Hue to Hoi An within 2 days

Two days from Hue to Hoi An, Vietnam, is a really short time for your exploration. It is because of many beautiful destinations of Hue City and Hoi An. So, when you visit these places, you have to plan your itinerary carefully with selected highlights to value your journey.

bun bo hue
Hue Beef Vermicelli Soup – Photo: Vietnamdrive

Many travelers start from Hue and move to Hoi An, but plenty of other guests travel from Hoi An to Hue City. Vietnamdrive combines two itineraries starting at different sites in this post to introduce them to you. If you want to do the opposite way of any itinerary, we can help you do it.

The detailed itinerary to explore Hue to Hoi An within two days

Day 1: Visit highlights in Hue

7:30 am, have breakfast: From the early morning, many restaurants in Hue City have been bustling with guests. A lot of dishes in Hue City will be served for breakfast. If you do not like to have breakfast at your hotel, a local restaurant with Bun Bo Hue at Ly Thuong Kiet street is a good choice to taste the excellent flavor of Hue. The price of one bolw is from 30,000VND – 50,000VND.p

8:30 am: Visit the Citadel: The Citadel, including Imperial Palace is located in the center of Hue City, around 1 km from Truong Tien Bridge, on the North Bank of the Perfume River. The Citadel is actually a complex of the royal palaces and the public houses, covering 520 hectares. The main places to visit are the Royal Places, including Noon Gate, the main palace Thai Hoa (Harmonious Supreme Palace), Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden Palaces), The Mieu Temple, Truong Sanh Palace.

Imperial Citadel, Hue City, Vietnam
Imperial Citadel in Hue City

This area takes you from 1 hour to 3 hours to visit, depending on what you want to see and the way to walk – more details or general views. I recommend you to spend 1 hour to 1.5 hours; that is good enough to understand this place and to save time for other sites.

If you use electric cars inside the area of Royal Palaces, you can reduce your time; but you have to pay for an extra charge. I recommend you to walk around here to enjoy more beauty of Hue. So, your soft shoes with low heels are advised to use for touring today in Hue City.

The entrance fee of VND 200,000 /person/time to visit the Royal Palaces and the Royal Museum of Antiquities. For visiting the museum, you go out of the royal palaces, not outside the Citadel; you turn right to 03 Le Truc Street.

If your travel time to Hue from October to February, you should carry a raincoat or umbrella while exploring the tourist sites here. It’s because it may be rain at any time.

10: 00 am: Visit Thien Mu PagodaLinh Mu or Heavenly Lady Pagoda is about 5 km from the city center, the most famous pagoda in the ancient capital on the North bank of the poetic Huong River. Coming here, you will admire a classical and lyrical architectural complex, with beautiful landscapes created by the river, peaceful villages, and mountains. Phuoc Duyen tower, Great bell, Main Temple, and tranquil pine forest make the pagoda lovelier and holier.

Although visitors are not religious Buddhist people, when entering here, they seem to be lost in the serene and dreaming space of a hundred years.

11:30: Have lunch: Hue is considered as the kingdom of cuisine in Vietnam because of many different dishes of local food, great flavor, and skillful decoration. Have lunch at a big restaurant with local food costs from 250,000VND for a full of a set menu. Or, you can choose a smaller place to enjoy your meal.

13:00: Go to Dong Ba market: Dong Ba Market is not only a large commercial center for the local people but also a famous tourist attraction of Hue. Visitors can find traditional items here such as Phu Cam conical hats, Hien Luong cutlery, and dried lotus seeds. Seeing the market to understand more about the local business style is one of the exciting experiences in this city.

14:00: Explore the Royal Tomb of Khai Dinh: This tomb is one famous monument in Hue, which has a modern and traditional style, and Western and Asian architecture. The surrounding of nature with mountains creates the perfect location for the forever home of Khai Dinh Kinh (1916- 1925). The internal decoration is recognized as the masterpiece of mosaic works, lively pictures, active birds that seem they are flying, and mysterious dragons in clouds.

15:30: Take a wall on the wooden bridge and taste of coffee: Wooden Bridge on the Perfume River is a highlight here. Walking on this bridge, taking pictures for memories of Hue, and tasting Vietnamese coffee at a lovely place are great to spend the peaceful afternoon. Enjoy a very Hue atmosphere with tranquil feelings and a slow life.

16:30 – 17:00: Come back to the hotel to relax.

18:30: Have dinner with food of royal style at Y Thao restaurant. This meal helps us know the food of the Royal Family (Nguyen Family) have during their time to control Vietnam. I highly appreciate a dish of fig salad at Y Thao Restaurant, which combines the bitter, hot, sweet, salted taste.

20:00: Taste local beer: Most of the guests to have a walk on Truong Tien Bridge (the symbol of Hue people) and Nguyen Chi Dieu walking street for relaxing and enjoying peaceful feelings. Truong Tien Bridge is outstanding and brilliant in the sparkling wings of thousands of colorful lights. And, I like to come to Vo Thi Sau Street to taste the local beer.

