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Hanoi Tour: Explore Ancient Citadels & Pagodas
4.9
422 Ratings
Hoàn Kiếm
Embark on a full-day adventure to Hoa Lu, Mua Cave, and Trang An. Explore the ancient citadel, take a boat trip, and trek up Dragon Mountain for breathtaking views. Indulge in a buffet lunch of delectable Vietnamese cuisine.
Embark on a full-day adventure to Hoa Lu, Mua Cave, and Trang An. Explore the ancient citadel, take a boat trip, and trek up Dragon Mountain for breathtaking views. Indulge in a buffet lunch of delectable Vietnamese cuisine.
Duration:
12 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Ninh Binh - From 7:00 to 7:45 am: Guests are picked up from hotels in Hanoi Old Quarter (please be prepared during this time, as the bus will travel from one hotel to another, so timing should be flexible). Depart for Ninh Binh with a 3-hour journey on the highway, including 1-2 comfort breaks.
- Hoa Lu Temples of the Dinh & Le Dynasties -…
- Ninh Binh - From 7:00 to 7:45 am: Guests are picked up from hotels in Hanoi Old Quarter (please be prepared during this time, as the bus will travel from one hotel to another, so timing should be flexible). Depart for Ninh Binh with a 3-hour journey on the highway, including 1-2 comfort breaks.
- Hoa Lu Temples of the Dinh & Le Dynasties - Visit the Hoa Lu Ancient Citadel from the 11th Century (the first capital of Vietnam) featuring the King Dinh Temple and remnants of the Citadel. Guests will visit the temple dedicated to King Dinh, admire its beautiful architecture, and pray for good health.
- Trang An Grottoes - Discover Trang An or Tam Coc (if selected) with a 2-hour boat trip rowed by a local - a World Heritage site. Journey through water caves and historic sites along the riverbank.
- Mua Caves - Explore Mua Cave, a small waterfall, and trek up Ngoa Long Mountain with 500 steps to enjoy a breathtaking view of Tam Coc Valley.
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Hanoi - After finishing at Mua Cave Mountain, depart on the bus back to Hanoi, a 3-hour drive via the highway.
19:00 to 19:30: Drop off at your hotel or meeting point. - Tam Coc - Tam Coc is the heart of the Ninh Binh heritage zone, featuring a lovely stream flowing through peaceful villages and rice fields. Guests will gently row the boat through Hang Ca Cave, Hang Hai Cave, and Hang Ba Cave, marveling at the stunning stalactites.
- Bai Dinh Pagoda - Visit the magnificent Bai Dinh Pagoda complex, the largest pagoda not only in Vietnam but also in Southeast Asia. This complex boasts an impressive array of the most grand and magnificent Vietnamese traditional architecture ever built, requiring a full day to explore entirely. Guests will visit some highlights, including 500 stone statues of “La Han” (Arhats), two enormous bronze bells weighing 27 tons and 36 tons, the Quan Yin statue with thousands of arms and eyes, and the Gautama Buddha statue.
What's Included
- Pick-up from hotel in the Hanoi Old Quarter (1km around Hoan Kiem lake)
- All entrance tickets
- Decent lunch with Vietnamese cuisines
- English speaking guide during the trip
- Round trip transfer with Big AC bus/coach with complimentary water (optional)
- Pick-up from hotel in the Hanoi Old Quarter (1km around Hoan Kiem lake)
- All entrance tickets
- Decent lunch with Vietnamese cuisines
- English speaking guide during the trip
- Round trip transfer with Big AC bus/coach with complimentary water (optional)
What's Not Included
- Beverages, travel insurance
- Tip for local boat rower, tour guide and personal expenses
- Pick up from hotel outside Old Quarter of Hanoi (contact directly with local operator for detail)
- Surcharge holiday 300.000vnd/person (April 30, May 1, September 1-3, December 31-Jan 1, Lunar Tet))
- Optional upgrade to Limousine Bus with smaller group (17 person) with extra 5.9usd /1 person
- Beverages, travel insurance
- Tip for local boat rower, tour guide and personal expenses
- Pick up from hotel outside Old Quarter of Hanoi (contact directly with local operator for detail)
- Surcharge holiday 300.000vnd/person (April 30, May 1, September 1-3, December 31-Jan 1, Lunar Tet))
- Optional upgrade to Limousine Bus with smaller group (17 person) with extra 5.9usd /1 person
Additional Information
- You will be picked up and dropped off inside Hanoi Old Quarter by shuttle bus (optional)
- English speaking guide will escort you during the trip.
