Hanoi
Hanoi City Tours & Things to Do
Lakes, temples, French boulevards and the best street food in Vietnam – everything you need to plan your days in Hanoi, from a local tour team.
- 22 tours
- 25 places to visit
- Tours from $25
- Best time to visitOctober–December and March–April
- Recommended stay2–3 days
- Getting thereNoi Bai International Airport, about 45 minutes from the Old Quarter
Tours with local guides
All tours in Hanoi
Hanoi · Electric Scooter
Hanoi Half-Day City Tour with Female Riders
876+ booked
From $62
$53
per adult
Hanoi · Electric Scooter
Hanoi Street Food Tour with Female Riders
786+ booked
From $72
$62
per adult
Hanoi · Jeep
Ba Vi National Park & Duong Lam Village Jeep Tour (Full Day)
132+ booked
From $120
$102
per adult
Hanoi · Electric Scooter
Hanoi Electric Scooter City Highlights Tour
234+ booked
From $45
$38
per adult
Hanoi · Electric Scooter
Hanoi Half-Day Electric Scooter City Tour
463+ booked
From $60
$51
per adult
Hanoi · Electric Scooter
Hanoi Electric Scooter Tour to Co Loa Citadel & Countryside
475+ booked
From $70
$60
per adult
Hanoi · Electric Scooter
Hanoi Sunrise & Sunset Electric Scooter Tour
678+ booked
From $60
$51
per adult
Hanoi · Electric Scooter
Hanoi Electric Scooter Tour to Bat Trang Pottery Village
578+ booked
From $70
$60
per adult
Hanoi · Electric Scooter
Hanoi Female Riders City Highlights Tour
345+ booked
From $47
$40
per adult
Hanoi · Electric Scooter
Co Loa Citadel & Countryside Tour with Female Riders
567+ booked
From $72
$62
per adult
Hanoi · E-Bike
Hanoi Self-Ride E-Bike City Tour: Lakes, Riverside & Hidden Gems
576+ booked
From $60
$45
per adult
Hanoi · E-Bike
Hanoi Countryside E-Bike Tour: Villages, Farms & Rural Life
487+ booked
From $60
$45
per adult
Hanoi · ATV & Off-Road
Hanoi ATV Tour: Self-Drive Off-Road Buggy in the Pine Forest
897+ booked
From $89
$65
per adult
Hanoi · Instagram & Photo
Hanoi Instagram Tour: City Highlights by Jeep, Limo or Motorbike
397+ booked
From $72
$60
per adult
Hanoi · Instagram & Photo
Quang Phu Cau Incense Village Instagram Tour from Hanoi
459+ booked
From $78
$65
per adult
Hanoi · Instagram & Photo
Mega Grand World Hanoi Instagram Tour by Jeep, Limo or Motorbike
769+ booked
From $66
$55
per adult
Find your ride
Choose your Hanoi tour style
Explore the soul of the north
Top places to visit in Hanoi
Iconic landmarks, bustling craft quarters and hidden cultural gems handpicked into authentic journeys.
More places in Hanoi
Hoan Kiem Lake
Long Bien Bridge
Hanoi French Quarter
Hanoi Opera House
Tran Quoc Pagoda
Dong Xuan Market
Bat Trang Pottery Village
Presidential Palace
Truc Bach Lake & John McCain Memorial
B-52 Victory Relic (Huu Tiep Lake)
Banana Island (Red River)
Phung Hung Mural Street
Quang Ba Flower Market
Duong Lam Ancient Village
Ba Vi National Park
Quang Phu Cau Incense Village
Chuong Conical Hat Village
Soc Son Pine Forest
Mega Grand World HanoiBeyond the city
Day trips from Hanoi
Why visit Hanoi?
