Most travellers on the Vietnam north-to-south circuit give Hue two days. We arrived planning to stay three and stayed for a week. By Day Four, we had found a favourite café, a favourite restaurant, a cyclo driver who knew where to take us and a morning routine that began with egg coffee on the riverside and ended with salted coffee at Ca Phe Muoi that permanently changed the way we think about what coffee can be.
Hue is Vietnam’s former imperial capital — the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty for 143 years from 1802 to 1945, a UNESCO World Heritage City, home to the finest royal tombs in Southeast Asia and, in our view, after three months of travelling Vietnam from north to south, the city with the best regional food culture in the entire country. That is not a casual endorsement. Hue’s cuisine was developed for the Emperor’s table — precise, layered, deeply flavoured dishes that reflect 143 years of royal kitchens at their most ambitious. You can eat at a street stall in Hue and taste something that was once served to an Emperor. That is not something you can say about many places in the world.
We have structured this guide in two ways: a 3–4 day itinerary for travellers on the standard Vietnam circuit, and a full 7-day itinerary for those who want to go deeper. Both options are worth your time. The 7-day version will change the way you think about Vietnam.
Before You Start — How We Got Around Hue
Hue is a small city by Vietnamese standards and very manageable on foot, by bicycle or by cyclo for the central sites. For the royal tombs and the Thien Mu Pagoda — located 5–12km from the city centre — we recommend a combination of hired motorbike taxi (xe om), Grab, or a half-day guided tour. The Perfume River is the spine of the city, and most attractions sit either on its banks or within easy reach.
All entrance fees below are quoted in VND with USD and AUD equivalents. A significant combo ticket saving is available: the 4-site combo (Imperial City + Minh Mang Tomb + Tu Duc Tomb + Khai Dinh Tomb) costs VND 530,000 (approximately USD $21 / AUD $33) for adults and is valid for two days — considerably cheaper than buying individual tickets.
The 3–4 Day Hue Itinerary
If you have three to four days in Hue, this is the framework we recommend. It covers the UNESCO headline sites, the best food experiences and the Perfume River — giving you a thorough and genuinely satisfying visit without needing to rush.
Day 1 — The Imperial City
Start with the headline attraction on your first morning — arrive early, before the tour groups, and give it the full morning it deserves.
Morning — The Imperial City (Hue Citadel)
The Imperial City of Hue is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most extensive royal palace complex in Vietnam — a walled citadel of 520 hectares housing palaces, temples, gardens, gates and the Forbidden Purple City at its heart. It was the political, cultural and spiritual centre of Vietnam under the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945, and walking through it is one of the most historically layered experiences available to a traveller anywhere in Southeast Asia.
The history of the Imperial City is also a history of destruction and survival. Extensive restoration projects completed in 2025 reopened previously damaged sections — but the damage from the 1968 Tet Offensive, when the Battle of Hue destroyed large parts of the complex, is still visible in places. Only 10 of the original buildings survived intact. Standing in front of what remains — and what has been painstakingly restored — you feel the full weight of what was lost and what has been preserved.
What to see inside:
The Ngo Mon Gate (Meridian Gate) is the main southern entrance and one of the finest examples of Nguyen Dynasty architecture — a five-passage gate where only the Emperor could pass through the central opening. Civil personnel entered through the right passage, military through the left, horses and elephants through the outer side passages. These distinctions were not decorative — they reflected an entire cosmological and social order.
The Nine Holy Cannons flank the Flag Tower outside the main entrance — symbolic cannons representing the nine Nguyen lords, each named for a season or element.
Thai Hoa Palace — the Palace of Supreme Harmony — was where the Emperor held his most important audiences and ceremonies. The 80 lacquered red and gold columns supporting the roof are extraordinary.
