Dalat: Vietnam’s cool mountain town
Dalat sits at around 1,500 metres in the central highlands, which gives it a mild, spring-like climate all year, a big reason Vietnamese honeymooners and travelers escaping the lowland heat love it. The French built it as a hill station, and it still has the villas, churches and a faded European feel, ringed by pine forest, lakes, waterfalls and farms growing strawberries, flowers, coffee and tea.
It’s also Vietnam’s adventure capital, with canyoning, mountain biking and trekking on the doorstep. Most of the best things to do in Dalat are spread across the hills around the city rather than in the centre, so you’ll want a scooter, an easy rider guide or a car to reach them. Plan on about three days to mix the adventure with the sights and the cafes.
Best things to do in Dalat
Dalat splits neatly into two kinds of trip: the adventure side — canyoning, biking, trekking — and the slow side — cafes, lakes, gardens and waterfalls. The list below covers both, with honest notes on what’s worth the drive and what’s a quick look. Most sit outside the centre, so it helps to group them by area as you plan.
1. Go canyoning
Canyoning is the single best thing to do in Dalat and the activity the town is famous for. On a canyoning trip you abseil down waterfalls, jump from cliffs into pools, slide down natural rock chutes and zipline over the river, all in the forest just outside the city. It’s a half-day with lunch, and suits anyone reasonably fit — no experience needed, though the bigger jumps are optional. One thing matters above all: pick a licensed operator with proper guides and gear. This is real adventure, there have been accidents with cheap outfits, and safety is worth paying for.
2. Chase the waterfalls
The hills around Dalat are full of waterfalls, and chasing a few is one of the classic things to do in Dalat. Some sit minutes from town, others are an hour or more into the countryside, so they pair well with a scooter day or an easy rider tour. They’re at their fullest in and just after the rainy season (roughly June to November); in the dry months the flow drops
Pongour waterfall
Pongour is the biggest and arguably the finest — a wide, terraced fall dropping over several tiers, about an hour and a half south of Dalat. The drive is long, but it’s the one to pick if you only do one.
Elephant waterfall
Elephant Waterfall (Thac Voi) is one of the most powerful falls in the region, about 30 minutes southwest near Nam Ban. Its main entrance has been closed for a while, but you can still see it — from the neighbouring Linh An Pagoda and from a viewpoint cafe beside it — so it’s still well worth the trip out, especially combined with the pagoda.
Bao Dai waterfall
Bao Dai is a tall, powerful fall further out toward Bao Loc, far less visited and surrounded by forest. Worth it if you’re heading that way or want somewhere quiet.
Tiger waterfall
Tiger waterfall (Thac Hang Cop) is a quieter, forested fall east of the city, reached on a path through the pines. Less polished and less crowded — good for a calm walk.
Prenn waterfall
Prenn sits in pine forest about 10 km south of the city, just off the Prenn Pass. It’s a modest fall rather than a dramatic one, and since being absorbed into a resort it’s become more of a landscaped tourist site than wild nature, with entry sold as a combo ticket that feels a little steep for what’s there. The walk behind the cascade is a nice touch. Worth a quick stop if you’re already heading south, rather than a special trip.
There are more falls scattered around the region too. For the full set and how to fit them to your route, see our guide to the waterfalls of Dalat.
3. Take an easy rider tour
An easy rider tour is one of the most popular things to do in Dalat, and the town is where the whole concept began. These are experienced local guides who drive you on the back of their motorbike to waterfalls, farms, lakes and viewpoints, handling the navigation while you sit back and take it in. You can do a half- or full-day loop around Dalat, or a multi-day trip onward through the central highlands or down to the coast — one of the best overland journeys in Vietnam. A great option if you’d rather not ride yourself.
4. Go trekking
With pine forest, mountains and national parks on the doorstep, trekking is another rewarding way to get out into the landscape. Routes run from gentle forest walks to harder climbs, passing waterfalls, minority villages, farmland and viewpoints. The two best-known are the climb up Langbiang Mountain (covered below) and the deeper trails through Bidoup Nui Ba National Park. Go with a guide for the longer routes, since trails aren’t always marked and a local adds a lot.
5. Café-hop the themed coffee shops
Dalat is Vietnam’s coffee-shop capital, and cafĂ©-hopping is one of the most relaxed things to do in Dalat. It’s about the setting as much as the drink: cafes perched on hillsides with valley views, others built around lit greenhouses, lakes or pine forest, and a whole genre of heavily themed spots, from fairy-tale to jungle to Harry Potter. Order a Vietnamese coffee, find a view and slow down — it’s exactly what the town is for. The best are spread around the edges of the city, so it pairs well with a scooter day.
