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Day trips from Da Nang in 2026: prices, routes and tips

Three UNESCO sites within 100 km. Hoi An, the My Son ruins, the Cu Lao Cham islands — all reachable as a day trip from Da Nang. Every tour with 2026 prices in VND and rough USD, plus how to book smart.

Updated 13 min read
Golden Bridge held by giant stone hands atop Ba Na Hills near Da Nang, Vietnam
The Golden Bridge on Ba Na Hills — Da Nang's signature image and the most photographed spot in central Vietnam

Da Nang is more than a beach. Within half an hour to an hour you have three UNESCO World Heritage sites and four of central Vietnam's headline attractions inside a 100 km radius. Thousand-year-old temples in the morning, snorkelling after lunch, Hoi An lanterns at night.

  • Ba Na Hills & Golden Bridge (Bà Nà Hills): Cable car, Golden Bridge, Fantasy Park — Tour from ~$45 | Full day
  • Hoi An (Hội An Ancient Town): UNESCO Old Town, lanterns, food — Tour from ~$25 | Half to full day
  • My Son Ruins (Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary): Champa temples 4th–14th c., UNESCO — Tour from ~$25 | Half day
  • Hue (Huế Imperial City): Imperial Citadel, tombs, pagodas — Tour from ~$50 | Full day
  • Cu Lao Cham (Cù Lao Chàm Islands): Snorkelling, diving, wild beaches — Tour from ~$30 | Full day
  • Marble Mountains (Ngũ Hành Sơn): Caves, pagodas, viewpoints — Entry ~$1.60 | 2–3 hours
  • Son Tra Peninsula (Sơn Trà — Linh Ứng): 67 m Lady Buddha, monkeys, wild beaches — Free entry | Half day
  • Than Tai Hot Springs (Núi Thần Tài): Geothermal onsen, water park, mud baths — Ticket ~$17 | Full day
  • Hai Van Pass (Hải Vân Pass): Easy-rider tour over the 21 km road, 496 m high — Easy rider from ~$30 | Half day

Day trips from Da Nang at a glance

Every trip in one table. The tour price is the group rate; "on your own" is entry tickets only.

Currency converter

All day trips from Da Nang with 2026 prices
TripTravel timeTour priceOn your ownFormat
Ba Na Hills + Golden Bridge40 minfrom ~$45~$37 + GrabFull day
Hoi An30 minfrom ~$25~$5 + GrabHalf to full day
My Son ruins1.5 hfrom ~$25~$6 + GrabHalf day
Hue2.5 hfrom ~$50~$8 + travelFull day
Cu Lao Cham1.5 hfrom ~$30Tour onlyFull day
Marble Mountains15 minfrom ~$15~$1.602–3 hours
Son Tra20 minfrom ~$25Free + GrabHalf day
Than Tai hot springs45 minfrom ~$40~$17 + GrabFull day
Hai Van Pass (motorbike)1 hfrom ~$30Free (own bike)Half day
My Son + Hoi An (combo)—from ~$40—Full day
Basket boats30 minfrom ~$20~$41–2 hours
Prices are in VND converted at roughly 26,000 VND = $1 (mid-2026). USD figures are rounded — treat them as ballpark, not exact.

Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge — trip No. 1

Ba Na Hills resort buildings on the mountaintop above the forest, the slope in cloud
Ba Na Hills — a mountain resort 25 km from Da Nang at 1,400 m, where 8 in 10 visitors head first. Photo: Raita Futo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Eight in ten Da Nang visitors come here. The Golden Bridge, cradled in giant stone hands, is the single most photographed spot in central Vietnam. The images went viral in 2018, and Bà Nà Hills became the city's calling card.

The adult ticket is 950,000 VND (~$37); a child ticket is 800,000 VND (~$31). Check the child height bands and how long the ticket stays valid on the Sun World site before you buy. Inside: a 5.8 km cable car up to 1,414 m, the Golden Bridge itself, a French village, flower gardens and the indoor Fantasy Park. Budget 5–7 hours, and pack a light jacket — it runs about 10°C cooler at the top.