The Forbidden Purple City at the very heart of the complex was reserved exclusively for the Emperor, his concubines and their children. No male beyond the Emperor could enter on pain of death. The buildings here were the most heavily damaged in 1968, and restoration is ongoing — but even in its partially ruined state, the scale is extraordinary.
The Duyet Thi Duong Royal Theatre — the Emperor’s private theatre — has been beautifully restored and performances of royal court music (Nha Nhac, itself a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage) are staged here regularly. Check the schedule at the ticket office.
Practical information:
Imperial City admission costs 200,000 VND ($8 USD) for adults and 40,000 VND ($1.50) for children aged 7-12, with operating hours from 6:30 AM to 5:30 PM daily. Children under 7 enter free.
Arrive at 6:30 am opening for the best experience — cooler temperatures, fewer crowds and the light on the yellow ochre walls at its most beautiful. Allow a minimum of three hours — four if you want to explore the outer courtyards and gardens thoroughly.
Our strong recommendation: Hire a local guide at the entrance for approximately VND 200,000–300,000 (USD $8–12). The Imperial City, without context, is impressive. With a guide who explains the cosmological significance of the layout, the daily life of the court and the events of 1968, it becomes genuinely moving.
Afternoon — Dong Ba Market and the Riverside Promenade
After the Imperial City, cross the Truong Tien Bridge to the north bank and spend your afternoon at Dong Ba Market — Hue’s main covered market and the heartbeat of the city’s daily commerce. The market sells everything from fresh produce and local specialities (banh khoai, nem lui, banh mi Hue) to silk, lacquerware and ao dai fabrics. The food section on the upper floor is one of the finest market eating experiences in Vietnam — point at what looks good and eat standing up.
The riverside promenade along Le Loi Street in the late afternoon, as the light drops over the Perfume River and the cyclos and motorbikes weave between the walkers, is one of those genuinely beautiful urban moments that Hue delivers without trying.
Our first food stop: Have dinner at Cozy Restaurant — consistently one of the top-rated restaurants in Hue and our personal favourite for a proper sit-down dinner. The Vietnamese food is excellent, the service warm, and the atmosphere exactly right for a first Hue evening.
Address: 19 Vo Thi Sau Street. We would definitely return.
Day 2 — The Royal Tombs
The Royal Tombs of the Nguyen Dynasty are the most distinctive attraction in Hue — seven tomb complexes spread across the pine-covered hills south of the city, each reflecting the personality and architectural vision of the Emperor they house. We visited three of them and would recommend the same as a full day’s programme.
Morning — Minh Mang Tomb
The Minh Mang Tomb is the most architecturally ambitious of the three tombs we visited — an enormous complex of over 40 shrines and palaces set across 28 hectares on the banks of the Perfume River, 12km south of Hue. Located about 12 km from Hue city centre, on Cam Khe mountain, near Bang Lang junction, where two branches of the Huong River converge.
King Minh Mang was the second Nguyen emperor — strict, Confucian, deeply suspicious of Western influence and a prolific administrator who issued over 1,000 edicts during his reign. His tomb reflects this character: formal, symmetrical, monumental. The approach through a series of gates and courtyards — Dai Hong Mon, Hien Duc Mon, Sung An Temple — builds to the main tomb structure with the deliberate grandeur of someone who took seriously the idea of preparing for eternity.
The Trung Minh Ho lake, which reflects the entire tomb complex in its still surface on a calm morning, is one of the finest architectural views in Hue. Come early.
Entrance fee: VND 150,000 per adult, VND 30,000 per child (aged 7-12). Approximately USD $6 / AUD $9.30.
Midday — Tu Duc Tomb
The Tu Duc Tomb is the most romantic and most personally revealing of all the Nguyen royal tombs — and the most different in character from the formal grandeur of Minh Mang. Tu Duc Tomb is not only the king’s resting place but also resembles a large garden. When he was alive, the king often came here to rest and relax after tiring work. In the mausoleum, there is a communal house, a fish pond, a stone bridge, and a pine forest, all of which have exquisite royal architecture.