Day 2: Travel from Hue to Hoi An

Today, you travel from Hue to Hoi An City. On the way, there are many beautiful stops for visiting and taking pictures such as Hai Van Pass, Lang Co Bay, the Golden Bridge, Linh Ung Pagoda, and the Ancient Town of Hoi An. It is because of limited time; I give you two options for one day travel.

Option 1: Explore Hai Van Pass – Golden Bridge – Hoi An

8:00 am Travel to Hai Van Pass and Lang Co Bay: A private car is an excellent safe way to travel from Hue to Hoi An. You will drive through the countryside along Highway 1.

Stop to take pictures at Lang Co Bay listed one of the top thirty beautiful bays in the world. The settings of mountains and lagoons in the west, a fishing village in the middle, and the ocean in the east combine with beautiful Hai Van Pass in the South, creating a perfect picture of nature.

>>> You may want to check Truc Lam Bach Ma Monastery.

10:00 am: Take a rest in the top of Hai Van pass, where you can enjoy the fantastic landscape of the mountains and ocean on the dry days. Take time to enjoy the fresh air and taste a cup of coffee. I really like to rest in this area. But, when you take pictures and enjoy views, some sellers may follow you to try to sell their products. The skill to overcome this issue is to ignore them; do not ask how much for any things (because when you ask “how much”, they think you like their products, they continue going along with you).

Golden Bridge in Ba Na Hills
Golden Bridge in Ba Na Hills – Photo: Vietnamdrive

12:00 am: Visit Golden Bridge in Ba Na Hills. You buy a cable ticket to go up the hills of Ba Na to explore the famous Golden Bridge (Hand Bridge or Cau Vang in Vietnamese). This bridge is listed as the top destination in Da Nang City and Vietnam, and one of the unique architectural buildings in the world. Remember that you need to prepare a full battery of cameras. Admittedly, there are many beautiful corners there you should not miss. Besides, many attractive gardens and pagodas are worth visiting in Ba Na Hills.

Many restaurants in Ba Na Hills are available for your lunch.

16:00: Drive from Ba Na Hills to your hotel in Hoi An. You will take a rest at the hotel in Hoi An after walking a lot in Ba Na Hills. And, you may like to explore the colorful ancient town of Hoi An at night. Thus, option one will be finished at your hotel when reaching your hotel from Da Nang.

Option 2: Visit Hai Van Pass – Linh Ung Pagoda – Ancient Town – Hoi An

8:00 am – 10:00 am: You stop Lang Co Bay and the Hai Van Pass as the option 1.

11:00 am: Visit Linh Ung Pagoda in Son Tra Island. The tallest statue of Lady Buddha in Central Vietnam can find at this site. Panorama of Da Nang city can see from the pagoda as well.

12:00 pm: Have lunch at Madame Lan Restaurant at 4 Bach Dang Street, Da Nang City. This restaurant will give you a good flavor of Vietnamese food. But, if you want to taste seafood in Da Nang city, I recommend you check Be Man Seafood Restaurant. Many different kinds of fishes, clams, oysters, crabs, and shrimps are there to select for great lunch. Do not forget tasting them with local beer, Larue.

14:00: Visit the Ancient Town of Hoi An. After driving from Da Nang City, you come to Hoi An and stop to visit traditional handicraft village. This place offers you an overview of Hoi An’s traditional works of the local people from the past to the present.

Entering the center of the old streets, visitors find quite different feelings. The classic style of life, old buildings, and ancient colors cover the entire town, making travelers return and see past life.

  • Take pictures at the Japanese Bridge – a historical bridge considered as the symbol of Hoi An City.
  • Visit Tan Ky old house, one of the typical private residence, which still keeps the style of business home. You have an excellent chance to learn the life of Hoi An people.
  • Explore the Quang Dong Assembly Hall of Chinese people in Hoi An. A hall used to be a place for business meetings, but now is holy places for worshipping the gods for their belief.
  • Taste a cup of coffee at a restaurant on the bank of Hoai River to rest. Drinking coffee, and watching the life moving is a great time to spend in the old town of Hoi An.

14:30: Come to the hotel to take a rest before you come back to the old city to explore its beauty in hundreds of lanterns.

Conclusion

The itinerary of two days in Hue and Hoi An City has a lot of things to experience. Vietnamdrive selects the highlights of these destinations and exciting activities with the hope of giving you the most valuable itinerary.

Visitors can hire a private car and a driver to go with this itinerary; then you can save a lot of money, but still, have great holidays in Hoi An and Hue. If you want to book a package tour, you can give a request to us. The package tour has a higher price, but you get more chances to learn a more profound culture.

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    The editorial staff of Vietnamdrive is a team of travel experts managed by Mr. Thom who has worked in tourism for 14 years. Trusted by thousands of tourists from all over the world.