Hanoi in 3 days: a first-timer's walking itinerary (2026)
This is the route we would hand a friend visiting Hanoi for the first time. Each day is eight stops in walking order, timed so the busy places come before the tour groups and the viewpoints land near sunset. Prices were checked in November 2026; where a price is older or not published, we say so.
Open the interactive 3D route →Day 1 · Hoan Kiem & Old Quarter: The lake, the 36 streets and the weekend night walk
Best on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Start at the red bridge to Ngoc Son Temple, wander the Old Quarter's merchant lanes to Dong Xuan Market, glance down Train Street from a safe spot, then Hoa Lo Prison and the cathedral after lunch, sunset over Hoan Kiem Lake and the car-free walking street at night. Every leg is on foot.
Ngoc Son Temple & The Huc Bridge
The red wooden bridge to the little temple island is Hanoi's postcard, and the lake is calm and misty before the crowds.
Price: ₫50,000 (2024 price · check on site) · Hours: About 7am–6pm (check)
Tip: Inside, look for the preserved giant turtle from the lake. Cover shoulders and knees.
Old Quarter lanes & 87 Ma May house
A restored 19th-century 'tube house' shows how merchant families lived behind their narrow shopfronts, then walk Hang Bac and Ma May as the shutters go up.
Price: ₫20,000 (earlier price · check on site) · Hours: Daytime (check)
Tip: Streets are named after old trades: Hang Bac (silver), Hang Ma (paper goods). Walk on the edge; motorbikes park on the pavements.
Dong Xuan Market
Hanoi's biggest covered market: fabric, dried fruit, coffee and kitchenware upstairs, snacks along the lanes outside.
Price: Free entry · Hours: Daily, early morning to early evening (check)
Tip: Ask the price first and bargain politely. Dried fruit and coffee are easy gifts to carry home.
Phung Hung murals & Train Street
Painted arches of the old railway viaduct along Phung Hung, and the famous line where the track squeezes between houses.
Price: Free · Hours: Street open; railway access may be closed by police
Tip: Trackside cafés and tours are banned and trains still run (fewer in 2026). Look from the street end, never stand or sit on the tracks, and follow police or guards.
Hoa Lo Prison
The French-built 'Maison Centrale', later the 'Hanoi Hilton', tells a hard century of Vietnamese history in the cells that remain.
Price: ₫50,000 (2024 price · check on site) · Hours: Daily 8am–5pm (check)
Tip: Some rooms are grim and not for small children. The audio guide is worth it; rent it at the gate.
St Joseph's Cathedral
Hanoi's grey neo-Gothic cathedral from 1886, with cafés and lemon-tea stalls on the little square in front.
Price: Free · donations welcome · Hours: Interior usually about 8–11am and 2–5pm Mon–Sat via the side door, closed during Mass (check)
Tip: Dress modestly and keep quiet inside. If the door is shut, the facade from the square is the classic photo.
Hoan Kiem Lake at sunset
Watch the sun set behind Turtle Tower from the east bank (around 5:15pm in November) as locals come out to walk and exercise.
Price: Free · Hours: Open all day
Tip: Cross the lakeside roads at a steady pace with the locals. Trang Tien ice cream is just to the south.
Weekend walking street & night market
The roads around the lake close to traffic: street games, music, families and the Hang Dao night market heading north.
Price: Free · Hours: Fri evening to Sun night, from about 7pm (check)
Tip: It's busy; keep your phone and bag in front. On weekdays the lake is quieter but still lovely at night.
Day 2 · Ba Dinh & West Lake: Uncle Ho's Hanoi, the first university and a West Lake sunset
Not on a Monday or Friday. Join the morning line at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, walk the palace gardens to his stilt house and the One Pillar Pagoda, then the Temple of Literature, the Fine Arts Museum after lunch, and Grab up to Quan Thanh Temple and Tran Quoc Pagoda for sunset on West Lake, finishing with pho cuon by Truc Bach Lake.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & Ba Dinh Square
A short, silent walk past the embalmed leader, then the huge square where independence was declared in 1945.
Price: Free · Hours: Tue–Thu & Sun 8–11am, Sat 8–11:30am · closed Mon & Fri · reopens 3 Nov 2026 after maintenance
Tip: Long trousers or skirts, covered shoulders, no hats inside. Bags and cameras go to the free check-in; be in line by about 8am.
Presidential Palace grounds & Ho Chi Minh's stilt house
See the yellow French palace from the garden, then the simple wooden stilt house by the carp pond where Ho Chi Minh actually lived.
Price: ₫40,000 for foreign visitors (2025 price · check on site) · Hours: Morning and afternoon sessions, reduced on Mon & Fri (check)
Tip: The palace itself can't be entered. Follow the one-way path from the mausoleum exit; it ends near the One Pillar Pagoda.