It's 25 km southwest, 40 minutes up a mountain road. A Grab up is 200,000–300,000 VND (~$8–12), but the ride back is harder to catch. Tickets on Klook or GetYourGuide usually run 10–15% below the gate. Arrive by the 7:00 opening; by 10 a.m. the bridge fills with coach groups.

…from 8 August 2026, Sun World Ba Na Hills offers a free shuttle bus from Da Nang to Sun World Ba Na Hills. … In short, you can use it, but you should definitely assume you may end up taking a taxiRate93, Vinsky Forum, 2026, translated by VietnamSpot

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Hoi An — the ancient town of lanterns

Colourful silk lanterns in a Hoi An shop in the evening
Hoi An Old Town — a UNESCO site since 1999, where time stopped in the 18th century. Photo: Jim Bendon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Thirty kilometres and you are in another world. Hội An is a former trading port, UNESCO-listed since 1999. By day: temples, museums, tailor shops. By night: thousands of lanterns over the Thu Bồn river, candle-lit boats and live music. The full rundown is in the Hoi An guide.

What to see in Hoi An

The 120,000 VND (~$5, 2026 price) ticket gets you into 5 of 22 heritage sites:

  • The Japanese Covered Bridge (16th c.) — the town's symbol, printed on the 20,000 VND note
  • The Phúc Kiến temple — a lavish interior and an altar to the sea goddess Thiên Hậu
  • The Tấn Ký house — a 19th-century merchant home with its original furniture
  • The night market — hundreds of stalls of handmade lanterns, street food and souvenirs. Opens after 17:00

Basket boats in Cẩm Thanh

On the edge of Hoi An is Cẩm Thanh, a village of coconut palms and round basket boats (thúng chai). A 50-minute ride is 100,000 VND (~$4). Another $4 buys the "extreme" spinning version, if that's your thing.

What to eat

  • Cao lầu — thick noodles with sprouts, pork and crunchy croutons. Made only in Hoi An
  • Bánh mì — the Vietnamese baguette. Hoi An's is arguably the best in the country. Madam Khanh is the legendary address
  • Bánh bao bánh vạc (White Rose) — translucent steamed dumplings with a shrimp filling

A dish at a local place runs 50,000–100,000 VND (~$2–4).

Getting there on your own

  • Bus No. 1: the cheapest option, every 20 minutes, 50 min ride
  • Grab: the app shows the fare for a car before you book, 30 minutes
  • Motorbike: 30 minutes on a flat, straight road, parking 5,000 VND (~$0.20)
Go in the afternoon. Wander until sunset, then hit the night market and the lanterns. Mornings are brutally hot, and without the evening glow Hoi An loses half its magic.

Fast Track — no queue at the border

5–10 minutes instead of an hour in the immigration queue

AirportsNha Trang · Da Nang · Hanoi · Ho Chi Minh · Phu Quoc

from$11per passenger

The My Son ruins — lost temples in the jungle

An ancient Champa brick tower among the ruins of My Son sanctuary against tropical trees and hills
The My Son ruins — Champa temples of the 4th–14th centuries deep in the jungle of central Vietnam

Sixty-nine kilometres and you stand among the ruins of a thousand-year-old civilisation. Mỹ Sơn holds 70-plus structures from the 4th to the 14th century in tropical jungle. UNESCO-listed since 1999. It gets compared to Angkor Wat — smaller and far less crowded.

Entry: 150,000 VND (~$6) for foreigners.

The ticket covers:

  • A museum of Champa artefacts — sculpture, ceramics, jewellery
  • An electric buggy from the gate to the ruins and back — the forest path is about 2 km
  • An Apsara dance show — the traditional Cham dance to live music

The My Son + Hoi An combo

The most popular option is the one-day combo. Ruins in the morning (before it bakes), Hoi An after lunch. From ~$40 with transport, an English-speaking guide and lunch. Best bang for the buck: thousand-year-old temples plus a living medieval town in a single day.

