Excursion from Nha Trang to the mountain resort of Dalat. Route Nha Trang - Dak Lak - Dalat. How to get from Nha Trang to Dalat and Dak Lak Dalat Vietnam how to get from Nha Trang

After one busy day in Ho Chi Minh City, we took an overnight bus to the city of Dalat, located in the mountains of Vietnam at an altitude of almost 1500 m above sea level.

Dalat is still very young and traces its history back to the time of the colonization of Vietnam by France, when the French at the end of the 19th century found a place where they could hide from summer heat coast. A few years later, the first hotel was built here, and now it is a full-fledged resort surrounded by beautiful mountains, forests, lakes, rivers... The main attractions of Dalat are, first of all, clean and cool air and the surrounding nature, this is what tourists come here for.

City center

By the way, the city is called “little Paris” or “the city eternal spring"for the mild climate - average temperature even in winter it does not drop below +20, and in summer it is not so hot. We arrived here just at the end of the dry season in early April, and indeed, there was not a single rain.

As if to confirm its unofficial name, local authorities built a mini-replica Eiffel Tower, which is visible from all over the city.

"Eiffel Tower"

According to our feelings, Dalat is similar (especially in the market area) - fresh air, like in Issyk-Kul, the same fruit and vegetable markets on the ground, a little dirt and Soviet buildings, even the sun shines just as brightly. However, these places were in the very recent past a French colony, and now it looks like French province, only not modern, but aged with Vietnamese flavor :-)

All these contrasts coupled with the beautiful nature make Dalat a special city in Vietnam, unlike any other. That is why it is so popular both among locals (people often come here to celebrate weddings) and foreigners.

Honestly, we just fell in love with Dalat - with the mountain air, the lake, pine trees and such a slightly rustic calm atmosphere. Probably because it feels like home here - we got bored during the six months of travel.

Dalat produces a variety of fruits and vegetables, including grapes from which wine is made. We haven’t tried it, probably no worse than the best French brands... :-) And be sure to try and buy the famous Vietnamese coffee here - we brought it, our connoisseur friends praise it very much, and we like it too. Large selection and low prices at the central market.

I remember the phrase from the movie “What’s there to drink?”

Take the opportunity and load up on fruits and berries, for example local strawberries.

At the central market

This lake is difficult to miss and not notice, because it is located right in the center of Dalat and stretches 7 km in length. Along its banks there are golf courses, and along the shore itself it is very pleasant to walk among the pine trees. A popular pastime among locals is riding “ducks” on the lake.

On the shore (or rather underground) there is also a huge Big C hypermarket, known to us from Thailand - cheap clothes and a variety of food, you can also buy excellent coffee there. Guys, the coffee is simply wonderful!

Flower gardens

If you walk along the lake to the northeast, you will come across the entrance to gardens with many flowers and large territory. Climb upstairs to look at the beautiful roses, which are hidden from the scorching sun by an awning. The park is very well maintained and pleasant to walk around.

Flower Park

Cost of visit: 30 thousand dong. Opening hours: from 7-30 to 16-00.

Cathedral

South of the lake there is a large Cathedral, open to the public. IN dark time It is beautifully illuminated throughout the day, and in the evenings it attracts a lot of parishioners, they even stand on the street.

Evening service in the cathedral

Truc Lam Pagoda and cable car

Near the main bus station, another road branches off from the main road, which rises up, leading to the beginning cable car. The cable car leads to the Truc Lam pagoda and the active monastery located on the top of the hill. There, nearby (if you go down the mountain) is Lake Tuyen Lam.

What is more interesting is not even the monastery itself, but the cable car to it, which runs directly above the huge pine trees, sometimes touching them with its belly. The booth swings so funny :-)

Cable car

Coniferous forest

Cost of the cable car: 70 thousand dong (two-way), 50 thousand dong (one way), for children 40 and 30 thousand dong, respectively.

Opening hours: from 7-30 to 17-00, lunch from 11-30 to 13-30.

Don't miss the last cab back at 5 pm, otherwise you'll have to hitchhike or take a taxi back along the road!

You can also see the old colonial railway station building and summer palace Bao Dai, we haven't reached them yet.

Crazy House Dalat (Crazy House or crazy house)

Perhaps the most famous attraction of the city is the so-called Crazy House. And I would like to note that rightfully so. Dali and Picasso nervously smoke on the sidelines - a walk in the house really blows your mind and surprises you. Surrealism as it is!

