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Our first time to Milan wasn’t what you’d call ‘normal’. It was September 2013 and Christina and I were in town for Milan Fashion Week.

The place was absolute chaos.

Piazzas were packed with fashionista and paparazzi, roads were clogged with SUVs hooning the likes of Anna Wintour from one show to the next and streets were humming with a mixture of carnival excitement and irritation.

Christina — aka Hair Romance — had been sent by Schwarzkopf to cover one of the biggest events in the international Fashion Week calendar. The things we got to do and see.

Partying in palaces, staying in grand hotels, rubbing shoulders with the glitterati (yes, that includes Anna Wintour) and even sitting front row of Fashion Week catwalk shows.

Craziness.

The times we’ve been back to Milan since then have been much more ‘normal’, but calm or crazy, spending time in Milan is a wonderful experience. We’ve put together our notes from our trips over the years to bring you our Essential Guide to Milan.

Hit each heading below to skip to that section:

– How to get to Milan

– Where to stay in Milan

– Where to eat and drink

– Things to do in the city

– Milan in the winter

– Beyond Milan

How to get there

Milan one of the most connected cities in the world.

Milan Malpensa Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. Most long-haul flights come through Rome or here.

For short-haul and budget flights, Bergamo’s Il Caravaggio International Airport offers a great value option that people regularly overlook, but a shuttle runs every half hour to central Milan — plus Bergamo is well worth looking at while you’re there. The best cappuccino I’ve ever had fyi.

If you’re already in Europe, getting the train to Milan is the perfect option. No parking or transfers, you arrive straight in the middle of the city. Milano Centrale is a major terminal with trams, buses and taxis ready to collect you when you arrive.

Where to stay in Milan

Like any major city, Milan has an enormous wealth of accommodation options. The times we’ve been here, we’ve stayed in hotels and private houses, and we’ve found the city’s northeast near Loreto to be perfect for our needs.

Loreto is superbly connected — close to Centrale but also a lot of other metro stops — and is also near plenty of bars and restaurants. It’s also at the end of the Corso Buenos Aires, one of Europe’s longest shopping streets.

For example, the hotel we stayed at here was the Unahotels Galles Hotel — you can read our full review here.

For whatever reason, accommodation in Loreto is also usually quite reasonable.

Where to eat and drink

Italians really can’t help themselves — they just can’t serve bad food. And the trick to it is you don’t have to go to the swankiest restaurant for the best meal; little local places will often out-punch their bigger, flashier (and more expensive) international competitors.

Here are some of the places we like:

Pirati Poeti

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Initially because it was close to our accommodation, but later because we loved it so much, Pirati Poeti (Pirates and Poets) became our favourite bar in Milan.

Not much more than a hole in the wall with a little covered section on the street for tables, this bar pushed out some great cocktails. But it was more about how friendly the staff were, how quickly we became locals (we were best mates with the owners by the end of the second round) and that sought-after feeling of being part of it all.

We watched a local football derby on the TV they’d angled over the street, we share tables with the locals and joined in the jokes through the evening. A great spot.

Luca & Andrea Bar

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There are plenty of bars and cafes along the canals in Milan’s southwest, but we picked Luca e Andrea’s for its friendly, simple and authentic vibe.

The dishes they serve are pretty straight forward, but generous and tasty. My cotoletta alla milanese (Milan-style schnitzel) was a bit dry, but big enough to keep me happy. Apart from a table of locals, who we were friends with by the end of the meal, we were the only customers on that winter’s evening.

During summer, I’m sure the place is packed.

Ristorante Pizzeria la Ragazza

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About as old school Italian as you can get, La Ragazza is full of the charm that Italian restaurants overseas always try to emulate, but never get quite right.

Staffed solely by older Italian men with a bit of swagger and banter, La Ragazza is the quintessential Italian dining experience — none of this being ignored, belittled or overcharged routine you get in over-touristy places.

The restaurant’s food is all on point. Enormous calzone to enormous steak Florentine, delicate entrees and tasty home-cooked desserts, and a beer, wine and spirits shelf to match, this is the real deal.

All’ Antico Vinaio sandwich shop

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There are a few of these sandwich bars scattered around the city, but the one on the outside wall of Milano Centrale Station is the OG.

These guys smash out hundreds of massive sandwiches every day. Made from fresh focaccia baked out back and brought into the shop as they’re ready, these sandwiches are so full of all the Italian deli goodies you can think of and they’re amazing.

Rivoire Oberdan

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This up-market restaurant is one of those rare places that takes itself seriously enough that it has a sense of humour about it. Eclectic, eccentric and at times just plain weird, Rivoire Oberdan on Piazza Oberdan is decorated with the strangest collections of things.

Samurai armour, French vases and Roman busts fill shelves, rose pink marble shines from the floor, and the walls and ceiling are the canvas of Sistine Chapel style classical paintings. But it’s the stuffed animals that catch the eye. Lions — even a full-size ostrich on its own little desert diorama — stand sentinel around the room.

Food here is excellent. Well-plated dishes are delivered by staff dressed as 1950s cruise liner crew, and the steak tartare is constructed at the table on a little trolley. Pretty cool.

Terrazza Aperol

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Overlooking the Duomo and easy to spot from the street with its bright orange umbrellas, this balcony bar is pricy and packed, but gives great views over the piazza.

This place had only recently opened when we were there in 2013, so ignore the prices in our write-up, but here’s our story on Terrazzo Aperol.

Il Bar

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For even better views of the Duomo, Il Bar is a glorious open-air rooftop venue at the top of the Rinascente department store (level 7).

Don’t take too much notice of the queues to get in (or should I say out) to the bar; most people are waiting to go and take photos then shove off. Ask for a table and you’ll usually be whisked past. Very VIP, darling!

Things to do in Milan

Duomo and rooftop

Europe’s biggest Gothic cathedral, the Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary — or just the Duomo to its friends, this 14th Century church is one of Italy’s most striking landmarks.

Go inside to see the statues, ceilings, pillars and saints — and also the zodiac signs in the beautiful floor, and down into the catacombs to see more saintly remains.

But it’s the rooftop that offers the most unique and interesting experiences in Milan.

You need to pay an entrance fee to go into the Duomo, but for a few extra euros, you have access to the roof. And for a couple more euros, you get to skip the narrow clambering staircases and take the elevator to the top. Much more civilised.

From the roof, you get superb views out over the city, but you also get close-ups of the spires and statues that adorn the Duomo — perspectives that you just can’t get any other way.

The intricate details of the roof really are something not to be missed.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II mall

Directly north of the Duomo, the Galleria shopping mall is a beautiful glass-topped building that has inspired many glass-roofed malls around the world including the Block Arcade in Melbourne.

Housing some of the most prestigious fashion icons (and at one point a McDonald’s!), this mall with its glass-domed atrium is almost as popular as the Duomo itself. At Christmas time, Milan erects an enormous tree in the middle.

Of course, you can come here to shop, but most people are here to admire the building itself.

Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie and the Last Supper

Within the bright Renaissance-era walls of the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie hides one of the most famous paintings in the world. Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper draws millions of visitors each year.

We’ve never been in to see this masterpiece as the ticketing system is not only complicated, requires planning and has non-negotiable arrival times that we find difficult and off-putting, it’s also very expensive.

But this link will get you one of the best skip-the-queue tours out there if you’re planning to see one of the most significant artworks in the world.

Parco Sempione, the Arco de Pace and Castello Sforzesco

Easily the biggest park in Milan, Marco Sempione is at the heart of the Centro Storico — Milan’s old town. At one end is the magnificent Arco de Pace — Milan’s triumphal arch — and at the other the stout Castello Sforzesco, a 15th Century fortress now turned museum and art gallery.

It’s free to explore the grounds of the castle, but around €5 to go inside. Artworks here include a Michelangelo and some di Vinci frescos.

The Arc de Pace frames the park and castle beautifully, and is a popular meeting place (i.e. people-watching spot).

Cimitero Monumentale

It might seem a little morbid — close to ‘dark tourism’ perhaps — but Cimitero Monumentale (the Monumental Cemetery of Milan) is amazing. Full of ever grander and more opulent mausoleums, this cemetery gives you some idea of the wealth within Milan.

You won’t find the graves of anyone particularly famous here — this isn’t Highgate or Père-Lachaise. But only the super-rich are laid to rest here. Many of the Campari family for example. But you don’t come here hunt the stars; it’s more to marvel at the sheer scale of some of these tombs.

Quadrilatero della Moda

Quadrilatero della Moda or Quad d’Oro is the high-end shopping district of the city. If you’re looking for the haute couture that Milan is famous for, you’ll find it here. The finest, most famous fashion houses have premises in the Quad d’Oro.

So get ready to either grip your wallet a bit tighter or let it fly like a bird released. There’s no middle ground!

Corso Buenos Aires

Europe’s longest shopping street, Corso Buenos Aires is full of the modern, regular ‘high street’ retail.

