Self-guided Hue Cycling Tour + Map
TL;DR
Enjoy our self-guided Hue city tour. We show you what to do in Hue - with a bicycle.
Confession: We are too scared to ride a scooter ourselves. We still like to explore off the beaten path though. In Hue, you can rent a bicycle everywhere in town for as little as 30000 Dong – perfect to do a little DIY cycling tour. Here’s our suggested itinerary including distances and a map:
DIY Hue Bicycle Tour
Hue Bike Tour Map
Hue Cycling Tour Itinerary
- Thuy Tien Lake Abandoned Water Park
This was a recommendation from our hostel host.
Thuy Tien Park was officially opened in 2004. However, soon after being put into operation, the park was degraded and eventually abandoned.
The main attraction is the Aquarium and Dragon House. You can even climb into the mouth of the dragon for a panoramic view across the lake.
There are also slides and a gigantic abandoned music stadium with 2500 seats.
It’s theoretically free to visit but there’s a guy at the entrance asking for “money for a coffee”. We gave him 10000 and he seemed happy with that.
Distance cycled: 8 km / 5 mi
2. Tomb of Tu Doc
The tomb of Tu Doc is considered the most romantic of the tombs and still, it’s not featured on the standard itineraries of the group tours.
Emperor Tu Doc was fond of art and poetry which is strongly reflected in his tomb. It is the greenest of all tombs and blends perfectly with nature. In fact, Tu Doc visited his grave several times before his death to write poetry.
Distance cycled: 5 km / 3 mi
3. Tu Hieu Pagoda
Tu Hieu Pagoda is Hue’s largest and oldest pagoda and yet it’s not very heavily visited as it’s not on the itinerary of the majority of guided tours. The location in a pine forest is a very calm setting.
It used to be the home of the palace eunuchs who are buried on the grounds. Nowadays, it’s home to 70 monks.
The entrance is free. If you park directly in front of the entrance, people will try and charge you 10000 Dong for parking but you can just park a few meters away and avoid this.
Distance cycled: 2 km / 1.2 mi
4. Outdoor Exhibition Area - Vietnam History Museum
This is such a cool Hue hidden gem we stumbled across. The outdoor exhibition features many tanks, planes, and other war equipment the Americans left behind after the war. You can wander around the area completely undisturbed.
The entrance is free.
Distance cycled: 1.6 km / 0.9 mi
5. Tu Dam Pagoda
This is just a quick but very worthwhile stop in case you want to visit a pagoda without any other tourists. It’s on your way so no detours are needed.
The entrance is free.
Distance cycled: 0.8 km / 0.4 mi
Total Distance Cycled
The total distance is around 23.5 / 14 mi if you add another 6 km / 3.7 mi to get back to your accommodation.
- Quick overview over the most important destinations in Vietnam.
- Decide which ones to visit and which ones to skip!
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