"Madhouse" in Dalat

The architect of the madhouse is the still living Mrs. Dang Viet Nga, who studied in Moscow and speaks and writes excellent Russian. You might even be able to chat with her. It's amazing how many different things can be made from concrete.

Crazy House

Walking along the numerous stairs and labyrinths, you feel as if you are in a fairy tale, bumping into wonderful things here and there. Looks a little ominous...

Cost of visit: 40 thousand dong. Opening hours: from 8-30 to 18-00 every day.

By the way, Crazy House in Dalat is also a hotel, and not just a hotel, but one of the top 10 unusual hotels in the world. The room here will be yours for the whole night for only $35-45.

The hypno-bear will keep you company :)

How to get to Dalat?

You can get to Dalat from many large and popular cities Vietnam in different ways.

By plane. Dalat Airport is located 30 km from the city and receives flights from Ho Chi Minh City (from $20, 50 minutes), Hanoi (from $30, 2 hours), Da Nang and other cities.

By bus. The modern bus station is located 1.5 km south of Dalat, from here you can go to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Nha Trang and other cities in Vietnam.

How to get to Nha Trang Da Lat by bus?

It's quite simple. Buy a ticket to bus station Nha Trang, cost 145 thousand dong, and travel time is just over three hours. Buses depart at 7-00, 8-00, 11-00, 13-00 and 15-00.

Or you can make it even easier - go to the Sinh Tourist office in the center of Nha Trang on Hung Vuong Street ( exact coordinates 12.236079, 109.195258). There you buy a ticket to Dalat for 99 thousand dong, but it is advisable to do it a little in advance. Buses depart twice a day: in the morning at 7-30 and in the afternoon at 13-00, and the travel time is the same, just over three hours.

The advantage of this option is that you leave the center of Nha Trang and arrive in the center of Dalat, you don’t have to waste time and effort getting to/from bus stations, and the cost is cheaper.

Bus station

Excursion to Dalat from Nha Trang

It is no secret that most Russian tourists vacation in Vietnam in Nha Trang or Mui Ne. An excursion to Dalat from Nha Trang is a great option for those who are tired of sunbathing on the beach and want active rest, and at the same time, you don’t want to bother organizing the trip yourself.

All excursion bureaus in Nha Trang offer such tours - there are both one-day excursions and two-day excursions with an overnight stay in Da Lat. As a rule, departure in the morning is around 9-00 and return late in the evening. Keep in mind that you will have to drive there up into the mountains for more than three hours, and then after sightseeing in Dalat it will take you the same amount of time back down. It turns out to be a pretty busy schedule. The first part of the journey is more or less flat, but then sharp turns, serpentines and climbs begin. For those who are sensitive to motion sickness, it is better to take a pill :-) But what views open from the window! So while you get there, you can admire and take pictures.

The standard program is:

- coffee plantations

— Prenn and Datanla waterfalls

- Xuan Huong Lake

- Central Market

The price of an excursion to Dalat from Nha Trang is from $20 to $30 for one day, and $75-100 for a two-day trip. The price usually includes: round trip travel, Russian guide, entry tickets, including at Crazy House, tea and coffee tasting.

You can go to Da Lat from Nha Trang on your own - I have given the bus prices above, it’s up to you to decide.

Hotels in Dalat - where to stay?

Dalat has a huge selection of budget accommodation, and there are also higher class hotels. For $5-7 a day you can rent a normal room, and for $10 you can get breakfast - and that’s for two.

The largest selection of hotels near the central market - choose!

Dalat - European city in the mountains of Central Vietnam. This is a fairly young town, which began to be built in 1900. And he suggested setting up a resort here, who noticed the clean and cool air, tired of the local heat.

We arrived in Dalat from Nha Trang for 4 days, in principle, this was enough to see all the sights that interested us.

Dalat has international Airport Lien Phuong, but getting here by plane is expensive - from $40 from Ho Chi Minh City and from $184 from Nha Trang, with a transfer in Ho Chi Minh City. Of course, this path is not worth that kind of money. The fastest and cheapest way to get from Nha Trang to Dalat is by bus. You can, of course, go by bike (the journey will only take 5-6 hours), but you need to be very careful on the mountain serpentine roads.