It’s also full of great bars and restaurants, so it’s worth exploring this 1.2km stretch and its side streets. There’s an abundance of cool, fun places to stop in at, and they tend to be more affordable than anything you find near the Duomo.

Aperitivo hour

This fascinating custom seems to have become a bit of a Covid casualty, but there are still some venues that do aperitivo hour.

For the cost of a drink, you can help yourself to the tasty morsels at the counter and you can usually go up as many times as you like. This is as well as the snacks that come with drinks at most bars. Expect pizzi, cheese, meat, fruit, olives, salads frittatas, crudités and more.

Sport in Milan

Its central location has made Milan not only centre of fashion, but also a financial and industrial one too. And let’s not forget all the tourism from sport.

With not one but two internationally renowned football teams of AC and Inter Milan in the city, as well as Bergamo’s Atalanta BC to the north, Milan’s famed San Ciro Stadium gets a good workout.

Then of course you have the Formula 1 in nearby Monza, and with the 2026 Winter Olympics also held here and across the region, sport is central to Milan’s personality.

Milan in winter

We love to travel to places — especially European cities — out of season. The crowds are smaller, the locals are calmer and you get to see the destination for what it really is. It’s like meeting a famous person when their guard’s down.

Milan in the winter can be quite cold, but not unbearable. On average, only December and January get really cold, and temperatures generally don’t dip below zero.

Pretty much everywhere is still open in the winter months in Milan, and though there are far fewer visitors, there’s still a great vibe to the city.

Check out our full write-up on Milan in winter here.

Beyond Milan

Lake Como

Lake Como is one of those special places in the world that everyone should see at least once. It’s so beautiful.

From Milan, it’s a straightforward train journey takes you from Milano Centrale to Varenna — a little town on the eastern shores of the lake — in under an hour.

Varenna is stunning and well worth exploring. Its steep streets that reach up from the lake are full of pretty shops and bars.

From here you can get a ferry across the Bellagio. Apart from being where George Clooney lives, this is the jewel in Como’s crown. From the Venetian style main street and ferry wharf with its grand hotels and over-water restaurants to the hillside hideaway bars and boutiques, Bellagio is lovely.

Down at the northern point of the town is Ristorante Punta (only open seasonally) where you can sit and enjoy the views up the lake to the mountains beyond.

On the western side of Lake Como, the ferry stops at equally beautiful town of Menaggio. Not far from here is the hotel that has our hearts. The lady of the lake, the Grand Hotel Tremezzo sits elegantly, with its private pool floating in the lake like a lily pad.

Check out our story on the Grand Hotel Tremezzo here.

Bergamo

Bergamo is a lovely little town north of Milan. Its old town — Citta Alta — sits at the top of a hill. You can drive or even walk up to it, but the funicular train is much more enjoyable.

Read our write-up about Bergamo here, where the local dish is polenta and gorgonzola, and where I discovered the best cappuccino I’ve ever had.

Parma

East of Milan is the gastronomical wonderland of Parma. Everyone here is obsessed with food, and for good reason. This is the heartland of goodies such as prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

This is the parmesan cheese and prosciutto ham tour we did while we were in Parma. Highly recommended. Our full review is here.

The Lakes (Como, Iseo, Lugano)

North of Milan are the Grandi Laghi Prealpini – the Great Pre-Alpine Lakes.

Lake Iseo is small and quiet, its main town is no more than a couple of streets, some shops and bars, and one hotel.

The island in the middle — Monte Isola — is Europe’s largest island on a lake, but that doesn’t mean much. It’s still tiny. But around its edges are some lovely little spots for a spritz or a snack.

Here’s our story on Lake Iseo.

Lake Lugano is interesting because it’s split in two by the Swiss border. Here you can eat Italian food while paying in Swiss Francs — a novel if expensive process. It’s so interesting though, to feel the difference between the Italian side and the Swiss side. You wouldn’t think it makes any difference, but it really does.

Here’s our story on five things to do at Lake Lugano and some of our favourite photos.

Apart from Lake Como and its train ride from Milan, which we’ve mentioned already, you’ll need a car to get to the other four: Lake Iseo and Lake Lugano, and Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta.

The post Fashion, Football And A Whole Lot More — Essential Guide to Milan, Italy appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Italy is one of our favourite destinations. Packed with culture, beautiful landscapes, stunning cities and of course one of the broadest spectrums of delicious food you’ll find in one country.

Christina and I have been lucky enough to see quite a bit of this wonderful country — perhaps more than most with Christina’s language skills giving us access to some of Italy’s less obvious facets. But more often than not, we’ve been here in the spring, summer or autumn.

However, we were travelling with our friends Clare and Dave when we arrived at Milano Malpensa Airport in mid-December wondering what Italy’s sartorial centre would be like in winter.

Is Milan Worth Visiting In Winter?

The short answer is ‘yes’, but I hope you’d probably already guessed that.

So perhaps the question should be ‘what’s different about Milan in the winter?’

Of course, it’s colder. In fact, because it’s quite close to the southern edge of the snow-topped Italian Alps, Milan can be freezing, though the city itself rarely gets snowed in.

Its coldest months are December and January, and — as we found — being outside without a hat or thick coat for very long isn’t a lot of fun.

The upside to being here in winter is that the crowds are usually a lot smaller, though the atmosphere is still just as lively.

Certain areas will always be busy; Milan Cathedral and its enormous piazza will still attract huge numbers of visitors, especially before Christmas as there are excellent open-air markets all around and the lights are spectacular.

However, the queues to go into the duomo itself are short and there aren’t as many people on the roof, which is well worth seeing.

Places that are less busy in Milan in winter

We were shocked at how quiet the canals in the city’s southwest were in December. Here, the little waterside bars, cafes and enoteca like Luca & Andrea Bar are empty, and you can have your choice of table.

In fact, most restaurants and bars away from many obvious tourist spots are delightfully quiet in Milan in winter. As a group of four, we never had any problems finding tables, even at conspicuous venues like Rivoire Oberdan with its crazy decor and stuffed ostriches.

Even the bar with the best views of the Duomo — Il Bar — is quiet enough to find a seat without too much effort. This place is on the rooftop of the Rinascente department store (level 7) and is so close to the Duomo you can reach out and touch it. Many come to take photos, but have a seat, a drink and a bite to eat and the place is all yours.

Our favourite bar — Pirati Poeti (Pirates and Poets) — is the exception.

This brilliant little local street-side spot would struggle to fit more than 20 people. The friendly staff somehow manage a lot more than that though, but everyone’s a local apart from us. We all squeeze in around heaters or cram our way inside up at the bar.

The beautiful parks throughout Milan are so quiet.

Yes, it’s chilly, but during the day, the sun still gives plenty of warmth and strolling through Parco Sempione — the geographic centre of Milan — with the grand Castello Sforzesco at one end and the majestic Arco della Pace at the other without hoards of tourists and hustlers mobbing you is a real delight of winter.

Similarly, the leafy Giardini Indro Montanelli in the northeast is serene. In December, there’s also a little ice rink and park for the kids, set up for Christmas.

For an interesting and somewhat unusual insight into Milanese life and history, taking an hour or two to explore the enormous Cimitero Monumentale — the Monumental Cemetery of Milan — in the city’s north is surprisingly rewarding. The mausoleums and crypts of wealthy Milan families are astounding in their scale.

What about further afield from Milan

Close to Milan, Lake Como is easy to get to by train and attracts understandably huge numbers of visitors.

Our favourite part of the lake is not the town of Como in the south, but further north where lake splits in two, where Bellagio sits.

In summer, this little lakeside town is awash with tourists, as is Varenna, the town you arrive in from the train.

In winter, there’s hardly anyone here. Granted, most of the restaurants are shut, but the ones that are still open still do a great job and you often get the choice of the best tables.

We have the pick of the tables at Bar Il Molo in Varenna. This place is usually packed in summer but it’s still our favourite dinner spot when we’re here.

The ferry that goes between Varenna, Bellagio and Menaggio on the western bank is also usually packed, but the day we were there, we had the whole top deck to ourselves.

Check out our Essential Guide to Lake Como here.

Parma and Bergamo

There are hundreds of smaller towns nearby that we can’t recommend enough. Bergamo to Milan’s north is a wonderful little spot — its ‘old town’ is high up on a hill with superb views and quaint shops and restaurants.

In summer Bergamo reasonably busy, but winter is when you really want to be here anyway. This town’s local specialty is polenta and gorgonzola! I can’t think of anything I want to eat more when it’s cold outside than hot, well-seasoned polenta with a slab of rich hearty gorgonzola cheese melting into it.

Parma, east of Milan, is a food-lover’s paradise. I mean, all of Italy is really, but Parma is famous for two things: parmesan cheese and parma ham — aka reggiano parmigiano and prosciutto di parma. You can even do a tour of where these food icons are made.

