I have visited Ninh Binh several times, and in this post, I will share with you my experiences about How many days in Ninh Binh is enough and an itinerary for 2 to 3 days in Ninh Binh.
Ninh Binh is located only 2 hours drive from Hanoi and is known for its breathtaking natural landscape and many historical/cultural attractions. It is called Ha Long Bay on land due to its spectacular karst landscapes with towering limestone cliffs quite similar to Ha Long Bay.
From Hanoi, you can easily get to Ninh Binh. You can use a limousine, private car, or train. Limousines and private cars usually pick you up in Hanoi and drop you off at your hotel in Ninh Binh.
There are trains between Hanoi and Ninh Binh, but at the train station in central Ninh Binh, you’ll need to use a taxi if you stay in Tam Coc, which is the most popular place to stay in Ninh Binh for tourists.
Limousine and private cars are more convenient options and also reasonably-priced. We used a private car and it only cost us around 1 million VND. You can save more if you travel in a group or with family.
You can easily get around Ninh Binh by renting a motorbike, using a guided tour, jeep tour, or having a private driver. You can consider easy ride services if you don’t drive. In this case, an experienced motorbike driver wil drive you to major tourist attractions in Ninh Binh. We used Grab Taxi to get to most places and explored at our own pace.
How many days in Ninh Binh is enough?
Due to its proximity to the capital city of Vietnam and plenty of attractions to explore, Ninh Binh is a popular destination for both day trip and overnight trip from Hanoi.
If your time is limited, a day trip is usually enough to see the most famous attractions in the city such as Trang An Boat Ride (or Tam Coc boat ride), Hang Mua Cave, and Hoa Lu ancient capital. You can easily see the region’s both popular natural landscape and historic sights within a day.
If your time allows, it’s best to stay overnight in Tam Coc (tourist center of Ninh Binh) to explore everything at a slower pace and avoid the 4 hours traveling between Hanoi and Ninh Binh within a day.
I would say spending 2-3 nights in Ninh Binh is a good amount of time to explore the area. You can spend one day for Trang An Boat Ride, and another day for Tam Coc Boat Ride, which are the two best boat rides in Ninh Binh and it’s hard to choose one if you have only one day in Ninh Binh.
Each of these boat rides will take at least a half day to explore. You can do them in one day but it can be tiring sitting on the boats for the whole day. Among each boat ride, you can explore other ancient pagodas, historic attractions, ancient capital, Old Town, and viewpoints such as Hang Mua Cave.
If you have more time in Tam Coc, you can explore further attractions, located one hour drive away such as Cuc Phuong National park, Bai Dinh pagoda, and the French colonial style Phat Diem Cathedral.
How long should you spend at each attraction in Tam Coc and Ninh Binh?
I recommend grouping the cluster of attractions close to each other to see within a day, so you don’t have to travel a lot to see them. For example, you can:
- Spend one day for attractions within Tam Coc, which include Tam Coc Boat Ride, Bich Dong pagoda, Linh Coc pagoda, Thai Vi pagoda, and Hang Mua Cave.
- Spend one day for attractions within Trang An, which include Trang An Boat Ride, Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, and Hoa Lu Old Town.
- Spend half to full day at Bai Dinh pagoda ( if you want to explore one of the largest temple complexes in Vietnam)
- Spend half to full day at Cuc Phuong National park (if you want hiking in the thick rain forest jungle)
- If you have more time: have a look at lesser known places such as Thung Nham, Thun Nang, Van Long, Tuyet Tinh Coc, and Phat Diem Church.
How long does it take to spend on the Tam Coc Boat Ride?
There are two options to take on the Tam Coc Boat Ride. One option is the Boat Ride only, which takes around 2 hours round trip. Another option is the combo ticket which includes the boat ride and the electric car for more onland attractions such as Bich Dong, Thai Vi, and Linh Coc pagoda.
The combo ticket will take roughly 4-5 hours in total. I skipped the eclectic car because I had rented a scooter, and had already seen these pagodas the previous day. I also want to do the shorter boat ride because I need to catch the train to Hanoi after the boat ride.
Overall, you will need somewhere from 2 hours to half a day for spending on the Tam Coc Boat ride depending which ticket you want to get.
How long does it take to spend on the Trang An Boat Ride?
Trang An Boat Ride has three routes, all of them taking around 3-4 hours round trips depending how long you want to take a break at each stop (pagodas).
Route 1 is for cave lovers, taking you to most of the caves in the complexes. Route 2 and Route 3 offer a good combination of caves and pagodas. These routes take you to the iconic Water temple, which is the most photographed attraction within the Trang An area.
