How many days in Da Nang is enough? 2 to 3 Days Itinerary

Da Nang is one of my favorite cities in Vietnam. The city is known for its nice beaches, affordable cost of living, warm weather, and delicious regional dishes. When I visit Da Nang, I often spend anywhere from 3 nights to a week at this beach city.

In this article, I will share with you my opinion about how many days in Da Nang is enough and the itinerary for 2 to 3 days in Da Nang for first-timers. I’ll also give you more suggestions of things to do if you have more time in your holiday.

Da Nang has many attractions to explore including both natural and cultural attractions. Iconic attractions are the Dragon Bridge with its water and fire show on the weekend, Han Market, My Khe Beach, Linh Ung pagoda, Son Tra peninsula, Marble Mountains, and Ba Na hill.

Additionally, Da Nang is a good base to explore other cities in Central Vietnam like Hoi An, Hue, and My Son Sanctuary. You can easily take day trips from Da Nang to these popular points of interests.

Da Nang is very well connected internally and domestically. It has an international airport located not far from the city center and a train station, connecting with other major cities in Vietnam.

The main content:

How many days in Da Nang is enough?
Where Should You Stay in Da Nang as a first-timer?
How to Spend 2 to 3 Days in Da Nang Itinerary

How many days in Da Nang is enough?

In my opinion, 2 to 3 days is the minimum amount of time in Da Nang for first-timers who have short time in their holiday and want to see the city’s major attractions, enjoy local food, nightlife, and beaches.

If you want to explore things at a slower pace and want to have more time relaxing at the beaches, I recommend spending 4-5 nights in Da Nang. Many visitors ended up spending months and longer at this beach city, so it all depends on what you want to do and see.

Within 2 full days, you can explore some highlights in the city center such as Han River, Dragon Bridge, Han Market, Son Tra night market, My Khe Beach, Marble Mountains, or Linh Ung pagoda. You can spend one full day exploring Ba Na Hill or taking a day trip to nearby Hoi An or My son sanctuary.

Basically, you can spend 1 full day just wandering around the city center and the banks of the Han river, visiting local markets, trendy cafes, restaurants, night markets, and enjoy water activities at the beaches.

You can spend one day in the Marble Mountains, Linh Ung pagoda, and Ban Co Peak in Son Tra peninsula. I would recommend spending one day at Ba Na Hill as it is a huge complex and located away from the city center.

As I mentioned above, Da Nang is a good base for many day trips to nearby cities and attractions in central Vietnam. If you don’t plan to stay in Hue or Hoi An, you can spend extra days taking a day trip to Hue, Hoi An ancient town, My Son temple, or Cham island.

How long to spend in each major attractions in Da Nang:

Han river: You will see the river and its bridges many times if you stay in the city center of Da Nang, but I recommend spending a couple of hours walking along the river’s bank, admiring the views and exploring nearby trendy cafes, restaurants.

Dragon Bridge: I recommend checking out the water and fire show on weekends from Friday to Sunday at 9pm. The show lasts for 10-15 minutes and everything gathers near the dragon head side 15 minutes before the show.

My Khe Beach: I recommend visiting the beach at different times of the day to explore its different atmosphere at sunrise, mid-day, sunset, and evening. Spend as much time as you want at the beach.

Han Market: It’ll take around 30 minutes to walk around the 2 floors of the market for sightseeing. If you want to do shopping, it takes longer depending on what you want to buy.

Marble Mountains: I recommend spending a half day exploring the Marble Mountain. It’s a small area with lots of stairs and hot weather, so you’ll need to take a lot of rest between caves and temples. Make sure to visit the Am Phu Cave next to it which has a different ticket from the Marble Mountain.

Son Tra peninsula and Linh Ung pagoda: It’ll take a couple of hours to visit Linh Ung pagoda and drive around Son Tra peninsula to visit the Ban Co peak. You can hire a Grab driver or rent a scooter to explore this place. If you hike, the longest trail here will take around 3-4 hours.

Ba Na Hill: I recommend spending a full day at Ba Na Hill, and if possible consider staying a night at this palace to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere when all day visitors leave. You can have the whole Golden Bridge for yourself. Ba Na Hill is one hour drive from Da Nang city center, so traveling back and forth itself takes 2 hours.

My Son Santurary: This is located 1 hour from Da Nang, so I recommend spending half morning or half afternoon exploring the area. Don’t forget to watch the traditional Champa show when visiting this Cham ruins. The show often lasts for 15 minutes and is performed a few times a day.

Cu Lao Cham island: If you take a guided tour, it’ll take around a day, usually from 8am to 3pm. It’s also a bit of a drive 30-45 minutes from Da Nang to the port to get boats to Cu Lao Cham island.