In summer, the little streets and alleys of this cute country town are surely heaving. In December, it feels like we’re the only visitors here. Even then, restaurants are packed with locals, perhaps all celebrating the lack of tourists!

The post Is It Worth Going To Milan In Winter?  appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Brought to you by InsideAsia Tours

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Girt by Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and China, Laos is the missing central piece of the puzzle that makes up the Southeast Asian peninsula.

Often overlooked by travellers in favour of its many neighbours, Laos is still quite new to tourism. This makes it such an attractive option for those of us in search for something different in the region.

Book your Laos by Train journey with InsideAsia Tours here.

Until recently, backpackers made up the majority of visitors to Laos. But since new roads and — even better — a high-speed rail line has come to the country, the travel demographic has expanded.

Taking advantage of the train means you can easily, quickly and comfortably travel between three of the most popular destinations in Laos: Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang.

Check out our video that takes you through all three of these unique and beautiful destinations in Laos:

Here’s a brief rundown of the full itinerary. For more detail, we’ve got separate stories on each of the three destinations — Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang — here.

To skip to each town in this itinerary, click on the links below and you’ll jump down to the destination:

– Skip down to Vientiane

– Skip down to Vang Vieng

– Skip down to Luang Prabang

Vientiane to Luang Prabang – Laos by Rail with InsideAsia Tours

We travelled with InsideAsia Tours, a global tour operator that creates fully tailored cultural adventures around Asia and that takes the tricky/boring bits out of visiting new places and turns your holiday into an experience you’ll always remember.

InsideAsia Tours is part of Inside Travel Group and sister brand of InsideJapan Tours. This award-winning tour operator specialises in ‘cultural adventure’ tourism across Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

Focus is always on getting travellers beneath the surface of their destination and giving them a taste of local life wherever their adventure takes them. That’s certainly what we’ve found travelling in Laos with InsideAsia.

For the most part, you have a personal guide and driver taking you round the attractions during the day, then in the evening you’re free to do as you wish.

Day 1: Flight to Vientiane

Regular flights from major Australian cities fly via Bangkok to Vientiane. The connection is usually with a local carrier into Laos.

Day 2: Day to explore

We booked an extra day in Vientiane so we could acclimatise and explore on our own. We wander the city, check out a few nearby temples, discover strange little bars like The Office and Laodi Bar, and settle in to our hotel – the Lao Poet Hotel in Ban Haysoke District.

Day 3: Touring Vientiane

Our guide Sakhoe and his driver take us around a range of Buddhist temples and the national monument, the grand Patuxay. We also visit the COPE Visitor Centre, telling the story of how Laos is the world’s most bombed country.

We then drive to Lao Disabled Women’s Centre that helps disabled, disadvantaged and vulnerable Lao women learn crafts and other skills.

Finally, we head to Buddha Park, a sculpture park with over 200 Buddhist and Hindu statues.

Back in the city and left to our own devices, we check out the Lao Night Market for some dinner.

Day 4: Train to Vang Vieng

Sakhoe takes us to the train station from our hotel. Built in 2021, this slick high-speed rail service has improved travel through Laos hugely.

It takes just over an hour to reach Vang Vieng.

Day 5: Ballooning and hiking in Vang Vieng

At dawn, we’re picked up from our accommodation — the Riverside Boutique Hotel — for a hot-air balloon ride with Above Laos. The views from our basket of the karst mountains and rice fields are magnificent.

Next we meet Toh, our local Kmhmu guide, who takes us on a cultural hike. We walk through rice fields, learn about his people and their way of life, meet a blacksmith and have lunch with two Kmhmu women.

Day 6: Train to Luang Prabang for a city tour & an ancient Baci ceremony

Our morning train ride to Luang Prabang is under an hour — a journey that can take around eight hours by bus.

Our guide, AK, takes us around the city to visit temples, to the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre and to look at the two rivers that converge here.

After lunch, he drops us off at our hotel, Maison Dalabua.

In the afternoon, AK takes us to meet Tiao Nith — Nithakhong Somsanith — a Lao artist and member of the former royal court.

Here, we also have a Baci (‘bah-chi’) ceremony, an ancient Sanskrit celebration that pre-dates Buddhism.

Day 7: Waterfalls, rice farms and buffalo

We travel into the countryside to the Living Land Farm to learn about growing Laos’ food staple: sticky rice.

This is a hands-on experience where we get into the mud to plant seeds, plough the paddy and harvest the crop with rice sickles. All up, there are 14 fascinating steps involved.

Next we travel to the stunning Huang Si Waterfalls where we have lunch and then a dip in the cascades. This is a busy area, especially at weekends, but our guide AK whisks us through masses.

Finally, we visit the Water Buffalo Dairy Farm. This ingenious endeavour ‘rents’ buffalo from locals in a form of agistment. We learn about the processes involved and get to interact with these friendly beasts.

Day 8: Elephants and a sunset river cruise

Our last day of the itinerary takes us to MandaLao Elephant Conservation sanctuary. This is the only ethical elephant sanctuary in Luang Prabang — perhaps in all Laos. If you want to see Asian elephants, this is the place to come.

We get to feed the elephants and hike with them, but there’s no riding or washing them here. This is an incredible experience in a centre is focused on the mental and physical well-being of the animals.

After lunch, we journey back to town for a sunset cruise on the Mekong River. We spend the next hour and a half floating down one of Asia’s great rivers in our own private longboat with a bottle of good wine and delicious snacks.

The golden sun setting across the water is a wonderful end to our itinerary.

Day 9: Day to ourselves

As in Vientiane, we have booked an extra day in Luang Prabang so we can explore the town by ourselves and get to know the place a little better.

We roam the little laneways and laid-back streets until it’s time to eat (or cool down with a beer). Little cafes and markets are all over the place, and in the evening, the night market runs through most of the town until late.

Day 10: Flight home

Our flight home leaves at a very civilised 2.45pm. As we soar south over the Mekong where it splits into its famous 4,000 Islands, it’s as if the shimmer of the water is waving us goodbye.

We hope it won’t be long before we’re back. Laos, you have our hearts.

The post What’s It Like To Travel In Laos? Follow our 10-day itinerary appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Sitting on the confluence of the mighty Mekong and the crawling Nam Khan Rivers, Luang Prabang is a pretty, prosperous town, full of interesting laneways, thriving markets, fun riverside restaurants and elegant temples.

Its colonial heritage is also well-preserved. The smart, brick-and-balcony French buildings blend with traditional Lao timber, wattle and daub architecture, which ramps up the romance of the town.

With the help of UNESCO protection as a place of Outstanding Universal Value, Luang Prabang’s historic riverine streets are here to stay.

This is the last stop on our Laos by Train itinerary, organised by brilliant global tour operator InsideAsia Tours that creates fully tailored cultural adventures around Asia. You can book this itinerary here.

Our trip is a perfect example of how InsideAsia Tours can create itineraries that look deep beneath the surface of a destination and bring you to experiences you probably wouldn’t find by yourself.

And it’s not just Laos that InsideAsia Tours travel through. They also have amazing itineraries in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea, which they’ve developed since they started in 2013.

If you want to see our overview of our trip in Laos, click here and if you want to see the other destinations we visited in more detail, click here.

We have also written a review of the high-speed train through Laos.

Things to do in Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang was once the royal and religious capital of Laos. Civil war stripped the country of its monarchy and handed the capital to Vientiane in 1946.

Perhaps it because of this noble history that there’s a quiet confidence to Luang Prabang. A sense of deep pride.

Where to Stay in Luang Prabang

With its own international airport and the new high-speed train that hurtles in from Vang Vieng and Vientiane, Luang Prabang’s tourism industry is on the rise. There’s a healthy range of accommodation here, though there’s a lean towards more upmarket hotels than budget hostels.

Our hotel, the verdant Maison Dalabua, is a dreamscape of bamboo, broad-leafed tropical plants and lagoon-like UNESCO listed lily ponds. Little timber bridges and over-water walkways link the restaurant and bar to the rest of this low-key resort, and our room has a homely yet luxurious feel.

This is a Lao-owned hotel that’s been in the same family for generations. Its name is the perfect fusion of French and Lao cultures respectively — Maison Dalabua meaning House of the Lotus Princess.

Things to Do in Luang Prabang

There’s a lot to do in and out of Luang Prabang. We have listed our favourite ‘in town’ and ‘out of town’ activities here, but for more detail, head to two separate stories:

Things to do in Luang Prabang

Things to do outside of Luang Prabang

In Town

Temples

There are over 40 temples in Luang Prabang, but our favourites are Vat Xieng Thong, Vat Sene Souk Haram and Vat Xieng Muan.

Museums

We really enjoyed the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre, the former Royal Palace, now the National Museum, and the historical Huan Chuan House.

L-R: traditional Baci ceremony; artist Tiao Nith; Luang Prabang night markets

Cultural Experiences

Visiting local artist, bon vivant and member of Laos’ former royal family Tiao Nithakhong Somsanith, is truly incredible.