Important: arrive by 6:00. By 10 a.m. it is scorching — up to 40°C in the sun with little shade. Bring water, a hat and sunscreen.

Hue — the imperial capital in a day

A painted gate with a red door inside the Imperial City of Hue
The Imperial Citadel Hoàng thành Huế — a palace complex modelled on Beijing's Forbidden City. Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Huế was the seat of Vietnam's last dynasty, the Nguyen (1802–1945). It's 100 km, 2–2.5 hours by car — the longest day trip from Da Nang, and the most packed. Everything to see, with prices and routes, is in the Hue guide.

What to see in Hue

  • The Imperial Citadel — a vast palace complex with 10 km of walls. Ticket 200,000 VND (~$8). Allow at least 2 hours
  • The tomb of Khai Dinh — a mosaic of broken glass and porcelain. Ticket 150,000 VND (~$6)
  • The tomb of Tu Duc — the largest, ringed by a lotus lake. Ticket 150,000 VND (~$6)
  • The Thiên Mụ pagoda — a seven-tier tower on the Perfume River, free entry
  • The Perfume River — a dragon-boat cruise, 150,000 VND (~$6) an hour

The Da Nang — Hue train

Far better than the bus. The SE (Reunification Express) hugs the coast — mountains, sea and fishing villages roll past the window. Tickets from 150,000 VND (~$6), soft seat, 2.5–3 hours. Buy on dsvn.vn or at the station.

Take a tour that runs over the Hai Van Pass on the way to Hue and back through the tunnel. You get the panoramas and save time.

The Cu Lao Cham islands — snorkelling and wild beaches

A colourful coral reef with soft corals and small fish underwater
Cu Lao Cham — a UNESCO biosphere reserve with coral reefs and clear water

Cù Lao Chàm is a cluster of 8 islands 15 km offshore, a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Coral reefs, clear water, fish in every colour. The best snorkelling near Da Nang.

What the tour includes

A group tour from ~$30 covers:

  • Transfer from Da Nang to Cửa Đại port — 45 min
  • Speedboat to the island — 30 min
  • Snorkelling over the coral — mask and snorkel included
  • A seafood lunch on the beach
  • Free time to swim

Diving is extra: from 1,300,000 VND (~$52) for two dives with gear.

Most people usually buy a day tour, but by doing so, they miss out on 80% of the best things Cu Lao Cham has to offer. … You have to leave before you can even feel the island's sun and windTran Ngoc Tiep, VnExpress International, 2026

Seasonality — when to go

Seasonality of Cu Lao Cham trips
PeriodAccessSeaVerdict
March — MayOpenCalm, 15–20 m visibilityBest time to dive
June — AugustOpenWarm, some swellGood for snorkelling
September — OctoberLimitedSwell, some cancellationsRisky
November — FebruaryClosedHeavy stormsDon't plan on it

The Marble Mountains — caves and pagodas in 2 hours

View from the Marble Mountains to a neighbouring limestone crag and the Da Nang streets at its foot
The Marble Mountains — five sacred hills of marble and limestone 8 km from central Da Nang. Photo: Dragfyre, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Five hills 8 km from the centre, each named for an element: Kim (metal), Mộc (wood), Thủy (water), Hỏa (fire), Thổ (earth). You can climb Thủy Sơn, the tallest.

  • Caves — Huyền Không (the largest, with shafts of light through the ceiling), Am Phủ (the cave of heaven and hell)
  • Pagodas — Tam Thai (17th c.), Linh Ứng at the summit
  • Viewpoints — over the coast, the city and Non Nước beach
  • 156 steps or a lift for 15,000 VND (~$0.60)

Entry: 40,000 VND (~$1.60). Lift: 15,000 VND (~$0.60). Allow 1.5–2 hours.

Getting there: a Grab from the centre is 50,000–70,000 VND (~$2–3), 15 minutes.

