Da Lat is one of my favorite places in all of Southeast Asia, and my favorite stop in Central Vietnam. With quality hostels as cheap as $1.50 a night, waterfalls to explore around the countryside, and a maze bar to get lost in at night, it is a backpacker’s paradise. I highly recommend renting a motorbike to explore the area. It is by far the cheapest (and in my opinion the most fun) way to get around, although there are plenty of options to take busses and taxis if motorbiking doesn’t appeal. 

This is my guide for my favorite things to do in Da Lat from the three days I spent here.

MAZE BAR

An incredibly unique experience, you order a drink at the start of the maze and then wander and get lost as you look for the other half of the bar at the end. It was kind of like an adult jungle gym. After wandering for a bit we were able to find the end by following the faint sounds of music! We ended up at a lively bar a few stories up with a balcony overlooking the city. Definitely go with friends 😂. 

Read the full blog post: MAZE BAR DA LAT GUIDE

Weasel Coffee: ME LINH COFFEE GARDEN

This was a ton of fun. So this place is a weasel coffee farm, where they have weasels that poop out coffee beans that are used to make the coffee. It is perfectly sanitary and safe; the beans are already clean due to the weasels’ strict diets and then the beans are roasted at a high heat. The coffee was delicious (and incredibly strong), and they even gave us complimentary warm tea that was almost as good as the coffee! Afterwards we visited the weasels and explored the garden area, which has a fun playground and neat little photo spots overlooking the valley below.

Read the full blog post: WEASEL POOP COFFEE IN DA LAT GUIDE

ELEPHANT FALLS (THAC VOI)

Elephant Falls is truly epic and my favorite waterfall in the region. For 50 thousand dong (around $2 USD) a man will lead you past the gates to the edge of the cliff overlooking the waterfall. You can navigate down the paths from there to the river at the bottom, and you even climb behind the waterfall so that you can walk between the thundering falls and the cliff face. 

Read the full blog post: ELEPHANT FALLS (THÁC VOI) GUIDE

LINH AN PAGODA

Nearby Elephant Falls is a towering white statue of a Bodhisattva, Linh An Pagoda’s unmistakable landmark. The temple is a Buddhist meditation center, about a 45 minute drive from the Da Lat city center. We enjoyed walking around the area and marveling at the hugeness of the statue. You can find the location here.

CRAZY HOUSE

This place is a must visit if you travel to Da Lat. It’s a whimsical space designed by the architect Dang Viet Nga to emulate nature with buildings that look like trees and climbing pathways that scale the sides of the buildings and tunnel through them to hidden chambers and rooms. It is actually a hotel and you can stay the night here in fairytale-esque rooms, but visitors can simply enter just to explore the property between 8:30 AM and 6:00 PM for 60 thousand dong (around $3 USD). We spent a couple hours getting lost and wandering this fantastic place. You can find the location here.

PONGOUR WATERFALL

Pongour Falls is a short hike down from the parking area at the top of the Da Nhim river canyon. The falls are pretty, but you can’t climb on them because the area is now roped off. It is still a good spot for photos, and fun to explore and scramble around the rocky area at the bottom of the falls. There are food vendors at the bottom if you desire a quick snack, we bought some barbecue mystery meat on a stick when we were there (we hope it was pork). You can find the location here.

CENTRAL MARKET

We came here looking for some good Vietnamese street food for lunch and we were not disappointed. We ended up stopping at a stand where an old lady cooked us a mystery dish—we had no idea what it was because we could not speak Vietnamese. It was delicious, and we later found out it was Banh Beo, a traditional sausage and rice cake dish. We also loved walking around the vendor-filled market loop and ended up buying these Vietnamese pastries at a little stand on our way out that were insanely good. You can find the location here.

Best Cafe in Da Lat: AN CAFE

An Cafe is one of the prettiest cafes I have visited, with several terraced seating areas overlooking the street below, vines and trees woven in with the architecture, and a piano where people sometimes play calming background music while people sip their coffees (I did when I was there). They also have great food; I loved their avocado toast with sausage and eggs. You can find the location here.

Where We Stayed: DALAT FAMILY HOSTEL

I have stayed in my fair share of hostels, and Dalat Family Hostel is definitely one of the top three I have ever stayed in. Despite costing only $1.50 a night for a dorm bed, the facilities are excellent (the beds and showers are nice and there is even a pool and gym), the workers are incredibly helpful and friendly, and the social atmosphere is excellent. To top it all off, they even provide free transport to the maze bar every night. Definitely do the family dinner here; it was delicious and so much fun to talk to other travelers staying in the hostel.