Emperor Tu Duc was a poet and philosopher who ruled for 35 years — the longest of any Nguyen emperor. He was also childless, having over 100 concubines but no surviving children due to a childhood illness. He designed and built his tomb while still alive, spending time here reading and writing poetry by the lakeside. There is something genuinely moving about a man who ruled an empire and chose to spend his contemplative hours in a pine forest by a lotus pond, designing his own garden of eternity.
The Khiem Cung Gate, the Xung Khiem Pavilion over the water, and the Luong Khiem Pavilion, where he received guests, are all beautifully preserved. The pine forest surrounding the complex provides shade and birdsong in equal measure. Allow at least 90 minutes.
Entrance fee: VND 150,000 per adult, VND 30,000 per child (aged 7-12). Approximately USD $6 / AUD $9.30.
Afternoon — Khai Dinh Tomb
The Khai Dinh Tomb is the most visually striking of all the Nguyen tombs and the most controversial — a hybrid of Vietnamese royal architecture and French Art Deco that reflects an Emperor who was deeply influenced by European aesthetics and deeply unpopular with his own people for it.
Emperor Khai Dinh reigned from 1916 to 1925 under French colonial rule, widely considered a puppet of the French administration. To fund the construction of his tomb, he levied an additional 30% tax on his people, causing widespread hardship and resentment. The result — a dramatic hillside structure rising 127 steps above the surrounding pine forests — is by any measure extraordinary, even if its origins were troubling.
The interior is covered floor to ceiling with intricate mosaic work — thousands of pieces of coloured glass, ceramic and porcelain embedded into every surface in patterns of extraordinary complexity. It took Vietnamese and Chinese craftsmen 11 years to complete. The life-size bronze statue of Khai Dinh at the centre of the main chamber, beneath a ceiling of nine writhing dragons, is one of the most extraordinary pieces of interior decoration in Vietnam.
Entrance fee: VND 150,000 per adult; free for children under 12. Approximately USD $6 / AUD $9.30.
Combo ticket saving: The 4-site combo (Imperial City + Minh Mang + Tu Duc + Khai Dinh) costs VND 530,000 (approximately USD $21 / AUD $33) for adults, valid for 2 days. Buy this on Day 1 at the Imperial City ticket office rather than purchasing individual tickets at each tomb.
Evening — Bun Bo Hue and Salted Coffee
After a long day of tombs, return to the city for the two food experiences that define Hue more than any other.
Bun Bo Hue — spicy beef noodle soup — is the dish that Hue is most famous for across Vietnam, and is the dish that Anthony Bourdain consistently cited as one of his favourite Vietnamese foods. Unlike the milder, more delicate pho of Hanoi, Bun Bo Hue is bold, aromatic and intensely flavoured — a deep red broth built on lemongrass, shrimp paste, chilli and pork bone stock, served with thick round noodles, sliced beef and pork and a plate of fresh herbs. It is more complex and more demanding than pho, and it is magnificent. Ask your hotel for their recommendation for the best local Bun Bo Hue — the best versions are always at small family-run stalls rather than tourist restaurants.
After dinner, walk to Ca Phe Muoi for salted coffee — one of the most surprising and delicious things we drank in three months of travelling Vietnam. The concept sounds alarming: a layer of salted whipped cream over strong Vietnamese drip coffee. The reality is extraordinary — the salt cuts the bitterness of the coffee and amplifies its sweetness in a way that makes every other coffee seem slightly unfinished by comparison. You will look at coffee differently after you have had salted coffee from Ca Phe Muoi.
Day 3 — The Perfume River, Thien Mu Pagoda and the Old Quarter
Morning — Perfume River Dragon Boat Cruise
The Perfume River (Song Huong) gives Hue much of its character — wide, slow and remarkably beautiful in the morning mist. A dragon boat cruise from the Toa Kham Wharf at 5 Le Loi Street takes you upstream to the Thien Mu Pagoda and, if you choose the longer route, to the royal tombs — combining the river journey with the tomb visits in a single afternoon.
