Is Basel expensive for tourists?

Visiting Basel is still not free. So, how much money do you need in Basel?

According to the BudgetYourTrip website, the average daily costs of Basel visitors are 172 Swiss Francs (163 Euros). The price of an average single room is 104 CHF (99 Euros). If you want to find something cheaper or less average, look for the best offers for your Basel accommodation here.

HikersBay claims that the cost of living in Basel is 35 percent higher than living in New York. With an average monthly net salary of 5.500 CHF (about 5.230 Euros), Basel citizens can afford the quality of life offered at higher prices. For the rest of us, who could see 3,80 CHF (3,60 Euros) for a one-way ticket in local transport or a normal taxi tariff for a kilometer as overpriced, there is always – walking!

How much is a meal in Basel?

Numbeo data says that a meal in an inexpensive restaurant in Basel costs 27,86 CHF (26,50 Euros), while a three-course meal for two in a mid-range restaurant could set you back 107,50 CHF (102 Euros).

A kilo of oranges in Basel costs 3,50 Euros. But with a salary of 5.230 Euros, you can still buy a ton and a half every month

A combo meal at McDonald’s costs 15 CHF (14 Euros). On the other side of the spectrum, if you would like to try the French haute cuisine with Mediterranean and Asian influences in Peter Knogl‘s Cheval Blanc (a Basel restaurant with three Michelin stars), the five-course meal will cost 240 CHF (228 Euros).

Of course, budget travelers can always buy food in a supermarket and prepare their own meals. Expect to pay 5,15 CHF (4,90 Euros) for a dozen eggs, 27,58 CHF (26,20 Euros) for a kilo of chicken fillets, and 3,70 CHF (3,50 Euros) for a kilo of oranges (source: Numbeo).

How much is a pint of beer in Basel?

Half a liter of a domestic draught beer in Basel costs 7 CHF (6,65 Euros). A bottle of imported beer (0,33 l) amounts to 6,13 CHF (5,82 Euros).

What can you do in Basel for free?

Now that we have covered some basic information on costs you could encounter while in Basel, is there room for saving some money? Is it possible to visit Basel’s points of interest and still not go bankrupt? There are definitely tips and tricks for enjoying this historic town without deep pockets, and hopefully, you will find these Basel tourist attractions worthy of your visit! Have fun at one of the unmissable places in Switzerland!

Top 20 free things to do in Basel, Switzerland

1. Enjoy free local transport and wifi

For a hassle-free visit to Basel’s must-see attractions, free local transport could come in handy. Anyone who books a hotel in Basel will receive a complimentary Basel Card.

This precious guest card entitles you to free use of public transport (bus and tram). That will save you 3,80 CHF (3,60 Euros) per ride! Free transport includes even your first-day journey from the airport to the hotel!

Another bonus of this card is free wifi! Switzerland is not an EU member, so even European visitors would otherwise have to pay high roaming charges. But with a Basel Card, surfing the Guest Wi-Fi Basel costs nothing. You can find these hotspots throughout the city center!

Besides these free benefits, the Basel Card can additionally save you money if you plan to visit ticketed attractions. Half-price is applied on admission tickets to Basel museums, Basel Zoo, Theater Basel, sightseeing tours, and cruises. If you want to explore the city on an e-bike, the discounted daily price of rental at the main train station will be 20 CHF (19 Euros).

2. Walk along the Rheinpromenade

Basel lives by the Rhine River, especially in summer. It is not just an important trading route, but also a recreational zone.

Walking along the river banks is an activity many locals engage in. Along the path, one can admire Basel architecture, play bocce ball, lie down and sunbathe, or simply people-watch.

In late summer, the Floss Festival brings open-air concerts on a floating stage. You can sit on the steps of the Kleinbasel riverbank and enjoy listening to regional and international music acts at this free event.

If you have time and energy, your Rheinpromenade doesn’t have to end within the limits of the city. You can hike the Rhine Trail all the way from Basel Old Town to Kaiseraugust!

For promenade lovers, Montreux in the Swiss Riviera, on Lac Leman, better known as Lake Geneva, is a destination worth considering. The town was also a second home for Freddie Mercury, a beloved Queen singer, and now you can visit Montreux Freddie style!

3. Experience borderline culture at Dreilaendereck

You might have noticed Basel’s peculiar geographical location at your airport arrival already. Technically located in French Alsace, the EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (named after a Swiss, French, and German town in its proximity) is one of the few airports jointly operated by two countries. One exit will take you through the Swiss Customs Area, and the other one through the French/German one.

Once in Basel, you can actually walk to Dreilaendereck, the point where the three countries meet. Besides the monument marking the tripoint, there is a futuristic building with bars and chilling places. Under a disco-ball-equipped crane, you will find a boat housing Nordstern, the institution of electronic music.

The entire walk through the Basel Harbor (Hafen) in the Klybeck neighborhood is quite charming. Holzpark Klybeck (Klybeck Wood Park) is a cultural center of creative ideas, urban wilderness, and dancing freedom. Here, you will find another repurposed ship. Stranded on the Rhine bank, Gannet Lightship is a place for music, theater, and everything in between, sundeck included.

Basel’s urban riviera brings a port utopia filled with colorful bars, food trucks, and workshops. Where a trailer can become a sauna, and a bus – a hair studio.

It’s a place showing the other side of polished Basel’s facade, one that you should definitely explore!

4. Swim in the Rhine

Swimming in the Rhine is probably one of the most unusual things to do in Basel. Locals enter the river upstream and let the currents take them away.

They undress on one of the beaches, put their clothes and belongings in a waterproof bag called Wickelfisch, and float downstream to their next ‘stop’. The bag doubles as a buoyancy device, but one should still be a good swimmer if engaging in this leisure activity.

Floating down the Rhine is possible on the Kleinbasel side. A good starting point for your adventure is the beach just under the Museum Tinguely. This will provide you with a two-kilometer-long sightseeing tour of Basel!

During the entire summer, there will be many people doing the same. But if you are a fan of big open-water swim events, visit Basel during the Rheinschwimmen in August. On this day, thousands jump into the Rhine’s murky waters and swim along.

Having tried it myself, I can confirm that swimming in the Rhine can be one of the most fun things to do in Basel. As long as you have no problems with the distinctive odor of the river. Let’s be clear, Swiss nature does look like a gigantic national park. But the Rhine in Basel, even if it’s safe for swimming (as long as you know how to), is not its best promoter!

Another experience that requires no huge investment is naked swimming in the Rhine. Discover Basel's FKK side!

5. Drink free water

All that walking and swimming around will certainly make you dehydrated. The good thing about Basel is that you don’t have to carry bottled water around!

Basel’s collection of 231 drinking fountains is an environment and pocket-friendly solution for your thirst!

While there is a diversity in design, Basel is most famous for the fountains adorned with a basilisk, the heraldic animal of the city. There are 28 of these street bubblers installed from the end of the 19th century to the late 1900s.

Some of Basel’s drinking fountains have a special pot for dogs. On the other side, the larger ones are actually bathing fountains! That’s right, you can undress to your swimwear in the middle of the Old Town, and cool off in one of these historic jacuzzis!

If you drank too much and need to relieve yourself, along the Rhine, you can find quite a few free public toilets, marked by a jester figure.

6. Cross the historic Middle Bridge

Mittlere Brücke, or the Middle Bridge, is one of the six bridges connecting Grossbasel and Kleinbasel. Built of granite stone in 1905, on the site of the oldest crossing of the Rhine dating back to 1224, this place has a lot of history.

The relief of fourteen ‘witches’ on one side of the bridge is just symbolic. More than any other European country, Switzerland accused thousands of its citizens of practicing witchcraft. The message commemorating the victims of persecution, torture, and murder says: ‘Today this is a place that prompts us to meet other people without prejudice and not to marginalize them.’

The small chapel reproduction in the middle of the bridge, known as Käppelijoch, looks romantic nowadays. Visitors even adorn it with love locks! But this was a place of punishment. Here, the executors would throw those ‘witches’ and other medieval criminals from the bridge, to be drowned in the river.

The bridge was also an important place for controlling who entered the city. Affixed to the Rhine Gate controlling the traffic across the river was the Tongue King (Lällenkönig). Since 1640, the crowned head sculpture has greeted visitors with a movable stuck-out tongue and eyes.

While you can still find the two king heads on the corner building at Grossbasel’s side (one of them misses a tongue), these are replicas from the 1900s. To see the original Tongue King in action, you will have to visit the Basel Historical Museum, my favorite museum in Basel!

7. Visit the artsy Rathaus

You cannot start exploring Basel Old Town without visiting its very heart – the Marktplatz. It’s a place where people come to sell and buy flowers, vegetables, pretzels, cheese, and other local produce. Make sure to try free tasting samples on this vibrant daily market!

There is an impressive building dominating the square – the Rathaus. Basel’s Town Hall was built in the 16th century after the 1356 earthquake (the most important European seismological event) destroyed the city and the previous seat of government.

This iconic piece of Gothic architecture was extended twice with additional wings and a tower. It strikes visitors with a red facade, but it also invites you to explore its fresco-filled courtyard.

Placed on a staircase, there is a statue of Lucius Munatius Plancus, the founder of Augusta Raurica, the oldest Roman colony on the Rhine (44 BC), and the predecessor settlement of the city of Basel.

The building is still a seat of political power, which gave it a name – the Rathaus (literally meaning the council house). However, in the local dialect, the word also sounds like a ‘red house’. A playful name for a playfully looking building, one of Basel’s top attractions!

8. Pay respect to Erasmus in Basel Münster

Another red sandstone building is Basel Münster (Minster), originally erected in the 11th century. This Catholic, then Protestant Church had five towers, but after the infamous earthquake destroyed it, only two were rebuilt.

Under a colorful tiled roof, there is a fantastic church interior with impressive frescoes, carvings, and stained-glass windows. You shouldn’t miss visiting Münster’s beautiful cloisters either. They are radiating with calmness.

In one cloister, you can find the controversial Market Tables, two bronze sculptures by the artist Bettina Eichin. The tables had to be placed at the Marktplatz as a gift from the pharmaceutical company Sandoz in 1986. After a fire swallowed the company’s warehouse filled with chemicals and caused an environmental disaster in the Rhine, the artist changed the concept of the artwork, and Sandoz canceled the funding. The church offered temporary asylum to the artworks, but now it’s their permanent home.

The church’s crypt is also the final home of many royals and prominent citizens. Erasmus of Rotterdam, one of the greatest humanists, is buried here too. The inscription in the church says that the epitaph was set up ‘to guard his mortal body rather than for the sake of commemorating him, for his published works have made him immortal’.

While you can climb the church tower for a few Francs, the terrace behind Münster, high above the Rhine, offers nice, yet free, city views.

9. Admire the old city gates

In the Middle Ages, Basel built a series of walls to protect itself. However, with the constant enlargement of the city, the space was becoming more and more valuable, and in 1859, most of the fortification was demolished.

Three of Basel’s city gates have been spared, and today you can walk to them and take some nice photographs.

Tourists’ favorite is Spalentor, due to its proximity to the city center (west of it), as well as to its aesthetics. The three towers standing together as one must have been an impressive entrance in the 14th century when they were built. The Gate of Spalen still has a portcullis, the heavy grille ready to drop in front of unwanted visitors.

You will find the same protection device at Sankt Alban Tor in the south. Also known as the Dalbedoor, the Gate of Saint Alban is an entrance to a picturesque city quarter.

Sankt Johanns Tor in the north is the third survivor of the progress of centuries. The Gate of Saint John still has a protective purpose; it’s the home of Basel’s police force.

10. See the modern cutting-edge Basel architecture

Beyond the historic buildings, Basel is also known for its contemporary architecture. Like nowhere else in Switzerland, here you’ll find numerous buildings designed by world-renowned architects.

Basel is the hometown of Herzog & de Meuron, the architectural firm that designed the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing and the Tate Modern in London. But they have sprinkled quite a few of their architectural wonders across Basel, too.

Their Messe Basel (cover image of the article) is one of the city’s newest landmarks (and the host of events like the 2025 Eurovision Village, Fantasy Basel, or Basel Autumn Fair). The trade fair building has a ‘window to heaven’, and you can look through it from the tram station. Then there’s St. Jakob-Park, the stadium of FC Basel 1893, which transforms into an ice hockey rink in winter. Personally, I loved how they renovated the Museum der Kulturen, an ethnographic institution itself, as well as how they covered their Südpark building with Tetris windows. The same architects sign the tallest buildings in Switzerland – Roche Towers, the headquarters of the famous pharmaceutical company.

