Top 17 things to do in Da Lat

Da Lat – the city of dreams where makes many tourist’s hearts were stirred and I am surely this is also a great place to experience the most wonderful things for your trip.

The view of Da Lat city'

The view of Da Lat city’

Mentioning to Da Lat is referring to a long row of destinations to eat and visit but to understand and feel the whole beauty of Da Lat as an indigenous person, let you keep reading the rest of this article. I will list the top things to do in Da Lat, also extremely worthy and unforgettable experiences in Da Lat.

Read more: How to get to and getting around Da Lat

1, Get up early to enjoy the dawn

Da Lat dawn

One of the shortcomings that most people make when coming to Da Lat is sleeping in. However, do you know that sleeping in Da Lat means you’ve missed one of the most beautiful moments in the Plateau: the time of the dawn. Da Lat is famous for the seas of cloud and fog enclosed the city so seeing the first rays of sunshine through clouds is an unforgettable experience for sure.

Better yet, let you choose a high hill to enjoy the sea of clouds and sunshine in Da Lat. Some of destinations you can refer to this activity are Thien Phuc Duc Hill, Thanh Mau Hill, Bo Island where is 8km from the center of the city. To see dawn in these places, you need to get up at 5 am and walk up to the hilltop to see the full scene. And if love “virtual life”, don’t forget to prepare your machinery and equipment.

2, Take a walk around Xuan Huong Lake

Xuan Huong Lake
Normally, there are many tourist destinations in Da Lat so everyone accidentally forgets Xuan Huong Lake where is the symbol of Da Lat City. Even locals in Da Lat have a strong attachment to this place on their jogging track every morning.

The sparkling water ripples in the middle of Xuan Huong Lake over seasons is one of features which make tourists passionate. Water is blue in color on the dry season and it turns into a dark red color on the rainy season. However, in the early morning (sunset), water in lake is shimmering with full of colors.

The surface of water looks like a crystal-clear mirror reflecting everything around. It has the color of sunshine but sometimes it also has the dark green of leaves, for example. It’s hard for you to look for in anywhere the magnificent beauty of this place.

3, Take a walk in the pine forest

walk in the pine forest - most things to do in Da Lat
If you want to see a special Da Lat, you should do something’s distinct. Wandering in the forest to discover more about the city of dreaming is an ideal thing, for example. About 30 km towards Cu Lan Village is the vast pine forests with hills of green grass so you’re probably amazing with that place’s scenery. The color of pine forest covers up throughout Da Lat is an indescribable dream.

I am sure that the moments of laying down grass and hearing to the sounds of wind with river will become a part of your own beautiful memories.

4, Explore the Da Lat Market

Explore Da Lat Market
Most of people know that Da Lat Market is famous for agricultural products. Here, you can look for and buy kinds of fruits of both Da Lat and other regions. In addition, there are also dried fruits and dozens of delicious junk foods.

Aside from that place, there is a market of selling super cheap and good clothes on the second floor of the Da Lat New Market. You can completely set your mind at rest if bring too little warm clothes for your trip because simply there are everything here.

Keep reading: What to buy in Vietnam for souvenirs?

5, Experience the rich cuisine of Da Lat

Eat Da Lat cuisine

Snail stuffed meat in Da Lat

It’s too obvious to say that Da Lat is beautiful, however, people have been enthralled this dreaming city due to not only its scenery but also its cuisine. Da Lat has a long list of sidewalk dishes which you shouldn’t miss such as soymilk, Banh Can (bánh căn), grilled rice paper with egg…

Especially the hot dishes are so suitable for the cool climate of Da Lat that you won’t be able to find out that taste in anywhere else.

An important note is that the majority of junk foods are sold from 4:00 pm so let you pay attention to be on time to enjoy. Some suggested restaurants you had better try include Banh Can Shop in Nha Chung, grilled rice paper with egg in the head of Hoang Dieu Street, La E hot pot (lá é) in 3/2 Street, Ba Toa beef hotpot.

Learn more: Top 10 Vietnam traditional foods must eat

6, See wild Himalayan cherry in the small ramps

See wild Himalayan cherry

Wild Himalayan cherry is the typical flower for spring in Da Lat. At first glance, these white and pink flowers seem to like cherry blossom in the North but they are thicker and denser.

The special thing is that in Da Lat, there are always the roads of wild Himalayan cherry stretching which bring tourists the feeling of being lost in heaven. It’s very easy to see wild Himalayan cherry in roads along the Tuyen Lam Lake, Xuan Huong Lake.

7, Stay in a very beautiful homestay

Stay in Da Lat homestay

If you haven’t yet heard before, I will let you know that Da Lat is the paradise of hundreds of pretty homestays. In case you are one of lovers of beauty and connection, staying homestay in Da Lat at least once is a must. The beautiful houses with unique designs on the hillsides always bring more excitement than what the solid hotels around the center bring.

In homestay, you will comfortably live as your home because there are the kitchen for cooking and private corners for reading especially you can come back late… This is really a reasonable plus point compared to motels or hotels. Some good homestays in Da Lat include Home of dreamers, Yen’s house, Nha Cua Lam.

8, Look for and enter the beautiful Cafes

Da Lat cafe

Da Lat is the only place where grows the good quality and first-class seeds of Arabica coffee in Vietnam. These coffee seeds are tested by hands of workers in preparation in order to harvest then make the nice cups of coffee for customers by best techniques and passionate mind.