Hanoi has been Vietnam’s capital, on and off, for more than a thousand years, and it still feels like a city of layers. Around Hoan Kiem Lake the Hanoi Old Quarter keeps its medieval guild streets; south of the lake the Hanoi French Quarter has wide boulevards, villas and the Hanoi Opera House; to the west Ba Dinh holds Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Presidential Palace; and to the north West Lake is ringed by pagodas, cafés and lotus ponds. A good Hanoi city tour links all of these in a few hours – and leaves you plenty of time for pho, bun cha and egg coffee.
It is also a city that rewards slowing down. Early in the morning locals do tai chi and badminton around the lakes; in the evening whole families eat on tiny plastic stools on the pavement. Prices are low, distances are short and most of the famous sights are within 5 km of each other.
How to see Hanoi: city tours for every style
Hanoi’s traffic is the one thing that slows visitors down: walking between districts in the heat is tiring, and riding a motorbike yourself is not for everyone. That is why most of our Hanoi city tours are built around a vehicle and a local guide, with free pickup from hotels in the Old Quarter.
Vintage jeep, e-scooter or a local female rider
Our open-air army jeep tours carry up to six guests with a driver and guide – the easiest choice for families and anyone who prefers not to ride pillion. On the electric scooter tours you sit behind a local rider on a quiet e-scooter, which lets you slip down the lanes to Banana Island and Long Bien Bridge. The female riders tours, run by our “Green Sisters”, follow similar routes with women riders and guides. If you prefer to ride yourself, the self-ride e-bike tours follow lakeside paths and village roads, and our Instagram tours come with a photographer and your choice of jeep, limo or motorbike.
There are short 2-hour highlights tours (from 08:00 until a sunset departure at 18:00), half-day tours with food and tea, dedicated street food tours and a sunrise ride at 05:00. Most tours can also be booked as a Hanoi private tour for just your group – compare the tours, start times and prices below.
Best day trips from Hanoi
Some of the most rewarding Hanoi day trips are surprisingly close. Co Loa Citadel, the earthen ramparts of a capital from the 3rd century BC, and Bat Trang Pottery Village, where you can throw your own bowl on the wheel, are half-day trips by jeep or e-scooter. A full day takes you to Ba Vi National Park and the laterite lanes of Duong Lam Ancient Village. Photographers love Quang Phu Cau Incense Village and Chuong Conical Hat Village; Soc Son Pine Forest is the place for an off-road ATV drive, and Mega Grand World Hanoi offers canals and colourful façades. Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh are also popular, but they need a long day (2–3 hours each way) – see the day trip cards below for what we run ourselves.
Planning your days
One full day is enough to see the main sights of Hanoi in a day if you join a city tour; two days let you add museums, a day trip and a street food evening. Our suggested itinerary, a month-by-month weather guide and a list of hidden gems follow below.
Worth it?
Top reasons to visit Hanoi
- A thousand years of historyTemples from the Ly dynasty, French colonial buildings and Cold War relics such as the B-52 Victory Relic (Huu Tiep Lake) – all in one compact city.
- The best street food in VietnamPho, bun cha, banh cuon, cha ca and egg coffee were born or perfected here, and most dishes cost a few dollars.
- Lakes everywhereHoan Kiem Lake, West Lake and Truc Bach Lake give the city green space, sunsets and calm mornings.
- Easy to explore with a localShort distances and free Old Quarter pickup mean you can see the highlights in 2–4 hours by jeep or e-scooter.
- Craft villages on the doorstepPottery, incense, conical hats and rice fields are 30–60 minutes from the centre.
- Gateway to the northHanoi is the starting point for Sapa, Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh.
Make the most of it
12 Hanoi must-see sights
Hoan Kiem Lake
The heart of the city. Walk the shore at dawn, cross the red The Huc Bridge to Ngoc Son Temple (about 50,000 VND) and join the weekend walking street on Friday to Sunday evenings.
Hanoi Old Quarter
Guild streets named after their trades, tube houses, hidden temples and the best food stalls in Hanoi. Allow half a day on foot.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
The granite mausoleum on Ba Dinh Square, open on weekday and weekend mornings except Monday and Friday. It closes for maintenance each year – in 2026 from 4 September to 2 November.