If you walk around Basel, both new and refurbished buildings will pop up in front of you when you least expect them. For instance, I could bet that your Instagram feed would thank you for the zigzag stairs of the Warteck Workroom, the site of the former brewery, now the creative hub.

For a significant collection of architectural designs, you can also easily cross the border to Germany. Vitra Campus is an amazing architectural park, featuring works by Frank O. Gehry, Zaha Hadid, and many others.

It’s hard to mention all the world-class architecture you can see for free in Basel. Of course, you are always welcome to explore it on your own. But if you want to learn more about the history of Basel’s masterpieces, consider paying for the Private Architectural Walking Tour.

11. Enjoy free museums in Basel

Museums in Basel house quite impressive collections, and you should not miss them. You need to have a valid ticket to enter them, but there are ways to enjoy some of them – for free. These museums could actually be the best answer to your question: what to do in Basel on Sunday? But also to: what to do in Basel when it rains?

For instance, Basel Historical Museum, the Museum of Cultures, the Natural History Museum, and the Kunstmuseum Basel have free entrance every first Sunday of the month, as well as during happy hour, which is typically the last hour of every working day.

The House of Electronic Art has a happy Sunday too, but their happy hour is the first hour of the day (12:00-13:00, Wednesday to Friday).

Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig will not charge you on weekends, as well as on Thursday and Friday from 5 to 10 pm. It will even provide you with a free audio guide!

If you are a firefighting fan, the Feuerwehrmuseum is another free museum in Basel. It is open only on Sundays, from 2 pm to 5 pm, but beware that you will not find English explanations of the exhibits.

There is one museum that’s open for free 24 hours! Hoosesagg Museum in the Old Town changes its mini-exhibition in the door monthly.

To wrap it up, if you travel to Basel on a budget, visiting museums is one of the best things to do in Basel on Sunday!

12. Find public art on Basel streets

If you prefer staying outdoors to exploring museums, you can head on an interesting walk in nature, combined with art. Tobias Rehberger has placed 24 artworks between the pricey Fondation Beyeler and the Vitra Design Museum. You can have a nice, artful hike, and it will not cost you a dime!

The urban part of Basel is also full of public art. Its largest ambassador is the Hammering Man by Jonathan Borofsky. The gigantic sculpture strikes its hammer continuously at Aeschenplatz.

The Carnival Fountain in Klostergasse is an artwork by Jean Tinguely that also involves moving sculptures, but they are spouting water. It’s worth mentioning that Tinguely’s fountains (there is another one in Solitude Park in front of his museum) are the rare Basel fountains you should not drink from! But they might quench your thirst for fun!

Basel is also a graffiti and street art hotspot. You can find a solid portion of these urban canvases in the city center, at the already mentioned Klybeckquai in the harbor, or at the Schwarzwaldbrücke bridge.

Basel is home to the biggest mural in Switzerland, too. The street artists organized by Urbane Kunst in the Change of Colours Basel 2020 event spread their art over the 1,700-square-meter walls of Bell Schweiz AG at Neudorfstrasse.

13. Treat yourself with Basler Läckerli

When you need to sweeten up your day, the solution is called Basler Läckerli. This traditional local biscuit is nothing but delicious, which actually gave it the name (lecker in German).

The recipes for these spice cookies are seven centuries old, and they include almonds, hazelnuts, honey, candied peel, and Kirsch, the cherry brandy.

There is a chain of Läckerli Huus stores in the Old Town, as well as Jakob’s Basler Leckerli. They typically always offer the possibility to sample the tasty treats! So if you like gustation before deciding to buy, surrender to the sweet torture!

I had a great time at Confiserie Brändli, tasting a variety of pralines and wine during a food festival. Always keep your eyes open for free offerings of Basel confectioneries!

14. Read books

From afar, it could look like a typical phone booth. But instead of one shelf with one phonebook containing numbers of people you could call, in this blue box, you can find shelves with dozens of books with much more interesting content!

Among the trees, in the meadow just where St. Alban Ferry stops at the Grossbasel side, St. Alban and Gellert neighborhoods placed the Büchertauschbörse. Managed by the volunteering ‘librarians’, the cabin offers free reading material to locals and visitors.

You can bring books you no longer need but are happy to recommend to others, and exchange them for books you are interested in. Some users even leave DVDs.

I know many European cities where such an unlocked treasure of books wouldn’t last a day. But in Basel, the world of literature seems to be a pleasure everyone is entitled to. And nobody would rob anyone of that experience.

15. Chill with dinosaurs in Basel parks

Now that you have your book, head to one of Basel’s parks and enjoy reading it in the open air.

I liked the atmosphere at St. Johanns Park, in the vicinity of St. Johanns Tor. This small green surface at the riverside is a perfect place for lying down under a tree, flying kites, or training handstands and somersaults on the soft grass. Children can enjoy the playground by climbing a giant wooden pig or sliding down the duck’s throat.

The largest park in Basel is Kannenfeld Park. On 10 hectares, children have fun at the playgrounds while their parents prepare the barbecue. Sporty spirits can jog around the park, do yoga on its meadows, or show off their skills in a skate park that doubles as a splash pool with fountains in summer.

Park im Grünen belongs to Münchenstein, but is still reachable by Basel trams. The recreational area covers 130 thousand square meters! You can enjoy your time by the ponds, in large green areas, or even on a carousel. For the dinosaur fans, there is a 45-meter-long sculpture of Seismosaurus, the largest known dinosaur that walked the Earth!

16. Admire plants in botanical gardens

If you want to get away from the city noise, which could sometimes be present in parks themselves, botanical gardens are perfect escape oases.

The Botanical Garden of the University of Basel is within easy walking distance of the city center. Founded in 1589, it is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world, and certainly in its German-speaking part. When the garden was moved to its current location near Spalentor in the 19th century, Viktoriahaus, the glasshouse with the tropical rainforest ambiance, became its highlight.

Merian Gärten is another botanical garden worth visiting. On the outskirts of the city, easily combined with your visit to the Park im Grünen, this landscaped zone covers 18 hectares! You can find Europe’s largest collection of irises here (1.500 species!), the Rhododendron Valley, the English Garden, and many more! There is always something blooming in Merian Gärten, no matter when you visit it!

And paying a visit is just an expression. Like everything on this list of free things to do in Basel, there is no charge for entry into these botanical gardens!

17. Visit the free Basel zoo

Don’t confuse this place with THE Basel Zoo! If you want to visit the famous Zolli, expect to pay 21 CHF (20 Euros) for the visit.

However, Basel also has a free zoo! Its name is Tierpark Lange Erlen! Established in 1871, three years before Zolli, this animal park has a limited number of mostly local species. It does seem that priority was not given to the number of animals here but to the quality of enclosures mimicking their natural habitat.

You can see deer, bison, wild cats, and boars roaming the grounds, ducks, geese, and swans enjoying the ponds, or ponies, goats, and donkeys chilling in the paddocks. A peacock could suddenly appear on your path, or you could bump into an insect hotel.

On the western side of the Tierpark, there is an amazing playground called Hugo Hirsch Spielau. The playing areas for children have also been designed to mimic nature! Your little alpinists can climb a stack of logs or a wooden nest, slide down the trees, or play in streamlets. What a magnificent place for free play!

18. Play sports

It is easy to stay in shape in Basel, even without joining official sports clubs or gyms. Just walking through the town, you will find dedicated areas reserved for physical activities.

Dreirosen Sports Field is one such place where you can play basketball. For the street workout fans, there is an outdoor training area too.

One can play basketball and table tennis even in front of the very entrance of a church in Basel! Matthäuskirche at Matthäusplatz tolerates sports in its vicinity, and there is even a playground for children next to it.

At the corner of Bläsiring and Müllheimerstrasse in Kleinbasel, you can play table football and table tennis. You can borrow the ball from a library nearby.

19. Find free stuff on the street

While walking through Basel, you might notice many discarded things labeled with a ‘Gratis’ sign. These are free to take if you want them.

Basel citizens get two free vignettes for getting rid of bulky goods. If they have more, they need to pay. Many go the easier way, just putting their unneeded things out in the street, under the cover of a night, thinking that ‘free to take it’ note takes away their responsibility. “It doesn’t work that way”, the city will respond with a pig-adorned sticker, but many will still not care.

As always, someone’s trash is another person’s treasure. So you can always take a look at what people with 5.230 Euros salaries leave in front of their doors. If not for a souvenir hunt, it would make for an interesting free exhibition.

During my walks, I have seen a variety of objects disposed of. There was furniture, shoes, a yoga mat, a printer, an ironing board, bicycle parts, kitchen utensils…

20. Have a free tour of Basel

I hope this list of free things to do in Basel was beneficial for creating your own Basel sightseeing tour. Some people prefer to join a guided tour, and here are your options on how to see Basel on a budget.

Just like many other cities, Basel has its very own ‘free walking tour’. Free Walk Basel can take you on a tour through the Downtown or Kleinbasel, and occasionally through Basel’s history or its Jewish points of interest. All tours are typically on Sunday, last a couple of hours, and are technically free, even if you are encouraged to leave a tip.

One can also go on a self-guided walk by using a Basel City Guide app. There are five of these free tours, all named after a famous person. You can go for the Erasmus, Burckhardt, Platter, Paracelsus, or Holbein walk.  They range from 30 to 90 minutes and cover anything from 1 to 3,5 kilometers.

If you prefer a paid tour, there is a 2-hour Walking Tour through Basel Old Town. It has stellar reviews and costs 20 CHF (19 Euros).

Free things to do in Basel, Switzerland – Conclusion

When asking oneself what to do in Basel, what to see, and where to go, a myriad of possible answers and itineraries can appear.

Switzerland’s cultural capital is bursting with history, art, architecture, and an outdoor lifestyle that almost pretends to be the Mediterranean.

The experience of free things to do in Basel can actually make you richer

Contrary to popular belief that only rich tourists can afford the Swiss experience, Basel seems to recognize the value of selfless sharing, too.

Whether it is letting people into treasure-filled museums for free, stimulating the sightseeing walks with free water and city apps, or providing a complimentary alternative to Basel’s most popular tourist attractions, such as Basel Zoo, this charming town cares for tourists of every budget.

There are numerous free things to do in Basel, and I hope my collection of the top 20 has inspired you to visit this town on the borders of three countries.

While you will not be able to avoid paying for all the things, I am sure you will leave Basel with an experience that makes you richer.

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Climate change affects coastal erosion, rise in the sea level, as well as more frequent extreme weather

Malta today is more vulnerable than ever. Climate change dangers were recognized back in 2004. They included impacts such as coastal erosion, rises in sea level, jellyfish expansion, and more frequent extreme weather conditions. Still, this country on the geographical and cultural border of Europe and Africa is well worth exploring. Therefore, Pipeaway brings you the 14 best things to do in Malta before it sinks.

Use the benefits of frequent discounted flights to Malta, jump on a plane, rent a car, and start exploring Malta island right now. There are some extraordinary places to visit in Malta. I hope this travel guide will help you define your perfect itinerary.

For even more useful Malta facts, scroll to the bottom of the page!

Enrich your trip to Malta with even more exciting things to do. Explore them here!

14 reasons to visit Malta today

1. Megalithic temples of Malta

Megalithic temples of Malta are some of the oldest free-standing stone buildings in the world. People erected them in the 4^th and 3^rd millennium BC.

There are two dozen of these prehistoric sites in Malta, but only seven are protected as UNESCO World Heritage. Five of them are on the island of Malta (Hagar Qim, Mnajdra, Skorba, Ta’Hagrat, and Tarxien), and two are on Gozo (Ggantija temples).

Experts describe Malta temples as unique architectural masterpieces. According to legends, it was the race of the giants who built these monumental constructions. Some of the stone blocks, more than five meters high, weigh up to twenty tons! Built before the Egyptian pyramids, some temples were aligned with the movement of the Sun. This suggests that equinoxes and solstices were important events of Malta’s Temple Culture!

These mystical remains of the past are under the threat of an increased number of storms. To protect against the collapse of the structures, they built vast canopies over some of the megalithic temples of Malta.