We arrived by bus (about 5 hours in total), the journey cost 100 thousand dong per person ($4.5). You can buy a ticket at numerous agencies in the city center or online, on the websites of some bus companies, for example, FUTA Bas and SinhTourist.

The road here is a separate excursion. Mountain serpentine so winding that your head starts spinning just looking at the map:

And the views on the way to Dalat are breathtaking:

The city is a strong contrast to Nha Trang: here almost all the residents speak English, and also wear scarves and boots.

The local climate is quite cool: if it was always hot before lunch, and we wore T-shirts, then in the afternoon the sky became cloudy, the temperature dropped, and it started to rain (it falls here every day). We were quite noticeably cold after Nha Trang: during the day the temperature rose to 27 degrees, but at night it dropped to +13!

The city also struck me with its landscape: the streets here either slope down steeply or rise up just as steeply.

At first we tried to ride around Dalat on bicycles, which were provided free of charge at our hotel. But after the first day, our legs rebelled, and we rented a bike.

The first day we drove around Dalat like this

Dalat hotels: the best and cheapest

There are many hotels in Dalat of all price categories: from $8 to $100. It is best to choose hotels in walking distance from the city center, then you can go out for a walk at any time, go to the local Big Sea, or just to a cafe for lunch or dinner.

Hotels in Dalat with the best discounts from Booking:

Good inexpensive hotels in the center of Dalat:

Very budget hotels With good reviews:

To the very best hotel Dalata include the following:

Today there will be a large detailed article about one of my favorite cities in Vietnam - the city of Dalat. This article will be useful for those who are going to Dalat on their own. A sort of mini guide to Dalat, in which I will tell you everything I know about this beautiful Vietnamese town: how to get to Dalat, where to stay, what to see, where to eat deliciously, what to buy and how much it all costs. So let's get started :)

Central square of Dalat

Dalat: general information about the city

Dalat (Da Lat) is a resort town located at an altitude of 1475 m above sea level on the Lubang plateau. Dalat was founded by French colonialists who, to escape the southern heat, moved higher and higher into the mountains. It's funny, but Dalat first became a resort (the first hotel was built in 1907), and Dalat received city status 5 years later, in 1912.

Well the streets of Dalat

The surroundings of Dalat resemble the Alps - there are mountains, lakes, waterfalls, and coniferous forests.

Almost the Alps :)

In Dalat unique climate, which creates favorable conditions for growing vegetables, fruits and flowers all year round. What kind of fruits are not grown in Dalat! There are even strawberries, mulberries and persimmons growing here! Dalat supplies vegetables and fruits throughout Vietnam. Tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, onions, garlic, etc. are grown on open ground and in greenhouses. Dalat is also famous for its coffee production; there are several coffee plantations near the city, which you can visit during an excursion or on your own.

In the vicinity of Dalat, fruits and vegetables are grown for the whole of Vietnam!

Fields and greenhouses in the vicinity of Dalat

Surroundings of Dalat

There are many different names for Dalat: “Vietnamese Paris”, “Vietnamese Alps”, “city of flowers”, “city of love” - all these are the names of a small romantic city in the mountains of Vietnam :)

Why not Paris? :))) It even has its own Eiffel Tower :))

Dalat is very popular among Vietnamese tourists: they come here in huge crowds by bus on weekends, and newlyweds strive to spend their wedding in Dalat Honeymoon. There are much fewer foreign tourists in Dalat than in or in Mui Ne, yet in Dalat there is no sea, which is a priority for many vacationers. But every year more and more foreign tourists visit Dalat. By the way, we were in Dalat several times for 3-5 days and Russian speakers independent travelers almost never seen!

Dalat is the city of flowers. These are the flower beds on the central streets of Dalat

Downtown Dalat considered to be the area between Xuan Huong Lake and Dalat Market. Next to the lake is the main square of Dalat, in the middle of which there is a bright flower bed with flowers and a fountain. A series of streets radiate from the square. One of them becomes a pedestrian zone in the evening on weekends, and an evening market is set up here (the market is open every day, not only on weekends).