6. Ride the cable car to Truc Lam Pagoda
The Dalat cable car runs from a hill on the edge of town across the pine forest to Truc Lam Pagoda, a working Zen monastery above Tuyen Lam Lake. The ride is the real draw — a few minutes gliding over the treetops with long views — and the pagoda at the far end is calm, well-kept and free to visit, with gardens looking down over the lake. An easy, gentle outing that leads naturally to the lake below.
7. Spend time at Tuyen Lam Lake
Right below the pagoda sits Tuyen Lam Lake, the largest and prettiest lake in the area, ringed by pine forest and a world away from the busy centre. You can walk or cycle stretches of the shore, take a kayak or small boat out, or use it as a base for trekking and camping in the surrounding hills. It’s one of the more peaceful spots near the city and a good half-day on its own.
A few places dot the shoreline and the hills around it:
- Clay Tunnel — a long sculpture park of buildings and scenes carved entirely from red clay, telling the story of Dalat; quirky and worth an hour.
- Lavender and flower gardens — several photogenic garden cafes sit near the lake, busiest when the lavender is in bloom.
- Lakeside villas and resorts — the quieter, upmarket places to stay are out here, if you’d take forest and water over town.
- Pinhatt viewpoint — a high lookout over the lake and forest; note the official viewpoint has been closed, though people still come for the views.
8. Visit the Datanla attraction park
Datanla is technically a waterfall, but people come for the small adventure park built around it rather than the falls. The headline is the alpine coaster — a gravity-powered toboggan you steer yourself down through the forest — alongside a cable car, walkways and the launch point for many canyoning trips. It’s the closest of these spots to the city and one of the most popular things to do in Dalat for families. Touristy and busy, but the coaster is genuinely good fun.
9. Explore Bidoup Nui Ba National Park
Bidoup Nui Ba National Park is a large, high-altitude park of old pine and cloud forest east of Dalat, home to rare birds, orchids and some of the region’s best longer treks. It’s set up for guided hikes — day walks and overnight trips — rather than casual drop-ins, so arrange a guide or tour ahead; it’s about an hour out toward Lac Duong, and a real highlight for nature lovers.
On the way back, consider ZooDoo Dalat, a small, ethically run park where you walk among and feed friendly animals like kangaroos and alpacas — a refreshing change from a typical caged zoo and good fun with kids.
10. Take the heritage train from Dalat station
The Dalat railway station is one of the prettiest buildings in town, a colourful Art Deco station from the French era with a vintage locomotive out front.
A short heritage train still runs from here to Trai Mat village, about 7 km away — a slow, scenic 30-minute ride through the suburbs and farmland that’s more about the experience than the destination. Tip: rather than just riding back, get out at Trai Mat and walk to the remarkable Linh Phuoc Pagoda nearby, which is next on this list.
11. See Linh Phuoc Pagoda
Linh Phuoc Pagoda in Trai Mat is one of the most striking temples in Vietnam — almost every surface is covered in mosaics made from broken glass, pottery and bottles, including a huge dragon built from tens of thousands of beer bottles. There’s a tall bell tower you can climb and a slightly surreal underground section. It’s free and genuinely worth the short trip out, especially combined with the train ride.
A short distance away, the Dalat Cao Dai Temple is also worth a quick look — a colourful example of Vietnam’s homegrown Cao Dai religion, with its all-seeing-eye symbol and bright facade.
12. Ride the Mario Kart luge
Despite the name, Mario Kart Dalat has no engines — it’s a gravity-powered downhill luge ride at Cao Nguyen Hoa park, on the Ta Nung route out of town. You sit on a small cart and control your own speed down a winding track through the hillside, and the standard ticket includes two runs, taking about an hour. It took off on social media and draws backpackers and families alike — a fun, quick thing to do in Dalat on the way out toward the waterfalls.
13. Try a rainbow slide
A rainbow slide is a long, multi-coloured alpine slide you ride down on a small sled, and they’ve become a real Dalat trend — you’ll now find versions at several parks around the city, including Mongo Land and Datanla. It’s a lightweight bit of fun rather than a destination in itself, best folded into a day that’s already passing one of the spots that has one. Good for families and anyone who likes a bit of speed.
14. Visit Linh An Pagoda
Linh An Pagoda is a large temple complex about 28 km from Dalat, near Nam Ban, best known for its enormous standing Quan Yin statue, one of the tallest in Vietnam, visible from across the valley. The grounds are peaceful and free to visit, and the drive out through the hills is half the appeal. It sits right beside Elephant Waterfall, and with the waterfall’s main entrance closed, the pagoda is now one of the best places to actually see the falls, from a viewpoint on its grounds.