If you have a hard time choosing which Malta temples to visit, I suggest Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, which are just 500 meters apart. For a total entrance fee of 10 Euros, one can also learn more about how the temples were built at the visitor center which offers a 4d movie experience. Another plus of this site is that it’s just above an amazing part of Malta’s coastline (exploring the coastal nature is our second recommendation of the 14 best things to do in Malta). After the temples, you could hike down closer to Ras il-Hamrija, the rock arch that, for now, successfully withstands the harsh waves of the Mediterranean Sea.

2. Malta coastline – from Blue Grotto to Coral Lagoon

Even in winter, when temperatures become less welcoming for swimming in the sea, the coastline is Malta’s must-see. With a lack of greater forested areas, the numerous bays, beaches, caves and cliffs are a valid excuse for a hiking day. Malta’s coastline is nearly 200 kilometers long.

After the collapse of the Azure Window (also known as Dwejra Window), the 28-meter-high limestone arch, the fans of “Game of Thrones” filming sites were in despair. Thankfully, there are dozens of alternatives to the fallen landmark, maybe less spectacular, but still worth seeing.

As mentioned earlier, Ras il-Hamrija, a part of Ghar Hanex nature preserve, is just below the two of the protected megalithic temples of Malta. The path down is steep, so always use caution! Ghar Hanex already collapsed partially, and Ras il-Hamrija is now technically on the island. Don’t go too close to the cliffs! If you want to be perfectly safe, admire the view from Tal-Hamrija Coastal Tower.

Blue Grotto (the featured image of the article) is another Malta attraction you should stop by when visiting Qrendi village. Its arch is 30 meters tall, and one can visit a system of six caves by boat if the weather permits. Alternatively, there is a Blue Grotto Viewpoint, accessible for picture taking. The play of colors of the seabed and the rocks is enchanting even for a diving exploration. However, the filming site of the movie “Troy” becomes extremely popular in the summer months. To avoid the crowds, consider hiking from Dingli Cliffs to Blue Grotto.

At the northernmost part of Mellieha, Coral Lagoon (also known as Dragonara Cave) is a naturally formed cavity. The brave ones can jump into this special swimming pool and, if the waves are not too rough outside, swim back to the firm ground! Beware, you cannot climb out of the cave! Swimming or kayaking is the only way to exit Malta’s Coral Lagoon.

3. Victoria Lines

Did you know that Malta has its own “Chinese Wall”? The Great Wall of Malta, officially known as the Victoria Lines or the North West Front, is a 12-kilometer-long network of fortifications. They split Malta island into the northern and southern parts.

The Knights of Saint John were the first ones who built infantry entrenchments along the natural geographical barrier called the Great Fault in the early 18^th century. The British military built the full stretch of forts, batteries, entrenchments and continuous infantry lines in the late 19^th century. In honor of Queen Victoria, the protective barrier against the potential invasion of the French or Italians from the north got the name Victoria Lines. The defensive walls never had the real-life combat test though.

These days, Victoria Lines is a less-known hiking path across the island, and therefore one of the most unique things to see and do in Malta. One can walk all the way from the cliffs of Fomm ir-Rih to Madliena, and enjoy some beautiful views while standing on the piece of Malta’s military history.

4. St. Paul’s Catacombs

Once, these were the outskirts of the old Roman town Melite (now Mdina). For hygienic reasons, Romans were burying their dead outside of the city walls. These catacombs were in use from the 3^rd to 8^th century, and no, St. Paul was not buried here! The catacombs in today’s Rabat got their name because it was believed they were connected with St. Paul’s Grotto and Church, where St. Paul stayed after his shipwreck in 60 AD, according to the legend.

After they were abandoned for five centuries, St. Paul’s Catacombs were used again for Christian services in the 13^th century. Besides being the oldest and largest archeological evidence of Christianity in Malta, the catacombs were also a place of Jewish and Pagan burials.

In the main chamber of the largest Malta catacombs, pay attention to so-called agape tables hewn out of a solid piece of rock. This is the place where they would serve a farewell meal during the annual festival of the dead.

There are more than 30 hypogea in this complex of underground cemeteries. After seeing one, two, or a dozen, you might get tomb overdose and decide not to enter each of them.

If you want to visit the famous prehistoric burial site called Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, the experience will cost you at least 35 Euros. The ticket for St. Paul’s Catacombs costs 6 Euros, which will save a part of your budget, and still provide the extraordinary experience of exploring the cemetery labyrinth.

For aerial views of Malta, check out this YouTube video by Oliver Astrologo!

5. Pastizzi

Malta sightseeing can get hard for your feet. Well, is there a better way of taking a break than by grabbing a snack? When in Malta, do it the Maltese way!

Pastizzi are Malta’s traditional snacks. The flaky pastry comes with various fillings, typically peas or ricotta cheese. But you’ll also be able to find pastizzi with chicken, apples, tuna, or anchovies, among others.

Pastizzi usually have shapes of diamonds or semicircles, but Maltese imagination does not end in basic geometry. For that reason, locals use the word as a euphemism for female genitalia as well.

According to TasteAtlas, pastizzi are the most popular Maltese dish. And it’s true, you’ll be able to find this national treat on many street corners! However, if you go to visit St. Paul’s Catacombs, Is-Serkin or Crystal Palace in Rabat is a popular place to find pastizzi. Prepare yourself to stand in line! But for 45 cents per piece, you’ll be happy with your reward.

If you’re into cheap things to do in Malta, stuffing yourself with pastizzi will be a delicious investment.

6. Mdina

Mdina was Malta’s capital until the Middle Ages. The Order of St. John moved the island’s administration to Birgu in 1530, and Mdina stayed just a fortified shell.

Today, many refer to Citta Notabile as Silent City.  There is no car traffic behind the city walls except for the vehicles belonging to the locals. They stay parked in the limited number of streets and squares and, in my opinion, definitely take away from Mdina’s medieval charm.

Still, from Mdina Gate to Fontanella Tea Garden (this café with homemade cakes is so popular that you might need to queue to get inside), impressive architectural sites are plentiful. Moreover, they inspired even the creators of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” (season 1), so some city locations became a part of King’s Landing.

Mdina is home to barely 300 citizens who live quietly behind the walls of the palaces, out of the tourists’ gaze. If you are an architecture geek and love a mixture of baroque and medieval settings, this ancient well-preserved walled city will definitely leave a mark.

And the best of all, walking through this history will not cost you a dime. Exploring Mdina is one of the best free things to do in Malta.

If you are a Game of Thrones fan, check the state of one of Croatian King’s Landing sites! If you prefer "The Witcher", here's the Slovenian castle where the third season was filmed!

7. Valletta

While Mdina is on UNESCO’s tentative list, Malta’s actual capital Valletta gained recognition on the official list of World Heritage Sites.

Knights Hospitaller (the Order of St. John) erected the buildings in the EU’s smallest capital back in the 16^th century. Even if Valletta was entirely built by hand, it took them only 15 years to complete it. The fortress city got its name after the Grand Master of the Order, Jean Parisot de la Vallette.

You can get to Valletta by Sliema Ferry (the return ticket costs 2,80 Euros). Once you’re on the peninsula, feel free to roam around on foot.

There are numerous little streets, gardens, bastions, forts, and historical buildings to discover! Admire statues and fountains of yesteryear, or discover newer artistic creations at Valletta Contemporary Gallery.

The whole of Valletta is a masterpiece of Baroque. St John’s Co-Cathedral is probably its finest example and one of Malta’s top sights. Unlike the exterior, the interior of the church has lavish decoration. It contains richly decorated tombstones of the Knights of St. John, as well as some true masterpieces such as Caravaggio’s “The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist”.

Barrakka Gardens (Lower and Upper) are nice places to observe the sunset. The Upper Barrakka Gardens are also a good place to visit at noon or 4 pm. This is when the cannon fires the gun signal at the Saluting Battery, probably the oldest one still in operation in the entire world.

At the end of your Valletta sightseeing, you can do some shopping. Or enjoy a cup of coffee and a slice of fine cake in one of the town’s cafés!

8. Falcon Archery Malta

Exploring the remnants of Malta’s past could enlarge your interest in the history of the armored knights, but also in one of the oldest human activities – archery.

The good news is that you do not have to just fantasize about this enchanting skill. At the University of Malta in Msida, you can actually learn how to use a bow and an arrow! Falcon Archery Malta is a school of traditional, instinctive archery.

Our teacher Johan was extremely patient and provided adequate attention to each of the course participants. With every new instruction and advice, we were all progressing at our Robin Hood skills, getting better and better at shooting. At first, we were trying to aim at the center of the target. But later, as our posture and bow/arrow handling improved, we switched to instinctive mode. And, boy, did we shoot! At the end of the session, we practiced on the target modeled as a wolf, and we even had a little competition. The prize? Each of us got a Certificate of Achievement!

If you want to prepare yourself for the Hunger Games, the 2-hour session in the basic archery course will cost you 35 Euros. Not too much if that will give you a better starting point once the Capitol reanimates the crazy idea of disciplining the districts.

If you want to try one of the most interesting things to do in Malta, classes are held at the Falcon Archery Malta’s Archery Range at Malta University’s Main campus.

9. Mosta Rotunda

When we left Malta by plane, I noticed that Mosta town had the shape of a heart. At the heart of this heart, the Rotunda of Mosta or Mosta Dome was an imposing building dominating the landscape. Definitely, one of Malta’s prime tourist spots!

Belonging to the Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady, Mosta Rotunda is an iconic landmark. With its height of 61 meters, this piece of neoclassical architecture can hardly go unnoticed. The width of its dome puts the church on the world maps. With 39,6 meters in external diameter and 37,2 meters on the inside, the Rotunda of Mosta is one of the largest unsupported domes in the world.

Giorgio Grognet de Vassé designed Mosta Dome inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. In the 19^th century, shaping a church after a temple dedicated to Mars, the Roman god of war, was controversial. But after three decades of construction (1833-1860), nobody doubted that Malta got a prominent church. Coming from an antiquarian with no formal architectural training, Mosta Rotunda was a miraculous masterpiece.

It survived the test of a miracle in the following century! On 9 April 1942, the German Luftwaffe bombed Mosta and dropped three bombs on the church. The two rebounded. The third bomb, filled with half a ton of explosives, pierced the dome and fell into the church during the Mass. The bomb failed to detonate, and none of the 300 people were injured. The inhabitants interpreted the event as a miracle. In the sacristy at the back of the basilica, you can see the replica of that bomb that was later defused and thrown into the sea.

Rotunda of Mosta is an architectural marvel worth seeing, from below or from above (climb up the bell tower stairs!). The entrance fee is 2 Euros.

10. Popeye Village Malta

If you travel with family, visiting Popeye Village is one of the best things to do in Malta with kids.

This theme park was originally a film set for the 1980 musical “Popeye”, directed by Robert Altman and featuring Robin Williams as Popeye the Sailor Man. Built in Anchor Bay, some 3 kilometers from Mellieha, the town of Sweethaven was preserved. It became one of the most popular Malta tourist attractions.

“Popeye” production imported materials from Holland and Canada, and the construction crew erected an authentic wooden village with 20ish buildings in barely seven months! Now they house shops, dentist’s or mayor’s office, a cinema with a 15-minute documentary, or a museum with a full “Popeye” movie playing on a loop.

Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Captain Bluto, movie characters played by local actors, will entertain you throughout the day! You can expect puppet shows, animation jokes, and dancing routines. Some of it is interactive, so prepare to join the fun!

Besides using the set for numerous photo opportunities, you can engage in creative games or try your talent at the nine-hole mini-golf course. Remember to collect a free postcard at the souvenir shop, and free popcorn at the cinema! Sadly, the park’s restaurant doesn’t have spinach on the menu.

The program at Popeye Village Malta is seasonal, it will adapt to dates such as Easter or Halloween. Tickets are pricier in summer. At its peak, they cost 17 Euros for adults and 13,50 Euros for children and pensioners. Summer tickets include the use of water trampolines and a short boat trip in Anchor Bay. In winter (11 Euros for grown-ups, and 9 Euros for kids), the special attraction is Santa’s Toy Town! Enter the magical place where animatronic elves pack the presents for the most generous grandpa in the world and find out why Malta is indeed one of the best places for a family holiday.