Taking part in a Baci ceremony, a Sanskrit celebration of the spirit that pre-dates Buddhism is a Laos highlight.

Luang Prabang’s night markets are awesome and take over most of the main street of the peninsula.

Sunset cruise on the Mekong

Our private sunset cruise on Southeast Asia’s biggest river is incredible. It’s just us, the pilot and our excellent IAT guide, AK on a traditional Lao riverboat.

The cruise ends with an easy walk to the centre of town and its night markets, now in full flow.

L-R: us on a sunset cruise on the Mekong River; Buddhist monks taking alms at dawn

Monks’ Morning Quest for Alms

Known as ‘sai bat’, the giving of alms to monks at dawn is a daily ceremony around Lao. This is a very important cultural ceremony but also a fascinating spectacle.

Finding Coffee

The coffee in Lao is arguably the best in Southeast Asia. They grow their own beans here and have perfected the roasting process. You’ll find good filter drip coffee here, but also great espresso too.

For more detail on all of these and more, click here: Things to do in Luang Prabang

Out of Town

Living Land Farm Experience

Not far out of town, the Living Land Farm Experience takes you through the complex and labour-intensive processes involved with growing, harvesting and processing rice.

L-R: us at Living Land Farm project; Kuang Si Waterfalls

Kuang Si Waterfall

These beautiful falls, about 30km from Luang Prabang, are one of the most popular attractions of the area. There’s also a sanctuary for Asiatic Black Bears here and an excellent restaurant.

Laos Buffalo Dairy

The Water Buffalo Dairy Farm is a social enterprise that ‘rents’ buffalo from locals in a form of agistment, milking them for various dairy products. You also get to interact with the animals here and taste the delicious food the dairy makes.

MandaLao Elephant Conservation

Hike with Asian elephants in MandaLao Elephant Conservation, the only no-ride, no-wash elephant sanctuary in Laos and one of the few in Southeast Asia. Each group is limited to eight people.

How to spot an ethical elephant sanctuary

Where to Eat And Drink

Luang Prabang is full of excellent places to enjoy a drink and a nibble. Here are some locally owned places we recommend:

Limkong Restaurant is a rickety riverside bar and eatery perfect for views and ice-cold beer.

Artisan Bar is tiny and only sits about 10 people. Its cocktails would fit in anywhere in Sydney, Melbourne or even NYC.

For food, if you don’t visit the night market at least twice, you’re missing out.

Saffron Cafe is a lovely little cafe selling tasty cakes and great coffee.

Tamarind Restaurant serves well-developed local dishes like duck laab and chicken stuffed into lemongrass stems. It also runs a cooking school.

Find more detail on these recommendations, plus our best food experience here: Things to do outside of Luang Prabang

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Straight from the 55-minute high-speed train ride from Vang Vieng (a journey that would normally take upwards of five hours by road), we dive into a walking tour of the town.

Our guide here, AK, used to be a monk in Luang Prabang and takes us round several of his favourite temples, telling us exactly what we’re looking at.

But AK’s extensive knowledge isn’t limited to just temples. He’s done everything, from rescuing Asiatic black bears to running market stalls to working for the government.

So from the moment AK picks us up from the train station, we can’t help but soak up the culture here in Luang Prabang.

We’ve travelled to Laos with InsideAsia Tours on their Laos by Rail itinerary, which you can book here.

You can read our overview of the trip here but if you want more detail on each of the places we’ve been to in Laos, click here.

Things to Do in Luang Prabang

This story is all about the things you should do in town in Luang Prabang. There are also lots of things to do out of town in the countryside, which you can find here.

Temples

Monks in Luang Prabang are tasked with maintaining the temples using traditional methods. This is not only a self-regulating process, but one decreed by UNESCO. It’s not uncommon to see young monks doing restorative work to temples here.

Vat Xieng Thong is a beautiful temple at the end of the town’s peninsula. It’s Loas’ most historic temple, built in 1559.

Vat Sene Souk Haram is just up the road from Vat Xieng Thong and also has monks’ living quarters here. Though not quite as old as Xieng Thong, it’s still been here for over 300 years.

Vat Xieng Muan is a small, quiet temple but is right next to the Huan Chan Heritage House (see below) so is an easy temple to add to your list as you’re wandering around town.

There are so many temples squeezed into this charming town, it’s hard not to find yourself stumbling into one. In fact, as they have many exits and entrances into the temple complex, navigating through them using what we like to call ‘Wat Way’ is a neat shortcut!

Museums

The Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre is an excellent museum that teaches you about the multitudes of cultures and ethnic groups in Laos. This is important for any visitor who wants to understand this fascinating country better.

It also highlights how ethnic groups’ fabric and decorative designs have been misappropriated by things like top-end fashion houses without any credit, permission or consultation.

The former Royal Palace now National Museum was built during French occupation in 1904. It’s a fascinating insight into Laos before the overthrow of the monarchy in 1975 and there are many artefacts here from those times.

The historical Huan Chuan House is a Laos home built in the traditional style and is now a cultural museum. It has lots of objects that Lao people have used through the centuries and its layout gives you an idea of what life here would have been like.

Cultural Experiences

Tiao Nath’s house and Baci ceremony

Tiao Nithakhong Somsanith is a renowned artist and descendent of the former royal family. He rarely allows people into his house, which doubles as his art studio.

From commissions from local temples to sculptures in the Smithsonian in Chicago, Tiao Nith is a remarkable person and his house is a grotto of creation.

While you’re here, you can also have a Baci ceremony with a Buddhist master. This celebration of the spirit pre-dates Buddhism and conducted in Sanskrit, it’s still common in Lao culture.

Markets

Luang Prabang’s night markets are awesome. They take over most of Sisavangvong Road – the main street that runs through the middle of the peninsula, starting at the Good Night Market open-air food court.

You can find all kinds of interesting things here, from clothes to woodcraft to jewellery. There are also food stalls here and in other adjoining streets. Highly recommended.

Sunset cruise on the Mekong

Winding its 4,350km way from the Tibetan Plateau, through six countries, the Mekong is the longest river in Southeast Asia. Our sunset cruise on this mighty river is incredible. It’s just us, the pilot and our excellent IAT guide, AK on a traditional Lao riverboat.

While we motor along, AK plates up some delicious local canapés and opens a surprisingly good bottle of wine (with Thailand just next door, we’re not expecting a fine Valpolicella from Venezia). The views are stupendous, with the sun setting in a glorious golden bath in the sky, turning the water to filigree.

Our 90-minute cruise ends all to soon and we disembark on the riverbank an easy walk to the centre of town and its night markets, now in full flow.

Monks’ Morning Quest for Alms

Known as ‘sai bat’, the giving of alms to monks at dawn is a daily ceremony around Lao. You’ll find the streets nearby bigger temples lined with plastic chairs.

Locals sell sticky rice between 20,000 and 50,000 kip (AU$1.50-$3.60) that you can hand to the monks as their procession goes by.

This is a very important cultural ceremony but also a fascinating spectacle. It’s important to obey the rules of conduct if you’re only there to watch.

Finding Coffee

The coffee in Lao is arguably the best in Southeast Asia. They grow their own beans here and have perfected the roasting process. You’ll find good filter drip coffee here, but also great espresso too.

This is not exclusive to cafes and restaurants.

A guy with a stall set up on the street outside his shop had a unique system of making superb espresso unlike anything we’ve seen before. After an intricate three-stage tamping process, the guy poured boiling water into a machine connected to a compressor, which he could set to different pressures.

The result was smooth, rich and invigorating — especially for just 20,000 kip a cup.

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This was our first time to Luang Prabang — our first time to Laos. And even though we did and experienced a lot, it feels like there’s so much more to see here.

We loved the town with its easy-going pace of life, its fascinating heritage and its riverside location. For more on all the things to see and do here in the cultural capital of Laos, click here.

But this story isn’t about what you can do in Luang Prabang, it’s what the beautiful countryside has to offer.

This is part of the Laos by Rail itinerary with InsideAsia Tours. This itinerary takes us through three incredible parts of Laos (which we’ve written about here), riding on Laos’ new high-speed rail line, which we’ve reviewed here.

You can also find more detailed stories on each of our destinations in Laos here.

What To Do In The Countryside Of Luang Prabang, Laos

Most of these things are pretty popular with tourists coming to Luang Prabang. The difference is, having InsideAsia Tours organise things means your guide and the timing of the activities are on top of everything.

Exclusive entry, the best tables, not to mention insights from a local who’s also an experienced travel guide.

Check out the rest of our itinerary around Laos here.

Living Land Farm Experience

Not far out of town, the Living Land Farm Experience takes you through the complex and labour-intensive processes involved with growing, harvesting and processing rice.

This is a hands-on experience, so expect to get muddy! There are several separate practice paddies at different stages of the rice-growling cycle so you get a full understanding of (and appreciation for) where the rice on your plate has come from.