15. Browse the Dalat night market
The Dalat night market is the best thing to do in Dalat after dark. Centred on the stairs by Lam Vien Square, it comes alive in the evenings — busiest at weekends — with food stalls, grilled snacks, hot soy milk, cheap clothes and crowds of locals and visitors, lively in a town that’s otherwise quiet at night. By day, the covered central market below is the place for the region’s famous produce: strawberries, avocados, artichoke, dried fruit and candied treats to take home.
16. Climb Langbiang Mountain
Langbiang Mountain is the high peak overlooking Dalat and one of the best things to do in Dalat for a view. You can hike to the summit through pine forest — a couple of hours up, and a proper leg workout — or take a jeep partway to the lower viewpoint if you’d rather not climb. From the top, the whole plateau, farms and lakes spread out below. Go on a clear morning before the cloud rolls in; afternoons often haze over.
17. Drive through the coffee and tea plantations
The highlands around Dalat are blanketed in coffee and tea, and getting out among the plantations is one of the more scenic things to do in Dalat. The standout is Cau Dat tea hill, rows of manicured tea bushes rolling over the hills southeast of the city, popular for photos and early-morning cloud hunting — catching the sea of mist that settles in the valleys at dawn. You can also visit a weasel coffee farm to see and taste the region’s coffee, including the famous and pricey civet coffee.
18. Tour the Crazy House
The Crazy House (officially the Hang Nga Guesthouse) is a wildly surreal building that looks like something from a storybook — twisting staircases, cave-like rooms and organic shapes that wind up, over and through the structure with barely a straight line in sight. Designed by a Vietnamese architect, it’s part guesthouse, part art project, part climbing frame for adults. Entry is cheap and an hour is plenty. It’s touristy and gets crowded, but there’s nothing else like it.
19. Step inside Bao Dai’s Summer Palace
The Bao Dai Summer Palace was the holiday residence of Vietnam’s last emperor, a 1930s Art Deco villa kept much as it was, with original furniture, family photos and his old study. It’s a quiet, slightly dated walk through a piece of history rather than a grand palace, and entry is cheap. Worth an hour if you like that era, easy to skip if old villas don’t grab you. There are a couple of other Bao Dai palaces in town, but this one, Palace III, is the one to see.
20. Cycle or mountain bike the hills
Beyond the easy riders, Dalat is one of the best places in Vietnam for cycling and mountain biking, and getting on a bike is a great active thing to do in Dalat. The hills offer everything from gentle country-road rides past farms and lakes to steep, technical single-track descents for experienced riders. Guided tours cover both ends with bikes provided, and some longer routes drop you all the way down toward the coast. A fine way to see the countryside under your own steam.
21. Find the French colonial buildings
Dalat’s French hill-station past shows in its architecture, and tracking down the old buildings is a pleasant way to spend a slow morning. Start with the Dalat Cathedral, the pink-and-cream “Chicken Church,” named for the rooster on its spire, in the centre.
Nearby, the Domaine de Marie is a lovely pink stone church set in gardens. The old Dalat Pedagogy College, with its curved, arc-shaped main building and bell tower, is one of the finest pieces of colonial architecture in the country.
22. Stroll around Xuan Huong Lake
Xuan Huong Lake is the crescent-shaped lake in the middle of Dalat, and a loop around it on foot, by pedal-boat or in a horse cart is one of the easiest things to do in Dalat right in the centre.
On its northeastern shore, Lam Vien Square is the city’s main plaza, marked by two large modern structures shaped like an artichoke flower and a sunflower, and busiest in the evenings.
A little further round, the Dalat City Flower Garden is a big, well-kept garden showing off the flowers the city is known for, at its best in the cooler months and during the flower festival.
23. Spend an evening at Delight Park
Delight Park is a newer night-time light-art park on the edge of the city, built around a forest zone and a lake, with illuminated walking trails and a fountain show after dark. It’s firmly an evening attraction — little reason to come by day — and it’s polished, family-friendly and aimed at a relaxed wander rather than thrills. A gentle, visual way to round off a day, especially with kids.
Best time to visit Dalat
Dalat is mild all year thanks to its altitude, so there’s no bad time, but the weather splits into two seasons. The dry season, roughly December to March, is the most reliable — cool, sunny days, cold nights, and the hills covered in flowers; this is peak season and the best time for the views, the plantations and outdoor activities. It’s also when the cherry blossoms appear, usually around January and February.
The rainy season runs roughly April to November, with the heaviest rain from June to September. It’s greener and quieter, and the waterfalls are at their most powerful, but afternoons often cloud over with heavy downpours that can cut canyoning and trekking short. Mornings are usually clearer, so start early. For a month-by-month look, see our guide to the best time to visit Dalat.
Where to stay in Dalat
Dalat has somewhere for every budget, from backpacker hostels to forest resorts, and where you base yourself shapes the kind of trip you have.
