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The Da Lat city tour: what is in it and whether to book
Every operator builds the city tour from the same stops: Crazy House, the cable car to Truc Lam monastery, the old railway station with the Trai Mat train, the cathedral and the lake. It costs 675,000₫ to 1.2M a head, while the same places on your own come to 300,000–400,000₫ including the bike. The difference is what you are told along the way and who does the parking.
What is usually included
- Crazy House — the mushroom-forest building designed by a former president's daughter. Entry 60,000₫, open 08:30–19:00. The walkways are narrow and unrailed: not for toddlers or anyone unsteady on their feet.
- Truc Lam monastery and the cable car — 2.3 km over pine forest, twelve minutes to the gate. The monastery itself is free and has the best gardens in town; shoulders and knees must be covered. The cable car usually stops for lunch, roughly 11:30–13:30.
- The old station and the Trai Mat train — seven kilometres of narrow gauge each way, 150,000₫. The 1938 station is worth seeing even without the ride.
- The cathedral with the rooster weathervane and the loop around Xuan Huong lake: five kilometres, 45–60 minutes on foot. Both are free and central.
Who runs it and for how much
Prices from operator sites as of 23 August 2026, per person. Entry tickets are usually paid separately — ask before you book.
- Highland Holiday Tours — $45, about 1.18M₫: the cable car, Datanla and the old station.
- Dalat Tours — 675,000₫ for a private city tour and the same for the architecture one, with French villas instead of attractions.
- Highland Adventure Travel runs full and half-day versions but does not publish prices.
On your own: a one-day route
- Morning — the lake and the cathedral on foot, while it is cool and mist still sits in the hollows.
- Midday — Crazy House (60,000₫) and the cable car to the monastery, keeping the lunch break in mind.
- Afternoon — the Trai Mat train (150,000₫), which also covers the old station.
- That is 210,000₫ of tickets plus 100,000–160,000₫ for the bike. Everything lies within seven kilometres of the centre, and each stop has parking.
When the tour pays off A tour earns its money in three cases: you do not ride, you are here for two days and refuse to spend them on logistics, or you want the story — the French period, who built Crazy House and why, the pagodas. Otherwise the city route is simple, the stops are close together, and anyone comfortable on mountain roads loses nothing by riding it themselves. A private tour beats a group one: in a group you stay at each stop as long as the guide decided, and half the point of Da Lat is lingering in a cafe.
Entry fees, hours and distances come from our place cards, checked in August 2026. Tour prices are from operator sites as of 23 August 2026: their list, not our receipt.
Options and prices
Xuan Huong Lake must
City centre · 24h
The 5 km shoreline loop is the city's spine — 45 to 60 minutes on foot, and it is at its best in the mist between 05:30 and 08:00.
Worth knowing. Swan pedal boats and bicycle hire at 30–50k an hour along the north shore.
adult · child 20k · checked
A guesthouse shaped like a mushroom forest, designed by the daughter of a former president of Vietnam. You can climb through it, and you can stay the night. Russians often call it the Crazy House, Vietnamese say Hang Nga villa.
Worth knowing. Narrow, high, unrailed walkways. Fine for confident children, not for toddlers or anyone unsteady.
Da Lat Cathedral (Chicken Church)
Tran Phu, 1 km
A 1931 Romanesque church with a 47-metre tower, seventy stained-glass panels and a rooster weathervane that gave it its nickname.
Worth knowing. English-language Catholic Mass runs Sunday 19:00 at Sacred Heart church — the only regular English service in the city.
adult · children 1–1.4 m pay less · approx.
A large landscaped park on the slopes above Da Thien lake: pines, flowerbeds, LOVE letters clipped out of shrubs, a giant chess set and a gazebo on the water. People come here for a walk and photos, not for wilderness.
Worth knowing. The entrance ticket covers the entrance only. Boats on the lake and the glass bridge are charged separately; combo tickets exist for them.
entry · checked
Pink walls on a stone base, steep tiled roofs with dormers, a row of pointed windows and urns of chrysanthemums along the drive — the complex stands out in the city by colour alone and is visible from afar. Locals call it Nhà thờ Mai Anh. It is a working convent rather than a museum: people come for the service, while visitors photograph the facade from the forecourt. The grounds look out over the valley and the tiled roofs below.
