Vietnamese people living in Ho Chi Minh City and the surrounding areas often pick Da Lat as the ideal destination each time their holidays are drawing near. Are you wondering what the reasons are? Knowing how to spend one day in Da Lat will give you an answer.
6:00AM: Enjoy a light breakfast. Before arriving in Da Lat, it is sure that you have ever heard about the excellent cuisine of this mountainous city. Then, let’s start a new day in Da Lat by a light breakfast with outstanding specialties, such as banh mi xiu mai (Vietnamese meatball sandwich), banh can (Vietnamese mini-pancakes), or bun bo (noddle soup with beef). It should be a leisurely breakfast because of the calm and peaceful lifestyle.
Recommended places to have breakfast:
- A food stall specializing in Vietnamese meatball sandwich at the intersection of Tran Nhat Duat with Hoang Dieu Streets
- Ngoc Anh Restaurant specializing in Noddle Soup with beef at Phu Dong Thien Vuong Street
7:00AM: Take a sip of coffee while soaking up the comfortable atmosphere of Da Lat. Coming to Da Lat – the romantic city of Vietnam, you are highly recommended to immerse into one of the beautiful and classic cafés which may be Nhat Linh Café, Bich Cau Café, Thanh Thuy Café, or Thuy Ta Café.
8:00AM: Explore Da Lat Flower Garden
Dalat is labeled as a city of various flowers, so it will be with regret that you lose out on the chance to admire the flowers in full bloom. Da Lat Flower Garden with the area of up to 7,000 square meters, situated in the heart of downtown has the greatest concentration of numerous flower species from different places in the world, making it look like an enthralling painting among nature.
9:00AM: Get yourself dipped in Love Valley. Ever wonder why this area is called Love Valley? In fact, the landscape here is so romantic that it is like a part of a fairy tale. You can go for a walk along trails with colorful flowers at two sides and around Da Thien Lake to enjoy this beauty. If preferring speed, pick out a tram for transfer.
11:30AM: Have lunch. To make your lunch perfect, keep an eye on the following delicacies: wet rice paper with chicken organs or chicken hotpot with herbs. Recommended places for lunch are:
- 1A Thong Thien Hoc Street. Opening hours: 12:00 (noon) – 7:00PM – Wet paper with chicken organs
- Tao Ngo Restaurant: 3/4 Street, 2 kilometers from Xuan Huong Lake
12:30 (noon) – 2:00PM: take a break before starting an afternoon trip
2:00PM: Head toward Datanla Waterfall. Here is an imposing waterfall leaning on the Prenn pass – one of the poetic passes of Da Lat. Just 10 kilometers from the city center, the waterfall will be an ideal destination for those who love adventures or thrilling activities. The entrance fee is VND20,000/adult; free of charge is applied to children under 1.2 meters.
4:00PM: To recover your energy and continue the trip, banh beo – steamed rice cakes are supposed to be a nice choice. The recommended eatery is at No.4 Phan Dinh Phung Street; a plate of banh beo costs about VND25,000.
4:30PM: After you have already savored steamed rice cakes, the next destination is Da Lat Railway Station, situated in Yersin Street. Construction of the station was started by the French in 1932 and had been completed within six years. The 84-kilometer railway connects Phan Rang with Da Lat City, so you can soak up the stunning scenery of those two places. There is no entrance fee applied to all visitors.
5:00PM: This is the best time for leisurely travelling through paths full of pine shadows. Try imaging how amazing it will be while you enjoy cool breeze and cool ambience of the mountainous area. Not only does it bring you peace in mind, but it lets you experience charming landscapes not found anywhere else.
6:00PM: Go to dinner! The Dat Lat night market will catch your eyes by its bustle and hustle. Some noodle soups and rice porridge here are also nice for your dinner. However, it will be better to try grills or hotpots among the cold weather of Da Lat at night; it is so cool! The recommended restaurants for those dishes are:
- Fungi Chingu – Korean Restaurant: Nguyen Thị Minh Khai Street, Ward 1, Da Lat City
- BBQ No.1: Le Hong Phong Street, Da Lat City
- Ngoi BBQ: 111 Bui Thi Xuan Street, Da Lat City
- Cu Duc: 6A Nguyen Luong Bang, Ward 2, Da Lat City
8:00PM-10:00PM: Go for a walk in the Da Lat night market to perceive the pulsating atmosphere here and buy something as gifts for your family and friends. If possible, try some luscious streetfood spreading along streets to the market.