11. St. Peter’s Pool

Unless you are visiting in the middle of summer, St. Peter’s Pool in southwestern Malta is a great place to hit the beach with smaller crowds. The whole coastal area is an attractive hiking ground, with unusual rock formations and salt pans.

Located in Marsaxlokk, just around the corner from the unattractive Delimara Power Station, St. Peter’s Pool is a hidden natural pool carved by the sea waves. Under the limestone rock in the shape of a horseshoe, azure waters seduce swimmers to take a dip. The brave ones jump off the cliffs. On the other side, the observers equally enjoy the views while sunbathing on the flat rocks. For many, St. Peter’s Pool is one of the top 10 Malta attractions.

A four-legged visitor was an avid promoter of St. Peter’s Pool in recent years. Her name was Titti and became a social media sensation that inspired many to visit this part of Malta. Every day, Carmelo Abela was bringing his Jack Russell dog to the cliffs. Titti would dive into the water together with him and quickly became the diving dog sensation. Sadly, Carmelo’s pet passed away in January 2019. So until her successor Tina learns the skill of cliff diving, you can experience some of Titti’s joy at St. Peter’s Pool on YouTube!

12. Ghajn Tuffieha

If you are more into sandy beaches, you should head to Ghajn Tuffieha Bay on the northwestern coast of Malta. Behind the small village of Manikata, the popular Golden Bay and more rough alternatives of Ghajn Tuffieha and Gnejna Bay are beaches to visit.

With its red sand and clear water, Ghajn Tuffieha Bay is certainly a swimming attraction, but its beauty goes beyond. The most spectacular aspect of this inlet happens during the sunset.

When the day approaches its end, climb up the winding footpaths to the clay slopes. Walk along the raw cliffs; the geological features of the area are unique and mesmerizing! At the moment the sun starts to throw the last rays over these rugged hills, sit down and enjoy the panorama! This is one of the best sights in Malta.

13. Fenkata

Malta’s cuisine was historically vastly based on seafood. Mediterranean fish was the main source of protein in times when only nobles and knights had permission to enjoy meat. Dryland did not support the cultivation of large animals for all, and the Order of St. John introduced the ban on hunting rabbits. They treated hunting as a sport reserved for the higher class. Peasants caught violating the ban would get fines or sentences of up to five years rowing on galleys. The Brits lifted the ban, which enabled military training for peasants, but also rabbit returned to their tables.

Today, rabbit stew or Fenkata is a national dish of Malta. Its tender meat is a result of all-night bathing in a marinade of red wine, garlic, and bay leaves, and then stewing with vegetables and aromatic herbs. The result is a rich sauce, typically served with potatoes or spaghetti. If you want to make it an entirely local experience, pair it with Malta’s favorite bar drink – Cisk lager beer!

For a delicious Fenkata, you can visit Ta’ Kris restaurant in Sliema. This Maltese restaurant could improve its guest service. But the lack of smiles on waiters has compensation in tasty rabbit dishes. Typically, after Fenek, one should eat nougat sweets and peanuts. At this restaurant, I warmly recommend Helu Malti, a tasting menu of traditional local desserts. Try Imqaret (pastry filled with dates), Helwa tat-Tork (fudge with tahini and almonds), Cannoli (Maltese version of Sicilian dessert with ricotta cheese), and Gelat Malti (with evaporated milk, candied peel, and nuts)!

14. Hotel 1926 Malta

Now that you are well-fed, you will need a place to get a good rest! Just two blocks away, in a strategic position for exploring Sliema, but also Valletta just a ferry ride away, is Hotel 1926 Malta.

This 4-star hotel got its name after the year of birth of Sunny Borg, the founder of Bortex, the textile industry giant that reached out into the hospitality sector. Taking inspiration from the life and passions of the late Maltese entrepreneur, this new boutique hotel offers luxury rooms and suites, a seasonal beach club on the water’s edge, and an all-year-round in-house spa by the Swiss Resense brand.

Opened in 2018, 1926 Hotel & Spa still has space to develop, grow and fine-tune. However, the direction is clear: a modern and environment-friendly hotel. From digital check-in and using the pin code to open one’s room to the electronic version of the “do not disturb” sign, the hotel tries to eliminate the use of paper and plastic. The guest directory is displayed on a SuitePad tablet in each of 161 rooms. Even cups you will find in the spa area are BioCups, made of plant-derived bioplastic, not oil.

Staying at Hotel 1926 will annul the fatigue of Malta sightseeing. Knowing that you have a choice of jumping onto a plush bed with herbal pillows (lavender and chamomile), or plunging into an aquatonic pool, is a balm for your tired body. You can relax in dry and wet saunas, or try the complimentary sea salt scrub in the privacy of your own bathroom. With Stephen Cordina’s scent diffusers, the room easily becomes a mini spa.

If you want to stay in a hotel that speaks calm and chic, and simultaneously reduce your carbon footprint, give a chance to Hotel 1926 Malta!

If you want to stay in a paperless hotel, check the best available prices of Hotel 1926 Malta here!

14 best things to do in Malta – Conclusion

If you love historic buildings, unusual landscapes, religious, military, gastronomic or even filmographic heritage, Malta attractions are a great invitation to the island! Enjoy the food of the knights, learn the skill of the archers, and explore some of the oldest buildings in the world, all in the fantastic setting worth of the “Game of Thrones” universe! What else do you need for the extraordinary Malta holidays?

About Malta

Malta size: 316 km²

Malta population: 493.559 (2019 estimate)

Where is the island of Malta?

Malta is a country consisting of three main islands: Malta, Gozo, and Comino. They are located in the Mediterranean Sea, in Southern Europe, between Sicily and Libya.

How to get to Malta?

Air Malta is Malta’s national airline and offers the most extensive choice of air services to get to Malta. With 30 directly connected ports in Europe and, with partners, flying to/from more than 100 destinations, this airline provides easy access. Even the cheapest Air Malta fares come with a free baggage allowance.

Ryanair is another airline where you can find affordable flights bringing you to Malta airport in Luqa. However, beware that Ryanair fare might not include the baggage fee, and that could typically cost you more than your basic flight!

Personally, I love to use the Kiwi.com engine when looking for the best flights. Check it out, it could provide you with the cheapest way to experience a Malta vacation!

How to get around Malta?

Even if the island has good public transport connections, the recommended way to reach the best places in Malta is by car. Having your own vehicle will significantly simplify your planning, and you will be the master of your Malta day trips.

We rented our car at Auto Europe / Thrifty Car Rental. Our mini car cost us 36,79 Euros for a week. In addition, we’ve spent 30 Euros on petrol costs. To get the best available price, book through the world’s largest online car rental service.

If you are renting a vehicle, I do advise choosing a small car. You’ll thank me after you discover the width of Malta’s “two-way” streets and the relaxed local interpretation of where the middle of the road is. The craziest experience was also driving the car on steep side roads in Mellieha, as well as parking it in one hotel there. It had the weirdest spiral one-way entrance to the garage where a larger car would definitely get scratched! And yeah, our rental price was so cheap as we risked not taking insurance. In conclusion, if you take chances like us, then at least choose the car you can pull it off with!

For those of you who want to extend the journey to Malta’s sister island, it’s good to know that you can visit Gozo on day trips.

How many days to spend in Malta?

We explored the whole island of Malta back and forth for a week. If you want to experience only the top things to do in Malta as presented above, four full days should be enough! On the other hand, if you want to experience both the tops and flops of Malta tourism, you will find enough things to do in Malta for a week!

Malta weather

Malta’s weather is pleasant all year round. Being a Mediterranean country, it has hot and dry summers and mild and wet winters. Malta’s average temperature is 23 degrees Celsius in the daytime and 16 degrees Celsius at night. This makes it one of the warmest countries in Europe. Moreover, one can typically enjoy the summer weather in Malta from April to October.

Malta accommodation

For me, Sliema is the best area to stay in in Malta. Centrally located, this place is a great base to explore the island.

If you want to consider other hotels besides the recommended 1926 Hotel & Spa, look for the best Malta accommodation options here.

However, if you want to stay somewhere with a more homey feeling, Malta also offers cozy apartments, old farmhouses, luxurious penthouses and villas with pools through Vrbo.

If you liked this article on the 14 best things to do in Malta, pin our Malta guide for later!

Disclosure: My stay at the Hotel 1926 Malta, visit to Malta's heritage sites and Popeye Village, as well as participation in Falcon Archery course, were complimentary, but all opinions are my own.

Also, this post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, Pipeaway might make a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting our work!

The post 14 Best Things to do in Malta Before it Sinks appeared first on Pipeaway.

Unlike Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, or Phnom Penh, Vientiane resists the perception of the Southeast Asian metropolis as a bustling center of activity where the day never ends. On the contrary, Vientiane has a reputation as an utterly boring place!

When asked how many days in Vientiane one should reserve, many travelers would tell me that it was not worth visiting at all. At best, they’d give the capital city of Laos 1-2 days maximum.

I don’t take such comments for granted usually. I already found them wrong in the case of Cambodia, which also has a perception of “Angkor Wat, Killing Fields, and nothing else” country. So I decided to give a chance to Vientiane tourism and spend nine (9!) days in the “capital of boredom”.

These 20 best things to do in Vientiane will make you rethink visiting the Asian capital of boredom!

Indeed, practically at the beginning of the city’s touristic development, it turned out that the question “How long to spend in Vientiane?” should be answered with low numbers.

However, there are still interesting things to do in Vientiane City and around it, even if it means spending just a day there. This blog post contains my recommendations on what to do in Vientiane for 24 hours.

If you were struggling already with Vientiane pronunciation or even with finding the town on the map, I hope these 20 best things to do in Vientiane will make you rethink about visiting one of the rare capitals where you can still expect to be woken by roosters.

In this guide, learn where to go, what to see and do, where to eat, and where to sleep in Vientiane! Discover the main points of interest in Vientiane, the Laos capital’s attractions, best tourist spots and sites, and travel tips! These are the usual and the unusual, the best, cool, fun, and even weird things to do in Vientiane!

The best things to do in Vientiane in 24 hours

The best things to do in Vientiane in a day are organized through four sections in this guide: sightseeing (what to see in Vientiane), activities (what to do in Vientiane), gastronomy (where to eat in Vientiane), and accommodation (where to stay in Vientiane).

What to see in Vientiane

From morning markets to monuments and temples, Vientiane sightseeing can take you to landmarks that are lively places of gathering. The importance of these attractions often overgrows the city limits, and they are simply Vientiane’s must-see. Here are some of the best places to visit and things to see in Vientiane!

1. Pha That Luang Vientiane

Even if four kilometers away from the center, Pha That Luang is a tourist site that pops up on literally every list of things to do in Vientiane City.

This gold-covered building, also known as the Great Stupa of Vientiane, is one of the most important Buddhist monuments in Laos. They believe that Buddha’s breastbone is enshrined in it, so the place is considered sacred.

The foundations of the temple date back to the third century, but the original stupa was erected in 1566 when King Sai Setthathirath moved Laos’s capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. The stupa suffered many attacks over the centuries, so it went through many restorations as well.

Stupa’s pinnacle in the form of an extended lotus bud “growing” from the golden turrets reaches a height of 44 meters.

The cloister with miniature cross-shaped windows surrounds the stupa and contains a variety of Buddha images.

In the neighboring grounds, two wats (Wat That Luang Neua and Wat That Luang Tai) are home to gardens and statues, with a gigantic reclining golden Buddha stealing the spotlight.

The Golden Stupa is imprinted on the national banknote of Laos

Pha That Luang is the most popular during the Boun That Luang Festival. Thousands of pilgrims gather here during the three-day celebration that starts on the full moon of the 12^th lunar month (usually November). It is the final stop of the wax candle procession, a place where believers make offerings, give morning alms to Laos monks (tak bat), and enjoy the entertainment program with games, performances, and fireworks.

However, it’s worth visiting the national symbol of Laos at any time of year!

To understand how proud Laotians are of this religious landmark, check how they imprinted it on the 10.000 Kip banknote (1 Euro), the one you will use to pay for your entrance.

2. Patuxai Monument

Patuxai or Patuxay (Victory Gate) in Vientiane is a war monument unusually resembling L’Arc de Triomphe (Victory Arch) in Paris, France.

