Dalat see · Dalat attractions
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Dalat attractions
Dalat attractions
Packaged day tours are easily purchased round town, which will take you to a variety of sites, it is recommended to use one of the three licensed operator, as they are registered with the tourism department, offer insurance coverage and in the event of any disputes, or grievances have to respond to the claims against them. Fair pricing policies apply to them, which might not be the case with some of more shady characters in the business, hence ask for the government registered license and receipt with a red invoice when contracting any services. (An indignity not uncommon in the developing world -- visitors from outside Vietnam are often required to pay double what Vietnamese pay for admission to many places when visiting individually, hence going through licensed operators will avoid some of those challenges.
The tourist agency, "Trung Tam Dich Vu Lu Hanh Da Lat," located on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, is not recommended due to their unethnical practice of duping tourists by reserving tickets for Sinh Cafe Open Tour bus for $12 (240,000 dong), then contacting the tourist's hotel to change the ticket for a later Phuong Trang bus, for 120,000 dong. The tickets will have extra zeros whited-out to make it look like $12.
Tours typically include a handful of stops like the following:
The three palaces and summer home of the colonial-era, last emperor of Vietnam Bao Dai, which is of great interest once you visit these three heritage sites, named as Palace I., II and III, the Dalat Palace Hotel being one of them, with its adjacent Dalat Du Park Hotel, all from the 1922's, together with the Dalat Palace Golf Club, which was built in 1922, to give his majesty the opportunity to practice his golf skills picked up during his years of study in France. The golf course is a awesome site, whether you enjoy the swinging and putting or not, as the coffee shop at the golf course has some wholesome meals of Asian and European making, with great view of the deep green fairways and classy environment. The Palace I is located on the same street when you walk to the Crazy House. It is about 15-30 minutes walk depending on your pace (1.1 km. from Tran Phu, 47 metres elevation gain). Palace II is located on Tran Hung Dao, not far from the Xuan Huong Lake (next to Yersin Park).
A striking, not-quite-finished fantasy house designed by the daughter of an independence war hero. Known as the Crazy House. Worth a visit if you are interested in architecture, or like Dr. Seuss-style surroundings. It is located on Huỳnh Thúc Kháng, Phường 4, Da Lat; which is about 0.3 km off Duy Tan Street. Admission 30,000 dong.
A set of flower gardens centered around a re-constructed traditional Vietnamese teakwood house. The Flower Garden is located on the northwestern end of the Xuan Huong Lake, so if you go for a stroll around the lake, it can be visited as a stop. Admission 10,000 dong.
A hill-top pagoda coupled with a brief cable car ride over the pine forest.
A ride in a Land Rover up to the top of Langbiang mountain, with spectacular views of Dalat and the surrounding mountains and valleys.
Other sites of interest:
Ho Xuan Huong (Hồ Xuân Hương) aka Xuan Huong lake, center of town. Open daily, all hours. No admission fee but rental fees vary if you want to boat. Approximately 5km in diameter, this lake was made after two dams on the Camly river were destroyed during a storm in the 1930s. Now, Xuan Huong lake is one of the main draws of Da Lat, and you can see honeymooners and locals strolling its banks. Many nice hotels have a view of the lake. The lake was drained in 2010, but is now filled again.
Da Lat market filled with local specialities: strawberry jam, fruits conserves, avocado, artichoke.
Nha Tho Domaine de Marie:(on Ngo Quyen, 1 km from where Hai Thuong and Ba Trang Hai (3 Trang Hai) meets.) A pink church on top of a hill, with a store selling various dried fruits and snacks from the local orchards run by the nuns of the monastery.
Da Lat train station: take the steam train through the 7km historical line to Trai Mat, from there you can visit the Linh Phuong pagoda. Price for train ride is 106,000d return.
Ho Suoi Vang (Golden Spring lake). Rather unspoiled scenery.
Thien Vien Truc Lam Monastery, at the top of where the cable car drops you off (single 50,000 dong, return 70,000) The monastery (admission free, donations accepted) has a magnificent view over the dams below and its gardens are full of landscaped shrubs in animal form. Extremely peaceful - a great place to relax and soak in the tranquility. People who do not want to complete the round trip could opt for a 4.1 km. walk back to Tran Phu. Be sure to bring a map.
Lang Biang mountain. The 1,900m peak is reachable by a steep paved path, ideal for a 3 hours hike, or you can ride in a jeep for 40,000d. Also visit the minorities village under the mountain foot.
Thung Lung Tinh Yeu (Thung Lũng Tình Yêu) aka Valley of Love, Phu Duong Thien Vong street. Open daily until 5PM. Admission fee under US$1. About 5km outside of town, the Valley of Love is common stop on Dalat tours and is very popular with honeymooners. The Valley of Love is also a great spot for canyoning. See contact info below for canyoning operators.
Lake of Sorrow or Lake of Sighs, 5km northeast of town on Ho Xuan Huong road. Admission fee under US$1. The Lake of Sorrow is another common destination in Dalat. The Lake of Sorrow is so-named because of a tale of two lovers, one who committed suicide after the other was called up to serve in the army.
Tuyen Lam Lake (Hồ Tuyền Lâm), 5km south of town on highway 20. Its clean green waters flow from the beautiful Tia Spring and from the Da Tam River, which flows down from Voi mountain. Its waters stretch over an immense 350 hectares and because of its various sources, Tuyen Lam is known as the lake where rivers, springs and forests meet. The lake was built in the 80s. It is one of the largest and most beautiful lakes in town. The other side of the lake is the Voi mountain which is a good place for hiking.
Prenn Falls, At the foot of Prenn Pass, about 10km outside of town. Open daily until 5PM. Admission fee under US$1. A very common stop on a typical Dalat tour, Prenn Falls is quite beautiful but is a lot more fun when you're hiking it than just taking pictures of it.
Pongour Falls, 30km south of town on highway 20, it's one of the largest and widest waterfalls in Vietnam and during the wet season is a magnificent sight. Although a dam built nearby has reduced the water flow recently.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Dalat
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Dalat Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
