Things to Do in Hue: Itinerary and Travel Tips

(Check entire Vietnam Travel Guide here. To read about my experience, check my Hue Travel Story.)

Hue was the capital of Vietnam from early 1800 until 1945. Hence, there are multiple forts, pagodas and tombs in this city, making it a dream destination for history and architecture lovers. While Imperial City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, other sites are also extremely well preserved.

Contents

1. What to do and Visit
2. Suggestive two-day itinerary
3. Travel Tips

Things to Do and What to Visit

For ease of travel and sightseeing, I group the locations into clusters, and places in a single cluster can be visited at one go.

Cluster	Sight	Priority	Type	Rating
1	Imperial City	Must	Cultural	5
2	Thien Mu Pagoda	Must	Cultural	4.5
3	Tu Duc Tomb	Must	Cultural	4.5
3	Minh Mang Tomb	Must	Cultural	5
3	Khai Dinh Tomb	Must	Cultural	5
3	Abandoned Park	Must	Cultural	5
3	Tu Dam Pagoda	Optional	Cultural	4
3	Tu Hieu Pagoda	Optional	Cultural	3.5
4	Night walking street	Must	Lifestyle	4.5
4	Sunset view street	Optional	Lifestyle	4
4	Dong Ba Market	Optional	Lifestyle	3

Imperial City: Situated within the Hue Citadel, the Imperial City is the enormous royal palace complex housing 30+ houses of various types for various purposes. One can go inside most of the houses and temples that are well preserved along with old items used. (Rating: 5/5, Time needed: 3-4 hours)

Thien Mu Pagoda: Built in 1600s, this ancient 7-storey live pagoda also has a prayer house and a beautiful garden adjacent to it. Monks live within the compound itself, and one can understand their lifestyle. You can do a Perfume River boat tour as well from in front of the pagoda. (Rating: 4.5/5, Time needed: 30 mins)

Tu Duc Tomb: One of the many tombs in the city, this 19^th century complex houses the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, a temple and a lily pond in a picturesque setting. There are smaller tombs in the surrounding area, including Tomb of Dong Khanah. (Rating: 4.5/5, Time needed: 1 hour)

Minh Mang Tomb: A beautiful complex with a straight straight road, with temple and Tomb of Emperor Minh Mang. Also houses a couple of other houses with intricate designs. Less touristy compared to the other tombs, so you can spend quality time without crowd. (Rating: 5/5, Time needed: 1 hour)

Khai Dinh Tomb: Probably the most visited tomb in Hue, this huge complex with Mausoleum of Emperor Khai Dinh houses multiple gates and buildings with elaborate architecture & ornate details. A great spot for photography as well. (Rating: 5/5, Time needed: 1 hour)

Abandoned Water Park: This water park with a giant climbable dragon statue in the middle of the lake was abandoned due to multiple reasons. While entry to public isn’t allowed, there are multiple ways one can sneak into the park and enjoy an amazing sunset. (Rating: 5/5, Time needed: 1 hour)

Tu Dam Pagoda: This 17^th century temple complex has a tall pagoda with intricate designs that look even better at night. Good way to spend some optional time if you’re passing through and have some free time. (Rating: 4/5, Time needed: 30 mins)

Tu Hieu Pagoda: This 19^th century serene Buddhist temple is surrounded by a forest with tombs and a manmade lake. Situated near Tu Duc Tomb, you can plan an optional visit to the pagoda if you have some free time. (Rating: 3.5/5, Time needed: 30 mins)

Night Walking Street: The Hue Night Walking Steet, situated near DMZ bar, gets closed for traffic every night and becomes a lively walking street with street performances, dances, games and other activities. The bars will have roadside tables for you to sit and enjoy the vibe while sipping cheap but good beer. (Rating: 4.5/5, Time needed: 1-2 hours)

Sunset View Street: The walking road parallel to the Perfume River, right across where Imperial City is located, also hosts multiple food stalls. One can enjoy a good sunset while sitting at a riverside table and enjoying some food. (Rating: 4/5, Time needed: 1 hour)

Dong Ba Market: The enormous daily food and vegetable market of Hue is a great place to interact with locals and understand the culture of Hue. (Rating: 3/5, Time needed: 1 hour)

Suggestive Two-day Itinerary

• If you’re reaching from Hai Van Pass tour the previous evening, visit DMZ bar and surrounding area for a good nightlife experience, take a much-needed rest.
• On Day 1, optional visit to Tu Hieu Pagoda by 9, followed by Tu Duc Tomb. Alternately, directly leave for Tu Duc by 9.30.
• If you’re done in an hour, optional visit to surrounding smaller places such as Vong Canh Hill and Tomb of Dong Khanh.
• Leave for Minh Mang Tomb by 11.30 and reach by 12. Visit for an hour.
• Have lunch on your way to Khai Dinh Tomb, reach by 2. Visit for an hour.
• Reach Abandoned Water Park by 4-4.30, enjoy the Golden Hour.
• Head back before dark. Visit Tu Dam Pagoda on your way back, right on the main road on your way back.
• Visit Hue Night Walking Street for a lively evening with beer, good food and street performances among other things.
• Have a relaxing Day 2, start by 10-10.30 to Imperial City. Visit for 3-4 hours.
• Have lunch on the way to Thien Mu Pagoda. Reach by 3 and visit for an hour. Take an optional boat ride if you want.
• Optional visit to Dong Ba Market to understand Vietnamese lifestyle, else relax at the Sunset View Street (Pho di bo Nguyen Dinh Chieu).
• Go back to Imperial City after dark for a beautiful night view from outside (entry not needed). Have dinner a Vietnamese dinner at Quan Banh Khoai Hanh or Nina’s Café.

Travel Tips

• There are multiple smaller tombs and temples not mentioned above, many of them on the way from one sight to another. Take quick stops depending on how much time you have.
• Stay near the city center so that it’s easier to walk around in the evening.
• Instead of buying individual entry ticket for all monuments, buy the bundled ticket at any major tomb or at Imperial City at 20% discount, that you can use for two days.
• Though suggestive itinerary is optimized based on route, all sights are far from each other and will take time to reach, plan accordingly.
• If you’re flying to Hanoi, flights available late night on Day 2 (after 8PM) or early morning Day 3 (7AM). For Phong Nha, overnight sleeper bus leaves 8 PM onwards.

If you like the above itinerary or found any hidden gems I might have missed, let me know in comments. Click here for guides for other cities in Vietnam. Hope you have a safe and interesting travel.