Getting around Da Nang

Da Nang is a popular tourist city, so you can get to major sights easily by using Grab and GreenSM taxi/ Bike apps. If you can drive a scooter, it’s cheap to rent one to explore everything at your own pace. You can also consider hiring a private driver, which is also reasonably priced to explore the city.

In my first visit to Da Nang, I explored most things by walking and using Grab Bike/ taxi. Most cultural attractions, shops, markets, and bridges between the river and the beach areas are easily explored by walking or short Grab bike.

On my next visits, I rented a scooter to explore the city, and use the GreenSM app (formerly Xanh SM) in addition to the Grab App. GreenSM rides share services using electric bikes and taxis. I found it cheaper than Grab in the peak hour and also a good way to support local business.

Where Should You Stay in Da Nang as a first-timer?

If you are first-timers visiting the city for a short time, I would recommend staying in the city center area. You can choose to stay along the Han River and My Khe Beach area.

If you want to stay by the riverside, I recommend the mid-range Vanda Hotel and Wink Danang Centre, Unscripted by Hyatt. These two hotels have clean rooms with views of the city and the river. It also has a delicious breakfast with a variety of dishes including Vietnamese and western food.

Vanda Hotel has a lovely rooftop bar and a pool, while Wink Centre Hotel has a well-equipped fitness center and co-working spaces with stunning city views. Both are in prime locations to explore the city and Han River.

On the beachside, I recommend the mid-range Nesta Hotel Da Nang and Mandila Hotel. Both hotels are located on the beach road, a stone throw away from the beautiful beaches. It’s also an easy walk to many seafood restaurants, eateries, massage shops, and beach bars.

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You can watch my short youtube video explaining how long should you spend in Da Nang, and continue reading for more detail of Da Nang Itinerary:

How to Spend 2 to 3 Days in Da Nang Itinerary

This is my suggestion for a full itinerary in Da Nang; Depending on your interests, pace of travel, you can cherry pick and re-order the itinerary to suit your preferences.

Day 1: Da Nang City center, Han River, Markets, Beaches, and Nightlife

I recommend spending your first day exploring the neighborhood where your hotel is located. Walk around to discover its shops, restaurants, and local attractions.

The major attractions in the city center of Da Nang are centered around the Han River. There are Dragon Bridge, Han Market, the river promenade, Son Tra night market, and a range of museums such as Da Nang museum and the Cham museum.

Da Nang city center can be explored in a half day and a full day. You can visit popular markets, check out trendy cafes, take a walk along the Han River, enjoy the night at the night market or local bars. You can easily explore the city center on foot and by using Grab bike/ taxi.

All attractions in the city center are located very close to each other, so feel free to pick any of them to explore first for your convenience.

Han River and Dragon Bridge

The heart of the city center is Han River. The riverfront streets such as Bach Dang Street and Tran Hung Dao street are lined with hotels, restaurants, bars, shops, and cafes.

On Bach Dang street, you can see many nice sculptures and Tran Hung Dao street has lots of street food stalls. Be sure to check Love bridge on Tran Hung Dao street, especially in the evening. There are coffee shops and souvenirs stores at the Love Bridge, so you can sit for a drink or buy souvenirs.

Han river is home to many bridges including the Dragon Bridge, Han Bridge, or Tran Thi Ly bridge. The Dragon Bridge is the most popular bridge on the river. On weekends from Friday to Sunday at 9pm, the Dragon bridge offers a fire and water show that attracts lots of visitors both locals and foreigners.

Taking a night dinner cruise along Han River is also a popular activity in the city center. You can see the city from the water when everything is lit up beautifully, especially the bridges. The best time to walk along Han River promenade is late afternoon and evening when the weather cools down.

Han Market

Han Market is the most popular market in the heart of Da Nang city. It’s located right on the western side of Han River and is a great place to buy souvenirs and local specialties.

You can buy dry fruits, candy, clothes, suitcases, crocs, beach accessories with a reasonable price. Make sure to bargain with the vendor for the best price.

If you have more time in Da Nang, you can visit more local markets such as Con Market or Bac My An market. These markets have everything that the Han market has to offer but are cheaper as they often go towards local prices.

Han Market is more popular because it is in a central location, easily accessible to most tourists. You can still find a good deal here if you know bargaining. And most vendors can speak many languages such as Korean, Chinese, and English, making it comfortable for shopping.

Shopping Malls

If you want to take a break from the heat, you can take a look at Vincom Center located on the eastern bank of Han River. It has a great air conditioning system, so you can enjoy shopping and dining in the cool indoor atmosphere.

