Da Lat, the city of thousands of flowers, is not only charming with its cool climate and poetic scenery, but also a culinary paradise with grilled rice paper, chicken hotpot with perilla leaves, avocado ice cream, and unique snacks.
Only 300km from Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat is an ideal destination for a 4-day, 3-night self-guided tour , combining sightseeing and culinary enjoyment.
This article provides detailed 2025 itineraries, practical tips, and cost-saving tips, suitable for beginners, professional travelers, and food lovers.
- Why choose a 4-day, 3-night self-guided tour to Da Lat?
- Prepare before your self-guided tour to Da Lat 2025
- Detailed 4-day, 3-night Da Lat travel itinerary 2025
- Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City/ Hanoi – Da Lat – Xuan Huong Lake – Da Lat Night Market
- Day 2: Valley of Love – Cau Dat Tea Hill – Chicken Hotpot with Perilla Leaves
- Day 3: Linh Phuoc Pagoda – Da Lat Station – Avocado ice cream and banh can
- Day 4: Datanla Waterfall – Shopping for specialties – Return to Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi
- Compare independent travel and package tours
- Tips to save money when traveling to Da Lat on your own in 2025
- Frequently asked questions when traveling to Dalat
- Conclusion: 4 days 3 nights journey to explore and eat in Da Lat
Why choose a 4-day, 3-night self-guided tour to Da Lat?
Dalat offers a variety of experiences: from lush green pine hills, poetic Xuan Huong Lake, to bustling snack stalls at the night market.
With 4 days and 3 nights, you can explore famous destinations such as Love Valley, Cau Dat Tea Hill, and fully enjoy local cuisine.
Independent travel helps you flexibly arrange your schedule, save costs compared to package tours, and enjoy Dalat in your own way, especially hunting for delicious food.
In 2025, with increasingly developed restaurants and tourism services, Da Lat promises to bring a journey full of flavors.
Is 4 days and 3 nights enough to explore Da Lat and enjoy its cuisine? With a reasonable plan, you will fully experience the scenery and delicious dishes of the city of thousands of flowers. Let's explore the detailed itinerary below!
Prepare before your self-guided tour to Da Lat 2025
To make your trip smooth and economical, you need to prepare carefully. Here are the specific steps:
- Ideal time: February-April (cherry blossom season) and October-December (wild sunflower season) are the best times, with cool weather (15-25°C). Avoid June-August because of heavy rain. Book early to avoid high prices during peak season.
- Transportation: From Ho Chi Minh City, take a bus (200,000-300,000 VND/way, Phuong Trang, Thanh Buoi) or motorbike via Highway 20 (6-7 hours). From Hanoi, take a plane to Lien Khuong airport (1,200,000-2,500,000 VND/way, Vietjet, Bamboo Airways), then take a taxi/bus to Da Lat center (250,000/50,000 VND). In Da Lat, rent a motorbike (120,000-200,000 VND/day) or taxi (Grab, 10,000 VND/km).
- Finance: Estimated cost 3,000,000-5,000,000 VND/person (transportation, food, accommodation, entrance tickets). Bring 1,000,000 VND in cash/person and a bank card (ATMs are popular in Da Lat).
- Accommodation: Book a homestay (VND 300,000-600,000/night) or a 2-3 star hotel (VND 500,000-1,500,000/room/night) in the city center (Xuan Huong Lake, Nguyen Chi Thanh Street) via Booking, Agoda. Homestays such as La Nha, The Wilder-nest or TTC Hotel are conveniently located.
- Luggage: Bring a light jacket, sneakers, folding umbrella, hat, sunglasses, first aid kit, personal medicine. Prepare a small backpack with drinking water (2 bottles of 500ml), snacks (bread, sticky rice, 50,000 VND) to save money when traveling far from the center.
- Supported applications: Google Maps, Vietmap for location; Traveloka, Klook for booking bus tickets, hotels; Foody for finding restaurants. Download offline map of Da Lat for use when there is no internet.
Detailed 4-day, 3-night Da Lat travel itinerary 2025
This 4-day, 3-night itinerary is designed to explore the highlights and enjoy Da Lat's unique cuisine, from grilled rice paper to chicken hotpot with perilla leaves. Use motorbikes and walking to optimize the experience. Here is the detailed plan:
Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi – Da Lat – Xuan Huong Lake – Da Lat Night Market
6:00: Depart from Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi
From Ho Chi Minh City, take a bus (200,000-300,000 VND, 6-7 hours) or motorbike. From Hanoi, take a plane to Lien Khuong airport (1,200,000-2,500,000 VND, 2 hours), then take a taxi/bus to Da Lat center (30km, 45 minutes). Arrive in Da Lat around 12:00, check-in homestay/hotel (300,000-1,500,000 VND/night). Rent a motorbike (150,000 VND/day) to get around.