Temple of Literature
Built in 1070 to honour Confucius and home to Vietnam’s first national university from 1076, with courtyards, stone stelae and ponds. Tickets about 70,000 VND; go early to avoid groups.
Hanoi Train Street
Cafés a step from the tracks in a narrow residential lane. Order a drink, stay seated and follow the café owner when the train comes.
Long Bien Bridge
The iron bridge over the Red River, opened in 1902 and still used by trains, motorbikes and walkers. Best at sunset.
West Lake and Tran Quoc Pagoda
Hanoi’s biggest lake and its oldest pagoda on a small island off Thanh Nien Road. Cover shoulders and knees.
Hanoi French Quarter and Hanoi Opera House
Tree-lined streets, colonial villas and the 1911 Opera House, with Trang Tien ice cream and Hoa Lo Prison nearby.
St. Joseph's Cathedral
Hanoi’s neo-Gothic cathedral from 1886, with lemon tea stalls and cafés on the square.
B-52 Victory Relic (Huu Tiep Lake)
The wreck of an American bomber in a small neighbourhood pond since December 1972 – free to see.
Dong Xuan Market
Hanoi’s biggest covered market, plus the Friday–Sunday night market that runs south along Hang Dao.
Banana Island
A green island of banana farms in the Red River, minutes from the Old Quarter but a world away. Visited on our jeep, e-scooter and e-bike tours.
Where to stay
Hanoi by area: where to stay
- Hanoi Old QuarterBusy, noisy and full of food, with hotels for every budget. Best for: first-time visitors and short stays – most sights are walkable and our city tours pick up here.
- Hanoi French QuarterQuieter, leafier streets south of Hoan Kiem Lake with grand hotels, embassies and good restaurants. Best for: couples and travellers who want comfort and calm while staying central.
- Ba DinhThe political district around Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Temple of Literature, with local markets and fewer tourists. Best for: repeat visitors and those who like a residential feel.
- West Lake (Tay Ho)Lakeside cafés, international restaurants and long-stay apartments, 15–20 minutes from the Old Quarter. Best for: longer stays, families and anyone who likes sunsets and space.
- Long Bien and the Red RiverAcross the river: local neighbourhoods, Banana Island and a handful of guesthouses and homestays. Best for: visitors looking for something less touristy; you will use Grab more often.
Good to know
Costs: what things cost in Hanoi
| Bowl of pho or bun cha | About 40,000–70,000 VND |
|---|---|
| Banh mi | About 20,000–40,000 VND |
| Egg coffee | About 30,000–60,000 VND |
| Glass of bia hoi | About 10,000–25,000 VND |
| Bottle of water | About 5,000–15,000 VND |
| Short Grab motorbike ride | About 15,000–40,000 VND |
| Airport to Old Quarter | Bus 86 about 45,000 VND; Grab car or taxi about 250,000–400,000 VND |
| Temple of Literature | About 70,000 VND |
| Ngoc Son Temple / Hoa Lo Prison | About 50,000 VND each |
| Water puppet show | About 100,000–200,000 VND |
| Mid-range hotel, double room | Roughly 600,000–1,500,000 VND per night |
Prices are typical street and ticket prices in 2025–2026 and change often – treat them as a guide and check on the day.
Timing
Best time to visit Hanoi
Dry, sunny and comfortable – the most popular time and often called the best time to visit Hanoi.
Cool and grey, sometimes as low as 10°C at night. Bring a jacket; Tet brings closures but also festive streets.
Mild with drizzle and high humidity; flowers everywhere and fewer crowds.
Hot (often 33–35°C) with heavy downpours and the occasional storm. Plan outdoor time for early morning and late afternoon.