Our guide Johnny first shows us how to plant seeds in the water-filled rice paddy, gently sprinkling them onto mud mounds. Next is harvesting seedlings.

We move to an untilled paddy field, where a water buffalo yoked to a hand plough joins us. We take it in turns to ‘drive’ the buffalo, shouting ‘hoy hoy’ to make it go and, more importantly, ‘yood yood’ to make it stop.

After that, we plant seedlings and cut fully grown sheafs with a sickle. Inside the homestead, we thresh the sheafs, mill the rice and many other processes. It’s a fun way to learn about Lao culture, but we’ll also never take a bowl of rice for granted again.

Kuang Si Waterfall

These beautiful falls, about 30km from Luang Prabang, are one of the most popular attractions of the area.

To get to these stunning cascades, which fall 60m down the limestone cliffs into the blue pools below, you have to take the electric cart up the hill to the entrance. This is part of your ticket.

You’ll also find the Asiatic Black Bear Sanctuary here. Rescued from poachers as cubs, these bears cannot be released into the wild and so live happily in the specially built sanctuary.

There is also a restaurant — Carpe Diem — near waterfall that’s very much worth stopping at. Positioned over the tumbling stream as it continues down its course after the main waterfall, it adds a unique and beautiful aspect to a tasty lunch here.

Laos Buffalo Dairy

Also in the area, we visit the Water Buffalo Dairy Farm. This social enterprise is the brainchild of two women — Susie Martin from Sydney and Rachel O’Shea from New York State.

Essentially, this ingenious endeavour ‘rents’ buffalo from locals in a form of agistment, milking them for various dairy products.

Deeper than this though, when the buffalo go back to the local families, they’re healthy and vaccinated, and they get a new, healthy calf as well. Locals also learn about best practice for animal care, which many have never had before.

Visiting this farm, we see how the buffalo are cared for, but we also learn how to hand-milk one of them. It’s a disturbing yet oddly satisfying process. We also get to wash and feed some of them, and we discover how affectionate and gentle they are, in spite of their intimidating horns.

We bottle feed some young buffalo and then check out the piglets the farm is raising as well as the rabbits and their kits.

Later, we get to taste the products from the diary. Brilliantly crafted in house, the different types of cheese – mozzarella, blue, curds, ricotta and marinated feta — as well as the ice cream (black sesame is wonderful) and the indulgently rich cheesecake.

MandaLao Elephant Conservation

The only no-ride, no-wash elephant sanctuary in Laos and one of the few in Southeast Asia, MandaLao Elephant Conservation is an incredible project that holds the needs and welfare of these Asian elephants as their ultimate priority.

Many of the elephants here — MandaLao currently has 12 (11 cows and one bull) — have been rescued.

Upon arrival, we chat with the impressive Prasop Tipprasert, a Thai man who has worked with elephants for many decades and is the project manager here at MandaLao. Then we climb aboard a longtail boat and pop across the river.

Waiting for us are two beautiful elephants ready for a feed.

We hand-feed them bananas, which is the only direct contact that visitors are allowed. Even their mahouts — their handlers — are supposed to touch them occasionally, and there are no hooks or hammers used here, an ugly feature in many elephant centres.

From there, we hike into the woodland of the sanctuary, where the elephants are free to roam and enjoy natural behaviours like eating (they eat around 18 hours a day and some 300kg of food per elephant), scratching and going down to the river to drink and bathe.

It’s wonderful to watch these giants in as close to their natural environment as possible. To see them happy, to see them thrive.

There are two types of trip you can do here: a half day, which is what we did, or a full day. Full-day participant numbers are limited to four people and each group will not exceed eight people.

This is an amazing place. If you want to see Asian elephants, it doesn’t get much better than this.

For more information on how to spot an ethical elephant sanctuary in Thailand, click here.

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Hugging the western bank of the Mekong River and waving at Thailand across the water, Vientiane is the official capital of Laos.

You won’t find a throbbing night life in Vientiane or that zesty thrill that hits you from a manic, overpacked capital city.

Indeed, Laos’ full name ‘Laos PDR’ — or Laos People’s Democratic Republic, locals here prefer Laos Please Don’t Rush. It’s a joke, but it’s also kind of accurate. Like all of Laos, Vientiane’s pace is slower than you’ll find in pretty much any other Southeast Asian city.

But with fun dive bars, thriving little night markets and hundreds of Buddhist temples alongside the ubiquitous crumbing French colonial architecture, Vientiane offers the perfect stepping-off point for Laos.

We travelled here with InsideAsia Tours, a global tour operator that creates fully tailored cultural adventures around Asia that takes care of all the tricky parts of your trip, gives you a guide and lets you relax while having an immersive experience at the same time.

InsideAsia Tours is part of the Inside Travel Group and sister to travel brand InsideJapan Tours. Specialising in digging deeper beneath the surface of destinations, the Inside Travel Group is all about cultural adventure tourism. This brings you so much closer to local life wherever you are.

InsideAsia Tours operates not just in Laos, but also Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea with bespoke tours to make your budget, timeframes and interests.

You can see our full itinerary in brief here and also the other destinations we visited here.

This is Vientiane’s massive new train station that services the country’s new high-speed train line. You can read our review of the Laos’ bullet train here.

Vientiane — Laos’ Little Capital

Vientiane is an interesting place. It’s the administrative centre of Laos, which doesn’t sound very exciting. However, it means the city’s well organised, safe and relatively clean (Laos still is a developing country), and still has plenty going on.

People have likened Vientiane to Canberra. There are even all the foreign embassies here, just like in the ACT.

I also think it feels a bit like someone’s taken several city blocks from Kuala Lumpur, stripped most of the traffic, cut down the population to 1/4 and dropped it alongside the Mekong.

Temples

Vientiane has the most Buddhist temples in Laos, and the oldest too. Wat Si Saket is the last remaining temple from before the Siamese (Thai) invasion of 1828, which saw the city sacked.

We also visited the Golden Stupa, an enormous gold monolith that tapers to a sharp point. It’s one of the most important Buddhist monuments in Laos and its surrounding walls house hundreds of Buddhist and Khmer statues and artefacts.

Visiting these temples with our excellent InsideAsia guide Sakhoe meant we had a much deeper understanding of what we were looking at with all the stencils and statues, the ceremonies and stupas, that surround Buddhism.

Monuments

Patuxay Monument. If this national monument and its road look familiar that’s because the Lao people modelled it on the Arc de Triomphe and Les Champs-Elysées in Paris. Unlike the French version, this arch has four, not two, archways, has five decorative towers on top and you can go inside this one. There’s a museum on Patuxay here and superb views of the city from the top level.

It took 11 years to build the Patuxay — between 1957 and 1968 — when Laos kicked the French colonisers out after a 60-year protectorate.

It is Vientiane’s war memorial, commemorating lives lost in WWII and in the war of independence against the French.

History and Culture

The Cooperative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE) Visitor Centre. During the Vietnam War, America dropped some 260 million bombs on Laos, making it the most bombed country in the world. Around 30% (approx. 80 mil) of these bombs did not explode.

COPE Visitor Centre shows the damage these UXOs (UnExploded Ordinance) can cause, while also giving access to prosthetic, orthotic and mobility devices to thousands of injured locals.

Lao Disabled Women’s Centre. Helping disabled and vulnerable Lao women learn crafts and skills, the Lao disabled Women’s Centre is a brilliant enterprise. There’s also a shop here where you can buy some of the handicrafts the women make.

Buddha Park. This unusual sculpture park, started by an ex-monk, is home over 200 Buddhist and Hindu statues. It’s interesting enough to wander around looking at the statues, but when our guide Sakhoe explains the meaning of some of them, it sheds a new light on what we’re looking at.

Bars, Markets and Restaurants

While we’re exploring Vientiane, we find so many great food options.

The Vientiane Night Market in Ban Haysoke is excellent, with lots of local dishes to try, including some of the more exotic unusual things like grilled crickets and khai luuk (fertilised duck egg). But the best thing we found was the shredded slow-cooked pork belly stuffed into a crispy roti.

There are also plenty of restaurants on every street and some very cool bars.

We recommend Laodi Bar, a ramshackle place right on the river and is perfect for a sunset beer, and at the other end of the spectrum 525 Eat & Drink, a slick cocktail bar in the heart of the city.

Also worth mentioning is Doi Ka Noi Restaurant, which was included in the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list.

Where to stay in Vientiane

Because Vientiane is the diplomatic and administrative centre of Laos, there are plenty of lovely hotels here.

We stayed at the Lao Poet Hotel, perfectly located in the Ban Haysoke District. Its elegant art deco decor inspired by 1930s Indochina, combined with all the modern trappings of a luxury hotel, make this an ideal place to stay in Vientiane.

There’s even a rooftop infinity pool and bar with views out over the city, and a wellness spa if you feel like a pampering.

This comfortable yet chic boutique hotel takes its name from a renowned poet from 19th Century Maha Keo, whose house was once where the hotel now stands.