Artificial lake Xuan Huong in the center of Dalat

Xuan Huong Lake

Central square of Dalat with flowerbed and fountain

Central square. If you enter the city from Nha Trang, Mui Ne or Ho Chi Minh City, you will find yourself in a circle like this. On the right is Xuan Huong Lake. Forward and a little to the right is a street that will lead to the market. Forward and a little to the left - a street with good cafes

In the city center, not far from the market, there is a tourist information center: there you can take a map of the city and find out the necessary information (in English).

Tourist Information Center

Weather in Dalat

The climate in Dalat is quite mild, the temperature during the day is +24+25, at night +15. Despite the fact that in winter the night temperature can drop to +10, the day is still sunny and warm. Dalat is called the city of “eternal spring” :)

There is a dry season (high tourist season) from November to March-April and a rainy season ( low season) from April-May to October. At the end of May, out of the five days we spent in Dalat, we experienced heavy rain only once (a very heavy downpour fell for about an hour, and then the sun came out again) and twice it rained for a couple of minutes, every day before lunch it was sunny, after lunch there were clouds. But in , despite the fact that there was no rain, there was also very little sun and in general we were frozen 🙁 Our friends went to Dalat in November before us - they were caught in heavy rains. Nowadays the climate around the world is changing so much that it is impossible to predict the weather.

Advice: If you are going to Dalat, then warm clothes, a raincoat and an umbrella are a must have!

Dalat how to get there

Dalat is approximately 300 km from, 135 km from and 1614 km from!

By plane

You can get to Dalat both by regular and tourist bus from Nha Trang, Mui Ne, Ho Chi Minh City. Buses are only available during the day, there are no night buses to Dalat. I advise you not to waste time looking for bus tickets at city bus stations, but to buy a ticket at any of the numerous travel agencies or online on the 12Go.Asia website.

Approximate prices for bus tickets to Dalat and travel time:

Nha Trang – Dalat – 150,000 dong, travel time 4-5 hours
Mui Ne – Dalat – 100,000 dong, travel time 5-6 hours
Ho Chi Minh City – Dalat – 140,000 VND, travel time about 7 hours

Important: during public holidays the cost of bus tickets can be 50-70% higher!

Buses to Dalat. We traveled on The Sinh Tourist bus

Trung Cang Hotel and Office bus company Sinh Tourist in Da Lat

You will find the point where the Sinh Tourist office is located on the map at the end of the article. Shuttle Buses stop at the bus station, which is located about a kilometer south of the city center (the bus station is also marked on the map).

Buy bus/train tickets in Vietnam

On a bike

You can get from Nha Trang to Dalat by bike - just 135 km on a good, almost uncrowded road. In Thailand we rode a bike over longer distances and along steeper serpentines (just look at the famous road - I talked about our motorcycle trip in the north of Thailand), but in Vietnam we did not dare to take such an adventure. We really didn’t like the driving style of the locals and the situation on the roads.

With an organized excursion

Most Russian-speaking tourists come to Dalat during a one or two-day excursion from Nha Trang or Mui Ne. Of course, in 1-2 days it is difficult to understand and feel all the charm of this Vietnamese high mountain resort, especially if you explore it while running with a tour group.

Cost of a one-day excursion to Dalat from Nha Trang ~ 26 dollars
The cost of a two-day excursion to Dalat from Nha Trang is ~ $55

You can find and choose a suitable excursion for yourself.

By car with driver

You can order an individual transfer to Dalat in advance here:

How to get around Dalat, transport in Dalat

Dalat small town and the city is easy to navigate on foot. For example, from the city center to such attractions as:

Bao Dai's Summer Palace
Catholic cathedral
Da Lat train station
Central Market
Kamli waterfall

It won't be difficult to get there on foot.

But most of the attractions are located in the vicinity of Dalat, so to see them you will have to use transport. Before the trip, I read that there is no public transport in Dalat, but we noticed numerous stops with bus schedules (unfortunately, all the signs are in Vietnamese, can someone translate?):

Bus schedule in Dalat. Anyone who knows Vietnamese, please translate :)

Taxi

In Vietnam, metered taxis are cheap. Traveling around the city will cost you 30,000 – 50,000 dong. You can also negotiate with a driver for the whole day for 20-30 dollars; he will take you for a ride and wait near the attractions.