Not only that, Da Lat also owns the beautiful and high-quality coffee shops where is very worthy to take your time to sit all day. Some well-known and favorite coffee shops in Da Lat include La Viet coffee, An coffee, Up bicycle…

9, Take pictures in the tourist destinations as “symbols” of Da Lat

Da Lat Railway Station

Da Lat Railway Station

Da Lat has many famous tourist destinations as symbols of atiso and wild sunflowers, Da Lat Railway Station, the strawberry garden, or The Youth Cultural Center.

Visit these places, you can freely take beautiful photos. In fact, whether use cell phone or digital camera, you can own the very beautiful and unique moments to yourself. Therefore, if love “virtual life”, don’t miss these wonderful destinations in Da Lat.

10, Pick strawberry – an interesting experience in tourism garden

Pick strawberry is fun things to do in Da Lat
On the blooming season, flowers burst in the spring sunshine, that’s time when the rows of strawberries are ripe and red in all the gardens of strawberry in Da Lat. However, strawberry in Da Lat has more seasons than we thought. It is a kind of specialty harvesting all year round.

In Da Lat, if visit the garden of ill-timed strawberry in June to July when it’s sunny, you won’t be able to ignore the experience of being a real farmer. Why don’t you try a day of picking the ripe red strawberries and enjoying their fresh taste without being charged?

After the harvest, you yourself can manually box them as gifts with types of different varieties. The lowest kind is about 20.000 – 30.000 VND while the good type is about 150.000 – 200.000VND. Some suggestions are the hanging strawberry garden of Biofresh (Than Tho Lake), Chi Thuy Strawberry Garden (17 Vong Lam Vien, Ward 8), Anh Strawberry Garden (35 Ho Xuan Huong, Ward 9).

11, Visit Van Thanh Flower Village

Van Thanh Flower Village
Da Lat flower city attracts tourists thanks to not only the brilliant wildflower fields everywhere, flowers on the walls, along streets but also the ancient flower gardens with hundreds of kinds of flowers throughout the world.

Referring to the well-known flower villages in Da Lat, we can’t but mention Van Thanh Flower Village – the oldest flower village in Da Lat with more than 10 households caring and growing directly. Visit this place, you will be explored a large flower garden, taken pictures, even let you ask permission to pick some flowers as gifts. Floral fragrance is an interesting specialty in this flower village.

12, Cu Lan Village and the interesting stories

Cu Lan Village, Da Lat
When standing on high and looking down this village from Langbiang Mountain, you will feel as enjoying a painting in the fairy tale with small houses, brightly colored roofs. This village is surrounded by the green forests stretching even the handful of wildflowers, and smooth riverbanks.

That village is home of locals in K’Ho peoples with their very simple and romantic life in the middle of Da Lat Plateau. What you can do in this place includes exploring the outdoor activities, relaxing and immersing yourself in nature, flying a kite, riding a horse, hunting jungle fowl, fishing in stream, or taking a fun evening in the mountain echoes with flickering campfire, enjoying Gong dances, sipping a cup of rice wine (rượu cần), eating a few grilled forest dishes…

13, Trai Mat – a peaceful destination in Da Lat

Trai Mat
Trai Mat is about 8km from Da Lat City where has the old villa in French architecture and is surrounded by the dominance of a comfort zone. Along the way, you can freely see the pine forests in the wind which is increasingly rare in the Center area.

What’s more, this has a bustling market with full of buyers and sellers. They are the exchange of agricultural products, vegetables, beautiful flower, rustic items, and so on…

14, The Domaine de Marie Church – a unique feature on the hill of wild Himalayan cherry

The Domaine de Marie Church
It is not only a land of a thousand flowers but also known as the land of Domaine de Marie. Thus, the unique churches are definitely one of unmissable things especially the Domaine de Marie Church.

It was built in the early of 1940 with the classic style of the Western architecture and covered by dark pink which has exalted majesticalness and sanctuary of a religious building. The special thing is that this church is located on the hill full of wild Himalayan cherry.

15, Prenn Waterfall – a “curtain” in the middle of mountains and forests

Prenn Waterfall - Da Lat

Prenn Waterfall is 9m in height and 20m in width where is located next to the Prenn Stream (Da Prenn). The view from on high, this waterfall looks like a machine letting water out intense so it creates a white curtain in color. Many tourists are surprised due to its charming beauty.

The most exciting thing is the feeling of crossing the small bridge behind the waterfall to feel the drops of water splashing even they touch your skin. Or you can select a tour for visiting Prenn Waterfall on high with cable car: exploring the beautiful view when cable car running slowly, listening to the sounds of waterfall, and feeling the cool breeze in space.

16, Discover the ancient features of Chicken Church

Discover Chicken Church

When noticing carefully, you will see that it seems all of the tours of exploring Da Lat don’t miss Chicken Church. Perhaps, that’s because it is one of the typical and oldest buildings of this city where French left. Anyone visited to admire its fanciful beauty, they were surprised and left good comments.

The reason of the name “Chicken Church” is that on the top of the church, there is a big icon of chicken (symbol of repentance). The inside of the cathedral has 3 spaces. The big space is in the middle while other 2 small spaces are in 2 sides and they are designed in the classic, strict symmetry.

17, LangBiang Mountain – myths about an immortal love

LangBiang Mountain

Although don’t know how long LangBiang has been associated with the mountain of immortality, this place will definitely bring you the new experiences like an immortal love.

Conquering LangBiang in altitude of 2.167m by motorbike, jeeps; “hunting” unique pictures, hearing stories about mythical land – LangBiang from the elders are things as interesting as sitting on a horse with a cowboy hat and riding around. There are attractive activities in LangBiang which make tourists take them to pull back every year.