Hotel Pickup and Meeting Points for Hanoi and Sapa Tours (2026 Guide)

How pickup works, tour by tour

Pickup is the first thing that can go wrong on a tour day, so here is exactly what each type of tour offers. The details for your booking are always on your tour page and in your booking confirmation.

Whichever tour you choose, wait at the address you gave us, and keep your phone on.

Staying in the Old Quarter

If your hotel is in the Old Quarter, you do not need to do anything special. Pickup and drop-off are included on jeep, scooter, female-rider, food and Instagram tours. When you book:

• Type your hotel’s full name exactly as it appears on your booking, plus the street address if you have it
• Tell us if your hotel is down a narrow lane – many Old Quarter hotels are, and it helps the guide find the right door
• Add a WhatsApp number that works in Vietnam

Some Old Quarter hotels sit down lanes too narrow for a vehicle, so the jeep or scooter may wait at the nearest corner rather than at your door. Keep an eye on WhatsApp around pickup time in case your guide messages you.

Drop-off is back in the Old Quarter. If you would like to be dropped somewhere else, message us before the tour and we will tell you whether it is possible.

Staying outside the Old Quarter

Plenty of travellers stay around West Lake, in the French Quarter or further out. That is no problem. Free pickup covers hotels around the Old Quarter; if you stay outside it, you meet us at one of two central meeting points instead:

• 46 Nguyen Huu Huan Street, Hoan Kiem
• Hanoi Opera House

Choose the one that suits you when you book. The meeting time comes with your booking confirmation. If you get there by ride-hailing app, check that the car and driver match the app before you get in.

Meeting the guide at the starting point

Every Hanoi tour that includes Old Quarter pickup also lets you choose “I will meet the guide at the starting point”. This suits you if:

• you are coming straight from another activity,
• you are staying with friends or in an apartment that is hard to find, or
• you would rather walk or take a Grab than wait in a lobby.

We confirm where to meet after booking. Save the location in your map app, take a screenshot in case your data drops, and aim to arrive a few minutes early. If you are using a ride-hailing app, check that the car and driver match the app before you get in – the standard advice from the US and UK governments.

The self-ride e-bike city tour and the countryside e-bike tour always start from a meeting point in Hanoi. Hotel pickup is not included on these two tours, but we can arrange it for an extra charge – tick it when you book and we will confirm the price.

Arriving from Noi Bai Airport

Our tours do not collect you from the airport itself. Noi Bai is about 28 km north of the centre and the tour vehicles stay in town, so the meeting point is always in the city. If you land on the day of your tour and would like a hand getting across, message us on WhatsApp in advance: our operations team can arrange a taxi to bring you from the airport straight to your tour meeting point. For every way into the city – the airport bus, Grab, taxis and private transfers – see our guide to getting from Noi Bai Airport to the Old Quarter.

What to have ready on the day

• Your phone, charged, with WhatsApp working – this is how your guide reaches you if they cannot find you
• Your booking reference – in a screenshot, so you can show it without data
• Your hotel’s name and address written down or saved, for the drop-off
• Cash for the balance of your tour, which is paid in cash on the tour day
• The things you need for the tour itself – see what to wear and bring

Be ready in the lobby at the pickup time confirmed for your booking. Departure times are listed on each tour page – for example, many half-day tours offer 08:00, 12:30 and 17:00 – but the time the guide reaches your hotel depends on the route, so always go by the time we confirm to you rather than the departure time alone.

The ATV tour: pickup across Hanoi

The ATV tour takes place in an eco-area in a pine forest outside the city, so transport works differently. Free hotel pickup in Hanoi by car or van is included. If you would rather arrive the fun way, you can upgrade and ride there as a motorbike passenger – we will confirm the price. Tell us your hotel when you book.

Sapa tours: Sapa Stone Church and central hotels

All our Sapa jeep and motorbike tours start and finish at Sapa Stone Church in the centre of town.

• If you stay in central Sapa, add your hotel name when booking and we can pick you up on request.
• If you stay in a village or outside town, meet us at Sapa Stone Church – hotel pickup covers hotels in the town centre.
• If you are arriving from Hanoi on the day, allow plenty of margin – buses and trains from Hanoi take several hours. See Hanoi to Sapa for the options.

Our Sapa tours do not include transport from Hanoi to Sapa.

Groups staying in different hotels

Travelling with friends who are spread across two or three hotels? Put every hotel name and address in the booking notes. Hotels around the Old Quarter are covered by free pickup; anyone staying outside it can meet the group at 46 Nguyen Huu Huan Street or Hanoi Opera House. Sometimes the simplest answer is for everyone to gather at one hotel. On scooter tours each guest rides with their own rider, and jeeps seat up to six guests, so tell us the exact number of people at each address.

If you cannot find your guide

It happens occasionally – a hotel with two entrances, a similar name next door, a phone on silent. If your pickup time has passed and nobody has arrived:

1. Check WhatsApp and your messages, including any from a Vietnamese number you do not recognise – that is often your guide.
2. Ask the hotel reception whether anyone has asked for you.
3. Message or call us: +84 879617691 or +84 342988013.