Best route: pair it with Hoi An. Marble Mountains in the morning (while it's cool), Hoi An in the afternoon for the evening lanterns.

The Son Tra peninsula — monkeys and the Lady Buddha

Da Nang from above — the waterfront, the mouth of the Han River and the Thuan Phuoc bridge, with the Hai Van range across the bay
Da Nang laid out below — the waterfront, the mouth of the Han River, the Thuan Phuoc bridge and the mountains across the bay

Sơn Trà, also known as Monkey Mountain, is 6,000 hectares of tropical forest 10 km from the centre. Free entry, 20 minutes by motorbike.

  • The Linh Ứng pagoda — a 67-metre statue of the Lady Buddha (Quan Âm), one of the tallest in Vietnam. It has 17 floors inside. Free entry
  • Viewpoints — panoramas of the city, Mỹ Khê beach, the mountains and the sea
  • Wild beaches Tiên Sa and Bãi Bụt — clear water, few people, snorkelling from shore
  • Monkeys — red-faced macaques and the rare red-shanked douc, a five-coloured langur and one of the most beautiful primates on earth
Come early (6:00–7:00). The monkeys are more active, the crowds thinner, and the light soft and golden for photos.

Than Tai hot springs — a geothermal onsen day out

About 30 km west, on the road towards Ba Na, a genuine geothermal spring rises hot from under Núi Thần Tài mountain. It's cooled and fed into pools, a Japanese-style onsen and mud baths, with a sauna, water park and rides built around it. This is real mineral water, not a heated tourist pool.

The base ticket is 450,000 VND (~$17) and already covers every zone except massage, lunch and the mud baths. It's 40–50 minutes from the city; a round-trip Grab runs about 700,000 VND (~$27), split across your group. Treat it as a full-day soak — a two-hour visit isn't worth the drive.

The Hai Van Pass motorbike tour

The Hải Vân Pass is 21 km of switchbacks topping out at 496 m. Top Gear called it "one of the best coastal roads in the world" back in 2008, and they weren't wrong.

How it works

  • With a driver (easy rider): you ride pillion, the driver handles the bends, and you stop for photos. From ~$30 for half a day
  • On your own bike: free, but you need mountain experience — the switchbacks are sharp
  • Jeep tour: from ~$160 for a full day in an open-top vintage jeep
There are no gas stations on the pass itself… It's not such a long ride, so if you make sure you brim your tank before you set off, you should be able to make it all the way between Danang and Hue on one tankTom, Vietnam Coracle, 2019

What's along the way

  • Old French bunkers at the top — colonial-era fortifications
  • Viewpoints — over Lăng Cô bay
  • The village of Lăng Cô — a seafood lunch overlooking the lagoon
Combine it with the Hue trip — the pass is right on the way. The tunnel is faster, but the pass is a hundred times more interesting.

On your own or on a tour — which is better value

Comparing the cost of doing it yourself versus an organised tour
FactorOn your ownGroup tourPrivate guide
Ba Na Hills~$40from ~$45from ~$80
Hoi An~$17from ~$25from ~$120
My Son~$22from ~$25from ~$80
FlexibilityTotalFixedOn request
LanguageOn youEnglishEnglish

On your own suits confident riders. You only really save on Hoi An and the Marble Mountains. For My Son or Hue the price gap is small.

A private English-speaking guide is worth it if you want history and context, not just "look to your left." For couples and families (split two to four ways) the difference from a group tour is minimal.

Tours in English — where to book

Where to book English-language tours from Da Nang
PlatformFormatFromGood for
GetYourGuideGroup & private~$25Free cancellation, EN reviews
KlookGroup, tickets~$18Cheapest Ba Na tickets
ViatorPrivate, small group~$30Bespoke itineraries
Local operatorsGroup, private~$20Best price if you can vet them
Book online, not at the hotel desk. The desk adds a 30–50% markup — the hotel takes a cut. On GetYourGuide or Klook you also get English reviews and free cancellation.
Planning your Vietnam trip? Check your visa rules by passport nationality at the official evisa.gov.vn — most US, UK, EU and Australian travellers use the e-visa.