The half-day dragon boat tour is one of the most distinctive Hue experiences, and the river journey gives you a completely different perspective on the city and its surroundings.
Thien Mu Pagoda
The Thien Mu Pagoda — the Pagoda of the Heavenly Lady — is the most recognisable symbol of Hue and one of the oldest religious sites in the city, founded in 1601. The seven-storey Phuoc Duyen Tower, 21 metres high, stands at the entrance and appears on every postcard of Hue ever produced. The pagoda complex extends back from the tower through a series of courtyards, pavilions and gardens reaching the main sanctuary where the giant bronze bell — cast in 1710 and weighing 2,052 kilograms — hangs in its own pavilion. The bell can be heard from 10 kilometres away on a still morning.
The pagoda has political history as much as religious significance. The Austin Westminster car preserved in the pagoda garage carried Thich Quang Duc to his self-immolation in Saigon in June 1963 — the act that shocked the world and contributed to the fall of South Vietnamese President Diem’s government. The car is still there, the photograph still pinned to the wall above it.
Entry to Thien Mu Pagoda is free. Dress modestly — covered shoulders and knees. Remove shoes before entering the main sanctuary.
Afternoon — Thanh Toan Covered Bridge
The Thanh Toan Bridge — 7km east of Hue city centre — is a beautifully restored Japanese-style covered bridge built in the 18th century by the wife of a Nguyen mandarin who was homesick for Japan. The bridge spans an irrigation canal in the middle of rice fields, and the surrounding landscape is genuinely lovely — peaceful, green and completely unlike the city atmosphere of the Imperial City. A cycling tour to Thanh Toan through the rice paddies and farming villages is one of the finest half-day experiences in Hue and entirely manageable for any fitness level.
Evening — Vegetarian Food Tour
Hue has one of the most extraordinary vegetarian food traditions in Vietnam — rooted in the city’s strong Buddhist culture and the tradition of meat-free eating on the 1st and 15th of each lunar month. The vegetarian dishes are not compromises or substitutes — they are the real cuisine, developed over centuries with the same care and precision as the royal court cooking. We joined a guided vegetarian food tour, and it was one of the finest food experiences of the entire Vietnam trip. Watch our full YouTube video of the Hue Vegetarian Food Tour for the complete experience.
Day 4 — War History, Markets and the Royal Fine Arts Museum
Morning — Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities and War Museum
The Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities (also known as the Hue Museum of Royal Fine Arts) at 3 Le Truc Street is housed in the Long An Palace — a beautifully preserved wooden palace from 1845 — and contains the finest collection of Nguyen Dynasty royal artefacts outside the National Museum in Hanoi. The collection includes royal costumes, furniture, ceramics, bronze ware, musical instruments and personal objects of the Nguyen emperors. The palace building itself is as impressive as its contents.
Entrance fee: VND 50,000 per adult; free for children under 12. Approximately USD $2 / AUD $3.10.
Opening hours: 07:00–17:30.
The Hue War Museum at 23 Le Quy Don Street covers the American War from the Vietnamese perspective — less extensive than the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, but with specific exhibits on the 1968 Battle of Hue that are not available elsewhere.
For those who want to understand what happened in Hue during the Tet Offensive — when the city was occupied by North Vietnamese forces for 25 days and between 2,800 and 6,000 civilians were killed — this museum provides essential context.
Entrance fee: VND 40,000 (approximately USD $1.60 / AUD $2.50).
The Hue War Revolution Tour
The single most moving experience of our entire week in Hue was a guided Walk of Revolution Tour covering the sites of the 1968 Battle of Hue. Walking the streets where the fighting happened — the Imperial City walls, the citadel, the residential neighbourhoods — with a guide who explains both the Vietnamese and American perspectives on the battle is an experience that fundamentally changes how you understand the city you are walking through.