Route 3 will take you to the longest cave of Trang An (around 1km long and takes around a 20 minute boat ride through the cave). Most first-timers choose route 3.
How long does it take to spend At Hang Mua Cave?
I would recommend spending a good 2-3 hours at Hang Mua Cave to climb the mountain, spend some time at its viewpoint to admire the views and the breathtaking natural landscape. The stair case is not long but it is steep and it can be challenging on a hot day, so take your time to reach the top.
At the bottom of Hang Mua Viewpoint is the beautiful lotus lake, which is especially stunning during the blooming season. You can spend some time walking around the lake via its wooden walkway and taking beautiful photos. There are cafes and restaurants on the ground to relax and rest.
How long to spend at Hoa Lu ancient capital?
The main attractions at Hoa Lu ancient capital are two small pagodas that are dedicated to emperor Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Dai Hanh, so it’ll take around 1 hour to explore these two pagodas.
You can spend another 30-60 minutes hiking up to the tomb of Emperor Dinh Tien Hoang to enjoy the view and escape from the crowd.
Outside of the ticketed area of the Ancient Capital, you can cycle around the beautiful roads, visiting other smaller temples and tombs such as Kim Ngan pagoda, Bin temple, and King Le Dai Hanh tomb. Overall, you can spend a good 2 hours at Hoa Lua ancient capital.
How long should you spend at Hoa Lu Old Town?
Hoa Lu Old Town is best to visit late afternoon and evening when the lantern lights up, creating a lovely atmosphere. I would recommend spending a couple of hours exploring the old town, hiking to the top of the Ky Lan Mountain for the views of Ninh Binh City, the lake, and the old house.
You can spend these times wandering around the banks of the Ky Lan river, admiring the architecture of wooden houses, trying some food, and drinks.
How long does it take to spend at Bai Dinh pagoda?
I spent 3 hours at Bai Dinh, but you can easily spend up to half a day exploring the area. I booked the 150k ticket for the electronic car just to travel between the entrance and ticket counter and several other points within the complex. I explored the area mostly on foot.
It’s possible to spend a shorter time at Bai Dinh if you use more expensive tickets that allow you to use the electronic car in most places you want to go. This is a famous spirituality for Vietnamese who follow Buddhist religion. If you don’t have time, you can skip this attraction.
Here are my itineraries for 4 nights in Ninh Binh with a scooter:
The last time I visited Tam Coc and Ninh Binh, I stayed 4 nights in Tam Coc center. I was able to see most sights in the city, which include major boat rides, pagodas, national park, ancient capital, and old town area. I rented a scooter, so I was very flexible with my plan and I can easily travel far to Cuc Phuong National Park ( 1 hour drive from Tam Coc).
Day 1: I arrived Tam Coc early from an overnight train from Hue. I checked out my hotel Tam Coc Center Friendly Hotel at 8.30am and rested until mid day. I rented the scooter from the hotel to head to Hang Mua Cave.
It took me around 2 hours to explore Hang Mua, then I spent the half of the afternoon driving around the countryside area near Tam Coc, visiting Thai Vi temple, Bich Dong temple, and Linh Coc (Fairy Cave).
Day 2: I started my second day quite late, around 9am, then I drove to Trang An for the boat ride. It took me around 4 hours to explore Trang An area. I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Bai Dinh pagoda, and drove back to Tam Coc right before it got dark.
Day 3: I spent my day 3 just exploring Cuc Phuong National park. I started my day around 9am, then it was raining, but I still managed to reach the park around 12pm. I spent the whole time hiking, walking, exploring different trails and prehistoric caves inside the park. It’s a 1 hour drive from Tam Coc, so it was a long drive.
Day 4: This day is my leisure day. I spent the morning exploring pagodas and Emperor tombs at Hoa Lu ancient capital, and climbing up the Ky Lan mountain at Hoa Lu Old Town. In the late afternoon, I drove around the water loop area, and the road to Thung Nham Bird Park.
Day 5: I booked my train from Ninh Binh to Hanoi at 11.30am, so I decided to wake up early to do the Tam Coc boat ride at 7.30am when the ticket counter starts to open. I was able to get the shared boat around 8.30am and the boat took around 2hours. I still have enough time to get to the train station right before its departure.
Where should you stay in Ninh Binh for the first time?
The best area to book your accommodation to make the most of your 2 to 3 days in Ninh Binh is around Tam Coc. It is the main tourist area of Ninh Binh that has many choices of accommodations and tourist facilities such as restaurants, cafes, and bars.
I had a good experience staying at the Tam Coc Center Friendly Hotel and Tam Coc Catalina Hotel. These are family-run hotels, located on a small road, offering a quiet atmosphere but still easy walking distance from the main tourist strip. They both offer clean and spacious rooms.