Month by month
Hanoi weather by month
About 14–20°C · dry but often grey and damp · Wear: jeans, a sweater and a light down or windproof jacket · Tip: Tet may fall in late January or February – book early
About 16–22°C · fine drizzle, humid · Wear: layers and a light jacket · Tip: Tet 2027 is on 6 February; some shops close for several days
About 20–26°C · drizzle and high humidity · Wear: long trousers, a light jacket for evenings · Tip: blossom season in the city and villages
About 22–28°C · warm, first showers · Wear: light trousers, T-shirts, a thin layer · Tip: one of the most pleasant months; book tours ahead around 30 April–1 May
About 25–33°C · hot, afternoon storms begin · Wear: breathable clothes, sun hat · Tip: lotus season starts on the lakes
About 27–35°C · hottest month, heavy showers · Wear: light cotton or linen, sandals · Tip: plan sightseeing early morning and after 16:00
About 26–34°C · hot, humid, frequent rain · Wear: quick-dry clothes, a poncho · Tip: save museums and cafés for the heaviest showers
About 26–33°C · the wettest month, occasional storms · Wear: quick-dry clothes, sandals · Tip: keep a flexible day in case of storms
About 25–32°C · still warm, rain easing · Wear: light clothes, a thin rain jacket · Tip: National Day on 2 September brings parades and crowds
About 23–30°C · drier, clear days · Wear: T-shirts and a light layer for evenings · Tip: one of the best months; milk flower scents the streets late in the month
About 20–27°C · mostly dry and sunny · Wear: light layers and a jacket for evenings · Tip: arguably the best month for a Hanoi city tour – book ahead
About 14–21°C · dry and cool · Wear: long sleeves, a sweater and a jacket · Tip: Christmas lights around St. Joseph’s Cathedral
Plan your visit
Itinerary: Hanoi in 2 days
Day 1, morning – Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter
Start at 6:00–7:00 with locals exercising around the lake, then walk the guild streets with a bowl of pho for breakfast.
Day 1, afternoon – Half-day city tour
Join a half-day jeep, e-scooter or female riders city tour: Banana Island, Long Bien Bridge, West Lake, Tran Quoc Pagoda, the B-52 relic, Ba Dinh and coffee on Train Street (exact stops depend on the tour).
Day 1, evening – Puppets and bia hoi
A water puppet show near Hoan Kiem Lake, then fresh beer on Ta Hien. On Friday to Sunday, add the walking street and night market.
Day 2, morning – Ba Dinh and the Temple of Literature
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (when open), One Pillar Pagoda and the Presidential Palace grounds, then the Temple of Literature before the crowds.
Day 2, afternoon – A half-day trip
Ride out to Bat Trang Pottery Village or Co Loa Citadel (afternoon departures at 12:30), or stay central for Hoa Lo Prison and the Hanoi French Quarter.
Day 2, evening – Street food tour
An evening food tour by jeep, e-scooter or with female riders: banh cuon, banh mi, bun cha and a final drink on Train Street.
Only one day?
Take a 2-hour highlights tour in the morning, walk the Old Quarter after lunch and finish with a street food tour – the best Hanoi city tour 1 day plan for most people.
Map & directions
How to get to Hanoi
- From Noi Bai International AirportAbout 30 km, 45–60 minutes to the Old Quarter. Airport bus 86 (about 45,000 VND) stops near Hoan Kiem Lake and Hanoi Railway Station; Grab cars and taxis cost about 250,000–400,000 VND.
- By trainHanoi Railway Station at 120 Le Duan is about 10 minutes from the Old Quarter. Trains run south to Hue and Ho Chi Minh City and north to Lao Cai for Sapa.
- By busLong-distance buses use My Dinh, Giap Bat, Nuoc Ngam and Gia Lam bus stations; many limousine vans (for Sapa, Ninh Binh or Ha Long) pick up in the Old Quarter.
- Getting aroundUse Grab (car or motorbike) rather than flagging taxis, walk in the Old Quarter, or join a tour with hotel pickup.
