After spending a good 3 nights at Nha Trang, it’s time to head to the mountainous city of Dalat! It’s said that the French built Dalat to escape from the heat at Saigon. And so, my journey started from the SinhToursit office in Nha Trang. You can book from many tour agencies along the streets of Nha Trang. Do note that you get for what you paid for. The reliable companies you can try are SinhTourist, Mai Linh Express and Phong Trang. There are many fake SinhTourist companies there, so be sure to look for the original. It is located along Hung Vuong street.
Departure to Dalat requires you to report at the ticket office 30 minutes earlier to “check-in” and obtain your boarding pass. Just think it like the airport. The ticket to Dalat costs 139 000 VND. You can check the prices here at the company’s official website. Buses are generally comfortable and a bottle of water and a packet of wet wipes will be given to you.
The journey took 4 hours. The ride to Dalat is quite similar to the ride to Genting Highlands in Malaysia. The bus will make tight turns up the mountainous area. Upon reaching, the bus will alight it’s passengers at the SinhTourist office in Dalat. I’m not sure for the other companies. Apparently, only SinhTourist will only pick up and drop off it’s passengers at their ticket offices.
Upon reaching, I bought the city tour package of Dalat which cost only VND 200 000 (lunch included). To tour around Dalat, it is recommended to tour by a reputable agency as all the attractions are slightly out of town. And not to worry about accommodations. There will be many budget hotels around the vicinity of the ticket office. A decent room will cost you only VND 100 000 a night! Do note that due to the cooler climate of Dalat, some hotels do not have any air condition or even fans!
The hotel i crashed in do not have any, but for VND 100 000 a night, it’s not that bad. Climate in Dalat is really cool, about 20 degrees. At night, it may be as low as 15 degrees. It’s advisable to wear something warm and carry an umbrella around. I planned to stay in Dalat for 2 nights.
Dalat is easy to navigate around. It’s a small town. The only issue I have is finding a decent eating place. I had to walk about 20-30 minutes from my hotel just to find a decent restaurant to eat in. Food in Dalat is quite cheap, about the same price in Nha Trang. A decent Vietnamese dish can cost you 40 000- 50 000 VND. Also, the streets of Dalat are on an incline, so it’s like walking up and down a hill. The best place to eat is around the vicinity of the Dalat Market (Cho Dalat).
I spent my first day there just walking around the city, exploring the market (which sucks) and just chilling by the lake at night enjoying the cool breeze.
That tower at the back, kind of resembles the Eiffel Tower
So let’s (finally) get straight to the point. The City Tour! The tour started at 8am , with an excellent english speaking guide bringing us to the major touristic attractions is Dalat. Places of interest include The Valley of Love, Crazy House, Bao Dai Summer Palace, Dalanta Waterfall, Dalat Train Station and Truc Lam Meditation Temple.
1- Bao Dai Summer Palace. This is one of the palaces belonging to the last king of Vietnam. The palace is a 2 storey complex. Visitors are allowed to tour the whole place and take photos. There’s a horse ride outside too if your interested. On the way out, you will pass by a row of shops selling apparels and souvenirs. The shop owners may be a little persistent, but a nice no shall help if your’re not interested.
2- Crazy House. This is one of the most bizzare houses I’ve ever since. This house (apparently a hotel!) resembles a huge trunk with many link bridges across each other. It may also look like a log house, a spider web and a cave! I nearly got lost due to the complex link bridges. A word of caution: do be extra careful when crossing on the link bridges. It may be quite high (5-6 storeys) with steep steps and a very low handrail.
one of the rooms
view from one of the link bridges. yes, it’s really high up!
2 incredibly cute kittens!
3- Da Lat Train Station, a french designed train station that now only serves the village or Trai Mat. Tickets can be bought at the counter itself. Do note that there are scheduled departures. The Train station has a noticeable french architecture to it and a huge steam locomotive. A great place for pictures!
4- The Valley of Love. This is a popular spot for honeymooners and couples. The name says it all. This place has a really nice lake, view, setting that is just romantic. More over, there are many statues of “angels” around. The cool weather, peaceful setting really makes this place wonderful for couples.
venus de milo replica.
5- Dalanta Waterfall. There’s 2 ways you can get down to see the waterfall. By alpine coaster or by foot. Taking the alpine coaster will cost you 40 000 VND for a 5-10 minute ride. It’s similar to the one at Vinpearl, just a shorter journey.
6- Truc Lam Meditation Temple. We weren’t briefed much about this temple. Just a mere photo stop for us before ending the tour.
So that concludes my city tour of Dalat. Well, it wasn’t that much resourceful. The tour guide’s purpose is basically to just guide the bus driver and conduct head counts. Other than that, we didn’t really know much about the places we go. Well, that’s what you get for the price you pay. Overall, I think it’s better to sign up for a day tour to see the sights in Dalat. There are easyrider tours that have positive reviews, so should probably check that out!
Overall, I enjoyed Dalat more than Nha trang. The place isn’t touristy. The cool temperature is really cool enough for you to sleep in the night. I would recommend spending 2-3 nights here. Dalat has also a few activities to offer for those thrill seekers. You can do canyoning at about USD 45 under a reputable companies. Activities such as mountain biking, hiking and trekking!
Join me next as I head to the small beach town of Mui Ne!
Redd Wanderlust 