While France inaugurated its arch in 1836, in memory of those who died for the country in the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars, the Vientiane Arch opened in 1968 to honor those who fought against the French for Laos’ independence.

The whole setting is very borrowed. Avenue Lane Xang (Vientiane’s version of Avenue des Champs-Élysées) is a boulevard built by the French. The Chinese donated the fountain in front of the Patuxai Monument. Americans were the ones who gave funds and cement to expand the city’s airport.

But, ehm, the States sent the resources before signing the contract! Instead of building the runway that would serve US interests during the Vietnam War, the Lao Government decided to construct a massive triumphal arch. To this day, Lao people refer to Patuxai as “the vertical runway”!

With its 55 meters in height, Patuxai exceeds its Parisian inspiration by 5 meters. It has four gates instead of two, and five towers with golden decorations, built in a traditional Laotian way. Spiral staircases lead you through several floors of souvenir shops and bring you to the top.

Here, several blogs advertised “nice”, “great”, “the best”, “first-rate”, and even “stunning” views from the observation deck. I found this highly exaggerated. The Vientiane skyline is not that impressive!

In my opinion, Patuxai’s best selling points are its history and distinctly Laotian design. The decoration combines Buddhist symbols and Hindu gods, the mythical kinnaris and apsaras.

Access to Patuxai Park in the center of the “roundabout” is free. Many locals choose it for an evening walk or to rest on the benches. Climbing to Patuxai Monument costs 3.000 Kip (30 cents).

3. Si Saket Temple (Wat Si Saket)

Wat Si Saket is the only temple in Laos that survived the Siamese invasion in 1828. While they destroyed a large portion of Vientiane, the Si Saket Temple at the beginning of Avenue Lane Xang managed to avoid the destiny of the other temples.

Erected in 1818 by King Anouvong, in the place of an earlier temple from 1551 (built by King Phothisararat), it preserved its original shape even after Siam’s attack, probably thanks to its design.

Just like Thai temples, its red roof has five tiers, but Wat’s central doorway faces the South, even if the Buddhist tradition dictates the East.

The temple’s most outstanding feature is its cloister with 6.840 Buddha figures of various sizes and styles, made in silver, bronze, stone, and ceramic. The real number of artworks varied according to the one who counted. It could be anything between two and ten thousand. If you have some spare time, try to count them yourself!

While some of the statues date back to the 15^th century, a Khmer-style Naga Buddha in the congregational hall (sǐm), which shows Buddha sitting on the cobra deity, supposedly dates back to the 13^th century.

Visiting Vientiane’s oldest surviving wat, which is not just a place of worship, but also a study ground for the novices that may become monks, is one of those unmissable things to do in Vientiane.

The entrance fee for Si Saket Temple is 10.000 Kip (1 Euro).

4. Haw Phra Kaew

Just across the street from Wat Si Saket, Haw Phra Kaew (also written as Hor Pha Keo and similar) is literally a “temple of the Emerald Buddha”.

This former royal temple housed a 66-centimeter statue carved out of a single jade stone from 1565 to 1779.

King Setthathirath brought Buddha’s figurine from Chiang Mai and built the temple to store it in the new capital.

When the Siamese pillaged Vientiane in 1779, they took the Emerald Buddha back and installed it in the same-named temple in Bangkok, where you can still see it today (Wat Phra Kaew).

As for Vientiane’s building that never changed its name, today it is a museum of religious artifacts and cultural treasures. Various Buddha statues (some as old as the 6^th century) and other relics are on display on the terrace and inside the sim.

Feel free to explore the surrounding garden too! You can find some magnificent carvings in the wood, as well as one of the two millennia-old jars from Laos’ unique and mysterious Plain of Jars! These treasures put Haw Phra Kaew on the list of the best places to see in Vientiane.

The ticket for Haw Phra Kaew costs 10.000 Kip (1 Euro).

5. That Dam

That Dam or Black Stupa is a rare Buddhist landmark from the 16^th century. Placed at the roundabout where Rue Chanthakhoumane and Rue Bartholonie cross, the monument does not look as spectacular as when they constructed it.

Supposedly, it was initially covered in real gold, which didn’t survive the Siam pillage in 1828. The black layer also decayed with time and exposed the bricks. With more natural vegetation slowly swallowing the monument, it might need to change its name to Green Stupa in the future.

The legend says that a seven-headed Naga, a snake-like creature, was guarding the site. It seems it didn’t manage to protect it from the robbers and the crumble that followed.

6. Wat Si Muang

Wat Si Muang is Vientiane’s most popular temple. Buddhists believe that their wishes get granted here. They visit the temple to ask for good luck, and then again to make the offerings when their prayer gets answered.

The temple was named after a young and pregnant Laotian woman who sacrificed her life to calm the angry spirits at the construction site. She jumped into a hole, and then they built a massive city pillar over her body.

This made it possible to raise the temple structure in 1563 (during the reign of King Setthathirat). After Siam’s destructive attack, the hall was rebuilt in 1915.

Besides the pillar site, the home of the guardian spirit of Vientiane, the seated stone Buddha that survived the troublesome year of 1828, also fulfills the requests. Today, Vientiane people lift the statue off the pillow three times while thinking of their wishes.

Another way to please the gods is by releasing one of the caged birds sold by the local vendors. Sadly, tourists find this action social media-worthy. Beware that, by joining it, you are stimulating the little industry of imprisoning these birds!

Wat Si Muang is the starting point of the procession during the Boun That Luang Festival.

7. COPE Visitor Center

COPE is the Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise. This charity aims to provide access to rehabilitation for the victims of the so-called Secret War.

From 1964 to 1973, the American air forces dropped more than 270 million bombs on Laos! That is a planeload of bombs dropped every eight minutes for nine years, non-stop! Laos was bombed more than the whole of Europe during the Second World War!

While the US was targeting the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the supply route for Vietnam, the actual victims of the 2,5 million tons of bombs were the people of Laos. The unexploded ordnance (UXO) kills or injures one Laotian almost every day!

COPE Visitor Center in Vientiane is housed at the National Rehabilitation Center on Khouvieng Road. This free museum uncovers the tragic stories of the most heavily bombed country in the world. It portrays the effects of the bombings and the struggle of the survivors. It also explains the support system for the victims in need of prosthetics, wheelchairs, and rehabilitation therapy.

In the shadow of the Vietnam War, Laos became a massive minefield. A third of the bombs never detonated! They cleared less than 1% of these! This omnipresent danger, especially in the rural areas of Laos, takes its toll, especially on children.

The exhibition displays the artificial limbs, but also the repurposed bomb materials and other military props that in this developing country become cutlery, lamps, or even boats.

Scavenging for treasure is a dangerous ordeal. If you wish to support the education and rehabilitation of Laotians in need, donations as well as purchasing souvenirs in the COPE shop are always welcome!

8. Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan)

Xieng Khuan (Spirit City), better known as Buddha Park, is a tourist attraction on the bank of the Mekong River, some 25 kilometers southeast of Vientiane. It is essentially an open-air sculpture park with numerous representations of both Buddha and Hindu deities.

Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat is the creative mind behind Xieng Khuan. He was a mystic and a sculptor, a shaman, and an eccentric artist.

He developed his own spiritual brand after he fell into a cave and met a hermit Keoku, who mentored him. Bunleua Sulilat integrated Hinduism and Buddhism.

In 1958, he opened this park filled with more than 200 sculptures made by himself and other non-trained artists.

After the communist revolution in 1975, he fled to Thailand. In Nong Khai, literally on the other side of the Mekong, he opened a similar sculpture park named Sala Keoku.

A fall from one of his giant sculptures added to his health problems, and he died in 1996. His mummified body was enshrined at the Thai park.

Bunleua’s sculptures made of reinforced concrete impress with their size. Vientiane’s Buddha Park’s most popular part is a three-story-high pumpkin building, which one enters through the demon’s mouth. Another piece of art that impresses with its size is a reclining Buddha that is 40 meters in length.

There is not much written information about the artworks at Xieng Khuan. One needs to wander through this mythological labyrinth and unriddle the religious scenes depicting gods, animals, and humans by oneself.

While there are organized excursions to Buddha Park, the cheapest (and effortless) way to reach it is by taking a public bus number 14 from Talat Sao Bus Station. A one-way ticket for a one-hour ride costs 8.000 Kip (80 cents). The entrance to Xieng Khuan will cost you 15.000 Kip (1,5 Euro).

What to do in Vientiane

Sightseeing is one thing, but active holidays genuinely add up to the experience you will remember! Here are some of the extraordinary things to do in Vientiane! These activities in Vientiane should not be missing from your itinerary!

1. Learn Muay Lao

For active holidays in Vientiane, you need to try Muay Lao! This kickboxing sport has similarities with Muay Thai in Thailand, as well as with the Cambodian form of boxing called Pradal Serey.

At Muay Lao Experience, your teacher is Khampanath Kounlavong, Lao national champion. Now in his sixties, he can still teach you a punch or two. If you join the evening class, you can train your technique with young local Muay Lao students!

This unique self-defense training experience will cost you 25 USD (22 Euros). It will provide you with two hours of training with the masters.

2. Experience the traditional Laos massage in Vientiane

Spending some time in a spa in Vientiane is one of the things you should put on your ‘to-do’ list when visiting the Laos capital.

You can opt for some luxurious treatment in one of Vientiane’s high-class hotels (such as Crowne Plaza Vientiane) or try your luck with cheaper experiences in standalone spa salons.

A visit to a traditional herbal sauna is a very Laotian predecessor to the massage. It consists of steaming in the fragrance of herbs in the traditional sauna building. Once your muscles have loosened up, Laos massage will apply pressure on specific body points and relieve the knots you may have.

If you are looking for a happy ending massage in Vientiane, know that any sexual contact between foreigners and Lao nationals is illegal! If you still want to risk going to prison and paying fines (which is certainly not the best “happy ending”), you can find the points of pleasure in Vientiane’s Red Light District, around Kamphengmeuang Road.

3. Stretch and meditate

For those of you who cannot imagine staying in Laos without some proper stretching, there are a few interesting places in Vientiane where you can practice yoga. Vientiane Yoga Studio and Nomad Yoga & Detox are the two most centrally located establishments.

For a more active stretching exercise, you can check the aerobic dance classes on the Mekong Promenade. For less than a dollar, you can join the morning or evening class with Thai pop as a musical background.

At the end of the week, you will want to find some peace and quiet. Every Saturday, at 3 pm, novice monks at Wat Sok Pa Luang will readily exchange some knowledge on meditation for a conversation in English.

4. Shop at the Vientiane Night Market

Vientiane Night Market stretches through Chao Anouvong Park, along the Mekong Riverfront.

After 6 pm, and then until 10 pm, red-roofed stalls pop up selling anything from shoes to T-shirts, from handicrafts to electronics.

Even without haggling, one can find pieces of clothes for 10.000 Kip each (1 Euro). Everything is already a bargain, but feel free to haggle-stretch your dollars even further!

For daytime shopping in Vientiane, visit the Morning Market or Talat Sao on Lane Xang Avenue. It opens at 08:30 am.

5. Explore Vientiane’s nightlife

Like other places in Laos, Vientiane also practices the midnight curfew. However, some locations do stay open until late. In the case of Vientiane nightlife, this means that the party life will die out at 2 or 3 am.

The same as in Luang Prabang, the bowling alley is one of the favorite places to enjoy some beer and loud music. Lao Bowling Center in Vientiane officially closes at 2 am, but the time here is flexible.

Karaoke is one of those typical things to do in Vientiane at night! Vientiane’s karaoke scene is typically attached to restaurants, bars, and hotels. You shouldn’t have a problem finding the KTV entertainment of your preference!

For other late-night parties in Vientiane, check out places such as Moonlight Lounge, Easy Bar, or Samlo Pub. The LGBTIQ community can have fun in CCC Bar, the only gay bar in the Laos capital!

6. Day trips from Vientiane

Some of the best things to do in Vientiane are the things to do around Vientiane. If you are up for excursions, there are plenty of interesting places near Vientiane, where you can enjoy waterfalls, lakes, and caves. You can do some hiking to Wat Dane Soung temple in the jungle, ride a bicycle to Tad Moun Waterfalls, or take a boat ride on Nam Ngum, the largest lake in Laos. If you want to cool off in Phou Khao Khouay National Park, its waterfalls, Tad Leuk and Tad Xay, are waiting for you!

