Dalat is a city in Lam Dong Province, located on the Lam Vien plateau. Da Lat enjoys a temperate mountainous environment all year, being situated on a plateau 1,500 meters above sea level and surrounded by mountains and forest flora, including a spectacular pine forest. Even in the summer, the city maintains a consistently pleasant temperature.
Best time to visit
Between December and March is the perfect time to visit Dalat because its beautiful flower gardens are in full bloom. The weather is great for recreational activities like hiking, swimming, and strolling at this time of year. During this time, Dalat also holds its yearly flower festival, where you may enjoy colorful parades, exhibitions, and workshops, as well as the vivid flowers surrounding Xuan Huong Lake.
How to get there
Those arriving by air for their vacation in this French-built hill town will land at Da Lat Airport. It's around 30 kilometers south of Da Lat City Center and is also known as Lien Khuong International Airport. Da Lat is served mostly by small airlines with direct flights to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Hue, and Hai Phong. To get to Da Lat, most people fly with Jetstar Pacific, Vietnam Airlines, or VietJet Air.
From the airport, there are various choices for getting to Da Lat. The shuttle bus, which costs VND 40,000 per ticket, is the cheapest mode of transportation. If you're in a hurry, you can quickly hire a taxi to your Da Lat hotel. The main terminal has taxi desks where you can pick up your ticket to present to the driver. Alternatively, walk outside Da Lat Airport's arrival gate, where taxis from various firms are generally waiting up.
Dalat's attractions
- Xuan Huong Lake: This man-made lake has become a popular tourist attraction. It includes lovely gardens with a wide variety of floral plants and trees. Dalat's beauty comes from the lovely reflection of willow and peach trees along the lake's banks, and there are restaurants, cafés, stores, lodging, and a variety of business venues nearby, particularly on the northwest side of the lake, which is considered Dalat's heart.
- City Flower Garden: The Da Lat Flower Gardens, which encompass an area of 7,000 square meters, are located on the northern side of Xuan Huong Lake. The park is one of Da Lat's most popular attractions, thanks to its diverse collection of colorful flowers and plant species. The Da Lat Flower Gardens, first opened in 1966, cultivate around 300 different varieties of flowers, including orchids, hydrangeas, roses, pansies, mimosas, and peach blooms.
- Dalat Railway Station: The Da Lat Railway Station is a charming edifice in the French Quarter of the hill town. The station, which was constructed between 1935 and 1938, has colorful glass windows, three high-pointed roofs, and a Japanese steam train that runs along 16 kilometers of cog railway lines. Visitors can board the train for a 7-kilometer excursion through the countryside, following the ancient line to Trai Mat Village. Every day at 07:45, 09:50, 11:55, 14:00, and 16:05, the train departs. The cost of a ticket is VND 106,000 per person.
- Hang Nga Guest House or Crazy House: The Crazy House is a quirky edifice constructed in 1990 by Dang Viet Nga, a Soviet-trained Vietnamese architect. Hang Nga Guesthouse & Art Gallery is the official name, but travelers refer to it as Crazy House due of its strange concept and tree-like shape. It has a little more than a dozen rooms, each with its own distinct theme, as well as meandering tunnels, ladders, and wildlife-themed concrete sculptures.
- Bao Dai Summer Palace: The Bao Dai Summer Palace is a restored museum that depicts the life of Vietnam's final emperor, Bao Dai. It was built in 1933 and has many of its original fixtures, as well as royal portraits and sculptures. The emperor's throne chamber, office and bedroom, dining room, and empress's rooms are all open to the public.
- Domaine de Marie Church: Domaine de Marie Church, located on Ngo Quyen Street in Da Lat City Centre, is a 10-minute drive from Xuan Huong Lake. This is an old Catholic monastery from the 1940s. It has pink limestone walls, stained glass windows, and a 3-meter-tall figure of the Virgin Mary, which was inspired by 17th century churches in Normandy, France.
- Linh Phuoc Pagoda: A 20-minute drive from Dalat city center, Linh Phuoc Pagoda is one of Vietnam's most well-known pagodas, with the country's largest bell tower. Many locals call it the Bottle Pagoda because it has a 49-meter-long dragon statue constructed out of 12,000 recycled beer bottles.
- Valley of Love: The Valley of Love is home to undulating green hills, lovely gardens, and picnic areas. Local youngsters frequent the park, which is located 5 kilometers north of Da Lat City Center, on weekends to go jogging, cycling, and paddle-boating. A trekking trail leads to Vong Canh Hill, which offers views of Da Thien Lake and the Valley of Love's colorful scenery.
- Truc Lam Pagoda: Truc Lam Pagoda is a popular and arguably the most beautiful and well-kept shrine in Dalat, despite its recent construction. It has a cast bronze bell, a pagoda, and many Buddha images and is located on Phuong Hoang Mountain beside Tuyen Lam Lake. Take the cable car up to the summit and take in the breathtaking panorama.
- Datanla Waterfalls: Datanla Waterfalls, which is only a 10-minute drive from Da Lat City, may get rather congested with locals on weekends. You may trek into the slopes and swim in crystal-clear pools, but the alpine coaster ride is the real draw here. You can take an exciting ride up and down towards the foot of Datanla Waterfalls for VND 45,000 for a return trip.
- Pongour Falls: Pongour Falls, 45 kilometers southwest of Da Lat City, are one of Vietnam's greatest waterfalls, measuring 20 meters in height and 100 meters in breadth. Adventurers frequently climb to the top of Pongour Falls and swim in all seven tiers, although certain sections are extremely slippery, so only attempt this if you're reasonably fit.
- Elephant Falls: Elephant Falls got its name as people noticed a big rock structure that looked like an elephant's head. The falls are located near Nam Ban Village and take around 45 minutes to reach. Because of their distant position, the multi-tiered waterfalls are rather silent on most days.
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