13:00: Lunch and visit Xuan Huong Lake
Lunch at Com Nieu Huong Tra (Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street) with claypot rice and grilled chicken (120,000-150,000 VND/meal). Walk around Xuan Huong Lake , the symbol of Da Lat, admire the lake view and take photos with cherry blossoms (spring). Rent a tandem bike (50,000 VND/hour) to ride around the lake.
15:30: Lam Vien Square
Ride a motorbike to Lam Vien Square (free), check-in with artichoke buds and giant wild sunflowers. Enjoy coffee at The Wilder-nest Coffee (50,000 VND/cup) with a view of the square.
18:00: Da Lat Night Market – Snack Paradise
Dinner at Da Lat night market (Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street) with grilled rice paper (20,000-30,000 VND/piece), hot soy milk (10,000 VND/cup), and grilled sweet potatoes (15,000 VND/root). Stroll around the market, buy souvenirs such as mulberry jam (100,000 VND/jar), artichoke tea (150,000 VND/package). Overnight in Da Lat.
Day 2: Valley of Love – Cau Dat Tea Hill – Chicken Hotpot with Perilla Leaves
7:30: Breakfast and visit the Valley of Love
Have breakfast with meatball sandwiches at Ba Huong restaurant (VND30,000/meal). Ride a motorbike to the Valley of Love (ticket VND250,000/person, including electric car). See the colorful flower garden, take a boat ride on Da Thien lake, and take photos with Vong Canh hill. Visit time is about 2 hours.
11:00: Cau Dat Tea Hill
Ride a motorbike to Cau Dat Tea Hill (25km, 40 minutes, free). Take photos with the green tea hill, hunt for clouds in the early morning (if you go earlier). Enjoy green tea at Cau Dat Farm (50,000 VND/cup). Have lunch at a local restaurant with chicken rice (100,000 VND/meal).
15:00: Lonely Pine Tree
Ride a motorbike to the Lonely Pine Tree (30km from the center, free). Take photos with the poetic scenery by Suoi Vang Lake. Bring snacks (sandwiches, 50,000 VND) to save money. Visiting time is about 1.5 hours.
18:30: Eat chicken hotpot with perilla leaves
Return to the center, have dinner at Tao Ngo restaurant (3/4 street) with chicken hotpot with perilla leaves , a Da Lat specialty (150,000-200,000 VND/person). Enjoy more steamed rice paper with chicken hearts (50,000 VND/serving). Stroll Nguyen Chi Thanh night street, drink milk tea at Afternoon Tea Shop (30,000 VND/cup). Stay overnight in Da Lat.
Day 3: Linh Phuoc Pagoda – Da Lat Station – Avocado ice cream and banh can
7:30: Breakfast and visit Linh Phuoc Pagoda
Have breakfast with beef noodle soup at Pho Thien restaurant (40,000 VND/meal). Ride a motorbike to Linh Phuoc Pagoda (8km, free), admire the unique mosaic architecture and the 7-storey tower. Take a photo with the 49m long dragon statue. Visiting time is about 1 hour.
10:00: Da Lat Station
Ride a motorbike to Da Lat Station (ticket 10,000 VND/person). Visit the oldest station in Indochina, take photos with the old train and French architecture. If you want, experience the train ride to Trai Mat (100,000 VND/round trip). Visiting time is about 1 hour.
12:00: Lunch and enjoy avocado ice cream
Lunch at Lau Bo Ba Toa (3/4 Street) with beef hotpot (150,000 VND/person). Walk to Thanh Thao Avocado Ice Cream (Nguyen Van Troi Street) to enjoy avocado durian ice cream (30,000 VND/cup), a famous dessert of Da Lat.
14:00: Hill view coffee – Dream Hill
Ride a motorbike to Horizon Coffee (Dong Da Street) to enjoy the view of the pine hills and drink coffee (50,000 VND/cup). Then, visit Mong Mo Hill (ticket 100,000 VND/person), check-in with the flower garden and the Great Wall miniature. Visiting time is about 2 hours.