Where to eat in Vientiane

Vientiane’s restaurant scene has developed quite well in recent years. Answering where to eat and what to eat in Vientiane, therefore, became an uneasy but exciting task! In this Vientiane eating guide, I propose to you where to find the best food and places to eat in Vientiane downtown.

1. Breakfast @ Scandinavian Bakery

If you are looking for the best breakfast in Vientiane, Scandinavian Bakery just across the Nam Phou Fountain tops the charts.

Since 1994, the first European bakery in Laos has offered freshly baked loaves of bread, cakes, and pastries.

Every year, they produce an incredible 324 kilometers of baguettes!

Enjoy your Swedish Semla, Danish pastries, or banana bread in the air-conditioned space! Top it all with a cup of coffee! It’s a great way to start the day of sightseeing in Vientiane!

For a deeper overview of Vientiane's cuisine, join this gourmet safari with the Hungry Tuk Tuk that brings you to local restaurants, hole-in-the-wall eateries, markets, factories and outdoor kitchens for just 17 euros!

2. Lunch @ Belle Epoque Brasserie

This French restaurant is housed in Vientiane’s Settha Palace Hotel, a historic building next to the Laos National Stadium. The colonial architecture from 1932, with traditional interior décor, from the tablecloth to the art on the wall, provides a classic charm and elegance for romantic lunches and dinners in La Belle Epoque Brasserie.

The restaurant offers traditional Lao food, as well as classic French cuisine. You can also taste the new chef’s dishes. They could range anywhere from roast beef fillet with fondant mashed potatoes to pineapple cannelloni!

Personally, I enjoy their starters! Scallop ceviche with mango and grapefruit, beautifully served in the form of a flower, is sharp on the tongue and the perfect intro to lunch. Pan-seared foie gras is soft like butter and is equally enchanting!

Whether you choose a gentle and delicate Dory fish or a more substantial rack of lamb with eggplant caviar, La Belle Epoque Restaurant delivers some great meals. These put them among the top 10 restaurants in Vientiane!

The main thing I can object to here is the use of plastic straws for their juices and cocktails. There are certainly alternatives today! A five-star hotel such as Settha Palace should lead by example in the fight against plastic pollution.

If you need a ride from La Belle Epoque back to your hotel, make sure you ask for the London cab parked in front of the Settha Palace. A retro-style journey is a fun way to end your extraordinary meal experience!

3. Dinner + cocktail @ The Spirit House Bar & Restaurant

The Mekong riverfront is a magical sunset spot! Twilight hours are perfect for clouds and people-watching. Everyone comes to the Vientiane river banks – to eat, drink, and hang out!

One riverside restaurant elevates the gastronomic experience of the Vientiane food scene with an excellent cocktail offer!

The Spirit House is a bar/restaurant managed by Fling Bar Services. A successful team of hospitality operators left their traces in 40 countries around the world! Under their creative control, The Spirit House developed a distinctive signature that combines contemporary craft cocktails with modern Asian tapas. Therefore, it has its place among the best restaurants AND the best bars in Vientiane!

If you imagine a slow night of exploring the flavors of Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar, while the world passes by the cozy front garden, The Spirit House may have just enough surprises that will match or surpass your expectations!

Food and cocktails with a twist

Kai Hin is an absolute must-try! This traditional crispy snack from the North of Laos is a river weed pressed into sheets, soaked with aromatic dressing, topped with sesame seeds, thin slices of garlic and tomato, and dried in the sun.

A more modern variation of delicious food you may expect here includes the brie cheese baked with bacon and onions, and served with spiced mango sauce and garlic pitta.

Another version could be the chicken Buddha bowl, as a twist on the healthy and raw food movement. It puts grilled meat, eggplant, roasted carrots, green olives, avocado, and tomato salsa on the couscous bed.

If you want more raw vegetables, opt for The Spirit House Crudités! This signature dish is served in a silver bowl typically used for temple blessings!

A visit to the Spirit House is not complete without trying some original cocktails that brought them some prestigious prizes. One of them is Mai Lao, the local rice whiskey balanced with orange, apricot, almond, and fresh pineapple juice.

For her twist on the classic recipe, Phimalay Xengthip Gip won the Best Drink award at the Lao Food 2018 Expo. She also became the first Lao finalist ever in an international cocktail competition – at the Singapore Championship, she claimed fourth place!

Other popular cocktail-sipping options include The Ultimate G&T (with a large Campari ice cube), the Mekong Mule (with fresh coriander and Asian ginger), or Pii Dip (a jungle play on the classic Zombie cocktail).

More recommendable restaurants in Vientiane, Laos:

Try Vientiane street food at Ban Anou Night Market, a small but reliable food market on Rue Phai Nam. I especially recommend Pan Mieng, the salad wrap with peanuts and sticky rice! Han Sam Euay Nong or Three Sisters Restaurant on Rue Chao Anou is a cheap and excellent place to try Tam Maak Hoong (papaya salad), or rice noodle dishes such as Feu or Khao Poon! For Indian and Pakistani food, head to Jamil Zahid place, while for the full Indochina experience, head to exclusive 3 Merchants in Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Where to stay in Vientiane

Vientiane accommodation comes in a variety of options, ranging from cheap guesthouses to 5-star hotels. Whether you are searching for the best hostels, nice boutique hotels, or upscale luxury accommodations in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos can deliver.

1. Lao Poet Hotel

The sleek black building in Rue Hengbounnoy is the newest addition to Vientiane’s growing list of boutique hotels.

Lao Poet Hotel opened in late 2018, with 55 rooms and suites, an on-site restaurant and bar, as well as a rooftop swimming pool.

This member of the Secret Retreats family brings the urban jungle into the hotel concept. Both rooms and common spaces take inspiration from the tropical climate, flora and fauna of the region. Botanical elements, as well as a real plant in the bathroom, decorate guests’ premises.

With green and purple colors dominating the walls alongside vintage photographs, crystal chandeliers and ornamental carpets, velvet chairs, and staff uniforms, the hotel presents the elegance of the 1930s Indochina in a modern way.

Lao Poet Hotel is housed in the former residence of a famous Laotian poet, Maha Keo. Mrs. Lamphoune Voravongsa, who previously created the Satri House in Luang Prabang, hoped that the hotel would build on the legacy of creativity and inspiration. Indeed, it does give an impression of a perfect writer’s retreat if you wish to finish that novel of yours!

Chasing business traveler’s dreams

Guests of Lao Poet Hotel can expect quite a few free add-ons to their booking! From welcome fruit to daily replenished minibar drinks, from the use of bicycles to enjoying the sauna and the 15-meter-long infinity pool on the 8^th floor, the list of complimentary amenities and services can brighten up your smile.

Hotel breakfast offers simple, fulfilling meals, such as Asian noodle soup, congee, eggs, or muesli. While food-filled porcelain looks appealing, I believe breakfast can be improved, from visual presentation (does French toast need cucumber garnish?) to the freshness of products (could croissants melt the butter with their warmth?). Fruit platter and yogurt here get delivered as fruit in yogurt, no questions asked.

With upgraded breakfast and Internet speed, Lao Poet Hotel has the chance to anchor itself as a prime choice for business travelers looking for Vientiane hotels near the Night Market and other attractions of the capital.

For booking this accommodation, check the best available rates at Lao Poet Hotel here!

2. Barn1920s Hostel

If you are looking for a beautiful place to stay in Vientiane, but your budget is limited, staying at a hostel could be a solution!

Barn1920s Hostel is a new addition to the Vientiane backpacking scene.

Situated just at the beginning of Ban Anou Night Market, it’s a convenient choice! Especially if you love sampling Laos street food at walking distance!

Barn1920s Hostel opened its doors in a refurbished house from the start of the 20^th century. While it responds to most expectations of a contemporary hostel traveler, the retro vibe was implemented in the concept of the hostel.

It’s not so consistent for the period. The Crosley gramophone plays music mainly from the 1950s and 1960s. Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, and the Bee Gees are some of the voices one can hear.

While the idea behind it may not be the authenticity, Barn1920s plays with vintage imagery, such as old-style clocks, rotary dial telephones, and even staff’s clothing, to create a likable time machine for its guests.

The most popular area of the hostel is the Drip1920s coffee house. It’s a place to try some great coffee, with beans coming from Rwanda, Kenya, Indonesia, Brazil, Colombia, and Ethiopia! One can also enjoy cakes and sandwiches in the offer, or take some free self-service noodles and tropical fruit from the kitchen, available beyond the official breakfast hours!

While the lobby and the living room area abound with colorful art, rooms in the detached house come in surprisingly brownish “grayness”. Dorms sleep four or more, beds are curtained, and provide enough space. The semi-open bathroom gets regularly treated for mosquitoes.

For booking this accommodation, check the best available rates at Barn1920s Hostel here!

3. Crowne Plaza

If you can stretch your bucks into a splurge department, Crowne Plaza is a five-star hotel that is worth paying extra for.

With plentiful dining options and high-end room amenities, recreation & rest possibilities, a large infinity pool, and a well-equipped gym, this landmark hotel puts Vientiane on the global map of high-quality luxury accommodation.

Read the full review of Crowne Plaza, the first-class hotel experience in Laos, here!

For booking this accommodation, check the best available rates at Crowne Plaza hotel here!

Top 20 things to do in Vientiane, Laos – conclusion

While this blog post focuses on the things to do in Vientiane in 24 hours, it asks you to make your own selection of attractions and activities in the capital city of Laos.

If you decide on the entire list of the best things to do in Vientiane (especially if you intend to check all accommodation or food options), you can easily spend three days in this city.

Is Vientiane worth visiting? It might be the least hectic of all Southeast Asian capitals. Adequately, falling in love with its temples, markets, history, and gastronomy requires a slow tempo.

But Vientiane today is certainly not the capital of boredom. It is worth visiting not just as a transfer point in your Asian itinerary.

Rushing through the Laos capital will certainly not let you discover how fun, unusual, and cool it can be. Consume your Vientiane trip slowly, and you will be rewarded!

VIENTIANE FACTS

Elevation: 174 m
Population: 820.000

Where is Vientiane located?

Vientiane is located in north-western Laos, on the eastern banks of the Mekong, just at the border with Thailand.

What does Vientiane mean?

The meaning of Vientiane’s name is “the city of sandalwood”. Chantha/Tiane is also a Pali word for the moon, the Earth’s satellite that adorns Laos’ national flag and is believed to be the origin of the Lao people.

When was Vientiane founded?

Vientiane was founded during the late 13^th century. However, Vientiane’s history dates back at least to the 10^th century, since when it has been continuously inhabited.

How to get to Vientiane?

Vientiane Airport (Wattay International Airport) is not a major international hub. If you choose to fly to Vientiane, you may end up spending much more money than you first expected (for the cheapest flights, check out this link).

Airlines flying to Vientiane are Thai Airways, Lao Airlines, Bangkok Airways, Vietnam Airlines, Cambodia Angkor Air, AirAsia, China Eastern Airlines, Lao Air, and Lao Central Airlines.

Instead of flights to Vientiane, you can check flights to Udon Thani in Thailand, as this may end up cheaper. You will only need to take a 2-hour bus and cross from Thailand to Vientiane via the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge.

If you are looking for flights from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, Lao Airlines and Lao Central Airlines offer daily connections. The distance from Vientiane airport to Vientiane city center is 4 kilometers. There is an airport shuttle bus operating. The fare is 15.000 Kip (1,5 Euro). If you prefer a convenient private transfer, book this air-conditioned minivan for about 10 Euros.

The cheapest way to travel to Vientiane is by bus. Depending on your town of departure or destination, you will use the Northern or Southern Bus Terminal, or the Central Bus Station at Talat Sao (Morning Market).

If you travel from Vientiane to Luang Prabang or Pakse, expect to spend 10-12 hours on the bus. A shared shuttle from Luang Prabang promises a transfer in 8 hours.

Buses from Vientiane to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh will take 25 hours, while the ride from Vientiane to Hanoi lasts 22 hours.

When to visit Vientiane?

The best time to visit Vientiane is in December and January, the driest months of the year.

The warmest month of the year is April, when Vientiane’s average temperature is between 25 and 36 degrees Celsius.

Vientiane’s humidity reaches its maximum in August (76,9 %).

How safe is Vientiane?