Worth knowing. Entry is free, open daily 07:30–17:30 with a break from 11:30 to 13:30 when nobody is let in. Come at opening or after lunch: the facade turns pink at sunset, but that is when the photo crowd gathers at the gate. It is a working convent, so behave as you would in a church and do not wander into the residential wings.
1.37M₫
$52
a day of canyoning · approx.
The operator with the biggest pile of reviews in town: 2,246 on Tripadvisor at 5.0, of which 2,210 are «excellent» (checked 23 August 2026). They run canyoning at Datanla, SUP on Tuyen Lam lake, trekking and overnight camping. Cheaper than most: a canyoning day is $52, the extended version with more descents $73.
Worth knowing. Prices from the site as of 23 August 2026, in dollars as the operator lists them: canyoning 52, canyoning with the full set of descents 73, three waterfalls tour 21, half-day SUP 21, SUP with trekking 44, trekking with picnic, SUP and camping 75, canyoning with sunset SUP and a night out 70, two-day combo 110, a campsite pitch 4. The office is in Lam Vien; the phone opens under the «Get contact» button.
Careful. We have not been out with them: this card rests on public reviews and the operator's own price list, which is why the price is marked approximate. Canyoning carries real risk — ask about insurance, the state of the gear and how many guides per group before you pay, not at the water.
1.18–1.45M₫
$45–55
a day tour · approx.
An operator holding an international tour licence issued in 2011 — a rare case where the licence number is printed on the site. They run both sightseeing and active trips: the city with the cable car and the old station, the countryside with a silk factory and a coffee plantation, three waterfalls, cycling days and a motorbike tour. They answer in English, Korean and on Zalo.
Worth knowing. Prices from the site as of 23 August 2026, per person: city tour $45, countryside 50, three waterfalls 50, a cycling day around town 55, a 100 km motorbike tour 45, trekking to Tiger Falls 45, the ride to Mui Ne or Nha Trang 85. Canyoning has no price on the site — ask. Every tour is advertised with a discount for large groups.
Careful. We have not been out with them. The company has noticeably fewer Tripadvisor reviews than Highland Sport Travel or Phat Tire — that does not mean worse, but it is harder to verify, so ask about gear and insurance in more detail.
a drink · checked
The place is built around one idea: your tea is warmed on charcoal at your own table. A grate is cut into a solid wood slab, coals glow underneath, a glass pot sits on top — the drink finishes in front of you and stays hot through the whole conversation, which in Da Lat damp matters more than tasting notes. The garden sits under a roof: tree ferns as tall as a person, a stream with wooden footbridges, gravel underfoot, a fire pit in the middle of the room and folding chairs around it. The roof is translucent with strips of cloth stretched over it, so the light stays daylight and the rain stays outside. Some tables are set at the edge of the slope, with a view over the valley and the built-up hill opposite.
Worth knowing. Open 08:30 to midnight daily. A drink costs 55,000₫ — the same for a pot of tea and for coffee, so two people pay 110,000₫. Tea arrives in a glass pot with two glasses, which is enough for two. There is Wi-Fi and the password is printed on the receipt. Footbridges over the stream lead from the entrance to the bar and steps run between the areas; you can sit by the fire pit in the middle, at a table with its own grate, or at the edge where the valley is open.
Careful. The garden is roofed but open at the sides — in the evening it is as cold inside as out, so bring a layer. The floor is gravel and the areas are linked by bridges and steps: a pram will not get through and heels are a bad idea. There are live coals at the table, so small children need watching. No food, drinks only.
Da Lat, group and private departures
500–1215k₫
$19–46
a day tour · approx.
For when you want the city rather than adrenaline: sightseeing tours with an open price list that separates group departures from private ones. Group tours cost about half; private ones run to your plan — a walk through the French architecture, coffee and flower farms, Langbiang, Pongour falls, the Valley.