Watch our full YouTube video of the Walk of Revolution Tour for a sense of what this involves. We strongly recommend booking this tour through a local operator rather than attempting it independently — the history requires explanation to be properly understood.
Afternoon — Dong Ba Market (Second Visit)
Return to Dong Ba Market in the afternoon for the food stalls that only open in the late afternoon — banh khoai (Hue’s crispy stuffed pancakes, different from banh xeo), nem lui (grilled pork skewers wrapped in rice paper with peanut sauce) and the famous Hue-style banh mi, narrower and more intensely flavoured than the Saigon version. The market in the late afternoon, as the vendors begin to pack up and the prices drop, is a completely different experience from the morning.
The Full 7-Day Hue Itinerary — For Those Who Want to Go Deeper
If you have a full week in Hue, follow the 4-day itinerary above and add the following:
Day 5 — Lang Co Beach and the Hai Van Pass
Lang Co Beach — 30km south of Hue over the Hai Van Pass — is one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in central Vietnam. A long arc of white sand between a lagoon and the South China Sea, flanked by mountains on both sides, it is almost completely unspoiled. The Hai Van Pass itself — the “Pass of Ocean Clouds” — is one of the finest scenic drives in Vietnam, rising 500 metres above sea level with views over Da Nang Bay on one side and the coastline stretching north to Hue on the other. We recommend travelling the pass by motorbike or private car rather than the tunnel road — the views are extraordinary, and the pass is what travellers come for.
Lang Co has simple beachside restaurants serving freshly caught seafood. Order the grilled prawns, the fried squid and a cold Tiger beer and eat at a table with your feet in the sand. This is a very good day.
Read our article on a day trip one way from Hue to Hoi An via the Hai Van Pass
Day 6 — Cycling the Countryside and Hidden Pagodas
Hire a bicycle from your hotel and spend the day cycling the quiet roads south of the city — through rice paddies, fishing villages and the rural landscape that most visitors never see. The route to Tu Hieu Pagoda — the forest monastery where Thich Nhat Hanh studied as a young monk — passes through pine forests and is genuinely beautiful. Tu Hieu is an active monastery and considerably more peaceful than the tourist-visited pagodas closer to the city. Entry is free.
The Vong Canh Hill — southwest of the city — offers the finest elevated view over the Perfume River and the surrounding landscape. Best visited at sunset when the river turns gold below you. Free.
Day 7 — The Royal Theatre and the Hue Biennial
If your visit coincides with the Hue Festival — held in even years — the city transforms into one of the great cultural events in Vietnam, with performances of royal court music, traditional arts, street performances and processions through the Imperial City. Even in non-festival years, the Duyet Thi Duong Royal Theatre inside the Imperial City stages performances of Nha Nhac (Vietnamese Royal Court Music — a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage) on a regular schedule. A performance at the Royal Theatre, in the building where the Emperor’s musicians once played, is a genuinely extraordinary experience.
Spend your final Hue afternoon at a riverside café — the stretch of Le Loi Street facing the Perfume River has excellent cafés at every price point — with egg coffee and the knowledge that you have seen a city that most Vietnam travellers walk straight past.
Hue’s Royal Cuisine — The Best Food in Vietnam
We have saved the most important section for its own prominent place — because Hue’s food culture is, in our view, the single most compelling reason to visit the city and the thing we talk about most when people ask us about Vietnam.
Hue was the imperial capital for 143 years. The cuisine that developed in that time reflects royal ambition — dozens of small, precise, beautifully presented dishes rather than the simple, hearty cooking of the north or the bold flavours of the south. The imperial kitchen tradition lives on in the street food, and eating in Hue is one of the most extraordinary food experiences in all of Southeast Asia.