Laos is not a dangerous country in general. However, where there is poverty, there is also a risk of individuals engaging in petty theft. Bag snatching sometimes occurs, like in other Southeast Asian countries.

Tourist information Vientiane

For information on tourism options in Vientiane, visit the Tourism Information Center on the first floor of the Tourism Section building on Lane Xang Avenue.

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Disclosure: My stay at Lao Poet Hotel, Barn1920s and Crowne Plaza was complimentary or discounted, as well as the meals and drinks at La Belle Epoque and The Spirit House, but all opinions are my own.

Thanks to HotelierIQ, for facilitating the stay at Lao Poet Hotel!

Also, this post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, Pipeaway might make a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting our work!

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In literal translation “Royal Buddha Image”, the city was named after the 83 cm-high Buddha statue they elevated to cult proportions. This palladium is now housed in the Royal Palace Museum. It represents just one example of how political and religious powers intertwined in seven centuries of Luang Prabang history.

The particular mixture of natural and cultural wonders makes Luang Prabang irresistible

Since 1995, this spiritual center of Laos is protected as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The particular mixture of natural and cultural wonders made Luang Prabang attractions irresistible to international tourists. Well, at least when Laos allowed their arrival in 1989.

Many of these tourists are coming from one country in particular. Surrounded by the specific French Indochina architecture, the scents and flavors of la cuisine and omnipresent baguettes, the tourist hordes that just flew in from Paris, and even Italian restaurant staff speaking en français, I felt that colonization was happening again. While the heritage that the French left undoubtedly contributed to what this town represents today, my list of attractions in Luang Prabang tries to focus on the most authentic Laos experiences.

I hope these Luang Prabang travel tips will help you make choices on what to see and do in Luang Prabang and create the itinerary that will fit your needs.

For a deeper dive into Laos, prepare your trip with this 320-pages travel guide!

THE BEST THINGS TO DO IN LUANG PRABANG

1. Observe the alms-giving ceremony in front of Luang Prabang temples

The almsgiving in Luang Prabang is an early morning religious ritual in which locals offer food to Buddhist monks.

Just before sunrise, between 5:30 and 6:00, hundreds of monks walk through the streets of Luang Prabang’s old town. In the ceremony known as tak bat, the silent monks of Luang Prabang collect the gifts of food, usually Laos’ favorite sticky rice, in a bowl strapped around their shoulders.

Tak bat ritual has sadly become a major tourist attraction. This brought a whole set of problems, especially in these Instagram-obsessed times. Monks and locals became the targets of hundreds of paparazzi amateurs.

These image-hunters often show a complete lack of respect for the ceremony that should be about respect only. Flash photography, inappropriate clothing, touching the monks… The list of possible sins goes on and on. And on.

Witnessing tak bat is one of the unmissable things to do in Luang Prabang. But try to learn humbleness from monks, and don’t treat the experience as a human zoo.

Even if your best bet would be to station yourself in front of some of the temples on Sisavangvong Road, you could opt for detouring to some of the side streets or even neighborhoods. Ask your hotel about the possibilities! Almsgiving ritual away from the cameras and lined-up tourist herds is a much more authentic experience.

If you want to combine the alms-giving ceremony with a historical tour of Buddhist temples, check this tour!

2. Start your day with Luang Prabang Yoga

After witnessing the monks’ walking meditation during the almsgiving, it’s time to dedicate the next part of the morning to your well-being!

Yoga classes on the open-air deck of the riverside bar Utopia have gained almost cult status in Luang Prabang. Every morning at 7:30, dozens of amateurs and visiting pros show up for their daily dose of yoga.

The deck overlooking the Nam Khan River already had to be enlarged, as the interest is humongous. Consider arriving early, unlike me, as at 7:30 not even a needle can fit between the yoga mats!

Or… A better solution might be to visit Sena Studio. It is a newer yoga space above the Sena Restaurant on the main street! Julie, the creative brain behind Luang Prabang Yoga, is the person organizing these sessions too! Sena has afternoon classes which start at 5:30 pm and their advantage is that no bad weather can cancel them!

Typically, an hour session costs 40.000 Kip (4 Euros), and there are discounts for regulars. If you fall in love with drop-in sessions, you may even consider joining yoga retreats they organize once a month!

3. Buy rats and other snacks at the morning food market

I’m not the most familiar with rodents anatomy, and a woman selling them is not the most familiar with English. So I can only assume that the most extreme offer of edibles on Luang Prabang’s Morning food market was – rats.

Piled on a banana leaf, just next to a tower of tortillas and a sea of fish, their crumpled legs, long incisor teeth, and lifeless eyes lure passers-by for a meal deal of the day.

Luang Prabang morning market is a lively event, worth visiting even if you don’t plan on buying anything. From grilled pork’s intestines and cooked silkworms to a more bearable myriad of vegetables and live poultry, this place bursts with colors, sounds, and smells.

The meat is often chopped live in front of you. Some you can quickly identify. Some are a mysterious puzzle of shape, size, and even hair! Play a game of guessing, and the food market experience will be one of your most entertaining Luang Prabang activities!

The market is open every day, from 8 am until 4 pm. Try getting there early, when the mood is in full swing!

4. Hike Luang Prabang waterfalls

Tad Kuang Si is considered to be a group of the most beautiful Laos waterfalls! Set in the jungle, some 29 kilometers southwest of Luang Prabang, Kua­ng Si Falls (sometimes spelled Kuang Xi) provide three tiers of tropical paradise setting.

In the December-May period, minerals from the limestone rocks give water a milky turquoise blue color. In the rainy season, there might be much more water, but it will also be – brown!

While the main fall has a 50-meter drop, the smaller falls create ideal swimming holes. As long as you are not sensitive to the lower temperature of the water, you will enjoy dipping in these natural pools on a warm day!

Otherwise, you can just enjoy the view of the cascades from the wooden footbridges, conquer hiking trails, or visit the Bear Rescue Center, Luang Prabang sanctuary for several dozen moon bears rescued from the bear bile farms.

To avoid the crowds at the Luang Prabang sightseeing jewel, try to get to the waterfalls early, and on a weekday. The waterfall area opens at 8 am and closes at 5 pm.

The ticket for Kuang Si Falls costs 20.000 Kip (2 Euros). Most people arrive in songtaews (50.000 Kip or 5 Euros per person) or by joining some organized tour (this one is quite a good deal!).

If you are an independent traveler, you can consider renting a motorbike. I paid 110.000 Kip or 11 Euros for the day, plus a full gas tank 28.000 Kip or 3 Euros, and 2.000 Kip or 20 cents for the parking. If you do rent a motorbike, make sure to wear a helmet! Beware of the potholes and bumps in the road: there are daily accidents on the route!

If you want to do more trekking in the Luang Prabang area, consider visiting Pak Ou Caves and local villages! Another option is hiking the Thin Pha Trail and taking a swim at Tad Sae, another fascinating waterfall.

5. Learn to carve wood from the Royal Palace artisan

Wood carving is one of the oldest and greatest Laos skills. It dates back to the pre-Angkorian era. While the craft has been spread in the area together with Angkor temples and Buddhist wats, today the trade is dying off.

Mr. Lon used to carve the pieces at the palace for the royal family but then started teaching lay people the secrets of his trade. Making your own carving creation and bringing home a unique souvenir was a one-of-a-kind experience.

Thanks to the Backstreet Academy, the platform that provided unique and meaningful travel activities that create social impact, one could have an exclusive experience of wood carving, as well as participate in other programs that had a positive impact on the local community. Sadly, the platform ceased to exist after publishing this post, and I cannot confirm if this activity is still available in Luang Prabang.

6. Eat at fantastic Luang Prabang Restaurants

Surprisingly for the size of the town, the restaurant scene in Luang Prabang is very developed! It actually brings excellent gastronomical experiences to foodie travelers! Southeast Asian flavors combined with influences that arrived during the French colonization, have put Luang Prabang food under the well-deserved spotlight.

The Paste is one of the best restaurants in Luang Prabang. The joint venture of The Apsara hotel and Michelin-starred Paste Restaurant in Bangkok, this new establishment raised the bar for all Luang Prabang restaurants!

Led by the chef Bee Satongun, crowned as the best female chef in Asia in 2018, The Paste defends the proportions of 80 % tradition – 20 % innovation. Luang Prabang’s menu is based on the historical research of recipes of the polymath Phia Sing, the royal chef of Lao kings.

My own royal dinner started with a double entrée that included coconut cream wafers topped with traditional spiced king prawn relish, and crispy rice cakes with quail. Luang Prabang salad with Asian watercress, salted quails egg, cured fish eggs, and crispy sea kelp was my favorite dish of the evening. I also had to try Paste Bangkok’s signature curry of blue swimmer crab, hummingbird flowers, and turmeric, and it didn’t disappoint either! Red Ruby Dessert was a gentle cake combining the flavors of banana, coconut, and jackfruit, topped with a gold leaf crown.

Other top restaurants in Luang Prabang that I can recommend are Tamarind (see “the best things to do in Luang Prabang” no. 10), Dyen Sabai Restaurant (it has a beautiful riverside setting), Bouang Asian Eatery (I loved their special cinnamon pork stew, Parmentier style, accompanied by refreshing Beer Lao), and @phonheuang café (a simple and very cheap little place with traditional food).

7. Choose the best places to stay in Luang Prabang

It’s worth knowing that Paste is a part of The Apsara hotel. If you want to be able to lie down just after your meal, think about staying in this former rice warehouse, transformed into one of the best hotels in Luang Prabang.

Check The Apsara hotel’s best prices on this link.

But The Apsara has its younger sister just across the Nam Khan River, and it’s called (obviously) The Apsara Rive Droite (The Apsara Right Bank). Two sides are connected with a complimentary boat ride – the Apsarian Queen operates on guests’ demand.

If you prefer to go to Luang Prabang city center independently, there are bicycles you can borrow for free!

The best advantage of The Apsara Rive Droite is that this boutique hotel comes with an outdoor swimming pool in a peaceful setting. The spacious rooms have nice balconies and include daybeds. So after your whole-day Luang Prabang travel explorations, there are plenty of options to chill out at this accommodation.

If you want to stay in The Apsara Rive Droite, find their best prices here.

Check this Youtube video of The Apsara Rive Droite!

If Luang Prabang’s 5-star hotels and luxury resorts are out of your financial reach, you can still find an affordable but comfortable answer to the question “where to stay in Luang Prabang”.

Smile Luang Prabang Hostel is less than a 10-minute walk away from the Royal Palace. Its dormitories come with four to ten solid bunk beds separated with curtains for privacy and equipped with individual lamps. The prices here start at 6 Euros per night.

Smile Hostel is not just a place to kill an eye during the night. One can relax on the sun loungers in the garden, or socialize with other backpackers in the bar area. Who knows, maybe you’ll get to plan adventures together, which will additionally cut your costs.

With a decent amount of comfort, a simple breakfast served with a smile, and a helpful receptionist that will give you all the needed information (or bandages in case you do get to fall from that motorbike), Smile Luang Prabang Hostel has a well-chosen name and belongs among the best hostels in Luang Prabang.

For the most affordable prices, make your Smile Luang Prabang Hostel booking through this link.

8. Take a photo on the bamboo bridge

Temporary bamboo bridges connect the two sides of Nam Khan River and operate only in the dry season (November-April). With the rains, water gets high and washes the bridges away. At the next dry season, the bridges will replace boats again.

There are two such bridges in Luang Prabang. One is connecting the northeastern bottom of Phou Si hill (Wat Siphoutthabath) to the location of Dyen Sabai Restaurant. You can easily combine this crossing with one lunch or dinner! The other bridge is at the meeting point of Nam Khan and the Mekong River.

Besides their obvious functionality, bridges are an excellent photo opportunity.

The local families behind these continuous construction projects charge 5-6.000 Kip (50-60 cents) per crossing. After 6 pm, crossing the bridges is free.

9. Grow some rice on a Living Land farm

Living Land Lao is a community enterprise. This social collective was founded in 2005 with the idea of sharing the land and working on it together.

Today, this organic farm is offering travelers an opportunity to engage in the real traditional farming experience! This could include plowing the land with a buffalo, sowing seeds, harvesting rice, or cooking it.

The experience includes the hearty organic meal (sticky rice, of course!), the farmer’s hat, and tuk-tuk transfer from and to your hotel or guesthouse in Luang Prabang.