In the centre
Staying near Xuan Huong Lake and the night market puts you within walking distance of the cafes, restaurants and markets, with easy transport to everything else. It’s the most convenient base for a first visit and for anyone without their own wheels, though it’s also the busiest and noisiest part of town.
Outside the city
The hills and lakes around Dalat, especially toward Tuyen Lam Lake, hold quieter resorts and homestays with forest and water views, often at lower prices. You trade convenience for calm and scenery, so they suit travelers with a scooter or car who want to slow down. For options across both, see our guide to where to stay in Dalat, or the more unusual stays around the city.
Bao Loc as an alternative or add-on
Bao Loc is a town about two hours southwest of Dalat, on the road down toward the coast, with its own waterfalls, tea hills and temples. It’s far quieter and less touristy than Dalat, but it’s a separate place with its own sights, not a base for seeing Dalat itself, and too far to travel between the two each day. It works best as a low-key alternative if you want to explore that area specifically, or as a stop to break the journey to or from the coast.
How to get to Dalat
Dalat sits up in the highlands, a few hours inland from the coast, and is easy to reach by air or road.
By plane
Lien Khuong Airport is about 30 km south of the city, with regular domestic flights from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang and a few other cities. It’s the quickest way in, and from the airport it’s roughly 45 minutes into town by taxi, Grab or shuttle bus — more in our guide on getting from the airport to the city centre.
By bus
Comfortable sleeper buses and limousine vans connect Dalat with Ho Chi Minh City (around 6–7 hours), Nha Trang and Mui Ne (the spectacular route over the mountains), and other hubs. They’re cheap, frequent and often include hotel pickup, making the bus the most popular way to arrive.
How to get around Dalat
Motorbike or scooter
A scooter is the best way to reach the waterfalls, lakes and farms spread around the hills, with rentals from around 150,000 VND a day. The mountain roads are scenic but can be steep, foggy and busy, so only ride if you’re confident.
Easy rider or car with driver
If you’d rather not ride, an easy rider takes you around on the back of their bike, while a car with driver is the comfortable choice for families or longer days out. Both remove the stress of navigating and let you enjoy the scenery.
Taxi and Grab
For getting around the centre, taxis and Grab both work, though Grab drivers can be thinner on the ground than in the big cities. Fine for short hops, but not the way to reach the further sights.
Itinerary: 2 days in Dalat
Two days covers the best things to do in Dalat at a relaxed pace, mixing a little adventure with the lakes, cafes and sights.
Day 1 — the centre and the lake
- Start with a coffee at a view cafe, then stroll around Xuan Huong Lake and Lam Vien Square.
- Visit the Crazy House and Bao Dai’s Summer Palace.
- Take the cable car to Truc Lam Pagoda and on to Tuyen Lam Lake for a walk or a kayak.
- Finish at the Dalat night market for dinner and street food.
Day 2 — adventure and the hills
- Spend the morning canyoning, or trek up Langbiang Mountain if you’d rather hike.
- In the afternoon, ride out to Linh Phuoc Pagoda (via the heritage train) or chase a waterfall or two.
- End with a sunset and a drink at a hillside cafe or the Cau Dat tea hills.
Tips for traveling to Dalat
Pack for the cool
Dalat is much cooler than the rest of Vietnam, especially at night and on early-morning treks, so bring a jacket or warm layer year-round — it catches a lot of people out.
Plan around the weather and crowds
In the rainy season, do your outdoor activities in the morning before the afternoon downpours. Dalat is also hugely popular with domestic tourists, so weekends and Vietnamese holidays get very busy; visit midweek if you can.
Choose canyoning operators carefully
Only book canyoning with a licensed, reputable company. It’s worth repeating: there have been serious accidents with cheap, unlicensed outfits, so check reviews and don’t choose on price alone.
Traveling with kids
Dalat is one of the easier highland spots with children — gentler activities like the cable car, the luge, rainbow slides, ZooDoo and the lakes all work well, alongside plenty of space to roam.
Where to go next
From Dalat you can drop to the coast at Nha Trang or Mui Ne, head back to Ho Chi Minh City, or carry on through the central highlands toward Buon Ma Thuot and beyond. The mountain routes down to the coast are some of the best rides in the country.
What to expect from Dalat: an honest verdict
Dalat is a case where the town and the area around it deserve separate verdicts. The town itself underwhelms: it’s billed as a forested mountain retreat, but inside the city the forest is hard to find under all the building, and as one of the most popular escapes for domestic tourists from Saigon, it gets very crowded. The surroundings, though, are the real draw — genuinely beautiful countryside, cool mountain air, and a long list of fun and slightly more adventurous things to do, from waterfalls and canyoning to coffee farms and pine forests. So: the town, not much; the area around it and what there is to do, very much worth it.