18:30: Eat banh can and walk around town
Dinner at Banh Can Cay Bo restaurant (Tang Bat Ho street) with quail egg and squid banh can (20,000 VND/pair). Stroll around the night streets and enjoy hot soy milk at street vendors (10,000 VND/cup). Overnight in Da Lat.
Day 4: Datanla Waterfall – Shopping for specialties – Return to Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi
7:30: Breakfast and visit Datanla waterfall
Have breakfast with Banh Uot Long Ga at Trang restaurant (40,000 VND/meal). Ride a motorbike to Datanla waterfall (50,000 VND/person). Experience the slide (80,000 VND/trip) and take photos with the majestic waterfall. Visit time is about 1.5 hours.
10:00: Shopping for specialties
Ride a motorbike to Da Lat market or Big C supermarket to buy specialties such as mulberry jam (100,000 VND/jar), artichoke tea (150,000 VND/package), Da Lat coffee (200,000 VND/kg). Negotiate the price to reduce 10-15%.
12:00: Lunch and departure
Have lunch at Com Tam 49 restaurant (Nguyen Van Cu street) with broken rice, pork chop, pork skin and sausage (50,000 VND/meal). Check out of homestay/hotel. Take a bus back to Ho Chi Minh City (200,000-300,000 VND, 6-7 hours) or taxi/bus to Lien Khuong airport to return to Hanoi (1,200,000-2,500,000 VND). Arrive around 19:00-21:00, end of trip.
Compare independent travel and package tours
To choose the right form, below is a comparison table between independent travel and package tours:
| Criteria | Independent travel | Package tour |
|---|---|---|
| Expense | 3,000,000-5,000,000 VND/person (transportation, food, accommodation, entrance tickets) | 4,500,000-7,000,000 VND/person (including car, food, accommodation, entrance tickets) |
| Flexible | High, free to arrange schedule | Low, fixed schedule |
| Experience | Authentic, close to local culture and cuisine | Convenient, with tour guide to share knowledge |
| Suitable for | Young, experienced, love food | Newcomer, Family, Business |
Independent travel is suitable for groups who love to eat and want to explore flexibly. Package tours are ideal for beginners or businesses organizing team building, with prices starting from 4,500,000 VND/person (for example: Dalat Tourist, Vietravel). Book tours through reputable companies to ensure quality.
Tips to save money when traveling to Da Lat on your own in 2025
To optimize costs, apply the following tips:
- Book early: Book bus, plane, homestay tickets 1-2 months in advance via Traveloka, Klook to save 10-20% on costs.
- Choose a reasonable restaurant: Choose a popular restaurant like Ba Huong, Tao Ngo (30,000-150,000 VND/meal) instead of a high-end restaurant. Eat snacks at the night market to save money.
- Group travel: Share homestay and motorbike costs to reduce 20-30% of personal expenses.
- Smart shopping: Negotiate prices for specialties at Da Lat market, buy early in the morning to get fresh products and good prices (10-15% discount).
- Free priority points: Visit Xuan Huong Lake, Lam Vien Square, Linh Phuoc Pagoda to save on ticket costs.
Frequently asked questions when traveling to Dalat
1. What is special about Dalat?
Da Lat is famous for its cool climate, poetic scenery (Xuan Huong Lake, tea hills), and unique cuisine such as grilled rice paper, chicken hotpot with perilla leaves, and avocado ice cream.
2. Is 4 days and 3 nights enough to explore?
Enough to visit main attractions such as Love Valley, Cau Dat Tea Hill, Linh Phuoc Pagoda, and enjoy cuisine with a reasonable schedule.
3. How much does the trip cost?
Self-sufficient about 3,000,000-5,000,000 VND/person, package tour from 4,500,000-7,000,000 VND/person.
4. Are there any special preparations required?
Bring a light jacket, sneakers, and a folding umbrella. Book your homestay early and check the weather to avoid rain.
5. What to do if the weather is bad?
Check the weather forecast 7 days in advance. If it rains, switch to Linh Phuoc Pagoda, Da Lat Railway Station, or an indoor cafe.
A 4-day, 3-night self-guided tour of Da Lat is a great opportunity to explore the city of thousands of flowers, enjoy unique cuisine, and enjoy the cool air.
With detailed itineraries, practical tips, and cost-saving tips for 2025, you are ready to start this adventure. Pack your bags, book your tickets, and hit the road to experience Dalat today!
Source: https://baonghean.vn/du-lich-tu-tuc-4n3d-o-mot-thanh-pho-paris-romantically-northern-viet-nam-an-gi-choi-gi-10302184.html
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