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

I am from Hanoi, and I have been staying in different parts of the city including the old quarter, Tay Ho, Cau Giay, and Ba Dinh district. In this article, I will share with you my opinion about how many days in Hanoi is enough and my itinerary for 2 to 3 days in Hanoi.

Hanoi is the capital and cultural heart of Vietnam. It is located in the north of the country and is known for its vibrant old quarter with lots of cultural/historical landmarks, stunning French architecture, bustling markets, and delicious street food scene.

Hanoi’s central location in North Vietnam makes it a good starting point to explore popular places such as Sapa, Ha Giang Loop, Ninh Binh, Halong Bay, Mai Chau, or Moc Chau.

See more:

How many days in Hanoi is enough?

In my opinion, 2 to 3 days is enough time to get some good introduction about Hanoi. Basically, with one to two full days in Hanoi, you can wander around Hanoi’s old quarter, visiting different attractions, markets, buy souvenirs, try local foods, have a massage, and enjoy the nightlife.

With extra days, you can take many day trips from Hanoi. Popular day trips for first-time visitors include a long day trip to Ninh Binh. You can also consider day trips to nearby Bat Trang Pottery Village, Perfume Pagoda, Duong Lam Ancient Village, Ba Vi National Park, or Tam Dao.

I recommend spending half or full day just exploring the old Quarter. Just take a stroll around the neighborhood, visiting major attractions like Hoan Kiem Lake, St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Temple of Literature, Opera House, the train street, Bach Ma Temple, Dong Xuan market, or Long Bien bridge.

You can enjoy local food anddrink such as egg coffee, ice coffee, pho, bun cha… You can have a massage which is cheap and is one of the best things to do in Vietnam. At night, be sure to head to Ta Hien street for a fresh beer or browse for souvenirs at the Hanoi night market on weekends.

On the second day, you can visit Hoa Lo prison, Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Quan Thanh Temple, and Tran Quoc Pagoda.

Hanoi also has many museums, you can choose to visit the one that you are interested in. Popular museums include the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Ho Chi Minh Museum, Vietnam Military History Museum, and Air Force & Air Defence Museum.

After visiting the most popular point of interest in Hanoi, you can take day trips to Ninh Binh. You can rent a bike, get a private driver, or get a guided tour. You can spend a couple of days in Ninh Binh but a day trip to Ninh Binh from Hanoi is doable especially if you have a short time in your holiday.

Hanoi is very compact and easily explored by walking, taking Grab, or by guided tour. You can consider taking a motorbike tour, jeep tour, cyclo tour, or street food tour. Other things to do are cooking class, cycle around the west lake, or watch a water puppet show at the Thang Long Puppet Theater.

There are many areas to stay in Hanoi, but the best neighborhood for first-timers and short-time travelers is the old quarter and Hoan Kiem district. This is the tourist heart of the city, so staying here will make the most of your visit in two or three days.

I love my stay at The Rex Hanoi Hotel. The Rex has a very central location in the old town, only a short walk away from Ta Hien beer street and Hoan Kiem Lake.

This hotel has a nice rooftop area with sweeping views of the city. I stayed in different rooms in this hotel on the 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 12th floor. They all clean with comfortable beds. If you have a little more budget, you can try the Tirant Hotel and May De Ville Hotel right next to the Rex.

If you are looking for a mid-range hotel, I recommend the West Hotel & Spa. It is also located in a prime location and an easy walk to all popular sights in the old quarter. My room is on the 5th floor in front of a busy street but well soundproofed. The breakfast area was small but it was fine for its price.

For solo backpackers and budget travelers, I recommend Little Charm Hanoi Hostel. This is. It doesn’t have a party vibe, so if you are looking for a quiet and safe place for a good sleep. I stayed in a female dorm room. My room was clean, with a spacious locker and lots of bathrooms on each floor.

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

How to Spend 2 to 3 Days in Hanoi Itinerary

Day 1: Explore Hanoi Old Quarter and French Quarter

When you first arrive in Hanoi, the best thing to do is perhaps just take a stroll around your neighborhood and observe the local life. The old quarter is quite small, you can just walk around in different streets, viewing old houses, temples, pagodas, markets, and lakes.

The heart of the old quarter is Hoan Kiem Lake. The area around the lake is a popular hang out place for both locals and tourists. There are many benches along the lake where you can sit, watch people, and enjoy the views of the lake. Kem Thuy Ta shop is a great place to buy ice-cream especially on hot days.

You can spot some attractions when walking around the lake including Ngoc Son Temple, Pen Tower, and the Emperor Ly Thai To Monument Statue. Ly Thai To is the King who moved the capital of Vietnam from Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh) to Hanoi in the 11th century.

There are many shops selling different goods on all streets of the old quarter. But if you need to do some high-end shopping, you can head to UNIQLO Hoan Kiem or Trang Tien Plaza. They are well located south of Hoan Kiem Lake in the French Quarter.

In the same area, you can have a look at Hanoi Opera House, it has beautiful French architecture. You can walk or take a short Grab (if you tired of walking) to the St. Joseph Cathedral, another French architecture building in the heart of Hanoi.

