What to see and do in Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang

The picturesque town of Luang Prabang is justifiably one of the highlights of the small, landlocked Southeast Asian nation of Laos. The historic, ancient northern capital, added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list back in 2013, comes with a stunning location – nestled amid mountains on the banks of the Mekong – and houses a mixture of ancient Buddhist temples with well-preserved, French-period, colonial architecture. You could spend a long time exploring this charming town, but here’s a short list of some of our favourite things to see and do in Luang Prabang.

See and do in Luang Prabang Town

Introductory Walking Tour

Our first suggestion to see and do in Luang Prabang, perhaps surprisingly, would be to do nothing. Or rather, just wander aimlessly around the old town, soak up the atmosphere and don’t bother visiting any specific ‘sites’ as such – you can do that later with a guide to talk you through the details. Luang Prabang’s old town is small, so you can’t get lost, with the narrow tongue of land bordered by the Mekong to the northwest and the Khan River to the north and east. Between the rivers, a labyrinth of narrow lanes winds among the venerable old stupas and yellow-painted French villas while well-placed cafes dot the two waterfronts. Get a feel for the place; wave at a few locals (sabai dee is the standard greeting) and soak up the wonderful views from one of the aforementioned strategically-placed cafes or bars.

If you’re in need of refreshments after your walk, then the ubiquitous Beer Lao is one of the country’s most famous products and goes down very well with the town’s most famous nibble – Mekong weed with a buffalo skin and chilli chutney. (‘Seaweed’ from the river is sun-dried, flattened into sheets then cut into squares and dipped in a hot wok. Yes, it does sound odd, but tastes great!)

The Morning Market

Having checked out the riverside sunsets and soaked up some of the street life our more targeted stroll for the following day would be to head to the lively morning street market. You’ll inevitably see several stalls selling handicrafts and souvenirs although much of the market is food and household goods and still very local in style. Also provides a good opportunity to sample another of Lao’s famous local products – coffee. The plantations are concentrated on the Boloven Plateau in the far south of the country but the rich, dark robusta is ubiquitous across Laos. It’s often drunk with condensed milk on ice and the creamy, sweet coffee can be more palatable for foreign visitors than the local, black rocket fuel.

Wat Xiengthong

Although the ancient wats, or Buddhist temples, differ in setting, style and period, visitors can get ‘templed out’ and you’re never going to visit every one. How many you do include on your Luang Prabang tour is up to you but if you’re only going to visit one, then Wat Xiengthong’s the prime candidate. The riverside location and grounds are picturesque, the ancient mosaics beautifully preserved and the town’s most prestigious wat is a must-see.

Wat Phu Si

A second must-see of Luang Prabang’s ancient temples would be Wat Phu Si as it sits on the town’s only hill and its central location offers spectacular views of the old town and the Mekong River. Sunset is obviously prime visiting time but in high season in particular, the small hilltop can get busy in which case early morning is a good alternative.

The Royal Palace and National Museum

This elegant structure, dating to 1904 and the French period and known in Lao as Haw Kham combines traditional Lao and French architectural features and was the palace of the Lao royal family until its dissolution by the Communist government at the end of the Indochina war in 1975. The restored buildings and gardens now form the Luang Prabang National Museum and house some fascinating artefacts as well as providing an explanation of the country’s recent history. A visit to Haw Kham does benefit from a guided tour but don’t worry – it’s not a huge museum.

Additional suggestions to see and do in Luang Prabang

A walking tour of the Old Town including visits to the Royal Palace, Wat Xiengthong and perhaps one or two lesser-known temples, followed by a sunset climb up Phu Si Hill forms a typical and leisurely Luang Prabang day tour but if you’re fortunate enough to have another day in town then there are plenty more options.

Wat Had Siaw and the north bank of the river

If Wat Xiengthong and Phu Si are getting busy then a short boat trip across the Mekong takes you to several much lesser-known sites, albeit with equally great views back across the river. The north bank houses several simple fishing villages and tranquil hilltop temples such as Wat Had Siaw, so you pay the boatman, cross the river, stroll for 2 or 3 kilometres along the riverbank and hop back on a return boat to town when you’re ready. (For obvious reasons this is probably best done with a guide – who can negotiate a boat fee and arrange a pickup time and place – but it’s not complicated and your guide can explain how to do it if, for example, you’d like to do an unaccompanied walk on a free half day.)

Cycling Tour

You’ll see numerous shops offering bicycles for rent – and indeed your hotel or guesthouse may well have some of their own – and the quiet lanes of the old town lend themselves ideally to a leisurely pedal around. It also allows you to venture out of the town centre so you can take in some outlying villages and perhaps discover some rarely visited temples. Note also you can stick your bike on the boat and head across the river as per our previous suggestion.

Lao Cookery Lessons

Great way to while away a morning and no better place to try some hands-on Lao cookery than in what is probably the country’s culinary capital. Tamarind gets good reviews but there are plenty of decent options available.

Offering Alms to the Monks

The monks’ morning alms round is hugely popular among visitors and you’ll certainly have seen the iconic scene in myriad Luang Prabang photos. During busy periods, what is after all a sacred ceremony, can turn into a bit of a circus so we are in two minds about this see and do in Luang Prabang option. You’re probably not Buddhist and don’t need to participate as such so there’s no reason why you can’t just hang around on the periphery and take a few discreet photos. If you do want to blend in then just find a well-placed, early-opening coffee stand and you can view the ceremony from a pavement stool.

Outside of Town

Once again, you could spend a while exploring the area around the town but like most visitors to Luang Prabang, we’ll assume your time is finite. So a half-day introductory walk and a day tour of the town should be followed by a day discovering the surrounding area.

Pak Ou Caves

If you’re arriving in Luang Prabang by boat, then you’ll have already visited Luang Prabang’s Pak Ou Caves – sacred grottoes filled with ancient Buddha images perched on a cliff overlooking the river – otherwise, this is a must-see. Our suggestion would be to take a boat upriver from town, visit the caves and lunch at a riverbank cafe before returning downstream to Luang Prabang. A standard tour by truck or bus usually involves checking our handicrafts at a nearby village although, in our opinion, the much-touted village has by now become a victim of its own success.

Kuang Si Falls

Another shoo-in on any Luang Prabang itinerary, these picturesque falls lie some 30 kilometres northeast of town, involving a 45-minute or so drive through some scenic countryside. The site can get busy so, in high season in particular, we’d say it’s worth getting there early.

Save the Bears

Conveniently located close to the entrance of Kuang Si Falls, we’d say the very worthy Save the Bears sanctuary is an essential stop on any Luang Prabang tour. Since its opening in 2003, the project has been expanded to include other endangered species and several rehabilitation schemes have been successfully carried out so your entrance fees are certainly going to a very good cause.

Ock Pop Tok

Another conveniently placed scheme is this community weaving project, situated on route between Luang Prabang and Kuang Si and the bear sanctuary. Ock Pop Tok has helped to revive traditional weaving methods while providing income and employment for many local families. (It also has an attractive, riverside location and an excellent cafe/coffee shop so always proves a popular stop.)

There are plenty more options for Luang Prabang – and we could spend days just wandering the quaint lanes and local markets – but the above selection fits neatly into a 3 or 4 day stay and there are the Plain of Jars, Nong Khiaw or Vang Vieng etc to include as well so…

Luang Prabang features on all our Lao tours – with the exception of the far south – as well as Laos and Vietnam tours and our north Thailand and Laos tour, the Golden Triangle while its international airport means we can offer a 4-day extension in Luang Prabang to pretty much any of our tours in the region.