Moto taxis or easy riders

Easy Rider services are very common in Dalat. Who is an easyrider? This is a driver/guide on a bike that you hire for a day or two to take you around the area. Finding an easyrider will not be difficult, or rather, they will find you themselves :) While I was walking alone around the city, people approached me with such offers more than once :) Easyrider knows quite well English language, he always has a map and photographs of attractions with him, as well as a notebook in which previous clients left reviews about him. Easyriders are used by the majority of foreign tourists in Dalat.

Bike

The best way to see the sights of Dalat is to rent a motorbike. The cost of renting a bike is 5-7 dollars per day, we left a passport as a deposit. When renting a bike, check immediately technical condition bikes, usually in Vietnam they are not in very good condition, may be without mirrors or with only one mirror. Near the central square of Dalat, all the bikes we examined were in a “killed” condition. We rented a bike near our hotel. I marked the point on the map.

Here we rented a bike in good technical condition. condition. 120,000 VND per day

Bike

Dalat is not only visited by tourists, but also local residents often travel by bicycle. You can rent a bicycle for 1-2 dollars per day. Some hotels provide free bicycles to their guests.

These two-person bicycles are very popular among Vietnamese tourists. I wanted to try to ride one, but Lesha did not share my desire...

Is it comfortable to ride this bike together? 🙂

Where to stay in Dalat: hotels in Dalat

There are many hotels in Dalat, you can easily choose a hotel to suit every taste and budget: guesthouses from $8 per room, luxury five-star hotels from $100 per room.

Hotels in Dalat for every taste and budget

Hotel Golf 3 in the very center of Dalat near the market and lake

When choosing a hotel, it is better to choose a location closer to the central square, lake and market, so that you can live within walking distance of numerous cafes, restaurants, shops, tourist offices and the market. I would highlight three good area for accommodation in Dalat:

In numbers "1" Quiet streets are marked where the Vietnamese prefer to settle. We lived in this area and were very pleased with the location.
The number “2” marks the area where people like to live Foreign tourists. There are more cafes aimed at Europeans (we had dinner there), tourist offices, and shops. This area is noisier and more crowded (if you can even say “noisy” about Dalat - life in the city stops early, even tourists go to bed at 10 pm :)
In numbers "3" marked street with more expensive hotels, which are located in the very center of Dalat.

If you plan to visit Dalat during the low season and on weekdays, then an inexpensive hotel will not be difficult to find on site upon arrival. If your visit to Dalat falls from Friday to Sunday or on holidays, I strongly recommend that you take care of accommodation in advance and book a hotel.

Dalat hotels can be searched and booked on websites (compare prices and choose Better conditions):

Do you want to spend the night in a room with a bear? 🙂

If we had not been traveling around Vietnam for 3 months, but had just come on vacation, then I would have chosen one of the following hotels in Dalat (cost 20-50 dollars per day)

Sammy Hotel Dalat from $40 per night

Ngoc Lan Hotel

Sights of Dalat and what to see in the city

Food: shops, cafes and coffee shops in Dalat

There are no problems with food in Dalat. There are a lot of cafes and restaurants in the city, and it is also popular street food at the evening market (something like), which is laid out every evening on the streets from the central square to the market and on the steps near the market.

In the evening, on the stairs near the market you can have a tasty and inexpensive snack

Roasted corn at the evening market

Food at the evening market

Huge variety of shells

Right on the central square there is a Vietnamese fast food - Loterria. In the evening from 18 to 22 you can have a very cheap dinner here by taking the combo menu for 35,000 dong (~$1.5). We often went to Lotteria for cola, ice cream, or a burger :)

Cheap Vietnamese fast food - Lotteria

There are a lot of coffee shops in Dalat where you can enjoy a cup of aromatic Vietnamese coffee. One of the peculiarities of Dalat is that not every cafe has food 🙂 there are a lot of nice places that won’t offer you anything other than coffee, tea, and juices. Well, perhaps a piece of pie or nuts.

Numerous coffee shops in Dalat

Cute cafe-coffee shop in Dalat with lake and city views

I really liked the coffee shops, bars and restaurants located on the street that goes up from the center to the market. Here you can drink coffee, a glass of wine, alcoholic cocktails, have breakfast or dinner. Prices are a little higher than other places in Da Lat. A cup of Vietnamese coffee will cost 30,000 – 40,000 VND (~ 1.5 – 2 $). When you order coffee, you always receive a free pot of tea.