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Once a mere post town between Vientiane and Luang Prabang, and then a backpacker haven when Laos opened to tourism in the 1990s, Vang Vieng has a humble if somewhat wayward past.

These days, Vang Vieng’s hedonistic heritage of the ‘90s and ‘00s has all but gone. Instead, focus has moved to take advantage of the beautiful natural surroundings and its culture.

However, an edge of adventure and excitement still exists here.

Rock climbing in the stunning karst mountains, hikes through dramatic scenery, caving and even paramotoring (motorised paragliding) high above the town are all popular pursuits.

Kayaks slip by on the fast-moving Nam Song River, while hot air balloons reflect on its surface as they dip somewhat perilously low to the ground.

We travelled through Laos with InsideAsia Tours — a global tour operator that creates fully tailored cultural adventures around Asia and that creates superb itineraries around Asia and sorts out all the tricky on-the-ground bits and pieces to make your trip as enjoyable and interesting as possible.

Part of the Inside Travel Group and sister brand to InsideJapan Tours, InsideAsia Tours runs cultural adventure itineraries in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea as well as Laos. Focus is on delving beneath the surface to explore parts of a destination that most visitors don’t get to experience.

You can book our itinerary — Laos by Rail — here, which includes riding Laos’ high-speed train line that’s changed the landscape of travel in this beautiful country. You can see our review of the Laos bullet train here.

Find a run-down of our full itinerary here and also the other destinations we visited in more detail in these articles.

Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng has changed a lot in the last decade or so. Friends I’ve spoken to who visited before the 2012 government crackdown talk of a place more like a permanent Full Moon Party on a Thai beach than the quiet country village it is now.

The mix of tourists has turned more towards affluent visitors looking for comfort and culture than thrills and parties. There are still plenty of young backpackers coming here, but there’s not a glowstick or whistle to be seen.

Although the streets here aren’t as well maintained as places like Vientiane or Luang Prabang, it’s fairly clean and feels safe.

Where to Stay in Vang Vieng

There are a surprising number of places to stay in such a small town. And there’s quite the range too.

Thanks to Vang Vieng’s backpacker era, there are still lots of budget options here — from homestay to hostels.

On top of that, there are lots of hotels too.

Our hotel, the Riverside Boutique Resort, is a beautifully laid out French colonial style resort right on the banks of the river as the name suggests.

The pool is surrounded by palm trees and lush gardens, and the dark timber buildings blend with the feeling of a closeness to nature.

Rooms are split into different cultural groups of Laos. Our Deluxe Room is in the Hmong building, and features traditional colours, textiles and art inspired by the Hmong, who make up Laos’ third largest ethnic group.

Things to Do in Vang Vieng

Our hot air balloon ride with Above Laos Ballooning is superb. Unlike many of the other companies here, Above Loas takes safety very seriously and doesn’t do things like low swoops over the river or dip to rooftop level of hotels.

They also offer a range of sizes, from medium-sized eight-passenger baskets to romantic two-passenger balloons, and are the only Laos-French owned, operated and regulated by the Civil Aviation ballooning company.

It’s a wonderful serene way to experience the mountains and paddy fields of this beautiful area.

The half-day trek into the Vang Vieng countryside is so memorable. From our hotel, we go with our local guide Toh to his village Ban Viengsamai in the back of a Laos tuktuk.

In Ban Viengsamai, we meet a blacksmith and learn how he makes knives and rice sickles for the village. Toh also shows us some traditional animal traps that are still in use today. He also shows us the local Kmhmu school.

We hike into the rice fields and learn about the Kmhmu way of life. It’s fascinating to hear about such a different culture, down to details like why every house has an odd number of steps going up (it’s bad luck to have an even number).

We finally arrive back at the village, where we meet two Kmhmu women who have made lunch for us. It’s a delicious mix of crispy pork, fish steamed in banana leaves, foraged greens, omelette and a kind of pâté made with rattan palm heart. And sticky rice of course.

Finally, we’re given a rare treat: we see how the ‘Lao hai’ local rice wine is made and then we taste some. This is only usually found at important festivals and weddings and is similar to Japanese sake.

There are lots of other things to do in Vang Vieng if you have time.

Hiring your own kayak and whooshing down the Nam Song River is one option, though the river is shallow in places and the noisy long-tail motorboat tours (run by a foreign-owned company by the way) impact the experience a bit.

Rock climbing around the towering karst mountains, longer hikes into the countryside and paramotoring. There’s also a huge cave down the river that has a shrine to Buddha inside.

There are also temples and markets to visit in town, and strolling its sometimes precarious streets are all worthy of your time.

Where to Eat and Drink in Vang Vieng

Like everywhere in Laos, there are plenty of places to find a feed. Perhaps because the town was such a busy backpacker thoroughfare once, you’ll find more Western style food here than other places.

It doesn’t make it bad, but it means you have to look a bit harder to find authentic Lao food.

We recommend a little Lao restaurant called Véla. Its laab is great but they also make an incredible noodle soup called ‘aw lam’, which has pork and minced eggplant that we didn’t find anywhere else.

Otherwise, find the lady in the market making kanom krok — wonderful little dome-shaped coconut and condensed milk dumpling pancakes. We first found these tasty treats in Bangkok and now hunt them down whenever we’re in Southeast Asia.

As for where to drink in Vang Vieng, there are lots of bars throughout the town, but the ones along the river have the best views and are usually more chilled out.

We really enjoyed a couple of beers at Phubarn Restaurant right next to the rickety pedestrian bridge. The sun sets between the mountains and shines off the river.

And though I wouldn’t want to be in the basket with them, the reckless balloon pilots flying low over the river create quite the spectacle.

The post Exploring Laos — adventurous Vang Vieng appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Somehow managing to mix the parochial charm of an overlooked country town with the grandeur and stateliness of a major European hub, Budapest is somewhere you could never get bored of visiting.

Budapest is one of those rare destinations that not only meets your expectations, but exceeds them.

From the friendliness of its locals and the idiosyncrasies of their food to the scale of its streets and fascinating mix of their architecture, Budapest has so much to offer. And let’s not forget the Danube.

The mighty Danube. For whatever reason, I’ve wanted to stand on the banks of that river and say those words for a long time, and when it happened, I was not disappointed.

Not even when a lad from Liverpool, waiting behind us in line for a river cruise, stated with a squint: “tell ya what, it’s not as big as the Mersey.”

Hilarious.

But the further into Budapest you wander — and let’s be clear, Budapest is a place you have to just walk around aimlessly for a while to enjoy —the more you realise there isn’t anywhere else quite like this.

To help you on your wanderings though, here are our top tips for exploring Budapest. Each of these headings will jump you down to the section in this Essential Guide.

– Where to Stay
– What to Eat & Drink and Where
– How to Get Around Budapest
– Things to See & Do

Essential Guide to Budapest, Hungary

Where to Stay in Budapest

Look for the best deals on hotels in Budapest here.

Of course, there are innumerable options for accommodation in a city the size of Budapest. However, staying in Districts IV, V and VI on the Pest side of the Danube puts you in the city centre where everything happens around you.

We stayed in District VII in Madách Imre Tér (a square named after a 19th Century Hungarian poet) in a hotel that’s sadly no longer running. However, there are plenty of hotels and apartments here that aren’t too expensive (perhaps because it’s only been gentrified in the last couple of decades), but are in the perfect location.

Why is District VII so good?

Well, it’s close to all the major sights — the river, St Stephen’s Basilica, the State Opera — but it’s also not far from two bridges that’ll take you over to the Buda side of the city.

What’s more, the bar and restaurant scene near Madách Imre tér is amazing. Narrow pedestrianised streets and alleys come alive at nightfall, and precincts, quiet during the day, become thriving hotspots.

You’re also well connected to public transport in District VII too.

There are plenty of tram and bus stops nearby, and Deák Ferenc Square and Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Way subway stations are close by too.

What to Eat & Drink in Budapest, and Where To Find It

The best thing about Budapest is that, while it recognises it’s part of Europe and has all the tasty things to eat and drink you’d find in most capitals, it also embraces local food and traditional dishes.

You can find French-style pastries and croissants at places like Freyja—My Croissant Story in District VII, but you can also find little old fashioned etkezda too. These cosy ‘mom-and-pop’ restaurants serve traditional Hungarian home-cooked meals that are as delicious as the venues are adorable.

The one we found — Ildikó Konyhája — is just back from the Danube on the Buda side in District I not far from Buda Castle.

Expect to find down-to-earth dishes like goulash and nokedli (Hungarian gnocchi) here.

Also, look out for Budapest’s famous ‘ruin bars’ — great rotting mansions that have been commandeered and turned into amazing bars and clubs. These are also most commonly found in District VII (I told you it was the cool part of town!)