One Pillar Pagoda
A tiny wooden shrine on a single stone column in a lotus pond, shaped like a lotus rising from the water.
Price: Free · Hours: Daytime
Tip: It's small and fills fast with groups; step back to the pond's edge for the full shape.
Temple of Literature
Five courtyards of the 1070 Confucian temple and Vietnam's first university, with stone turtles carrying the names of old doctoral graduates.
Price: ₫70,000 (cash at the gate) · Hours: Daily 8am–5pm, last entry 4:30pm
Tip: Don't touch the turtle steles; they're protected. Graduation groups in ao dai often pose here in the morning.
Vietnam Fine Arts Museum
Lacquer paintings, silk art, Buddhist statues and folk prints in a calm colonial building just across from the Temple of Literature.
Price: ₫40,000 · Hours: 8:30am–5pm · closed Monday
Tip: Start on the top floor with the lacquer works and walk down. Air-conditioned and rarely crowded.
Quan Thanh Temple
One of the old city's four guardian temples, home to a huge bronze statue of the Black Warrior of the north.
Price: ₫10,000 · Hours: Daily 8am–5pm
Tip: It sits on the corner of Truc Bach Lake; the walk to Tran Quoc follows the causeway between the two lakes.
Tran Quoc Pagoda & West Lake sunset
Hanoi's oldest pagoda, with a tall red stupa on a little island, then the sun goes down over West Lake (around 5:15pm).
Price: Free · Hours: Pagoda about 7:30–11:30am and 1:30–6pm (check) · lakeside open all day
Tip: Cover shoulders and knees for the pagoda. For sunset, stand on Thanh Nien road facing west.
Truc Bach Lake & Ngu Xa food street
The little island streets of Ngu Xa are lined with pho cuon (rolled rice noodles) and pho chien phong (puffed fried pho) shops on the lake.
Price: Free entry · pay per dish · Hours: Evenings, most places open late afternoon
Tip: Pick a busy shop with a printed price list. Swan pedal boats on the lake are a daytime thing; evenings are for eating.
Day 3 · Citadel, Long Bien & French Quarter: A thousand-year citadel, an iron bridge and water puppets
Not on the first Monday of the month. Morning in the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, the Flag Tower and the last old city gate, a walk onto the 1902 Long Bien Bridge over the Red River, then the Women's Museum, the Opera House facade and the National Museum of History, ending with a water puppet show by Hoan Kiem Lake.
Imperial Citadel of Thang Long
Walk through the Doan Mon gate to the dragon steps of Kinh Thien Palace and the excavated foundations of a thousand years of royal Hanoi.
Price: ₫100,000 · Hours: Daily 8am–5pm
Tip: Shady trees but little cover from rain; bring an umbrella. The archaeological site across Hoang Dieu street is part of the same complex.
Hanoi Flag Tower
The 1812 brick tower is one of the few parts of the old citadel still standing, flying a huge red flag over the boulevard.
Price: Free to view from outside · Hours: Seen from Dien Bien Phu street at any time
Tip: Grounds access changes with the museum works around it, so plan to see it from the street (check on site).
O Quan Chuong gate
The only one of the Old Quarter's city gates still standing, its little arch still squeezing the motorbike traffic.
Price: Free · Hours: Open street
Tip: Photograph it from the Dao Duy Tu side; don't stand in the arch, scooters come through fast.
Long Bien Bridge
The rust-brown 1902 steel bridge over the Red River, with banana fields on the sandbank below and trains rattling past.
Price: Free · Hours: Walkways open (reopened after repairs on 28 May 2026)
Tip: The narrow side walkways are shared with motorbikes: walk in single file on the edge, and keep off the railway in the middle.
Vietnamese Women's Museum
Clear, moving galleries on family life, ethnic dress and the street vendors who keep Hanoi fed, with good English labels.
Price: ₫40,000 · Hours: Daily 8am–5pm
Tip: The fashion floor with ethnic minority costumes is a highlight; the café and shop are on the ground floor.
Hanoi Opera House (outside)
The 1911 French opera house closes the end of Trang Tien street; the square in front is where Hanoi's August Revolution was proclaimed.
Price: Free to view from outside · Hours: Closed for renovation from 2026 · outside only (check)
Tip: Expect scaffolding or hoarding during the renovation. Tours and shows are suspended until it reopens.
National Museum of History
Bronze Dong Son drums, Cham sculpture and royal treasures in a yellow French building with a pagoda-style dome.
Price: ₫40,000 (one ticket for both buildings) · Hours: 8am–12pm and 1:30–5pm · closed the first Monday of each month
Tip: This route covers the 1 Trang Tien building (up to 1945). Keep your ticket if you want the second building on Tran Quang Khai.
Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
Lacquered puppets dance across a pool to live folk music: rice planting, dragons and fishermen, a Hanoi tradition for centuries.