I really liked the cafes on the street that goes a little up from the flower bed with a fountain to the market

Vietnamese coffee and a pot of green tea

If you love sweets, then I advise you to look into the Lien Hoa confectionery - there you will simply be amazed by the abundance of buns and cakes. Why do all these baked goods cost pennies:

Sweet buns 7,000 – 15,000 VND
Pie or piece of cake - 25,000 – 30,000 dong

Huge confectionery

Dalat Patisserie Lien Hoa. Video

You can have dinner or lunch both in Vietnamese-type cafes (obviously designed for a large crowd of local tourists) and in cafes designed for European tourists. Everywhere we ate was very tasty. I would like to recommend three restaurants in Dalat:

Kho'i BBQ

Very popular place near the market. Every evening Kho’i BBQ is full of Vietnamese tourists; it’s not easy to find a free table on weekends. We went to this restaurant only on our last evening in Dalat. It’s a pity that we discovered this very tasty place so late!

Kho'i BBQ

At Kho’i BBQ you order meat different types, they bring you a small burner with a grate and fry the meat yourself or with the help of a waiter. You can also order here. I recommend trying the beef with chili pepper and salt. I still remember this divine taste :)

Sooo delicious!

Some prices at Kho'i BBQ

Mushrooms with pork – 75,000 VND
Frogs with chili and salt – 85,000 VND
Shrimp with chilli and salt – 95,000 VND
Pork ribs – 90,000 VND
Beef with chili and salt – 105,000 VND
Hot pot (large selection) – 175,000 VND
Coca-Cola – 12,000 VND
Beer – 16,000 VND
Mulled wine – 50,000 VND

Prices at Kho'i BBQ

How they prepare BBQ for us. Video

This place is popular with Europeans. We went to the Da Quy restaurant purposefully following a tip from the Vinsky forum and were completely delighted with both the food, the service, and the atmosphere. This is a small restaurant with literally 7-8 tables, with candles on the tables and very good service. We had dinner and lunch there several times, all the dishes we ordered there were very tasty (we only ordered European dishes).

Da Quy Restaurant during the day

...and at night

Shrimp stewed in beer with onions, and accompanied by white Dalat wine - what could be better? 🙂

Delicious food at Da Quy restaurant

Some prices in Da Quy restaurant

Fish with different sauces – 65,000 VND
Prawns cooked in different ways (I really liked the shrimp with onions in beer) – 75,000 VND
Pork dishes – 60,000 – 70,000 dong
Beef dishes – 70,000 – 75,000 dong
Spaghetti of different types – 70,000 VND
Pizza – 99,000 VND
Soups – 30,000 – 40,000 dong
Glass of wine – 25,000 VND
Alcoholic cocktails – 55,000 VND
Beer – 19,000 VND

This place is more suitable for lunch than a romantic dinner. Tasty, fast and inexpensive.

Nice cafe for lunch

Some prices at Beefsteak Napoleon

Signature steak Napoleon – 60,000 VND
Beefsteak with egg – 40,000 VND
Beef salad – 25,000 VND
Rice – 5,000 VND
French fries – 15,000 VND
Beer Saigon – 10,000 VND
Glass of wine – 20,000 VND
Milk – 12,000 VND
Freshly squeezed juices – 18,000 VND
Vietnamese coffee – 15,000 dong

P.S. I’m looking now, sitting on , at these low prices for food in Dalat and thinking, maybe I’ll go back to Vietnam? 🙂 It’s cheaper to live there! Where can you find a glass of wine for $1 in Thailand? Or beef with salad for a dollar or coffee for 0.7 dollars...

If you like restaurants with beautiful views, then I advise you to visit the Blue Water restaurant on the shore of Xuan Huong Lake. The prices here are quite high by Vietnamese standards, but you can afford a cup of coffee or a glass :) I love beautiful and expensive restaurants :)

Beautiful Blue Water restaurant

In Dalat, on the shore of the lake, there is a fairly large Big C store. We stopped in there for fruit, buns and wine. By the way, food prices in Dalat Big C are slightly higher than . In the same building there are small shops with clothes and cafes, coffee shops and pastry shops.