Which trips run when — seasonality

Da Nang's rainy season runs from September to January, peaking in October–November. Not every trip is equally good year-round.

Seasonality of day trips from Da Nang by month
TripJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Ba Na Hills+++++++++++++++/−+/−+/−+
Hoi An+++++++++++++++++/−−+
Cu Lao Cham−−+++++++++++−−−−
Marble Mountains+++++++++++++++++++++

Key: ++ excellent, + good, +/− possible, − not recommended. Best window: March to August.

Our picks — best trips for different travellers

First time in Vietnam, 3 days: Ba Na Hills (day 1) → Marble Mountains + Hoi An (day 2) → Son Tra in the morning + beach (day 3)

History buffs: My Son in the morning + Hoi An in the evening (day 1) → Hue over the Hai Van Pass (day 2) → the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Da Nang (day 3)

Active travellers: the Hai Van motorbike tour (day 1) → Cu Lao Cham snorkelling (day 2) → Son Tra's wild beaches (day 3)

With kids: Ba Na Hills + Fantasy Park (day 1) → basket boats + Hoi An (day 2) → Marble Mountains (day 3)

One day only: the My Son + Hoi An combo — maximum payoff, minimum time. Two UNESCO sites in a single trip.

Common mistakes travellers make

Reaching Ba Na Hills after 10 a.m. That's when the coaches roll in from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. The bridge turns into a scrum. Arrive by 7:00.

Planning Cu Lao Cham in winter. From September to February the boats often don't run because of swell. Trips get cancelled an hour before departure.

Buying tours at the hotel desk. A 30–50% markup. The same trip on Klook, GetYourGuide or with a local operator is cheaper.

Not haggling with street agents. The first price is for people who don't ask. A 20–30% discount is normal.

Going to My Son at midday. The ruins are open to the sky with no shade. From 11 to 2 it hits 40°C in the sun. Take the morning tour.

Skipping a jacket for Ba Na Hills. At 1,400 m it's 10°C cooler. If it's 32°C in Da Nang, it's 22°C at the top.

Doing Hoi An only by day. Without the evening lanterns Hoi An loses half its magic. Time your visit around sunset.

FAQ — day trips from Da Nang

The top three: Ba Na Hills with the Golden Bridge (8 in 10 visitors), Hoi An (a UNESCO ancient town) and the My Son + Hoi An combo in one day. With more time, add Hue over the Hai Van Pass and Cu Lao Cham for snorkelling.

  • Group toursfrom about $15Marble Mountains
  • Hue full dayto $80
  • Ba Na Hillsfrom ~$45with transfer and lunch, though the gate ticket alone is 950,000 VND (~$37)
  • On your own~$20–150
  • A private English-speaking guidefrom ~$80–120a day

Yes. GetYourGuide, Klook and Viator list dozens of English group and private tours, and most local operators run English departures. Book online rather than at a hotel desk — you save 30–50% and can read reviews first.

Yes, easily. Bus No. 1 is the cheapest option (every 20 min), a Grab is priced in the app, a motorbike is 30 minutes on a flat road. No guide needed — the Old Town is compact and walkable in 2–3 hours.

March to August. Calm sea, up to 20 m visibility, daily boats. From September to February trips are often cancelled because of storm swells.

If you want the Golden Bridge and don't mind a theme-park crowd, absolutely. The cable car, the views from 1,400 m and Fantasy Park fill a day. Arrive by 7:00 and bring a jacket.

Three ways: bus through the tunnel (2.5 hours, from ~$2), a motorbike tour over the Hai Van Pass (3 hours, from ~$30), or the coastal train (2.5–3 hours, from ~$6). The train is the most atmospheric, the pass the most photogenic.

Prices current as of July 2026. Prices and conditions can change — confirm before you travel.
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