Vincom has many mid-range and high-end shops and stores. You can find nice clothes from the H & M store as well as brand shoes shops, watches, and cosmetics.

I recommend checking out Winmart where you can find some hygiene and reasonably priced local food such as My Quang, Banh My, and Com ga. I like to go here on hot days and when I don’t know what to do.

Museums and cultural attractions

There are several museums to explore if you want to know more about the history of the city. I highly recommend visiting Da Nang museum located near the Han River. This museum has a very well-exploration about the history and development of Da Nang.

In addition to the Da Nang museum, I also recommend the art museum, Cham sculpture museum, and Ho Chi Minh museum. You can take a look at the Dien Hai citadel which was used as a depend system in the Nguyen dynasty period to fight against the French-Spanish invasion.

The Da Nang Cathedral is also well worth checking out when visiting the nearby Han Market and Han River. It’s a great spot for taking photos and admiring its architecture from the French colonial period.

My Khe Beach

My Khe Beach is a beautiful beach of DaNang, located 5-10 minutes drive from the riverside area. It’s often packed with locals and tourists in the early morning and late afternoon. If you want quiet beaches, you can visit the beach anywhere from 10am to 3pm.

The beach is a great spot for swimming, kayaking, SUP boarding, surfing, and paragliding. There are plenty of sun loungers on the beach that you can rent for 40k for a whole day. BEach bars and seafood restaurants lined some parts of the beach.

Check out trendy cafes, restaurants for local foods, and visit night markets

Da Nang has many stylish cafes and restaurants to explore. Cong cafe is a popular cafe with beautiful decorations in the army and old Vietnamese style.

You can check out fresh seafood restaurants as well as local dishes such as banh my, com ga, goi cuon, my quang…

The Son Tra night market and An Thuong night market are also popular spots to visit at night. You can grab local street foods, buying fresh fruit cups/ fresh juices, or buying gifts to bring home.

If you are in Da Nang on weekends or holidays, you can have a chance to watch the Dragon bridge Fire show at 9pm for 15 minutes. There are also many bars and nightclubs to check if you are into nightlife.

Day 2: Marble Mountains, Linh Ung pagoda, and Hoi An Old Town

You can see other major sights in Da Nang outside of the city center such as Ba Na Hill, Marble Mountains, and Son Tra peninsula within a day if you have a short holiday in Da Nang.

But for a slower pace, I recommend spending your day 2 visiting Marble Mountains, Son Tra peninsula, and relaxing at the beaches in the late afternoon. These places are located within a 10-15 minutes drive from the city center, and you can easily use Grab taxi/ bike to get there.

The marble mountain can take 2-3 hours to a half day to explore. I recommend spending half a day at this complex for a slower pace, and make sure to visit in the early morning when it opens at 7.30am for cool weather and a peaceful atmosphere.

You can spend a couple of hours driving around Son Tra peninsula, visiting Linh Ung Pagoda, Ban Co peak, small beaches, and spotting the red face monkeys.

If you’re short on time, you can visit Hoi An ancient town in the late afternoon night, which is the best time to visit Hoi An to see lantern lit boat rides and the bustling atmosphere along Thu Bon River. Otherwise, Hoi An Old Town deserves a whole day of exploration.

The Marbles Mountains

The Marbles Mountains are one of the must-see attractions in Da Nang. It’s a group of a group of five limestone peaks where you can hike, enjoy the views of the city, ocean, and the river, as well as explore the ancient caves and temples.

Linh Ung pagoda Son Tra pensilua — Linh Ung pagoda Son Tra peninsula

The Marbles Mountains is located in Ngu Hanh Son district, 20 minutes drive from the city center. You can buy a ticket at the entrance, I choose to buy a ticket for the lift one way and the way back just walk down.

You can spend a couple of hours in the complex, visiting different caves and temples. The most impressive cave, in my opinion, is perhaps the Huyen Khong cave.

If you have energy, you can hike to the highest point of this area to have a sweeping view of Da nang all the way to Han river. The staircases are quite steep though, and hiking under hot weather can be tiring, but it is well worth it.

After exploring the Marble Mountains, I took a stroll around the neighborhood and came across very cheap and delicious local restaurants for fried rice with chicken. Then, I walked to Non Nuoc Beach to have a look.

Linh Ung pagoda, Ban co Peak and Son Tra peninsula

I booked a Grab bike to get to Linh Ung pagoda and Son Tra Peninsula from the Marbles Mountains. It is a 30 minute drive away along the beautiful coastline.