The dishes you must eat:
Bun Bo Hue — the city’s most famous export. Spicy beef noodle soup with lemongrass and shrimp paste — bold, complex and completely unlike pho. Anthony Bourdain’s favourite Vietnamese soup. Find a small family stall and eat it for breakfast. It is served everywhere, but the best versions are always the simplest.
Banh Khoai — Hue’s version of the Vietnamese pancake, smaller and crispier than the southern banh xeo, stuffed with shrimp, pork and bean sprouts and eaten wrapped in rice paper with peanut dipping sauce. The banh khoai stalls around Dong Ba Market are the best places to find it.
Banh Beo — small steamed rice flour cakes topped with dried shrimp, crispy pork fat and spring onions, eaten with fish sauce. A royal court dish that is now served at street stalls for a few thousand dong each.
Banh Nam and Banh Ram It — flat steamed rice dumplings wrapped in banana leaf (banh nam) and fried sticky rice dumplings (banh ram it) — served together on a single plate. Delicate, precisely made and completely specific to Hue.
Com Hen — cold rice with tiny basket clams, peanuts, sesame, crispy pork skin, chilli and a dozen herbs and condiments. Eaten cold, mixed at the table. One of the most distinctive dishes in Vietnamese cooking and almost unknown outside Hue.
Salted Coffee at Ca Phe Muoi — not a meal but an essential experience. A layer of salted whipped cream over strong Vietnamese drip coffee that permanently changes your relationship with coffee. You will look at every other coffee differently after this one.
Our restaurant recommendations:
Cozy Restaurant at 19 Vo Thi Sau Street — consistently one of the top two restaurants on TripAdvisor for Hue throughout our visit and deservedly so. Excellent Vietnamese food, warm service, fair prices. We would return without hesitation.
Ca Phe Muoi — for the salted coffee experience. Order it iced (ca phe sua muoi da) on a hot afternoon or hot (ca phe sua muoi nong) in the evening. The café is small and fills up — arrive early or be prepared to wait.
The Vegetarian Food Tour — we joined a guided evening tour of Hue’s vegetarian food scene, and it was one of the finest food experiences of the entire Vietnam trip. The vegetarian tradition in Hue is centuries old, and the food is extraordinary — not compromising cooking but the real thing. Watch our full YouTube video of the vegetarian food tour to get a sense of the experience before you book. Book here
For Bun Bo Hue specifically — ask your hotel or guesthouse for the stall they eat at themselves. Local knowledge is more reliable than any restaurant recommendation we can give for a dish that is best eaten at a table on a plastic stool on a street corner.
Where to Stay in Hue
Budget: Several excellent guesthouses on and around Pham Ngu Lao Street offer clean, comfortable private rooms with ensuite bathrooms from approximately USD $20–35 per night. Ask about rooms facing away from the street for quieter nights.
Book hotel accommodation in Hue here
The 4-star EMM Hotel is at 15 Ly Thuong Kiet Street in Hue. The EMM Hotel has a funky decor and offers guests a swimming pool, free breakfast, Spice Viet Restaurant and free WiFi.
We are a fan of the EMM Hotels around Vietnam.
Book your accommodation at the EMM Hotel Hue here
Splurge: Hotel Saigon Morin is a 4-star hotel at 30 Le Loi Street in Hue City. The hotel is in an ideal position in Hue, opposite the Perfume River and the Trang Tien Bridge. The hotel was built in 1901 and has had many VIP guests over the years, including Charlie Chaplin. The hotel offers 180 guest rooms, four restaurants, a swimming pool and free wifi.
Book accommodation here for the Hotel Saigon Morin
Getting To and From Hue
By Train: The most scenic option — the Reunification Express between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City stops at Hue station. The journey from Hanoi takes approximately 12–14 hours; from Da Nang, approximately 2.5 hours; from Ho Chi Minh City, approximately 20 hours. Book in advance at vr.com.vn — soft sleeper berths on the overnight trains from Hanoi are comfortable and excellent value.