You can join the morning or the afternoon session in this idyllic countryside. Your hands-on Zen experience at Laos village will cost you 64 USD (60 Euros), and you can book it here.

If you like to be in the presence of large cattle animals, you will find loads of fun at Jakovlja, the annual Istrian Ox fair in Kanfanar, Croatia!

10. Take a cooking class at Tamarind

Now, this is the experience I didn’t have the time to try, but after eating at Tamarind Restaurant, I would have loved to learn how they make their delicious local specialties!

Honestly, their set dinner labeled “An introduction to Lao cuisine” is something you need to try before visiting any other restaurant!

This selection of highlights from Tamarind’s a la carte menu, will teach you some basics like how to eat sticky rice with your hands, but also open you up to a myriad of flavors that make Laos cuisine so unique.

This menu costs only 240.000 Kip (24 Euros) and serves two people. It consists of the infused Lao Lao shooter, bamboo and vegetable soup, a platter of Lao specialties (including the famous Luang Prabang sausage, river weed, dips, jeow, sticky rice…), herbed fish steamed in banana leaf, lemongrass stuffed with chicken, stir-fried young pumpkin with kaffir lime and ginger, and traditional Laos desserts accompanied by coffee or tea.

While the restaurant staff is accommodating in explaining the way to eat the food, I’m sure that cooking it by yourself would be an even more fantastic experience. The cooking class is set at Tamarind’s lakeside pavilions. It includes the pick-up and drop-off, the visit to the food market, and a six-hour class. This version costs 285.000 Kip (29 Euros) per person. And you get to eat all that you cooked!

11. Spend the afternoon at Wat Xieng Thong

Luang Prabang is indeed the temple town! There are 34 Buddhist wats in the Luang Prabang center. If you are a temple fanatic, you could spend days exploring them! The entrance to most of them is free!

However, if you have time only for one, pay a visit to Wat Xieng Thong! Located between Khem Khong Road and Sakkaline Road, close to the tip of the Luang Prabang peninsula, it is one of the most richly decorated temples in Laos!

King Setthathirath built this royal temple in 1559 and, unlike most of the other temples, this one was not destroyed and looted during the 1887 Black Flag Army invasion.

This is an excellent story for us because now we can witness some impressive temple architecture. The sim, the temple’s congregation hall, has been decorated with very detailed golden stencils on black lacquer. Notice the beautiful colorful back wall picturing a mosaic of the tree of life!

The chapels, the chariot hall, and other structures are also worth exploring. If you decide just to sit on one of the benches and observe the playful temple dogs or monk novices doing their daily chores in a relaxing garden setting, you’ll get a glimpse of what temple life is!

The entrance fee for Wat Xieng Thong is 20.000 Kip or 2 Euros!

12. Visit the Royal Palace

King Sisavang built the Royal Palace in 1904, during the French colonial era. After his death, Sisavang Vatthana ruled from here, as the last king of the Kingdom of Laos. The government took the place over after the communist revolution and opened the National Museum at the premises in 1995.

If you are interested in what kind of beds the royal family slept in or in what kind of cars they drove them around, this is the place to explore!

Even if the Palace is heavily marked with “no photo” signs, you will see most of the Luang Prabang tourists snapping pictures here with no problem. Bear in mind that only outdoor photography is tolerated so before you plan to enter the main exhibition space, deposit your camera in the locker.

Typical working hours of the most significant Luang Prabang museum, are from 8 am till 4 pm. But beware: they start closing some areas at 3 pm already! Also, know that they have a lunch break between 11:30 and 1:30.

The entrance fee is 30.000 Kip (3 Euros).

If you prefer seeing Wat Xieng Thong, Royal Palace, and other important city sights with professional guidance, consider joining this tour! If you want to add a Pottery Village in the itinerary, this morning tour is for you!

13. Climb Phou Si, Luang Prabang’s central hill

Phou Si is a 100-meter high hill in the heart of Luang Prabang. It is the town’s favorite spot for watching sunrise or sunset. Besides providing a Luang Prabang view from above, this mini-mountain is home to several Buddhist temples.

I climbed Phou Si in the morning, but one has to be aware that in the burning season, there is no breathtaking sunrise in Southeast Asia. Sure, on the top you can visit a temple and see the town from above. However, the location’s potential ends at being a mini hiking trip!

Most Luang Prabang visitors will climb Phou Si for sunset. But the top of the hill is quite a small place, so I can imagine the disappointment when the crowds start claiming their space, elbowing for the best spot. They will have to pay 20.000 Kip (2 Euros) for that privilege!

Don’t take things so seriously! Climb Phou Si because it is a hiking opportunity, and can bring you to some smaller temples and even a cave shrine. For the real Luang Prabang sunset, better go to the banks of Mekong. Sunset hunting is a great excuse to cross the river by boat, and explore the temples on the other side. Phou Si is much more beautiful when you watch it from some other place than from its own top.

Combine your Phou Si climb with local cuisine! On this tour, both breakfast/sunrise and dinner/sunset options are available!

14. Refill your water bottle

All this walking up and down will undoubtedly make you thirsty. And keeping hydrated in the tropical climate is essential!

The good news is that you do not need to buy a new water bottle every time you need a sip!

Luang Prabang is dotted with public refill stations, where you can get your bottle refilled, for free!

Download this handy Luang Prabang map of water refill stations, so you can find the closest one when the thirst hits! Keep hydrated while taking care of the environment too!

Every year, travelers in Laos consume 100 million disposable water bottles! Luang Prabang doesn’t need another plastic container you will use once and dump it!

Also, know that using plastic bottles means burning more waste. This is not just an enemy of your health, but also an enemy of that Phou Si sunrise you want to photograph so much! Join the plastic-free travel movement today!

Learn more about Jaya House RiverPark, the Cambodian hotel that initiated the project "Refill, Not Landfill"!

15. Experience Laos massage in Luang Prabang

Getting a body treatment in Luang Prabang is very easy. The traditional Lao massage is done in loose clothes and involves applying pressure that could be painful for some.

There are plenty of choices, and they all cost appropriately. The general rule of thumb is that there is a reason if a massage costs less. And that reason is not just competing on the market!

But even if you choose to visit some more expensive spa in Luang Prabang, you will still pay much less than what it would cost you back at home. So don’t get rapacious at cheap massage parlors! Afford yourself some experience you will remember.

If you want to skip the glamorous resorts and do something more meaningful, you can always opt for a massage at the Red Cross complex. They offer affordable massages, but also have a herbal steam sauna! It’s comforting to know you are not only getting a spa treatment. You are also helping fight poverty in Laos while pampering yourself!

16. Shop at Luang Prabang night market

If you are in a dilemma about what to buy in Luang Prabang, visit the Night market, and your difficulty will only multiply! Supposedly, it is one of the biggest tourist markets in Southeast Asia! It would be a shame not to include it in your list of things to do in Luang Prabang!

Every evening, between 5 and 11 pm, Sisavangvong Road gets closed for traffic. Red and blue tents start popping up and take the street over.

Vendors of all ages (from kids to grannies) come out with their sets of local handicrafts, souvenirs made of bombshells, paintings and aprons, toys and postcards, textile and jewelry, sausages and fruit shakes…

If you want to spend four and a half hours sampling local food delicacies, including beef stew, chicken-papaya salad, pork noodle soup, fish snack, and even a sweet soup, join the night food tour on a vintage tuk-tuk! The good news is that there is a similar tour catering for vegetarian and vegan travelers!

Several hundred stalls offering the most authentic Luang Prabang shopping opportunities become a packed labyrinth of temptations. Once you enter it, it is hard to leave this slow promenade of tourists observing and haggling among the red and blue tents.

17. Enjoy Luang Prabang nightlife

When searching for Google’s nightlife options on the Luang Prabang map, one will see that the offer is quite limited. And the properties that are listed as nightclubs close their doors at midnight! Luang Prabang bars must close by 11:30 pm!

If you are looking for that last drink of the evening in Luang Prabang city center, you can check Icon Klub or Utopia.

Most of the partygoers need to leave the city center if they want to extend their night. The most popular place is Luang Prabang Bowling Alley, as it stays open until 02:30 am! Sakura Bar and Muang Swa Night Club officially close at midnight.

Luang Prabang curfew is essentially an adaptation to the town’s cultural heritage. If monks and almsgivers (see “the best things to do in Luang Prabang”, tip number 1) can wake up early, you should be able to do it too!

The best things to do in Luang Prabang – conclusion

While there are undoubtedly numerous intriguing places to visit in Luang Prabang, the relaxed vibe of the town invites you to explore it slowly.

These may be the 17 best things to do in Luang Prabang according to my hands-on experience, but you are very welcome to get lost and create your own perfect Luang Prabang itinerary!

The unique blend of architecture, history, religion, gastronomy, customs, and natural surroundings build a solid basis for the development of Luang Prabang tourism in the future too. This is the jewel of Indochina, and the hunting season is open!

LUANG PRABANG ESSENTIAL INFO

Elevation: 305 m
Population: 55.000
Climate: tropical savanna

Where is Luang Prabang on the map of Laos?

Luang Prabang is situated in north central Laos. The city center is located on the peninsula at the meeting point of Mekong and Nam Khan River.

How to get to Luang Prabang?

Luang Prabang International Airport is connected domestically with Pakse and Vientiane, the capital. International flights from Luang Prabang are usually connecting via Bangkok, but airlines also offer connections with Chiang Mai, Siem Reap, and Hanoi. As the latest addition, since 2016, it is also possible to fly from Singapore to Luang Prabang. Taxis will take you from Luang Prabang airport to the city center; the prices are set. Check if your hotel can organize a free pick-up – mine (The Apsara) did! If not, another secure option is pre-booking a private transfer!

For the most affordable flights to Laos and Luang Prabang, check your options here!

Buses and minivans will take you to and from other Laos destinations and neighboring countries. The roads are in poor condition, and traveling is slow. A trip from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang will take 20 hours, the Hanoi-Luang Prabang ride will last 24 hours, while the route from Luang Prabang to Vientiane can take between 8 and 12 hours. One can go to Luang Prabang from Vientiane (and vice versa) with a stopover in Vang Vieng. I traveled the 340-kilometer road that way, and it was much more bearable!

The popular way of getting to Luang Prabang from Thailand is by boat. From Huay Xai on the Thai border, the slow boat trip to Luang Prabang takes two days, with a stopover in Pakbeng. Technically, it is possible to cut down the journey to 6 hours, if you take the speedboat, but many consider it dangerous.

In 2026, the Chinese are expected to complete the high-speed rail connection between China and Bangkok, which will also serve Laos stations.

When to visit Luang Prabang?

The answer to when to go to Luang Prabang indeed depends on personal preferences. Luang Prabang weather is subject to two distinctive seasons, so choose your experience according to that!

The dry season lasts from November till April, with the November-January period being the most popular among the tourists (expect higher prices!). The average temperature in Luang Prabang in January, the coldest month, is 20,5 degrees Celsius.

In May, one of the warmest months of the year, it will rise to 28,7 degrees. The record-high Luang Prabang temperature was 45 degrees Celsius!

If you decide to visit Laos in the rainy season (May-October), expect afternoon showers! In Luang Prabang climate, August is the wettest month! If you are looking for greener vegetation, abundant waterfalls, and cheaper accommodation, the best time to go to Luang Prabang is indeed the wet season!

How many days to spend in Luang Prabang?

If you are traveling through Southeast Asia, Luang Prabang is definitely worth visiting. It is a small, relaxed town, with no crazy traffic, unlike other Asian big names. For many tourists, it is one of the prettiest places in their SE Asia itinerary, so you should drop by!

How long should one stay in Luang Prabang? That is truly an individual choice. If you are mainly passing through and want to see Kuang Si Waterfall and some significant places of interest in Luang Prabang you could easily do it in two full days.

I stayed eight days in Luang Prabang and would have easily stayed even longer. During one’s Luang Prabang vacation, there are many things to explore, as well as food to taste, if you are into gastronomy!

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This post was originally published on March 22nd, 2019, and was updated on November 20th, 2023.

Disclosure: My stay at the Smile Luang Prabang Hostel, The Apsara and The Apsara Rive Droite, as well as dinners at The Paste and Tamarind were complimentary, but all opinions are my own.

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