Worth knowing. Prices from the site as of 23 August 2026, in thousands of ₫. Group: countryside 500, gong show 300, three waterfalls from 580, canyoning 2,214. Private: city and architecture tours 675 each, coffee, farms and flowers 675, trekking to Heaven's Gate and Langbiang from 540, Pongour from 810, the Valley from 1,215, the high-rope park 729.
Careful. We have not taken these tours ourselves — the prices come from the site, hence the «approx.» mark. The gap between a group and a private tour is not only money: on a group tour the route is fixed and you stay at each stop as long as the guide decided.
a day of canyoning · approx.
The oldest adventure outfitter in Vietnam and the first to bring canyoning to Da Lat; 765 reviews on Tripadvisor (checked 23 August 2026). The range is wider than anyone's: besides canyoning there is mountain biking, overnight trekking and multi-day rides to the coast, to Nha Trang and Hoi An. Roughly half again as expensive as the competition, deliberately: own gear, English-speaking guides, insurance.
Worth knowing. Prices from the site as of 23 August 2026, per person: canyoning at Datanla $82, Razorback trekking 45, Jungle Boogie 50, mountain biking 45–52, hiking and kayaking on Tuyen Lam 57, the Da Lat–Nha Trang ride 86, Da Lat–Mui Ne 90. The office is on Nguyen Van Troi; the company also has a branch in Hoi An, so state that you mean Da Lat when you write.
Careful. We have not been out with them: the card is built from public reviews and the operator's price list. The price sits above the local average — compare not just the sum but what it includes: transfer, lunch, photos, insurance.
a day of canyoning · approx.
Canyoning at Datanla for 1,390,000₫ a head, with hotel pick-up in the centre and a ride back. Groups run 2–12 people with two to five guides — the ratio worth asking any operator about: it, not the price, decides how long you queue at each descent. Gear, lunch, water, entrance fees and photos are included.
Worth knowing. Price from the site as of 23 August 2026. Group discounts: 5% from four people, 7% from seven, 10% from eleven — worth counting in if you go as a group. Guides are internationally certified and speak English; promotions come and go, so ask for the current price.
Careful. We have not been out with them; the card comes from the operator's price list and reviews. Promo prices last weeks rather than months: confirm the sum before you go rather than from this card.
Xuan Huong, by the Da Lat railway station · 07:50, 09:55, 12:00, 14:05, 16:10
150k₫
$5.75
a return ticket · checked
The only working stretch of the old rack railway, leaving from the art-deco station of 1938. Seven kilometres to Trai Mat, and at the end the Linh Phuoc pagoda with a 49-metre dragon built from 12,000 bottles.
Worth knowing. You leave from Da Lat station — on maps and to taxi drivers it is "Ga Đà Lạt", the address is 1 Quang Trung. There is parking at the station, so you can come by motorbike and leave it for the ride. The last stop is "Ga Trại Mát", about seven kilometres and 30–45 minutes each way. From the station to the pagoda, "Chùa Linh Phước", it is three to five hundred metres on foot along a single road.
Da Lat, hotel pick-up
A small outfit grown out of Phat Tire: some of the guides came from there. On Tripadvisor it rates 4.7 across 213 reviews (checked 23 August 2026) — fewer than the big names, but consistent. They run mountain biking, rafting, the Langbiang summit, canyoning and multi-day rides to the coast.
Worth knowing. There are no prices on the site — they are quoted in correspondence, hence the «ask» mark on this card. For scale: a canyoning day in Da Lat runs 1.39–2.21M₫, a biking day from 1.2M. The office is central, the phone is a landline.
Careful. No prices and no first-hand experience: this card rests on public reviews. Before paying, ask about group size and what the price covers — with small operators that varies more than with the big ones.
an adult entrance ticket · checked
A Japanese quarter under the pines: red torii gates, a small street of shops, a koi pond with bridges, pavilions over the water, pines clipped into bonsai shapes and a valley view from the wooden decks. People come here to take pictures rather than to walk in nature: there is kimono hire and rooms set up for shooting.