The driver offered to wait for me while I explored the temple. Linh Ung pagoda is home to the White lady buddha statue, where you can spot her from My Khe Beach. The temple has a peaceful atmosphere and stunning views of the ocean and Da Nang’s highrise buildings.

It took me around 30 minutes to just look around, see different temples, a lady buddha, and enjoy the views of the sea and the city.

After visiting Linh Ung pagoda, I asked the driver to take me to Ban Co peak, which is located on the top of Monkey Mountain 30 mins away from Linh Ung pagoda. It has the statue of an old man playing chess, and if you’re lucky you can spot the rare yellow head monkeys in this area.

I paid him 200,000 VND to go to Ban Co peak and to get back to the city center. The drive itself through Son Tra Nature Reserve is very peaceful and nice with a great view of the coastline.

From its peak at Ban Co, you can view all of Da Nang, but unfortunately, by the time we arrived, it was very cloudy and we couldn’t see anything. I am still happy that I made it to this destination.

Hoi An ancient town

If you plan to stay in Hoi An, you can skip this one. If not, you can take a day trip from Da nang to an ancient town. It is located only a 40 minute ride from Da Nang. You can take a guided tour, try Grab taxi, or use private transfer.

When in Hoi An, you can just take a stroll in the ancient town, and get lost. There are different streets with colorful shop houses, old temples, and wooden houses. Hoi An market is a nice place to visit where you can find different stands selling different goods. You can buy some unique gifts to take home.

I recommend you to try Com Ga Ba Buoi on Phan Chau Trinh street. They sell delicious chicken rice. I ate here several times and the place was clean.

Hoi An is at its best at night when all the lanterns are lit up. You can stay for a bit for the nightlife, visiting the Night Market on An Hoi island. You can take a boat tour along the river.

Day 3: Ba Na Hill

I spent a full day exploring Ba Na Hill and I believed that it’ll take a full day to explore this attraction. Many visitors spend overnight there for a quieter atmosphere and cool weather when all day trippers have left the place.

Ba Na Hill

Ba Na Hill can do half day tours or full day tours. But I personally think you can spend one day exploring this complex. The best way to do it is to have a private driver to take you there. You can choose the time to start and finish. If you take a guided tour, you need to follow the time schedule of the agency ( which sometimes starts too early or finishes too late).

The ride from Da Nang city center to Ba Na Hill is around 45 minutes. You can buy tickets online or onsite at the complex. The ticket is VND 1mil/ foreign adult and people not from Da Nang. The ticket including entry fare, cable car, and fares to most games in Fantasy Park.

At Ba Na Hill, you can visit golden bridge, garden flowers, Linh Ung pagoda, have buffet lunch, as well as explore French villages, and enjoy games at the fantasy park.

Beach time and searching for good seafood restaurants for dinner

I came back to the Mandila Hotel in the late afternoon. I spent some time at the beach watching the sunset, walking along the beach, and trying paragliding. I had dinner at a local restaurant on Ha Bong Street, then headed to An Thuong area for some nightlife.

If you have more time: day trips to Hue, Cu Lao Cham island, My Son sanctuary

Hue- the ancient capital city of Vietnam

Hue is another popular destination in central Vietnam, located around a 2 hour drive from Da Nang. I think the best way to explore Hue in one day from Da Nang is by guided tour as it is further away and has lots of attractions to see in a short time.

The guided tour from Da Nang to Hue often drives across Hai Van pass and Lang Co Beach. Hue was the ancient capital of Vietnam for almost 150 years under the Nguyen dynasty.

In Hue, you will see the old royal palace, Thien Mu pagoda, as well as some royal tombs such as Minh Mang tomb, Khai Dinh tomb, or Tu Duc tomb.

Cu Lao Cham Island- good spot for snorkeling

Cham Island is also a good option for a day trip from Da Nang. It is located 40 km from Da Nang and 20 km from Hoi An. You can take a guided tour to Cua Dai Port, then buy a ticket for canoes or boats to get to the island.

When visiting Cham island, you can try diving, snorkeling to see the coral reefs. You can relax on the beach, try local seafood, or explore local life in its fishing villages.

My Son Sanctuary – the ruins of Champa Kingdom

My Son Sanctuary is a popular day trip from Da Nang and Hoi An. It is a great place to learn about the history of the Champa Kingdom and its architecture. My Son is located around 1 hour drive from Da Nang center. You can rent a motorbike, take a taxi, and use guided tours.

I haven’t had a chance to see this complex. But I visited many Cham Towers in central Vietnam including the Ponagar Temple in Nha Trang, Twin Cham Towers in Quy Nhon, and Po Shanu Cham Towers in Mui Ne. If you have time in Da Nang or Hoi An, My Son Sanctuary is well worth a visit!