You may like to do many things when visiting Da Lat in the final festive season of the year. In Da Lat, you can enjoy a cup of coffee, stroll the whole day walking the streets, hold someone’s hand to wander around Xuan Huong lake, stay a night in an ancient villa amidst the pine forest or simply live slowly without amenities like internet and television.
Top 10 things to do in Da Lat
1. Staying a night in an isolated, ancient villa amidst the pine forest
Da Lat features many ancient French villas with new beautiful ones in pine forests that have been transformed into high-end hotels or guesthouses for visitors. Stay one night in a lovely villa with modern amenities to feel both peaceful and romantic in Dalat. Villas are priced from 200,000VND, depending on their convenience and location. The most remarkable accommodation is Anna Mandara Dalat, one of the most high-ranking resorts here.
French architecture in Da Lat
2. Sleeping in a warm blanket in the cold atmosphere
Sleeping in a warm blanket in the cold atmosphere
It is a memorable experience to enjoy a night in a warm blanket in the fresh and open air of the plateau. In these fantastic days of your vacation, wake up late in a warm room with the smell of wood and candles burning. With a glass of hot tea and a whispered story, every stress of your daily life will be melted out.
3. Enjoying coffee in the clouds and music
Da Lat in autumn
In the morning, Da Lat is covered with cool dew. It is a wonderful experience to enjoy hot coffee on the balcony while looking out at the airy space outside. The birds sing somewhere on trees and dew is still retained on mimoda flowers. The landscape is filled with the smells of wet soil and ancient forests.
Da Lat features many lovely cafes in flowery gardens. Song Vy café with romantic French music, Lieu O café behind Palace II in a peaceful garden, Moc café in Hai Ba Trung street with live music at weekends, Tung café in Hoa Binh street with classical music for connoisseurs of music and coffee or Cung To Chieu café with the voice of its owner are some of the most favorite cafes here. Once you travel to Dalat, you cannot miss tasting its coffee.
4. Buying jackets in the bustling old market
Scores of jackets are sold from 5pm to 9pm every day near Dalat market. The announcements from sellers are resounded around the streets. They sell various kinds of garments, from sweaters to coats, hats, gloves, scarves and accessories for winter. You may not want to buy any winter garments, but do not forget to wander around this place to view an interesting segment in the daily life of local people. For those who forget their warm clothes at home, this is a shopping paradise with reasonable prices starting from 10,000VND.
5. Riding a bike on flower paths
Put on warm clothes and a scarf, find a bike and ride around the city. Da Lat has flowers growing everywhere. Fences are hung with roses and streets are covered with Magarita daisy flowers, purple hydrangeas, subtle mimosas, pink cherry blossoms and especially wild sunflowers.
6. Picking up strawberries
With four seasons that feel like spring, Da Lat has many vegetable and fruit farms. Green cauliflowers, strawberries, artichokes, French beans, avocados and persimmons are specialties of Dalat. Farms are always open for visitors to pick up fruits and buy gifts. If you do not have time to pick some up, you can buy them in the Dalat market in the early morning. Remember to bargain before buying.
7. Traveling on the ancient train
In the old Dalat station, there is a train that’s always crowded with passengers. The old train, still attached with some wooden wagons, will take you on the 7 km railway to Trai Mat. The Dalat – Trai Mat railway has been called Dalat Plateau Rail Road since 1991. The train passes by valleys with vegetable fields and greenhouses. To Trai Mat, the train will stop about every 30 minutes for guests to tour around before returning to Dalat station, which still includes the original steam engine.
8. Taking wedding photos in nature
Nowhere else features as many beautiful backgrounds for your wedding photos as Da Lat. If you would like to have your wedding photos taken with flowers Dalat is the place to go. All kinds of flowers in Da Lat will appear in your shots. If you like architecture, Chicken Church and Dalat University will be two wonderful options. If you would like to have some photos in the ancient space, Bao Dai palace 1, 2 and 3 are always available. Also, you can choose to take photos with the old train or in the villa that you are staying.
9. Tasting street foods at night
Street foods at night
The cold weather can make you feel hungry. Da Lat has many delicious, hot foods for you to enjoy such as porridge, snails, girdle cake or hot soya milk. In Da Lat you cannot miss tasting other scrumptious dishes such as grilled fermented pork roll, rice pancake and corn sticky rice
10. Participating in Da Lat Flower Festival
Da Lat Flower Festival is held every other year in this dreamy town to exhibit flower and other ornamental plants from the locals as well as surrounding regions. It is usually organized in December and January. Joining this festival, don’t forget to get to know the name of some famous flowers in Da Lat and take pictures of colorful sceneries.
Dalat Flower Festival