As a countryside area of Vietnam, you can get bitten by mosquitoes, so I recommend always bringing mosquito repellent with you.
See more:
How to Spend 2 to 3 Days in Ninh Binh Itinerary
Here is my suggestion for those who had 2-3 days in Ninh Binh. If you have this amount of time in Ninh Binh, I highly recommend experiencing both the Trang An Boat Ride and Tam Coc boat ride, among other popular attractions in the region.
Day 1: Tam Coc Boat Ride, Hang Mua, Bich Dong pagoda and Thai Vi pagoda
On the first day in Tam Coc, I recommend taking the Tam Coc Boat Ride and exploring the attractions within a 2km radius from Tam Coc. I recommend staying in Tam Coc for easy access to all tourist amenities and attractions.
If you stay in Tam Coc, you can easily walk to the Tam Coc pier to take the boat ride. For other attractions nearby, you can easily use electronic car services, bicycle, scooter, and rising share services such as Grab and GreenSM to get around.
Tam Coc Boat Ride
I recommend starting your day with the Tam Coc Boat ride. Start early to avoid crowds and the heat. The Tam Coc boat ride is open daily from 7.30am to 5pm.
You can buy a ticket at the ticket booth right at the pier. There are two types of tickets: the boat only ticket and the combo ticket that allows you to use both boat rides and electric car rides.
The combo ticket is a good choice if you want to see some other famous temples on Tam Coc such as Bich Dong, Thai Vi, and Linh Coc pagodas by electronic car. If you have a vehicle, or have already seen this site, you can take the boat ride only.
The boat ride only is 250k, and the combo ticket is 350k VND. You can buy the combo ticket right at the pier. If you want the boat ride only, you need to get to The ticket center, a few minutes drive from the pier to buy the ticket. If you’re already at the pier, you can jump into any electric car to get to the official ticket counter to buy a boat ticket.
If you have a group of 2-4 people, it’s easy to buy the ticket. But if you’re by yourself, like me, you need to wait for the staff to fill people on the boat. The max number of people on a boat is 4 people. If you want a private boat for yourself, you need to pay 500k, not 250k VND.
I personally think the scenery along Tam Coc Boat Ride is more beautiful than Trang An Boat Ride. Along the boat route itself, you’ll pass three beautiful natural caves, a temple, and two viewpoints with stunning views of the Ngo Dong river, rice fields, and limestone mountains.
Not all boat drivers at Tam Coc are nice, so you need to know your rights when taking the boat ride. Along the boat ride, you can get off at three main attractions: May Peak, Gioi ravine, the temple of the God of Agriculture, and temple of Quy Minh Dai Vuong.
May Peak and Gioi ravine are the two most iconic viewpoints in the river and the most photographed places along the boat ride. When you get off the boat, you will need to hike up for 10 minutes to the viewpoint for the views of the Ngo Dong River, rice fields, and limestone karts.
Thai Vi pagoda, Bich Dong pagoda, and Linh Coc pagoda
These pagodas are ancient temples located within a short drive from Tam Coc. You can spend 30 minutes to 1 hour at each temple. All of these temples are included in the combo ticket at Tam Coc boat ride, so you can also easily visit them by electronic car.
You can also consider renting a scooter to visit these places, the country side road to these temples are very beautiful. Bich Dong is the most popular of the three temples.
It’s a three layer temple built around the mountain which includes the lower temple, middle temple, and upper temple. The lily lake and ancient entrance gate are popular spots for taking photos.
Hang Mua Cave
Hang Mua Cave is around 10 minutes drive from Tam Coc center, so it’s great to visit Hang Mua Cave and take the Tam Coc Boat Ride within a day.
Hang Mua Cave is known for its stunning viewpoints and the massive lotus lake on its ground. You will have to climb up the steep stair cases to the viewpoints where the dragon statue is located for the best views. There is also a lower viewpoint on the right side, so it’s good to check them all.
From the Dragon Viewpoint, you can have breathtaking views of the Ngo Dong river, and limestone mountains, and people taking Tam Coc boat rides.
Spend evening in Tam Coc enjoy the local meals, party, and relaxing massage
After a long day sightseeing and hiking, you can go back to the main road at Tam Coc for dinner. Most restaurants in Tam Coc serve the same dishes, so I recommend choosing the one that has good reviews from Google.
I like to dine at Hoàng Việt Restaurant and Rustic Garden Tam Coc Bar & Restaurant. Popular dishes in NInh Binh are goat meals, grilled duck, and burnt rice.
If you are tired or getting back pain from the boat trip, you can have a foot/body massage at one of the many massage shops along the road. Most of them are quite good and reasonably priced. You can just walk around and choose the shop that appeals most to you.