Big C store on the lake

Shopping and souvenirs from Dalat

What to buy in Dalat? The best souvenirs from Dalat will be:

Coffee – from 150,000 VND per kg
Tea – from 120,000 VND per kg
Dried and candied fruits (3 small boxes for 50,000 VND)
Jam

Best souvenir from Dalat this is Vietnamese coffee :)

Souvenirs from Dalat :)

You can also buy strawberries in Dalat (50,000 VND per kg), various knitted items (sweatshirts, hats, etc.)

Strawberries grow in Dalat. It doesn’t even taste very good, it’s delicious! Otherwise, it’s usually impossible to eat Asian strawberries.

Vegetables and fruits at the market in Dalat

You can buy winter clothes in Dalat :)

All this can be purchased in the huge indoor market and next to it, both on the street and in shops.

Central market in Dalat

Square near the market

If you are partial to mountain landscapes, if you want to look at a completely different Vietnam (not the same as in the tourist residence of Nha Trang 🙂), be sure to visit Dalat. I advise you to come to Dalat NOT in a group excursion group, but independently. IN independent trip there is nothing scary or difficult in Dalat, and you will have much more fun and can leisurely enjoy the city.

This a beautiful city Dalat!

Dalat is a city where I would happily live for a couple of months. It was in Dalat that I got the idea not to leave Vietnam for Thailand, but to extend my visa and stay there for another couple of months :)

On the tourist streets of Dalat

Lake in Dalat

The question often arises, how many days to go to Dalat?

If you are limited in time, then dedicate at least 2 to 3 full days to Dalat. We spent almost 6 days in Da Lat in May, and it seemed to me that it wasn’t enough :) and then we also came from Nha Trang for 2-3 days several times! And I will definitely come back here :)

In any case, come to Dalat - the city of eternal spring, flowers and love!

On the streets of Dalat

One of the parks in Dalat

Dalat Map

The map shows the sights of Dalat and other necessary and useful places :)

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We couldn’t find ourselves in Nha Trang again and again not go to everyone’s favorite city of Dalat. We bought tickets for the Nha Trang - Dalat bus at the carrier's office in the city center. The next day we faced a difficult 4-hour road from Nha Trang to Dalat through a mountain pass.

If I knew in advance the upcoming road to Dalat, then... How much does a plane ticket cost there? :)

Nha Trang - Dalat. How to get there and where to buy a ticket

In Nha Trang, tickets can be bought at this nice Sinhtourist office. And you don’t need to go to the bus station on the outskirts of Nha Trang, as other bloggers advise. The price of a bus ticket from Nha Trang to Dalat is 109 thousand dong ($5). You can also buy a ticket online on the 12GO Asia website.

Advice: ask for a seat in the middle of the cabin, otherwise you may get the back seat, it shakes more there.

The bus departs at 7:30 am from the Singh-Tourist office, which is located on the second street, not far from the Liberty Hotel.

Coordinates: 12.236033, 109.195494

We reached the office in 5 minutes at 7.15, gave a printout of tickets, received boarding passes and some water, then waited another 15 minutes and loaded onto the bus. We were the only Russians. The rest are French and Chinese. We first took anti-sickness pills.

The bus has a capacity of 29 seats. It's not cold in the cabin. We rode in shorts and didn't get cold. But still take a warm blouse and socks with you just in case. Travel time is exactly 4 hours. There is no toilet on the bus, but we made one stop for 20 minutes about an hour and a half after departure.

Bus Nha Trang - Dalat The SinhTourist for 29 seats

We made a stop at a restaurant where we could have a snack, warm up and go to the toilet. The restaurant is decent with beautiful bridges and cozy gazebos. We saw trees on which breadfruit grows.

Road through the mountains to Dalat. Extreme begins

After the stop, the fun began. And for me this is the worst thing. The road to Dalat promotes the release of adrenaline into the blood

Even if you are not a naive tourist who is firmly convinced that nothing will happen to him on vacation, because everything is paid for, then you, too, will at least wince several times along the way.

The road through the mountains takes about an hour and a half and consists of only sharp turns. It is narrow and two-lane. Every time a driver starts to overtake someone in the oncoming lane, it seems that just a little more and you will fly into the abyss.

One of the many blurred sections of serpentine

Along the way, we saw workers and excavators several times clearing away the next landslides. Apparently, during the rainy season there were landslides and a lot of stones fell (see). And sometimes the stones were such that they could demolish an entire train, let alone a car or a bus.

