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Wat Xieng Thong, Luang Prabang

Itinerary · Luang Prabang · Laos

One day in Luang Prabang

A day-by-day plan grouped by neighbourhood, so you spend your time seeing Luang Prabang, not crossing it.

Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team

Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0

Quick answer

One day is a taster: the plan below covers the essentials, but most visitors want 4. Day 1: Wat Xieng Thong and Royal Palace Museum (Haw Kham). Base yourself in Old Town centre.

Key facts

Days
1
Sights covered
5
Day trips
None
Best base
Old Town centre
Book ahead
Nothing essential

Day by day

  1. Day 1: Wat Xieng Thong and Royal Palace Museum (Haw Kham)

    Wat Xieng Thong, Royal Palace Museum (Haw Kham), Mount Phousi and Morning alms giving (Tak Bat), then Night market in the evening.

    1. Morning

      Wat Xieng Thong

      Visit early in the morning, before the tour groups arrive, and walk round to the back of the main hall for the mosaic. Allow 1 hour.

    2. Late morning

      Royal Palace Museum (Haw Kham)

      Bags and cameras go into lockers; shoulders and knees must be covered, and shorts are not allowed. Allow 1–1.5 hours.

    3. Lunch

      Lunch: Luang Prabang khao soi

      Noodle shops on the side streets off Sisavangvong Road, mostly in the morning.

    4. Afternoon

      Mount Phousi

      Sunset is very crowded; sunrise or late afternoon gives the same view with space to breathe. Allow 1 hour.

    5. Late afternoon

      Morning alms giving (Tak Bat)

      Keep at least a few metres away, never use flash, and only take part if it is meaningful to you, with rice bought from a trusted source rather than street hawkers. Allow 30 minutes.

    6. Evening

      Night market

      Bargain gently, and look for weavers selling their own work; prices are lower than in the boutiques.

If it rains

  • Swap in Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (Around Wat Visoun): Visit before shopping at the night market to learn how to recognise authentic textiles.
  • Swap in UXO Laos Visitor Centre (Luang Prabang town): Entry is free; donations support clearance work in the provinces.
  • Swap in Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre (Mekong riverfront): Book a natural-dye class to take home a scarf you coloured yourself; free tours of the workshops run through the day.

Where to stay for this itinerary

$$$ · Best for first-timers, couples, shopping and culture

Old Town centre

Temples, the Royal Palace and the night market along Sisavangvong Road

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 5–6 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 10.9 hours in December to 13.3 hours in June.

Getting between stops: Walking. Every temple, the palace, the night market and the riverside are within a 20-minute walk of each other on the peninsula.

More or fewer days

Questions travellers ask

+Is one day enough in Luang Prabang?

One day is a taster: the plan below covers the essentials, but most visitors want 4. How many days Luang Prabang needs.