Hanoi Train Street is also a popular attraction in Hanoi for tourists. You can enjoy a cup of coffee here and watch the train pass by. Just remember to always put your safety first when doing this.

When I visited this place on the intersection of Dien Bien Phu street and the rail track, the guard did not allow me to go one way, but I just walked to another direction and was able to take some photos. You can sit at one of the cafes along the rail track to watch the train; drinks here are expensive though.

Other places of interest in the old town that you might want to check out include Bach Ma temple, Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo prison, Long Bien Bridge, and Dong Xuan Market.

If you are visiting Hanoi during the weekend, be sure to check out the night market that stretches for a few kilometers from Hoan Kiem Lake to Dong Xuan Market. It encompasses several streets like Hang Dao, Hang Ngang, and Hang Duong.

For nightlife, don’t miss out the Ta Hien Beer street where you can enjoy a cheap beer at one of the many beers, bars, and nightclubs that stay open until late night early morning. If you are foreigners walking alone late at night, you might be approached by numerous street hookers and drug dealers. Just so no to it, you should be fine.

There are so many nice street food restaurants and cafes where you can try authentic food in Hanoi. If you do a quick search on Google, you will find good places near you. Be sure to try egg coffee, Vietnamese ice coffee, bun cha Hanoi, pho, banh mi, or banh cuon.

Day 2: Hoa Lo prison, Thang Long Citadel, HCM Mausoleum, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Bat Trang Pottery Village

After the first days exploring the old quarters, you can spend the second days visiting more historical and cultural attractions of Hanoi. If you have time, you can venture a bit outside central Hanoi to craft villages such as Bat Trang Pottery Village.

Hanoi has many museums to learn more about its city and the war. In my opinion, if you need to choose one museum in Hanoi to visit, I recommend Hoa Lo prison Museum. It has remains of the former Hoa Lo prison (called as Hilton prison during the Vietnam-American war).

Hoa Lo Museum is a great place to learn about Vietnam from the French colonial time to the end of the Vietnam War. You can spend an hour exploring this complex. The ticket is 50,000VND/adult. You can buy it at the entrance.

After Hoa Loa prison, you can take a Grab taxi/bike to the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. This Citadel was not imprecise as the old imperial palace in Hue but well worth visiting if you haven’t been to the one in Hue. Don’t miss out the underground bunker that was used during the Hanoi-Dien Bien Phu air battle in the Vietnam-American war. You can buy a ticket at the entrance and spend a couple of hours here.

Within the Thang long citadel complex, you can walk to Phan Dinh Phung street, where you can see Northern Gate Hanoi (Cua Bac relic). You can see two cannon marks deep on the wall from the French colonialists.

From Thang Long Palace, you can use Grab to get to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum complex. Be sure to wear appropriate clothes here, a long pan and cover your shoulders. Otherwise the security won’t let you in and you will be disappointed. In this complex, you can visit One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House, and Ho Chi Minh museum.

From HCM Mausoleum, you can use Grab to some attractions around west lake and Tay Ho district such as Quan Thanh temple and Tran Quoc pagoda. Opposite the Tran Quoc pagoda, you can grab some nice ice cream from Kem Ho Tay shop.

If you have time, you can use Grab bike or taxi to visit Bat Trang Pottery Village. It is located 30 minutes drive from West Lake, passing through a bridge (either Chuong Duong or Long Bien bridge) on the Red River and a part of the countryside in Hanoi. You can join a pottery workshop here or just shop around.

In the evening, you come back to the old quarter and enjoy the nightlife here. If you are tired, you can get a foot/body massage to relax. I love having a good and cheap massage whenever I travel to Vietnam.

Day 3: Day trip to Ninh Binh

While Ninh Binh is best to visit for a couple of days, you can take a day trip to Ninh Binh and visit some attractions that appeal most to you. You can rent a bike, have a private driver, and the easiest way for a one day trip from Hanoi is to take a guided tour.

You can’t visit all the attractions of Ninh Binh in a one day tour. But you can choose to pick couples to places to visit. Popular options include Tam Coc, Mua Cave, and Hoa Lu Ancient Capital; or Bai Dinh Pagoda, Trang An, and Mua Cave. If you have a short time in Hanoi and Ninh Binh, a day trip is well worth it.

See more:

These are my recommendations for a 2 to 3 day itinerary in Hanoi. I personally think 2 to 3 days is enough time to see major sights of Hanoi, to try local food/drink, relax with cheap massages and enjoy the nightlife. You can spend one full day or two days just exploring Hanoi itself and the old quarters. You can visit its vibrant old streets, bustling markets, and many cultural/historical attractions.

If you have more days, you can take day trips to nearby Ninh Binh or Halong Bay. Ninh Binh is best for a two day trip but it is doable for a one day trip from Hanoi. Halong Bay is best for two day trips as you will not see much from one day trip from Hanoi. There are also many nice places very close to Hanoi that you can visit including Bat Trang Pottery Village, Perfume Pagoda, Duong Lam Ancient Village, or Ba Vi.

For whatever you plan in Hanoi, I hope you have a great trip to this beautiful capital of Vietnam.