Day 2: Trang An Boat ride, Hoa Lu ancient capital, and Hoa Lu Old Town
Trang An Boat ride, Hoa Lu ancient capital, and Hoa Lu Old Town are located close to each other. So you can easily visit them within a day without traveling too much between places.
Trang An Boat ride
Trang An Boat Ride is the most famous boat ride in Ninh Binh, and most first-time visitors will choose to take this boat ride first. Unlike the Tam Coc Boat Ride, this one has more caves and ancient temples to explore. It is home to the interesting 1km long cave, which takes around 20 minutes to boat ride through it.
There are three boat routes on Trang An, taking around 3 hours roundtrip each boat ride. The most popular one is route 3 taking you to the longest cave and the water temple. If you are a cave lover, you can choose route 1, which will take you to most caves of the area.
Hoa Lu ancient capital
Hoa Lu the ancient capital of Vietnam before King Ly Thai To moved the capital to Hanoi in 1010. The capital is located in the strategic location, surrounded by limestone mountains and rivers, making it a great defense system to protect the city from the foreign invader.
Today, when visiting Hoa Lu ancient capital, you can visit the ancient pagodas dedicated to Emperor Le Dai Hanh and Dinh Tien Hoang. The tomb of Emperor Dinh Tien Hoang is located high on top of the mountain and is also worth checking out for beautiful views.
The surrounding areas of Hoa Lu ancient capital have beautiful landscape, you can cycle around to visit other temples such as Kim Ngan pagoda and Bin temple. The Tuyet Tinh Coc and Am Tiem Cave nearby are also worth visiting if you have time.
Hoa Lu Old Town
Hoa Lu Old Town was recently built to resemble old houses in the ancient capital city. It was built around Ky Lan lake in the city center of Ninh Binh. Visiting this area, you will see beautiful wooden houses, pagodas on the water, and climb up to Ky Lan mountain for a city view.
The Old town is more popular at night when the lantern is lit up and you can take the boat ride along Ky Lan river or enjoy dining along the bank of the river.
Day 3: Other attractions in Ninh Binh
If you want to venture more from popular attractions in Tam Coc and Trang An, you can consider spending half day or full day at either Bai Dinh pagoda or Cuc Phuong National Park.
There are also many other activities and attractions within Tam Coc and Trang An area to see if you have more time such as Thung Nham Bird Park, Thung Nang, and Van Long Nature Reserve.
Option 1: Bai Dinh pagoda
Bai Dinh is a very large complex of buddhist pagodas, and you can spend half a day here. From your hotel in Tam Coc, it’ll take approximately 40 minutes to drive to Bai Dinh.
Bai Dinh complex consists of an ancient pagoda originally built in the 12th century and a new pagoda complex built between 2003 and 2010. It is located right on the western gateway to the ancient capital of Hoa Lu.
There are many temples and more than 500 Buddha statues in this complex. Popular spots to see include Tam Quan Gate, Bao Thap Tower (The Stupa), The ancient Bai Dinh Pagoda, Light Cave, Dark Cave, and Ngoc Well.
When visiting the temple, you should avoid wearing short skirts and cover your shoulders. I also recommend wearing a good pair of shoes as you will walk a lot. The complex is huge, you can walk for free, but you can also consider taking an electric car which is cheap, saving you energy and time.
Option 2: Cuc Phuong National Park
If you’re into nature and hiking in the middle of the thick rain forest, you can consider visiting Cuc Phuong national park. The park is located 1 hour drive from Tam Coc center and has a different landscape compared to all the limestone karts and rivers in Tam Coc.
You can have a good hike at many trails along the main road of the park, ride a scooter for 20km within the park without traffic noise and pollution, and visit the prehistoric cave.
- Best areas to stay in Ninh Binh for tourists
- 10 Best Things to Do & See in Ninh Binh
- Best Time to Visit Ninh Binh
- One Day in Ninh Binh Itinerary
You can watch my video explaining how long in Ninh Binh here:
Overall, I believe that 2 full days is a good amount of time to spend in Ninh Binh. This allows you to see the most popular sights such as Trang An, Mua Cave, Tam Coc, Bai Dinh temple, Bich Dong pagoda, and Ha Lu ancient capital. You can try many local dishes, have massages, and enjoy its laid back nightlife.
If you have extra days in Ninh Binh, you can just relax, or explore many more natural attractions such as Cuc Phuong National Park,Thung Nham Bird Garden, or Van Long Nature Reserve. The best way to explore Ninh Binh is perhaps renting a motorbike, but you can also easily explore by guided tour or Taxi if you don’t drive.