Price: ₫100,000 / 150,000 / 200,000 by seat · Hours: Mon–Sat 4:10, 5:20, 6:30 and 8pm · Sun also morning and 2pm shows (check)
Tip: Buy at the box office earlier in the day or the day before; evening shows sell out. Cameras cost extra.
Top 10 places for a first visit
| # | Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hoan Kiem Lake The green lake at the heart of old Hanoi, with Turtle Tower on its islet and the red bridge to Ngoc Son Temple. | Hoan Kiem | Free |
| 2 | Old Quarter (36 streets) A maze of narrow merchant streets named after their old trades, packed with tube houses, shops and street food. | Hoan Kiem | Free |
| 3 | Temple of Literature A Confucian temple from 1070 and Vietnam's first university, with five courtyards and stone turtle steles. | Dong Da | ₫70,000 |
| 4 | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum The granite mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh lies in state, facing the vast Ba Dinh Square. | Ba Dinh | Free |
| 5 | Imperial Citadel of Thang Long The UNESCO-listed heart of a thousand years of royal power, from the Doan Mon gate to Kinh Thien Palace. | Ba Dinh | ₫100,000 |
| 6 | Ngoc Son Temple A temple on a little island in Hoan Kiem Lake, reached by the red The Huc bridge. | Hoan Kiem | ₫50,000 (2024 price · check on site) |
| 7 | Hoa Lo Prison The colonial 'Maison Centrale', later the 'Hanoi Hilton', now a museum of prison life and resistance. | Hoan Kiem | ₫50,000 (2024 price · check on site) |
| 8 | Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre Hanoi's classic water puppet show: lacquered puppets on a pool stage with live folk music, about 50 minutes. | Hoan Kiem | ₫100,000 / 150,000 / 200,000 by seat |
| 9 | Ha Long Bay (day trip or cruise) Thousands of limestone islands in an emerald bay, about 2.5–3 hours from Hanoi by expressway. | Quang Ninh | Price not published · check on site |
| 10 | Trang An boat trip (Ninh Binh) Rowing boats through caves and rice-green karst valleys in a UNESCO landscape, about 2 hours from Hanoi. | Ninh Binh | ₫250,000 (2025 price · check on site) |
Before you go
Entry
- Korean passports: 45 days visa-free: South Korean citizens can stay up to 45 days without a visa under Resolution 44/NQ-CP, valid from 15 March 2025 to 14 March 2028.
- Singapore passports: 30 days visa-free: Singapore citizens can stay up to 30 days without a visa under the ASEAN arrangement.
- Longer stays: e-visa: For other nationalities or longer trips, the e-visa allows up to 90 days, single or multiple entry (US$25 / US$50 government fee). Apply only on the official portal, evisa.immigration.gov.vn; look-alike agency sites charge much more.
- Passport and tickets: Have at least 6 months left on your passport and keep your return or onward ticket handy: airlines and immigration may ask for it. Your hotel registers your passport with the police; that's normal. Confirm the rules on the official site before you travel.
SIM & eSIM
- At the airport: Viettel, Vinaphone and Mobifone counters in the Noi Bai arrivals hall sell tourist SIMs. SIMs must be registered, so bring your passport.
- eSIM before you fly: A data eSIM installed at home works on landing for maps and Grab. Compare days and data, not just price.
- Why data matters here: Grab, maps and translation apps do most of the work in Hanoi; the Old Quarter's street names change every block, so keep a map open.
Getting around
- Airport to the city: Noi Bai is about 45–60 minutes from the Old Quarter. A Grab car is about ₫250,000–350,000 and an airport taxi ₫300,000–400,000 (2026 guide · check on site). Express bus 86 costs about ₫45,000 (2026 guide · check on site) and runs roughly every 25 minutes from early morning to late evening.
- Grab: The easiest way to move: Grab car or Grab bike, priced in the app, card or cash. Check the plate number before you get in. Xanh SM's green electric taxis are a good alternative.
- Metro: Line 2A (Cat Linh–Ha Dong) and the elevated part of Line 3 (Nhon–Cau Giay) run in the west of the city; Line 3's underground section to Hanoi Station is planned for late 2027. None of the three routes here needs the metro.
- Walking: The Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake and the French Quarter are best on foot. Pavements are often full of parked motorbikes, so walk carefully on the edge of the road.
- Crossing the street: Walk at a steady pace and don't stop or step back suddenly; motorbikes flow around you.
- Scooters: Renting one yourself needs a licence valid in Vietnam and insurance that covers motorbikes; without both, take Grab.
Money
- Cash is king: Carry Vietnamese dong for ticket booths, markets, street food and small cafés. Hotels, malls, bigger restaurants and Grab take cards.
- Watch the zeros: The ₫20,000 and ₫500,000 notes are both bluish; check before you pay and count your change.
