like every three doors we’d run across another! Windmills is a chain {I saw at least two in Dalat}, but has not lost its charm! They keep eclectic vases full of fresh flowers, play incredible 90s pop music, and make a mean matcha latte! We spent one day working here and really enjoyed the atmosphere.
BONUS: If Derek had written this list, he’d no doubt include the Crazy House. It’s definitely worth seeing {it really is crazy!}, but didn’t quite make my top five!
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Hey Mary, you wrote that we could ask you, so I’ll give it a try. You wrote that you stopped at the waterfall on the way down to Mui Ne. How did you go down there? Bus? Bike? And do you remember the tour agency?
Thanks a lot for your help in advance!
Kerstin
Hi Kerstin,
We did not have a tour agency, but were simply on our own motorbikes. I mapped it on my iPhone and just followed the roads to lead us there! The waterfall, though, is certainly worth going to! If you want a very easy way to get there, hire an EasyRider for the day — they’d easily take you down there and show you all around! Enjoy!
Mary
Hello Hello
any dining suggestions in Dalat?
Fiona
Hi Fiona! It’s been a while, so the only thing coming to mind is a little place (I have no clue what the name is) that serves Chinese Wonton Soup — it’s amazing! It’s on Phan Đình Phùng, maybe 300m north of Dreams Hotel. Such great soup! Enjoy! xo
Great things to do in city of love- Dalat! Thanks for sharing. I got some idea for my trip from your post. I hope that i and my friend will have a great trip with remarkable moment like your trip 🙂
Cheer !
Hi Mary,
Just wondering if you booked through pine track adventures before hand or whilst you were over there?
Thank you!!
Meeghan
Hi Meeghan — I did not book beforehand! I went to their office when I arrived in Dalat and booked a tour for the next day! I think you can do either way, but I wouldn’t worry too much about it being sold out.
I am going to dalat in March. haha getting excited.
Have fun, Michael! It’s a great place to visit!
Hi Mary,
I’ll be visiting Vietnam in July and was wondering how did you get to Da Lat? My current itinerary looks something like this: Ho Chi Minh City –> Da Lat –> Mui Ne –> Nha Trang –> Hoi An –> Da Nang.
I was just wondering if you would be able to give me some tips on what is the best way to travel from HCMC to Da Lat and then Da Lat to Mui Ne. Or would it be, in your opinion, better to travel from HCMC to Mui Ne then Da Lat?
Thanks in advance, really enjoyed your post on Da Lat! Definitely made me even more eager to visit this beautiful place!
Hi Valerie! In my opinion, it makes more sense (geographically) to do Mui Ne before Da Lat! I was on my motorbike, so I had total control of my travel… but it would be very easy to do via bus, if you’re not going to have your own transportation.
Have a wonderful trip!!
Hi Mary,
Enjoyed reading your post – thank you!
We had done a quick trip to Vietnam, really liked it and plan to return for a longer time.
The plan is to spend the Canadian winter there.
Climate-wise, Dalat seems to be a good choice.
What are the prospects of long-term rental there?
Could we make Dalat a base and make short trips to the other places?
Am an avid motorcyclist.
Will be great to have your feedback.
Best,
Chris
Hi Chris! Thanks for the kind words! I’m jealous of your upcoming trip — sounds like a great way to spend the winter! I’m sure you can find longterm rentals… I didn’t do that in Dalat, but had no problem in Hoi An (which I thought was a great base!). I think you’ll probably have to wait until you get there, and then find a local who is tied into the rental market to help you out, but in my experience that’s been a quick and easy process.
As far as taking trips from Dalat, it’d be totally doable! I think there is even an airport there, so if you wanted to do a further trip (like to Hanoi or further North), that’s an option too.
Enjoy your time there! xo
Hi Mary,
Could you pls recommend place to stay in Dalat or areas in Dalat to look for accommodation.
Amazing and outstanding blog! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Jesse! xo
Did not have the time to try the Windmill coffee. Like what you wrote, i fell in love with the city. Beautiful weather, beautiful people and also beautiful flowers. I visited the valley of love, dalat flower part, lambiang mountain, datanla waterfalls. And those who are visits Dalat cannot miss out Xuong Heng Lake.
I am looking forward to visit other parts of Dalat next year.
Thanks, Michael! I’m glad you enjoyed Dalat, too!
Hi, We will be in Dalat next year in March. As we will be there for a week, I’m a bit anxious on what things we can do. We love the water. Are the falls suitable to get into like swim or dip in? Thanks.
Hi Evelyn! You will find plenty to do, I’m sure! The falls we visited weren’t great for swimming… but I’m sure you could find another place to! The canyoning tour we did was alllll in the water — you might love it! xo