Worth knowing. Prices from the board at the ticket desk:
- entry 70k ₫ adult, 40k child from 1 m to 1.2 m
- entry with a drink — 90k and 60k
- entry with a drink and a kimono — 190k and 130k
Children under a metre go free, and the place is open from 7:30 to 17:30. The kimono comes only with the dearest ticket and is not rented separately on the spot.
Careful. Online guides quote different prices and hours — 50–80k for entry and 8:00 to 17:00. We print what the board at the ticket desk said on 16 August 2026; if you see otherwise, it has changed again.
an adult, the full ticket with the show · checked
A night show staged inside the pine forest around Ho Than Tho — the Lake of Sighs, the old tourist area reopened as a light park. The trunks are lit from below, and between them stand a tunnel of flowers, arches and wings several metres high, with hydrangea beds along the paths. This is an evening in itself, not a photo stop — everyone we know who has been came back impressed, without exception.
Worth knowing. Come after dark: there is nothing to look at in daylight. The park is open from 8:00 to 22:00, the light gallery works from 18:00, and the performance runs from 20:00 to 20:45, Wednesday to Sunday only: on Monday and Tuesday you get the lighting but not the show.
There is one ticket with three levels, each including the one below:
- entry only — 200k ₫
- entry with the night walk — 360k
- everything including the Legend of Au Lac show — 640k
Prices from the park's own site, August 2026, with a 5% discount for booking online. We took the full ticket: two adults and one child came to 1.73M ₫.
Xuan Huong, nine kilometres north of the centre · 07:00–20:00
155k₫
$5.90
an adult entrance ticket · checked
A park nine kilometres north of town, at the foot of Lang Biang. You go in under an arch shaped like a giant tree, and behind it are gardens with a koi pond you can feed, waterfalls, a square for the gong performance, a K'Ho craft village with folk costumes for hire, a go-kart track and a small animal enclosure — raccoons, rabbits, goats. The map at the entrance lists more than twenty points, so walking the whole of it takes half a day.
Worth knowing. Prices from the board at the ticket desk:
- entry 155k ₫ adult, 95k child from 90 cm to 1.3 m; above 1.3 m counts as an adult
- karting separately: 120k single-seater, 180k two-seater
- entry and karting combined — 265k adult, 205k child
- combined with the gong performance, 17:55–20:00 — 200k and 140k
The gate works from 7:00 to 20:00. Tickets are not refunded, and the date is moved if you warn a day ahead. The full price board is in the photos below.
Careful. The animals live in mesh pens on plastic grating — if that matters to you, this part of the park is easy to walk past.
an adult, four hours · checked
An onsen on the edge of a slope: the hot baths stand at panoramic windows with pines and city roofs behind them. There are wooden two-person tubs with a line of stepping stones between them and a larger pool under a round lamp, steam rising off the water. Besides the water there are three saunas in sequence — Himalayan salt, herbal and hot stone. The rest room has a salt wall, sand underfoot and straw cushions, and there is a cafe with tea upstairs.
Worth knowing. A ticket covers four hours; prices at the desk:
- adult, pools and steam rooms — 420k ₫ for visitors, 350k on a local ID
- steam rooms only — 300k
- happy hours, before 10:00 and after 18:00 — 310k
- child, 0.8–1.2 m tall — 250k, 200k in happy hours, 150k for steam rooms only
Food, water and a boiled egg are included, and a 5% service charge is added on top. There is a children's corner with toys on the terrace.
A brick church with two spires in Cam Ly: pointed arches, a rose window over the door, full-height stained glass in the sanctuary and saints painted across the vault. An arcade with patterned floor tiles runs along the building.
On the terrace in front stands a canopy chapel with a statue of the Virgin, a clipped garden and small trees in bronze planters around it.
Worth knowing. The church stands at 51 Yet Kieu, a kilometre and a half from the market.
The doors are sometimes locked. Ask the caretaker then: he opens the church and lets people in.
Careful. We have no opening hours and no mass schedule. This is a working parish: if a service is on, looking around has to wait.
Read next
Langbiang: climbing the mountain the town looks at → Three Da Lat waterfalls: on your own or with a tour → Cloud hunting →Reader notes
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