Eat like a local
What to eat in Hanoi
- Pho bo (beef noodle soup)Pho Gia Truyen, 49 Bat Dan, or Pho Thin, 13 Lo Duc – best for breakfast.
- Bun chaGrilled pork with noodles and herbs. Bun Cha Huong Lien, 24 Le Van Huu, is famous for a 2016 presidential visit; Old Quarter stalls on Hang Manh are just as good.
- Cha caTurmeric fish fried with dill at your table – Cha Ca La Vong, 14 Cha Ca, or Cha Ca Thang Long on Duong Thanh.
- Banh miBanh Mi 25, 25 Hang Ca, is an easy favourite in the Old Quarter.
- Banh cuonSteamed rice rolls with pork and mushroom, best at small family shops in the morning; part of our food tours.
- Pho cuonFresh rice noodle rolls with beef and herbs, the speciality of Ngu Xa island on Truc Bach Lake.
- Bun thangA delicate chicken, egg and pork noodle soup – look for it on Cau Go and Hang Hom.
- Xoi (sticky rice)Xoi Yen, 35 Nguyen Huu Huan, for a cheap and filling breakfast.
- Egg coffeeCafe Giang, 39 Nguyen Huu Huan, where the family has made it since 1946.
- Kem Trang TienHanoi’s classic ice cream kiosk at 35 Trang Tien in the French Quarter.
Local advice
Travel tips for Hanoi
Do
- Cross the road slowly and steadily so riders can flow around you
- Carry small notes – many stalls cannot change 500,000 VND
- Book Grab in the app so the price is fixed before you ride
- Cover shoulders and knees at pagodas, temples and the mausoleum
- Check opening days: many museums close on Mondays
Don’t
- Hold your phone loosely by the roadside – snatch theft from motorbikes happens
- Pay for a shoeshine, fruit-pole photo or cyclo ride without agreeing the price first
- Wander onto the tracks on Train Street – stay seated when the train is due
- Change money with street touts; use banks, ATMs or gold shops recommended by your hotel
- Wear shorts or vests to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum – you will be turned away
Good to know
Hanoi: questions & answers
Is a Hanoi city tour worth it?
Yes, especially if you have only one or two days. A guided city tour by jeep or e-scooter links the Old Quarter, French Quarter, Ba Dinh, West Lake and Long Bien Bridge in 2–4 hours, with the stories you would miss on your own.
What is the best Hanoi city tour for 1 day?
Combine a 2-hour or half-day city tour in the morning with an evening street food tour. Compare the jeep, e-scooter and female riders options below – routes are similar, the vehicle and the feel are different.
Can you see Hanoi in a day?
You can see the main sights in a day: Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter, Ba Dinh, West Lake and Train Street. Two or three days let you add museums and a day trip.
How many days do you need in Hanoi?
Two to three days is ideal: one for the city sights, one for food and museums, and one for a day trip such as Bat Trang, Co Loa or Ba Vi.
What are the best day trips from Hanoi?
Close to the city: Co Loa Citadel, Bat Trang Pottery Village, Quang Phu Cau Incense Village and Soc Son Pine Forest (half day). Full day: Ba Vi National Park and Duong Lam Ancient Village. Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh need a long day.
What should I not miss in Hanoi?
Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (when open), the Temple of Literature, Train Street, Long Bien Bridge, West Lake and a bowl of pho.
What is the best time to visit Hanoi?
October to December and March to April are the most comfortable. Summer (May to September) is hot and rainy; winter (January–February) is cool and grey.
What should I wear in Hanoi?
Light, breathable clothes from May to October; layers and a jacket from December to February. Bring long trousers or a skirt covering the knees for temples and the mausoleum.
Do you offer private Hanoi tours?
Yes. Most of our Hanoi tours can be booked as a private tour for just your group, with the same route and hotel pickup in the Old Quarter. Prices are shown in the tour list.
Is Hanoi safe for tourists?
Generally very safe. The main risks are traffic and petty theft – keep phones and bags away from the road side and agree prices before buying.