By Bus: Sleeper buses connect Hue to Hanoi (approximately 12 hours), Da Nang (approximately 3 hours) and Ho Chi Minh City (approximately 20 hours). Book through your accommodation or at the main bus station.
By Air: Phu Bai International Airport is 15km south of the city centre. Vietnam Airlines, VietJet and Bamboo Airways connect Hue to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with frequent daily flights. A Grab from the airport to the city centre costs approximately VND 150,000–200,000 (USD $6–8).
Book all your flights easily with Skyscanner, a trusted travel search engine that helps you find the best deals. Compare flights from hundreds of airlines and travel agencies worldwide, ensuring you get the lowest prices. With flexible search options, fare alerts, and no hidden fees, Skyscanner makes booking flights simple, fast, and affordable. Start your journey with confidence and savings.
Hue to Hoi An: The most popular onward journey from Hue. Options include: the Hai Van Pass scenic drive by private car or motorbike (3–4 hours, via Lang Co Beach); the train from Hue to Da Nang followed by a transfer to Hoi An (approximately 3 hours total); or a sleeper bus direct.
We have written a full guide to the Hue to Hoi An journey covering all options and our personal recommendation.
What Does It Cost to Visit Hue? A 2026 Budget Guide
Site Entrance Fees:
Imperial City: 200,000 VND ($8 USD) for adults, 40,000 VND ($1.50) for children aged 7-12. Approximately AUD $12.40 / AUD $2.35.
Royal Tombs (Tu Duc, Minh Mang, Khai Dinh): VND 150,000 per adult, VND 30,000 per child (aged 7-12) each. Approximately USD $6 / AUD $9.30 per tomb.
4-site combo ticket (Imperial City + 3 tombs): VND 530,000 adults, VND 100,000 children. Approximately USD $21 / AUD $33. Valid for 2 days. Best value if visiting all three tombs.
Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities: VND 50,000 per adult; free for children under 12. Approximately USD $2 / AUD $3.10.
Hue War Museum: VND 40,000 (approximately USD $1.60 / AUD $2.50).
Thien Mu Pagoda: Free.
Tu Hieu Monastery: Free.
Thanh Toan Bridge: Free.
Accommodation:
Budget guesthouses: USD $20–35 per night.
Mid-range hotels (our recommendation): USD $55–80 per night.
Luxury (La Residence): USD $150–250 per night.
Food:
Street food and market stalls: USD $1–4 per dish. Local restaurant meal: USD $5–10 per person. Mid-range sit-down dinner: USD $10–20 per person. Salted coffee at Ca Phe Muoi: approximately VND 35,000–50,000 (USD $1.50–2).
Overall Daily Budget:
Daily costs in Hue average 600,000–1,500,000 VND ($25–60) per person, depending on travel style.
For a comfortable mid-range experience — good hotel, local restaurant meals, site entries and a guided tour or two — budget approximately USD $60–90 per person per day.
Hue is significantly cheaper than Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City for equivalent quality accommodation and food.
A Final Note on a Week in Hue
On the morning we finally left Hue — a week after we arrived, planning to stay three days — we sat at our usual table at the riverside café, drank our usual egg coffee, watched the usual morning mist over the Perfume River, and found ourselves already thinking about what we would do on a return visit.
That is the thing about Hue. It is a city that was the capital of a dynasty and the centre of a civilisation and the site of one of the most devastating battles of the 20th century — and somehow carries all of that with a quietness that other cities of equivalent historical weight rarely achieve. The salted coffee. The morning light on the Imperial City walls. The pine forest around the Tu Duc Tomb. The extraordinary precision of a plate of banh beo. The cyclo driver who waited patiently outside the museum and then gave us an unasked-for detour past the Truong Tien Bridge at sunset on the way back.
Most travellers give Hue two days and leave feeling they saw it. We stayed a week and left feeling we had only just begun.
