The Best Things to See and Do in Dalat, Vietnam

Dalat’s highest mountain, Lang Biang, sits at 2,169m (7,116ft) above sea level. Just a short drive from the city, past fields of wildflowers and rows of crops, you will start your hike at the parking lot or catch the shuttle bus closer to the top. However you reach the summit, take your time to enjoy the panorama of lush hills sloping down to the Golden Stream and Silver Stream, which are said to resemble slivers of silk.

Crazy House is precisely what it says on the tin – a boggling feat of architecture and a delight for anyone who enjoys the weird and wonderful. With a Gaudí-meets- Dalí-meets-Disney aesthetic, it’s inspired by giant banyan trees and mimics natural forms, with no straight lines and twisting branches lining the walkways. However, it isn’t just for show – the house is also a hotel (Hằng Nga Guesthouse), where you can choose between 10 themed rooms.

Take the 2km (1mi) cable car from Robin Hill to Truc Lam Pagoda, soaring over pine forests, farmland and a ravine, as you’re whisked to the top of Phung Hoang (Phoenix Mountain). The pagoda is Vietnam’s biggest Zen monastery – among its grounds you can walk through flower and bonsai gardens, see the pond’s terrapins basking in the sun and watch Buddhist monks going about their routines. This easy excursion can be done in just a couple of hours.

A giant rock said to resemble the head of an elephant gives this waterfall its name. The wide body of water shoots over a cliff into a verdant, jagged landscape that has a prehistoric quality to it. Ascend the 145 steps of rock and wood to fully appreciate the scene. The waterfall is about 30km (19mi) from the centre of Dalat but there are plenty of buses running here, with the journey taking about an hour.

One of Dalat’s several affectionate nicknames is The City of Flowers. Due to the temperate climate and plentiful rains, the region is ideal for growing certain crops and blooms that won’t flourish anywhere else in Vietnam. The 7,000sqm (75,000sqft) gardens feature 300 types of flowers, some of which blossom throughout the year. Highlights include a cactus garden, orchid house and a perfectly pruned topiary.

Enter the colourful world of Dalat Night Market, where vendors dish out steaming bowls of rice noodles, street performances range from hip-hop dancers to cartoon fancy-dress and locals rummage through second-hand clothes. Because Dalat is located in the highlands, you’ll find all sorts of warm garments here, including jackets, gloves and woolly hats. Open at weekends, the market is a popular place to socialise as well as shop.

This cool 1970s-style cocktail bar could be the setting of an old-school movie, with geometric wallpaper and a wavy cut-away ceiling. But the best thing about it is the music performances, which range from rock n’ roll to reggae. The house band has a repertoire of great covers, including songs from the Rolling Stones and Radiohead. Located in the basement of the Muong Thanh Dalat Hotel, it’s a short walk from the central market and Xuan Hong Lake.

With its waterfalls, pools, boulders and rainforest, the environment around Dalat is an ideal environment for canyoning. The Dalat canyoning tour leads you through the Central Highland rainforest in a perfectly safe outdoor adventure (using European ropes and professional rigging gear), including a 100m (328ft) zip line and abseiling route down the Waterfalls of Datanla. It takes a leap of courage to jump the 10m (33ft) into a pool below – but the adrenaline rush is well worth it.

Sign up for a tour with Easy Riders to take in the sights on that quintessentially Vietnamese method of transport – the motorbike. Riding pillion or taking control of your own bike, the knowledgeable guides lead small groups around a range of routes, from a few hours exploring the highlights of Dalat to multi-day trips. One of the more interesting destinations is Lak Lake because of the ethnic Mnong tribes that live and work in the region.

Another of Dalat’s architectural oddities is the 100 Roofs Café, a seemingly endless warren spread over five floors of an inconspicuous side-road building. A series of passages and rooms that look like a fairytale jumble-sale lead to a rooftop garden, which continues up steps to a vantage point. You have to buy at least one drink for access to look around – but that’s no hardship, with a good-value menu of spirits and beers on offer.