While you’re in Budapest, make sure you try paprikas, kürtöskalács (kurtosh) and especially langos. These tasty takes on pizza are puffy, cheesy and you can get all kinds of toppings on them — though usually bacon and red onion. Retro Langos on the edges of District V and VII does a great job.

For drinks, of course you’ll find great beer here (keep an eye out for local breweries like Gravity Brewing and Parabolic Lazarus), but if you really want to get into it, try kaplinka. This schnapps style Hungarian spirit is strong and herbal, and it’ll keep you warm on a cold night in Budapest!

For more details on where and what to eat, check out our dedicated post on Budapest food and drink here.

How To Get Around Budapest

As we’ve said, walking this beautiful city is the best way to go. On the Pest side, it’s mostly flat, the streets are clean, drivers are relatively sane and there are some boulevards here that are so wide you’d think they were driving A380s down them.

On the Buda side, it’s much hillier, so if you want to explore Fisherman’s Bastion (you should btw) and the like, make sure your shoes are comfy. Or get a cab.

Otherwise, public transport options in Budapest are excellent and would put most other cities to shame. The happy trifecta of trams, buses and trains cast an impressive web across the city, making it easy to get around quickly.

Important Travel Tip For Budapest

One major tip that will save you not only a lot of money but also a good dose of blushing embarrassment is this:

Get the Budapest Go app.

This is not a paid endorsement and the app is free anyway. Christina discovered this one on the train to Budapest from Vienna.

The app allows you to buy tickets for all public transport in Budapest. But more importantly, it allows you to validate them too. You must do both of these and there are ticket inspectors at most subways.

Purchase your ticket type, validate it at the station or on the bus or tram via the proximity sticker. Then when an inspector asks your validation code, you tap your ticket and a QR code comes up for them to scan.

You can plan trips on the app too. It’s actually pretty good.

Things To See And Do

As you’d expect, there are so many things to see and do in Budapest. As we’ve already mentioned, simply walking around and enjoying the atmosphere of this great city is a wonderful thing to do and will keep you busy.

We covered over 48km in three days there.

For more specific things to do, start with these:

– Széchenyi Thermal Baths – the one thing everyone told us to do in Budapest is actually pretty amazing. These thermal baths in a beautiful setting are well worth taking your togs along for and paying the entrance fee. Here’s more about the thermal baths.

– Vajdahunyad Castle Park – Surrounding the beautiful baroque Széchenyi Baths is an enormous park that covers over 325 acres of the city. It’s so big, it not only has a castle (Vajdahunyad Castle in fact) whose moat is turned into a giant ice rink in the winter, it also has its own metro stop and a zoo!

– State Opera – while it’s possible to go inside this beautiful building in District VI, simply perching on the edge of the fountain and enjoying a bit of people-watching at this popular meeting place is more than enough.

– St Stephen’s Basilica – named after the founder of the city, this impressive church is full of relics and artefacts. Best of all, there’s a lift to the top of the great dome roof for some excellent views over Budapest.

– Ruin bars – many run-down buildings in the once derelict District VII have been turned into incredibly cool bars as the arrondissement has gentrified over the last 20 or so years. Ranging from warehouses and car parks to grand old historic buildings, there are quite a few to explore in the area. The one we went to — Szimpla Kert — is the biggest and best known ruin bar. It’s a lot of fun.

– Országház Hungarian Parliament Building – the most strikingly beautiful of all of Budapests riverside buildings, the Parliament Building is a must-see — even if it’s just to walk round it. At night, this incredible gothic palace lights up and is best seen from the river.

– House of Terror – Budapest has seen many horrors in its existence — from Turkish invasion to Nazi thrall — and this museum covers it all. It’s not a fun visit, but it’s important and very interesting. Just be prepared for some harrowing knowledge.

– River cruise – probably the singular most popular tourist activity in Budapest, these pleasure boats run up and down the Danube all day. However, an evening cruise is the best way to go as the lights from the city really are beautiful. The one we went on has three options: dinner, drinks or just as a passenger. The drinks package is the obvious answer.

You can read all about our river cruise experience — good and bad — here.

Across the river on the Buda side, the high ridges of Castle Hill in District I is covered in stunning architecture and vantage points.

– Fisherman’s Bastion – looking like something out of Game of Thrones, the beguiling white turrets of Fisherman’s Bastion wouldn’t look out of place on the southern coast of Croatia. This 19th Century fortress is a non-negotiable visit when you’re here.

– Labyrinth of Buda Castle – within the walls and under the foundations of Fisherman’s Bastion, the Labyrinth is a network of caves and passageways that have been used for many things over the centuries. But in particular, it was once a prison for Dracula — Vlad Tepes himself! Visit at your peril!

– Buda Castle & grounds – just south of Fisherman’s Bastion, the expansive beauty of Buda Castle and its lavish grounds show you more of the city and its incredible heritage.

– Climb the tower of the Church of Our Lady of Buda Castle – at the southern end of the castle, the gothic spire of the Church of Our Lady hides a steep spiral climb to the top of the minaret with superb views out across the river.

– Citadella – further south, on a hill of its own, the Citadella and its impressive Liberty Statue was built in 1848 after the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution. It’s quite a climb to see this monument, but the views are said to be unsurpassable. The fort was under repair when we visited.

– Széchenyi Chain Bridge – this 19th Century landmark is much loved by the locals and is a beautiful sight especially at night when its lights sparkle off the river. Sadly, this was also under repair when we were in town.

The post Essential Guide to Budapest, Hungary appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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More than twice the size of Yellowstone National Park in the USA, Kakadu is truly enormous. It’s home to around a third of Australia’s bird species and over 10,000 saltwater crocodiles (yup, the bitey ones).

It’s also where the longest living culture still exists after 65,000 years and the incredible rock art and history that goes with it still going strong.

Kakadu is a place of abundance and intrigue, of extremes and superlatives, and it’s one of the most fascinating places you could ever hope to visit.

Here are our top tips for where to stay, where to go and what to do in this unique landscape.

Essential Guide to Kakadu National Park

Clicking on each chapter will jump straight to that section.

• How to get to Kakadu
• Where to stay in Kakadu
• Where to eat in Kakadu
• Things to do in Kakadu – this is the long one!

— The best rock art sites

— Culture hubs – Kakadu visitor centres

— Getting back to nature – seeing Kakadu’s wildlife

• What’s the best time of year to visit Kakadu?
• Let’s sum it all up for you

How to Get to Kakadu

Kakadu is right at the Top End, a few hours’ drive east from Darwin. The best way to get to Darwin — of course — is to fly.

From Sydney, it’s a 4-hour 20-minute flight, and all the other east-coast Aussie state capitals are about the same .Adelaide and Perth are around 3h35m, and Hobart is a sickly seven-odd hours with a stop along the way.

Other options are to sail in. Darwin Harbour is lovely and has regular cruises and other ships pull in. We docked at Darwin years ago after a National Geographic voyage around the Kimberley Coast.

The other option is driving to Darwin. Driving the Top End is an awesome experience and highly recommended if you have the time.

Either way, once in Darwin, you will need a car to get to Kakadu. You can find great prices on car rentals from Darwin Airport here. We recommend a 4WD capable car.

If you don’t want to drive yourself, there are lots of tours going from Darwin to Kakadu that are excellent too. This one goes from Darwin City right into the park, to infamous Cahill’s Crossing to see huge estuarine crocodiles, then to Ubirr for the most astounding rock art and back to Darwin in a day!

Where to Stay in Kakadu

There aren’t many places to stay in Kakadu. In fact, unless you want to camp, you’re limited to just a couple of hotels.

The Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel in the little town of Jabiru is wonderfully kitsch and comfortable. Built in the shape of a massive crocodile, the Croc has been renovated from its previous motel status.

You can find our full review of this interesting hotel here.

The other option is Cooinda Lodge, which has a range of accommodation, from a campsite and hardstandings for motorhomes to motel-style rooms to full-blown luxury safari lodge style cabins.

We stayed in the cabins — the Yellow Water Villas — and it was wonderful. Here’s our review.

Where to Eat in Kakadu

Apart from snacks at some of the visitor centres and a pretty expensive supermarket in Jabiru, you’re limited to the restaurants at the hotels.

Fortunately, these restaurants are excellent.

Manjmukmuk Restaurant in the Croc Hotel has an affordable buffet option and also a lovely a la carte full-service section that offers some really quite impressive dishes. Our review is here.

Mimi’s at Cooinda is excellent and the chef — Phillip Foote — creates special menus that showcase local bush ingredients that are seasonally available.

Also at Cooinda Lodge is the Barra Bar, serving pub style classics, and a fish and chip van that is actually superb.

Check out our write-up of all the food options in Cooinda here.

Things to Do in Kakadu

Ancient Galleries — Kakadu’s Rock Art Sites

There are plenty of sites around Kakadu where you can find some of the best examples of Indigenous rock art in Australia.

Ubirr

One of the largest collections of ancient rock painting is at Ubirr, where there are paths leading throughout this significant gallery. There’s even evidence here of thylacines — Tasmanian Tigers — through the art.