- You will visit Hoa Lu ancient citadel dating back to 1,000 years
- Enjoying a nice boat trip on river with spectacular limestone mountains.
- Trekking up to Hang Mua (Dragon mountain) where you can…
- You will be picked up and dropped off inside Hanoi Old Quarter by shuttle bus (optional)
- English speaking guide will escort you during the trip.
- You will visit Hoa Lu ancient citadel dating back to 1,000 years
- Enjoying a nice boat trip on river with spectacular limestone mountains.
- Trekking up to Hang Mua (Dragon mountain) where you can see the whole Tam Coc valley with rice field and river.
- Enjoying a decent lunch with a lot of options of local food
Location
20 P. Hàng Muối
Phố Hàng Muối
If customers stay outside Hanoi center or don't require pick up, please come to 20 Hang Muoi street, Hoan Kiem
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(422 Ratings)
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392maryjoys
Apr 10, 2026
Great experience! - The tour guide is very friendly and accommodating. We did the tour smoothly
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nicholaspe6379qm
Apr 10, 2026
Ninh Binh day trip - Really good day out to Ning Binh. Our tour guide, Phuong, was fantastic the entire time and very accommodating. Recommend this trip to anyone who has some time to go!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Charisma
Apr 10, 2026
Highly Recommended Tour. - I had a great time in this tour. The places visited were amazing and definitely the highlight is the 2-hr boat ride along Trang An. I also learned much about Vietnam's history and other facts. Special thanks to our cute tour guide, Arthur -- knowledgeable, friendly, well-organized and speaks good English. Hotel pick-up and drop-off was seamless. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Flyer689565
Apr 9, 2026
Ninh Binh Day Tour - One of the best places we’ve visited so far. Our tour guide, Phuong, made our experience more fun and memorable. He is very nice and funny. We can see that he is very passionate on guiding us and we learned a lot from him. Thank you for this experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Go539390
Apr 7, 2026
Private Tour - Private Ninh Binh tour with Minh and he was great. Provided history before and during the tour and paced it well for my family. We had little kids and he helped my daughter with her 500-step climb up at Mua Cave for the beautiful views. Would highly recommend the tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
O7075mssarahw
Apr 6, 2026
Mega Exciting - I booked the tour of my hostel and am super satisfied. With our Tourgide Son it was so much fun :) I recommend everyone the tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Navigator35430220447
Apr 5, 2026
A great day - We had the best day from start to finish. Communication before we left was great, pick up was on time and everything ran to schedule. BE PREPARED however to fight for your life as you crawl to the top of the stairs at Mua Cave (there is no cave!). It's about 530 stairs up and then back down but it may as well have been 1,000,000 because it felt like it never ended. I would suggest stopping at about the 300 step mark. Views are gorgeous and you won't cark it from heat exhaustion. The lunch was fantastic. HEAPS of options and both veg and meat meals. Make sure to try the goat stir-fry and the chicken and potato soup. Bike ride was enjoyable but watch out for traffic. The visit to the ancient temple was informative but repetitive if you've seen literally any other temple anywhere. Finally the boat ride is nice. The best part is going in the caves, but it is a very long and SLOW 1 and 3/4hrs. Could have been shorter and just as impressive. If you can get a private boat, do it (costs more) otherwise it is cramped and you sit in that cramped spot the entire time. The thing that REALLY made our trip though was our tour guide Mr Son. Man is a comedic genius and a wealth of knowledge.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tatal692
Apr 2, 2026
1 Day Tour in Ninh Binh - My family and I went on a tour to Ninh Binh on March 27, 2026. Our tour guide, Mr. Day, was very kind and spoke English, allowing us to learn about the history of Ninh Binh. We will never forget this tour, thanks to its natural beauty. We were very satisfied with the experience. Thank you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joyrb295sk
Mar 31, 2026
Ninh Binh tour - So glad we booked this tour. We really enjoyed the experience, specially the boat ride in Trang An. We had an English speaking guide Mr. Day that makes the experience more meaningful. A recommended tour for tourist who loves nature.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
I8518sutiml
Mar 30, 2026
Great value day trip! - Nice group size of 14 pax, our guide Phuong was good to share knowledge regarding Vietnam and the various places of interest. Well-organized and felt we had enough time for every stop.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