- ATMs and exchange: ATMs are everywhere but charge a fee per withdrawal. Gold and jewellery shops on Ha Trung street are a well-known place to change dollars; compare two rates.
Local rules & manners
- Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum: Closed Monday and Friday, and every autumn for about two months (in 2026: 4 Sep–2 Nov, reopening 3 Nov). Long trousers or skirts, covered shoulders, no hats, no photos inside, bags to the free check-in.
- Train Street: Tours and trackside cafés are banned and trains still run. Look from the street end, never stand on the tracks, and follow police or guards.
- Temples and pagodas: Cover shoulders and knees; take off your shoes where others do; don't touch the stone turtle steles at the Temple of Literature.
- Agree the price first: For cyclos, massages and anything without a printed price, confirm the total before you start.
- Weekend walking street: The roads around Hoan Kiem Lake are closed to traffic from Friday evening to Sunday night (check on arrival), so Day 1 is best on one of those evenings.
November: cool & dry
- The best season: November is one of Hanoi's most pleasant months: dry, mostly sunny or hazy, around 20–26°C. Sunset is around 5:15pm, so plan museums for the afternoon and lakes for dusk.
- Layers: Mornings and evenings can feel cool; bring a light jacket, comfortable shoes and an umbrella for the odd shower.
- Air quality: Haze and fine dust can build up in late autumn and winter. Check an air-quality app; on bad days, wear a mask outside and plan more museum time.
- Closures on the calendar: Mausoleum: closed Mon & Fri. Fine Arts Museum and Museum of Ethnology: closed Mon. National Museum of History: closed the first Monday of the month. Opera House: closed for renovation, outside only.
Sources
- Tuoi Tre News — Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum closed 4 Sep–2 Nov 2026, reopens 3 Nov; visiting days and cool-season hours (9 Aug 2026)
- Vietnam Tourism guide — Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda and the palace grounds (updated 24 Oct 2026)
- GreenSM guide — Presidential Palace relic site: hours, ₫40,000 foreign-visitor ticket (Jan 2025)
- Vietnam Tourism guide — Temple of Literature tickets and hours (updated 24 Oct 2026)
- Vietnam Tourism guide — Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, prices and hours checked 28 Oct 2026
- Vietnam Tourism guide — Quan Thanh Temple, prices and hours checked 28 Oct 2026
- Vietnam Tourism guide — Tran Quoc Pagoda hours and dress code (updated 27 Oct 2026)
- Imperial Citadel of Thang Long (official) — ticket ₫100,000, open 8:00–17:00 daily
- VnExpress International — Hanoi entrance fees from 1 Jan 2024 (Ngoc Son, Hoa Lo, Temple of Literature, Citadel)
- Hanoi Times — entry fees for the Ancient House at 87 Ma May and the Cantonese Assembly Hall
- Vietnam Tourism guide — St Joseph's Cathedral visiting and Mass times (updated 24 Oct 2026)
- Vietnam Tourism guide — Hoan Kiem Lake, the weekend walking street and Ngoc Son Temple (updated 5 Oct 2026)
- Vietcetera — Hanoi cuts train services on Train Street; tours banned, trackside cafés in violation (10 Mar 2026)
- Viet Nam News — Long Bien Bridge reopens after two-month renovation, walkways repaired (29 May 2026)
- Vietcetera — Hanoi Opera House closes for a two-year renovation from early 2026
- Vietnam National Museum of History (official) — ticket prices
- Vietnam National Museum of History (official) — opening hours, closed the first Monday of each month
- Vietnam Tourism guide — Vietnamese Women's Museum, prices and hours checked 28 Oct 2026
- Vietnam Tourism guide — Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre showtimes and tickets (updated 18 Sep 2026)
- Vietnam Tourism guide — Vietnam Museum of Ethnology tickets and hours (updated 24 Oct 2026)
- Hanoi Metro Line 3 — elevated Nhon–Cau Giay section open since Aug 2024; underground section to Hanoi Station planned late 2027
- La Siesta Hotels guide — Noi Bai airport to the city in 2026 (bus 86, taxi, Grab)
- Ninh Binh Tourism (official) — attraction ticket prices, updated 4 Mar 2025
- Go365 — Vietnam attraction tickets 2026 incl. Fansipan cable car (Sep 2026)
- Vietcetera — Vietnam visa & immigration guide 2026 (45-day exemption for Korea, 30 days Singapore, e-visa fees)
- Vietnam Immigration Department — official e-visa portal
- Illustrated draft map by 3DAYS · positions from OpenStreetMap · real-data 3D map in preparation
Prices are for adults and can change; always check the official site on the day. Some ticket, hotel and eSIM links on 3DAYS are affiliate links: your price is the same and we may earn a commission. Rankings and routes are not paid placements.