High up on what would once have been the rocky floor of the site is a painting of the now-extinct carnivorous marsupial. There are also depictions of megafauna — gigantic kangaroos and wombats the size of cars.

This all illustrates not only that humans were around when these ancestors of dinosaurs walked the earth, but also just how old these artworks are.

There’s plenty of parking right at the Ubirr site, and watching the sunset here is also very popular.

Nourlangie

At the base of a magnificent limestone outcrop of the escarpment, Nourlangie Rock, thousands of paintings tell the millennia of history of the Bininj and Mungguy culture.

You can also see where artists and elders of the current generation have come to update and maintain the gallery that has been here for so many thousands of years.

We were lucky to have brilliant young local guide James Morgan show us around Nourlangie and tell us some of the stories around the art.

Between late May and late September, you can book a local guide to take you round different cultural places like Ubirr and Nourlangie for free! Keep an eye on the Kakadu Tourism site for details.

Culture Hubs – Kakadu’s Visitor Centres

Kakadu has some truly excellent visitor centres that not only offer information on places to go and things to do, but also insights into the park’s culture and history.

Bowali Visitor Centre

This centre is the best visitor centre for speaking to a guide about where to go in the park and what to see.

There’s also an excellent display on the plants, animals and landscapes you’ll experience in Kakadu.

Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre

Through the doors of this impressive centre, you’ll find a winding path that takes you around a clever exhibit on the cultural history and network of the local peoples of the region.

You’ll find examples of tools, messaging systems and artworks of the area, as well as real-life stories from people growing up in Kakadu and a simplified explanation of the complex kinship rules governing marriage and families here.

Marrawuddi Art Gallery

This gallery has an impressive collection of artworks of a range of media by Kakadu artists and from the wider region you can buy. It also sells a range of bags, clothing and souvenirs.

Just as important, Marrawuddi Art Gallery makes the best takeaway coffee in the park. We highly recommend enjoying your well-made flat white as you wander around the racks of art in the lovely air conditioning!

Getting Back to Nature — Kakadu’s Wild Side

Kakadu Bird Week with Luke Paterson from NT Bird Specialists

One of the highlights of Kakadu’s tourist calendar is Kakadu Bird Week, which runs at the end of September. It champions not only the enormous depth and wealth of birdlife in Kakadu, which is home to over a third of all Australia’s bird species, it’s also timed with one of nature’s great spectacles.

This time of year, when the dry season is at its end, the waterways are at their lowest. This concentrates the waterbirds’ habitat. It also coincides with the flocking of thousands upon thousands of magpie geese.

You can see this for yourself quite easily by making your way to any of the large billabongs of the park.

But if you want to do it properly (and actually understand what you’re looking at), booking a tour with NT Bird Specialists is a must. Luke ‘Hawkeye’ Paterson is one of Australia’s if not the world’s great ornithologists. And his moniker is not unfounded.

The couple of morning hours we spend with Luke, we spotted 64 different bird species and learnt about a lot more. You can read our full review of our time birding with Luke in Kakadu here.

Cahill’s Crossing — the most dangerous road in the world

On the eastern edge of Kakadu, where the park ends and Arnhem Land begins, runs the East Alligator River. It’s a poor name for the waterway as there are no alligators in it at all. No, instead you’ll find hundreds of enormous saltwater crocodiles.

The road to Arnhem Land fords this river, and in the dry season, the water’s low enough to drive across. I wouldn’t recommend it — you also need the appropriate permits to cross the river — but the viewing platform on the western bank gives you the perfect (and safely elevated) perspective on the hunting crocs.

Check out our review on Cahill’s Crossing here, as well as our viral video on this dangerous roadway.

Ngurrungurrudjba — Yellow Water Sunset Cruise

Easily the most beautiful and nature-filled activity in Kakadu, the Yellow Water Cruise is special. From Cooinda Lodge (you can book your cruise here), a bus transfers you to the little jetty where everyone boards small, flat-bottom launches that allow access to shallow waters.

You cruise along this magnificent stretch of water, spotting everything from jacana birds and water buffalo to brolgas and massive saltwater crocs. There are so many of these modern dinosaurs in Yellow Water, you almost become complacent with them.

Why is it called Yellow Water you may ask. The name (no, it’s not because of that) becomes apparent as the sun sets and lights the surface of this billabong a dazzling gold colour that turns to bronze and red as the sun gets lower.

Check out our review and video of this spectacular experience here.

Maguk Waterfall

One of the few waterfalls that runs all year round in Kakadu, Maguk and its sparkling plunge pool are tucked away into the stony cliffs of the escarpment.

To get to the waterfall, you’re looking at unsealed roads and a bush walk that’s challenging at times as it follows the rocky riverside of Barramundi Gorge.

The hot hike is worth it though. You emerge from the steaming rainforest to the idyllic sight of the falls and its pool that have carved themselves into the sandstone over the millennia. It’s safe to swim here in the dry season, and the cool water is the perfect salve to the sweltering heat.

Check out our write-up and video on Maguk here.

Angabang Billabong

On the drive to Nourlangie and its amazing rock art galleries, Angabang Billabong is a small wetlands that’s worth a quick stop to see.

The shallow water spreads glittering across the plain and attracts a host of birdlife. At its back, the sculpted near horizon of Nawurlandja looms, creating an atmospheric vista.

Nawurlandja at sunset

The steady incline of Nawurlandja takes you to a vast viewpoint that has Angabang Billabong at its feet, the stern bluff of Nourlangie behind and the ranging escarpment filling in the background.

Nawurlandja — like Nourlangie — has some excellent rock art, but as the sun hits the western limits, it’s this vista you come for. Turning the sky a boiling red and the rocks around gold and crimson, sunset at Nawurlandja is startlingly beautiful.

Also, as this part of the park closes at nightfall, you’ll find a Bininj park ranger monitoring visitors. They’re happy to answer questions about the area and often have excellent tips for your time here.

Mirray Lookout

About halfway between Cooinda and Jabiru, Mirray Lookout is a reasonably tough 1,000m uphill scramble up loose rocks and red dirt to a lofty timber viewing platform.

The platform’s roof and the breeze at this elevation is lovely, and once you’ve cooled down, you can take in the views.

From here, the sea of trees seems to go on forever, hiding wetlands, rivers and its abundance of wildlife from view.

The trees are punctuated by ridges of the Arnhem Land escarpment — Stone Country to the Bininj and Mungguy. It’s here that evidence exists of humans’ longest continuing culture in the world.

What’s the Best Time of Year to Visit Kakadu

We’ve had the fortune to visit Kakadu a number of times — in the Wet Season in March and April, at the end of the Dry in September and on the brink of summer in December, the surreal super-humid moment when the Dry has finished but the storms of the Wet haven’t yet come.

Dry Season — May-October

It’s easy to see why the Dry Season is popular for tourists. The humidity is low, the flies aren’t too bad and a lot of the waterways are navigable. In fact the low water levels often mean that wildlife is more concentrated.

However, it is the busy season for the park.

Wet Season — November-April

Also known as the Green Season or the Tropical Summer, the Wet is exactly as it sounds. The rains are heavy and regular, and the temperatures and humidity are high. Some of the attractions will be unreachable or dangerous with water inundation and the crocodiles expanding their territories.

However, the abundance of life in the park is amazing at this time of year. Everything is green and lush, and the swollen rivers and billabongs add that extra bit of drama to everything. Scenic flights at this time of year reveal the true wealth of nature of Kakadu.

It’s also much quieter in the Wet Season, which means you pretty much have the run of the place.

A Quick Summary

Getting there

Direct flights from all Aussie capitals (apart from Hobart) to Darwin, then hire a car from Darwin to drive about 3.5 hours to Kakadu.

Where to stay

The Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel in Jabiru is a quirky motel-style hotel in the shape of a crocodile.

Cooinda Lodge has everything from a camping ground to motel style cabins to high-end luxury glamping retreats that are amazing.

Where to eat

Manjmukmuk Restaurant in the Croc Hotel is good. Mimi’s at Cooinda is excellent. Also at Cooinda Lodge is the Barra Bar, serving pub style classics, and a fish and chip van that is actually superb.

Marrawuddi Art Gallery has the best coffee in the area.

Things to do

Must-dos are Ubirr and Nourlangie for the best rock art, Cahill’s Crossing for crocodiles and the Yellow Water cruise at sunset for the scenery.

If Maguk is open, then it’s worth the hike.

Experience the profound birdlife in Kakadu. You can do this on your own, but booking a tour with people like NT Bird Specialists puts it in a whole other league.

What’s the best time of year to visit?

The Dry Season (May-October) is the most popular because the park is so much easier to get around, but it is a lot busier. The Wet (November-April) is the most dramatic, though humidity is tough.

The thing to remember with Kakadu is it’s beautiful and utterly unforgettable all year round.

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