We were lucky; the driver was attentive and leisurely. He carefully avoided dangerous areas and slowed down on corners, did not speed and honked at other drivers if we came out of a sharp corner.

And after an hour of shaking, serpentine and nerves, we found ourselves in a cloud. Google map shows an altitude of 1800 meters above sea level. The fog is such that visibility is 30 meters.

Clouds covered us. And behind the fence there is an abyss

The driver's assistant kept wiping the windshield so that he could see at least something ahead. The salon doors were opened slightly. For what? I think in case of evacuation in case of an accident. I have never experienced such horror in my life.

Where can I order a transfer from the airport?

We use the service - KiwiTaxi
We ordered a taxi online and paid by card. We were met at the airport with a sign with our name on it. We were taken to the hotel in a comfortable car. You've already talked about your experience In this article.

Scary, but so beautiful!

The crazy beauty of the views helped me to take my mind off bad thoughts. Nature untouched by man, wild forests, tall trees, hills, waterfalls, mountain peaks in the clouds. The abyss is so frightening and just as fascinating to your eyes.

Many times we passed waterfalls right next to the road. You drive and from the window you look at the seething streams of water. It's amazing how people were able to build a road through the mountains in such wild places.

One waterfall in the mountains was especially magnificent. 200 meters high, no less. We saw it from afar, but we weren’t able to photograph it properly ourselves. The camera is discharged.

In such a strange and nervous state, we drove for 1.5 hours after the cafe. Then the mountainous terrain suddenly gave way to another landscape in the form of hills and greenhouses. There are thousands of them here. It’s as if they built a city out of greenhouses.

Greenhouses on the way to Dalat

It is worth noting that the road to Dalat is not ideal, as they write in blogs. So many bumps, holes and irregularities. It shakes all the way, and not only in the mountains. Often, potholes are driven around oncoming traffic. Far from the most comfortable road for this difficult route. What I mean is that some blogs eloquently describe how smooth and level the road to Dalat from Nha Trang is, which is a pleasure to drive.

4 hours passed quickly, scary and entertaining. The route Nha Trang - Dalat is not very tiring, but you need to relieve nervous tension with a cup of coffee or beer. On the way, I slept a little, and Slava did not look away from the panorama outside the bus window, trying to remember in as much detail as possible all the images of the untouchable land in this region of Vietnam. That's how we got to Dalat!

Where does the bus arrive in Dalat?

Synhutrist buses bring you to their office near the hotel Trung Cang Hotel. It's in the center, 5 minutes walk to the lake. The hotel, by the way, is not bad and relatively inexpensive, prices start from $20 with breakfast. You can stop right there or go have lunch after the road. To the right of the hotel is the Sinhov office, where you can buy return tickets to Nha Trang or other destinations. Taxi drivers know this place as the Singh Cafe.

Coordinates: 11.944165, 108.440178

Order transfer Nha Trang - Dalat

It is possible to travel this route with an individual transfer. You can order a taxi from Nha Trang to Dalat at numerous travel agencies or online follow this link.

Transfer Nha Trang Dalat

Please note that if you have a large company, you can order a minibus for 7-19 people and just chip in all together for the transfer.

You can get from Dalat to Nha Trang by bus from the Sinh Tourist company, the cost of the trip is about 150,000 dong. You can purchase a ticket at any travel agency. The ticket price usually includes a transfer from the hotel to the bus station, where you can also buy a ticket yourself. Departure times are at 07:30 and 13:00 and the journey takes about 4 hours. The company even has a website https://www.thesinhtourist.vn/bus/dl/vc-dlnt-01/da-lat-nha-trang where you can buy tickets cheaper, for only 99,000 dong.

By the way, the view outside the window is simply stunning, jungle, mountains, canyons and even waterfalls. It would be nice to take a ride there by car, since bus drivers are clearly not fans of driving slowly. So if you feel sick on buses, it’s better to take an anti-sickness pill before the trip; there’s a “roller coaster” along the serpentine road ahead. On top of everything else, it started to rain a little and the glass covered with drops did not allow us to fully enjoy the scenery.

Author Denis Sychev

Hello! My name is Denis Sychev, I am a designer, traveler and a bit of a blogger. I often travel and go hiking. I have already visited more than 20 countries, traveled almost all of Europe by bicycle, climbed Everest, and in general a lot more, which I try to share with you here.

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