Classic first day
On foot, city centre
Time: 6–7 hoursCost: 210–260k₫ · $8–10Walking + one short Grab
What makes the range.
The big one is Market → Night Market → Maze Bar, ~100k₫. Free: Xuan Huong Lake + Lam Vien Square, Da Lat Cathedral (Chicken Church), Domaine de Marie + coffee. Getting around: Walking + one short Grab.
Hard rule. If you have a full day, swap the railway station for the 14:05 Trai Mat train — it adds 150k and two and a half hours, and it is the better memory.
Stops by the hour
Xuan Huong Lake + Lam Vien Square
Free
07:30 · 1h
North shore walk while the mist is still on the water, then the giant glass artichoke on the square.
Da Lat Cathedral (Chicken Church)
Free
08:45 · 30m
1931 Romanesque, 47 m tower, seventy stained-glass panels.
Crazy House
60k₫
09:30 · 1.5h
Climb the whole thing. Narrow unrailed walkways — hold small children.
Domaine de Marie + coffee
Free
11:15 · 1h
Pink-walled 1930s French convent, 12 hectares, far quieter than the cathedral.
Da Lat Railway Station
50k₫
14:00 · 1h
1938 art-deco station with three peaked roofs echoing Langbiang, and a steam locomotive on the platform.
Market → Night Market → Maze Bar
~100k₫
17:30 · 3.5h
Eat your way down the stairs, then climb the concrete labyrinth for a drink on the roof.
When to go. Any day. Start at 07:30 for the lake mist.