You have 3 days in Hanoi, we have the perfect itinerary for you.
Hanoi, the capital, was our first stop on our Vietnam backpacking trip. To be honest, we were quite overwhelmed by all the hustle and bustle at first but we quickly found our groove.
If you’re wondering what to do in Hanoi for 3 days, we have the perfect Hanoi travel itinerary for you. Put your walking shoes on and let’s go!
Start your first day in the old quarter of Hanoi. Get lost in the small colourful streets and watch the local life go by. We strongly recommend you hop into the small temples you will find along your way. Another cool spot to visit is Old City Gate (Ô Quan Chưởng), a city gate from the 18th century.
The Old Quarter is also the place to try some street food or get your shopping fix. Speaking of shopping, don’t miss Dong Xuan Market while you’re in the area. It’s one of the largest markets in the city with a wide range of goods.
In the afternoon, head to Hoan Kiem Lake just south of the old quarter. You can either just stroll around the lake or cross the red Huc Bridge to get to the charming Ngoc Son Temple.
You can also spot the Turtle Tower on a small island.
The French Quarter of Hanoi extends to the southeast of Hoan Kiem Lake. You’ll quickly notice that the roads are much wider than the tiny roads in the old quarter.
Two of the most outstanding buildings are the Opera House and Tonkin Palace.
Next, head further around Hoan Kiem Lake towards its western shore. Here, you’ll find Saint Joseph Cathedral. The neo-Gothic church is one of the oldest churches in Hanoi.
For sunset, we recommend visiting Sol Sky Rooftop Bar which is super close to Saint Joseph Cathedral.
Train Street might be the most Instagram-famous spot in Hanoi. We thought it was great fun to sit in a trackside cafe and watch the train rush by – although it really was surprisingly fast.
Head on to the Temple of Literature. In contrast to what the name suggests, it’s not actually a temple, it’s a university. In fact, it is Vietnam’s oldest university and even featured on the 100k VND note. It was incredibly busy during our visit but we’re not sure whether this is the rule or the exception.
Next, head to the Ho Chi Minh-Mausoleum Complex dedicated entirely to Ho Chi Minh, the leader of the Vietnamese communist revolution. It’s a huge area with several buildings. The ones that we recommend to check out are the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh Museum, The Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s House on stilts, and One Pillar Pagoda.
In case you’re not all historied out yet, head to the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long right across Ba Dinh Square next. The UNESCO World Heritage Site has been the country’s political hub for over 13 centuries. Notable buildings include the Hanoi Flag Tower (built in 1812 during the Nguyen dynasty), the Palace of Kinh Thien (built 15th century during the Le Dynasty), the southern gate (Doan Mon), the northern gate (Cua Bac), Lady Pavilion (Hau Lau), and the D67 Revolutionary House (built in 1967 during the Second Indochina War).
On our way to the lakes, we stumbled across Phan Dinh Phung Street a bit by surprise and we recommend you check it out too. It turned out the be one of our favourite streets in Hanoi. The wide road with its large trees has a very different feel from the rest of the city. You can either just take a stroll and admire the impressive mansions or try one of the cute cafes.
Last but not least, head to West Lake (Tay Ho), the largest freshwater lake in Hanoi. In case you still have the energy, you can walk around the entire lake in 17 km (10 mi).
In case you don’t, head to Thanh Nien Road which separates Tay Ho and Truc Bach lakes. Here, you can find the super scenic Tran Quoc Pagoda. It’s the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi and is located on a small island in Tay Ho.
We also really enjoyed the tranquil Đền Thủy Trung Tiên Temple (Temple of the Dog) on an island in Truc Bach just across Thanh Nien Road.
If your legs aren’t too tired, you can rent a swan pedalo boat at Truc Bach Lake. If not, head straight to Pearl Island (Ngu Xa). To us, the area felt a bit like a mini Hoi An with all its lanterns. It’s also a great spot to have dinner. We recommend Phở Cuốn Hương Mai which is known for serving pho rolls and fried pho or State-run Food Shop Cửa Hàng Ăn uống Mậu dịch số 37 which replicates the wartime era restaurants.
Let’s be real, yesterday’s itinerary was packed. Start your third day in Hanoi on a more relaxing note and try one of the famous egg coffees. We tried ours at Cafe Giang, the birthplace of egg coffee in 1946.
Afterwards, we strongly recommend you sample some of Hanoi’s delicious food. Some of the places we can recommend are Banh Mi 25, Phở Bò Lâm, and Little Bowl for desserts.
In case you don’t want to try and find all the best food spots for yourself, we can also recommend this free Hanoi street food tour.
Another great seated activity is to watch a show at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. We didn’t try it ourselves but it’s a tourist favourite and tickets are very affordable.
Beer Corner is located at the corner of Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen Streets. This is the nightlife hub of the city full of plastic stools and cheap draft beer called bia hoi.
You’ll find plenty more bar and food options down Ta Hien Street.
As massage lovers, we think a foot massage is a great end to your day. We went to Thảo Anh Spa and can fully recommend them. They are open until late so this could be a great last activity for your 3 days in Hanoi itinerary.
A quick shoutout to our accommodation Hanoi Boutique House which we absolutely loved. The location is super central and close to the airport bus. The rooms are clean, the WiFi is fast, and the showers are hot. The owner Tien is super helpful and friendly, he has a lot of recommendations and can help you organise your onward travel.
We have included Hanoi Boutique House and other accommodations we loved in our Vietnam homestay guide:
If you’re looking for more of a hostel vibe, check out Hanoi Central Backpackers Hostel right next door. We stayed here for one night in between our Ha Giang Loop tour and our Halong Bay cruise. We loved the rooftop!
Here are our full Halong Bay cruise review and Ha Giang Loop tour review:
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Where to Next?
Hanoi is a great base for all of your northern Vietnam adventures: