If you haven’t been to Da Lat, you should. This was my first time in Da Lat as well and I was only staying for 3 days 2 nights. I didn’t do any research before coming here. What I wanted was just to relax and have a good time (plus taking a lot of photos). No plan whatsoever on this visit. I came with my friend and stayed at the hotel outside the city.
We asked the owner of the hotel on what to do in Da Lat, but we also did some googling when we were free. So this list is just a few of many things you can do in Da Lat that we managed to do in our short visit 😅 Plus, it was raining every day so it limited our activities as well.
1. Crazy House (Hằng Nga Guesthouse)
A unique house. A lot of areas to explore and to take photos with. A must do in da lat. Entry fee 50k vnd. It has rooms for rent as well because it is actually a guest house. Their room is unique. The whole area’s design resembles a giant tree, incorporating sculptured design elements representing natural forms such as animals, mushrooms, spider webs and caves. The architect admitted that he was inspired by Antoni Gaudi in building design.
2. Da Lat Market (Cho Da Lat)
A big market in the city. Will be nice to visit if not raining and wet, but even tho we had a nice walk inside the market. Good to buy souvenir or snack, Da Lat speciality. A very busy place even though it was raining. Maybe because it was Saturday. Better visit on the weekday. They have a huge variant of winter clothes, shoes, ao dai fabric, snacks, and many more. The street outside the market building also interesting. There are a lot of fruit sellers. I bought strawberry 1 kg, just couldn’t resist it. It was very cheap and sweet kind. There are a lot of mulberry and artichoke sellers, which are the speciality in Da Lat as well.
3. Da Lat Cathedral
A small Catholic church in the middle of the city. We couldn’t go inside the building, it was not allowed to enter the church. So we just strolled around outside and took some pictures. There is an area with Lady Mary Statue where I can pray or sit there if only it was not raining.
4. Datanla Waterfall
Visiting a waterfall is a must-do in Da Lat. There are a lot of waterfalls and we had no idea which one is the best because every one of them has uniqueness. We chose Datanla Waterfall because it was quite nearby from our hotel (although the taxi driver tricked us! She took us the long way). It was very busy in the morning. There were so many buses! Inside the area, they have a lot of activities including a single-person roller coaster, high rope, cable car, and several waterfalls to look at.
Recommended route based on my experience: After entering the gate, go on the walking route (to the left area) until you reach the first waterfall. Enjoy the scenery, take a lot of photos. Next, buy a return ticket for the cable car (or walk down along the path if you feel like hiking). Take the elevator to the lower level and you will reach another waterfall. Again, enjoy the scenery, take a lot of photos. Next, buy a return ticket of alpine ride. Enjoy the ride, it is so much fun! If it’s not too crowded you can ride it alone. Or you can ride it together with a friend (2 persons per car) on one-way and get back in a separate car. There is a camera installed on top of the track on the way back where they will take ur photo while on the ride! Make sure to give a good pose if you plan to buy the photo after the ride. It was only 60k vnd per photo. A good purchase to remember the moment.
Once finished, go back up again with the cable car to the first waterfall, then to go back to the entrance either by walking or riding another alpine ride. This one is a very short route though.
The restaurant on location is not recommended. We were disappointed by their food. Bring snacks to hold the hunger if you don’t want to eat at this place.
5. Cable Car
There are 2 points for the cable car in Da Lat, you can start from either side. We took the entrance near Truc Lam Pagoda because it’s close from Datanla Waterfall. I must say this is a must-do activity in Da Lat. From cable car, we can see a vast forest on one side and the whole city at the other side. It can be scary when it rain and windy because the cable car swings a bit and the sound of wind can be scary as well. When this happens, just turn on the music on your phone and listen to it while enjoying the view. 1 cable car fit 4 adults, with a maximum weight 300kg in total.
6. Da Lat Flower Garden
A must do in Da Lat if you like flowers or take a selfie. Big area full of many different flowers and trees. Very good to relax and enjoy the weather along with the colourful flowers. Can easily spend 1 hr there.
BONUS PLACES !
Bicycle Up Cafe
Address : 82 Trương Công Định, Phường 1, Thành phố Đà Lạt
This place is hidden in an alley (but not too far from the main street), and has a small space. The interior is very interesting and not too crowded so you can enjoy your drink and relax. I tried their coffee and they are good! Most importantly, it didn’t make my stomach hurt. I like their homemade yoghurt as well. They have many drinks menu but no food menu. Recommended place to take a rest after a long walk.
L’angfarm Specialty Shop
The famous souvenir shop in Da Lat. They are everywhere. Just look for a nearby shop and you will find one. Some of them have a coffee shop as well so you can have a drink and relax. What to buy from this shop? Many things! But mostly food or drink. Their strawberry and mulberry extract are famous. My friend bought it to be mixed with soda water. Or you can use for baking as well. I bought dried fruits. I tried their sweet potato as well but it was too sweet for my taste. Don’t forget to get artichoke tea if you like drinking tea, especially flowery tea. Artichoke tea is one of the specialities from Da Lat. I like the mixed chips as well, especially the one with dried bitter melon. They have a bag of only bitter melon, but I didn’t dare to buy lol.
Chu BBQ Restaurant
Address : 38 Phạm Ngũ Lão, Phường 1, Thành phố Đà Lạt.
We were looking for something different after several days in Da Lat, and we found this place. The numbering system there is quite messy so you just need to walk until you find it. We were so hungry and wanted to try so many dishes, and ended up doing so! We ordered barbeque menu because the special thing about this restaurant is they are using a hot stone to grill the meat. Put all the meat on the hot stone and cook there. Beware of the smoke though! I had to get up to avoid the smoke. So many smokes! Pork Ribs BBQ is my favorite. Fried noodle with veggie is a bit spicy but taste good. Fried tofu.. could’ve used some seasoning on it. Too bland. Another thing that we loved from this restaurant is their chili. It was not too spicy and the taste was so refreshing with sour and salty touch.
Last but not least, I wanna share some tips if you plan to go to Da Lat :
- bring warm clothes, or bring more layer, especially if you come from tropical country.
- rain is normal in da lat, so prepare an umbrella whenever you go out.
- staying outside the city is nice too, but you need to find a hotel with good food because there is no nearby restaurant there.
- beware of a sneaky taxi driver. If you have mobile data on your phone, better check the route they are taking as well.
That was all that I can share from my trip to Da Lat. Have you been there? If so, which attraction or activity is your favorite? Let me know in the comment 😉
Thank you for reading!
Ciao.
tastymonial 