If you are travelling in Vietnam, go slowly through Hue. Give it more time than the itineraries suggest. Order the salted coffee. Walk the Imperial City at opening. Eat the Bun Bo Hue for breakfast. And if you find yourself extending your stay, know that you are in exactly the right place.
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Travelling from Hoi An to Hue or from Hue to Hoi An?
Be picked up at your hotel in Hue and driven by car to the location of your choice in Hoi An. Drive along the Hai Van pass and see the Marble Mountains. Stop to visit Lang Co beach along the way.
Danang Airport Transfers to Hue
Bus/Rail and Ferry Tickets in Vietnam
We can recommend travelling from Hanoi to Hue on the Reunification Express. The daytime train takes you through some of the prettiest countryside in Vietnam.
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I’d have to start with a cruise down the Perfume River. I love taking boat rides when traveling. I would love to see the imperial city as well. It’s really sad that so many of it’s structures were destroyed. I can’t imagine how beautiful it looked in all it’s glory!
Hi Joe
Thanks for your comments. I would have loved to have seen the Imperial City before the damage as well.
Cheers Jane and Duncan
After reading this, I’m so sad I missed out on seeing Hue when I was in Vietnam. From the list, I’d most like to see Khai Dinh tomb, it looks incredible inside! I’d also like to visit the food markets, as it’s kind of my thing when I travel. All of the restaurant choices look excellent!
Hi Lisa
Thanks for your comments. We hope you can visit one day – there is so much to see and do. The market is just perfect for local cuisine.
Cheers Jane and Duncan
Vietnam is still on my list. I was in neighboring Thailand, Laos, Cambodia. So it’s time for Vietnam. I like your suggestions. I will gladly use them when planning my trip. For sure I want to see the Imperial City. I would like to take Cruise on the Perfume River. Khai Dinh tomb looks spectacular too. Airbnb is something for me to stay.
Hi Agnes
Thanks for your comments. We hope you can visit and enjoy all that Hue has to offer.
Cheers Jane and Duncan
I am guilty. I have never been Hue despite my frequent trips to the country. Thank you for sharing this wonderful place. I am looking forward to seeing the French architecture and pagodas. Will definitely include a visit to Hue in our future trips.
Hi Clarice
Thanks for your comments. We hope you can visit Hue one day – you will have a great time. The food is amazing as well.
Cheers Jane and Duncan
Totally weird – but I stopped and salivated at the food section LOL. Salted coffee sounds amazing right now. I’m such a foodie and love Vietnamese cuisine. To visit Hue and try all of that delicious food would be a dream come true. Perfume River – what a unique experience! I’d love to cruise down the river and relax.
Hi Stephanie
Thanks for your comments. One you have tried salted coffee you won’t drink normal coffee again.LOL.
Cheers Jane and Duncan
I was planning to visit Vietnam this March, but then you know what happened. Hue was not in our list, but now I am going to include it whenever we plan Vietnam again. The city looks so beautiful, full of history and heritage, something that I really like. And I would also like to try out the Vietnamese soup Bun Bo Hu.
Hi Amrita
Thanks for your comments. When all this passes we hope that you can make it to Hue!
Cheers Jane and Duncan
Wow…I was not even aware about hue vietnam. It reminds me of Ayuthaya in Thailand. Such a great city to explore. I loved Thien Mu Pagoda and Thanh Toan Bridge. This is a photographer’s delight. You have given the detailed blog post. I am definitely visiting this destination for sure. Loved reading about it.
Hi
Thanks for your comments. Glad to hear that you have plans in the future to visit – you will love Hue!
Cheers Jane and Duncan
I am a foodie, so Hue truly is a great place for me. My favorite dish is Bun Bo Hue; it’s incredibly delicious. Muoi Coffee is also very special, with the salty taste blending perfectly with the sweetness and richness of the cream, along with the bitterness of the coffee.