Things to do · Luang Prabang · Laos
15 best things to do in Luang Prabang
15 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Allie Caulfield, CC BY 2.0
.jpg){kind=link}
Quick answer
The essential sights in Luang Prabang are Wat Xieng Thong, Royal Palace Museum (Haw Kham) and Mount Phousi. Of the 15 picks below, 5 are free, 4 work on a rainy day and 5 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Wat Xieng Thong
- Free sights
- 5
- Good on a rainy day
- Royal Palace Museum (Haw Kham)
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wat Xieng Thong | Xieng Thong end of the peninsula | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Royal Palace Museum (Haw Kham) | Old Town centre | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Mount Phousi | Old Town centre | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Morning alms giving (Tak Bat) | Old Town centre | 30 minutes | Free |
| Night market | Old Town centre | 1–1.5 hours | Free |
| Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham | Old Town centre | 30 minutes | Low cost |
| Wat Visoun | Around Wat Visoun | 30–45 minutes | Low cost |
| Wat Sene | Old Town centre | 20–30 minutes | Free |
| Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre | Around Wat Visoun | 1 hour | Low cost |
| UXO Laos Visitor Centre | Luang Prabang town | 45 minutes | Free |
| Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre | Mekong riverfront | 2 hours to a full day | Mid-priced |
| Morning market | Old Town centre | 30–45 minutes | Free |
| Nam Khan bamboo bridge | Nam Khan riverside | 30 minutes | Low cost |
| Mekong sunset cruise | Mekong riverfront | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Chomphet across the Mekong | Chomphet | Half a day | Low cost |
The 15 best things to do
Religious site · Xieng Thong end of the peninsula
1.Wat Xieng Thong
Built around 1560 under King Setthathirath, Wat Xieng Thong is the finest monastery in Luang Prabang, its main hall sweeping almost to the ground in layered roofs. The rear wall is covered with a glass-mosaic 'tree of life', and a separate hall holds the gilded royal funeral carriage.
Visit early in the morning, before the tour groups arrive, and walk round to the back of the main hall for the mosaic.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Architecture
- Art
- History
Palace · Old Town centre
2.Royal Palace Museum (Haw Kham)
The palace built in the early 1900s for King Sisavang Vong blends Lao and French Beaux-Arts styles and preserves the royal throne hall, mirrored-mosaic walls and gifts from foreign governments. In the grounds, the gilded Haw Pha Bang houses the Phra Bang, the revered Buddha image that gave the city its name.
Bags and cameras go into lockers; shoulders and knees must be covered, and shorts are not allowed.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Viewpoint · Old Town centre
3.Mount Phousi
A hill rising about 100 m above the town centre, climbed by more than 300 steps from Sisavangvong Road opposite the palace. The gilded That Chomsi stupa crowns the summit, with views over the rooftops, both rivers and the surrounding mountains. A second path down the Nam Khan side passes Buddha statues and a shrine with a giant footprint.
Sunset is very crowded; sunrise or late afternoon gives the same view with space to breathe.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Iconic
- Photo spot
- Active
- Kids
Experience · Old Town centre
4.Morning alms giving (Tak Bat)
At first light, lines of monks and novices walk barefoot along Sakkaline and Sisavangvong roads while residents kneel to place sticky rice in their bowls. It is a religious ritual rather than a show, and the town asks visitors to watch quietly from a distance or take part respectfully.
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.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- History
Market · Old Town centre
5.Night market
Every evening, Sisavangvong Road closes to traffic and fills with rows of red-roofed stalls selling Hmong embroidery, Lao silk, paper lanterns, coffee and silver. A narrow lane of food stalls nearby serves grilled fish, sausages and one-plate vegetarian buffets.
Bargain gently, and look for weavers selling their own work; prices are lower than in the boutiques.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- After dark
- Food
- Kids
Religious site · Old Town centre
6.Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham
Next to the Royal Palace, this late-18th-century monastery has a five-tiered roof and a veranda covered in gilded reliefs showing village life and scenes from the Lao Ramayana. It housed the Phra Bang image for decades and is where the statue is ritually bathed during Lao New Year.
Look closely at the golden facade in the late afternoon sun, when the reliefs are easiest to read.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Architecture
- History
Religious site · Around Wat Visoun
7.Wat Visoun
Originally built in the early 16th century and rebuilt in the late 19th after being burned by raiders, Wat Visoun is one of the oldest temple sites in town. Its rounded stupa, That Makmo, is nicknamed the 'watermelon stupa', and the hall displays old Buddha images collected from around the region.
Combine it with the neighbouring Wat Aham and the herbal sauna nearby.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
Religious site · Old Town centre
8.Wat Sene
A brightly painted red-and-gold monastery on Sakkaline Road dating from the early 18th century, home to long racing boats used in the annual boat festival. Novice monks live and study here, and its gold-stencilled walls make it one of the most photographed temples on the main street.
Visit after the alms round, when novices return to the compound and the light is soft.
- Time needed
- 20–30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Museum · Around Wat Visoun
1.Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre
A small, well-curated museum on the many ethnic groups of Laos, including the Hmong, Akha, Khmu and Tai Lue, with clothing, jewellery, tools and explanations of rituals and textiles. Its shop sells crafts with income returning to the makers.
Visit before shopping at the night market to learn how to recognise authentic textiles.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Luang Prabang town
2.UXO Laos Visitor Centre
This small exhibition explains how more than two million tonnes of ordnance were dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973 and how unexploded bombs still affect rural communities. Displays include defused cluster bomblets and the work of clearance teams.
Entry is free; donations support clearance work in the provinces.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
Experience · Mekong riverfront
3.Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre
A weaving centre about 2 km from town on the Mekong, where you can watch weavers at work, learn about natural dyes and take half-day or full-day classes in weaving, dyeing or batik. Its riverside café has views over the water.
Book a natural-dye class to take home a scarf you coloured yourself; free tours of the workshops run through the day.
- Time needed
- 2 hours to a full day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Classes have limited places; reserve a day or more ahead in high season.
- Art
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Shopping
Market · Old Town centre
4.Morning market
From dawn, the lanes between Sisavangvong Road and the Mekong near the palace fill with sellers of river fish, herbs, sticky rice, dried river weed, buffalo skin and forest produce. It is a short, lively walk after the alms round.
Go straight after the alms giving, around 6:30am, when the stalls are fullest.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- Photo spot
Experience · Nam Khan riverside
5.Nam Khan bamboo bridge
Each dry season, villagers build a temporary bamboo footbridge across the Nam Khan, which is washed away when the river rises in the rains. Crossing it, for a small toll, leads to the far bank's village lanes and riverside cafés.
Cross in the late afternoon and return at sunset; the bridge only exists from roughly November to the start of the rains.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Photo spot
- Outdoors
Experience · Mekong riverfront
6.Mekong sunset cruise
Long wooden boats leave the riverside landings for a one- to two-hour trip on the Mekong as the sun sets behind the hills, passing fishermen, temples on the far bank and the confluence with the Nam Khan.
Shared sunset boats are inexpensive; hire a boat privately for a group or a quieter evening.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Couples
- Views
- Kids
- Photo spot
Neighbourhood · Chomphet
7.Chomphet across the Mekong
A short ferry ride across the Mekong leads to quiet villages and old monasteries such as Wat Long Khoun, where kings traditionally stayed before their coronation, and hillside temples with views back to the old town.
Take the local passenger ferry, wear good shoes for the dusty lanes and carry water; there are few shops.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Off the beaten path
- History
- Outdoors
- Views
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham, Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre and UXO Laos Visitor Centre |
| History | Wat Xieng Thong, Royal Palace Museum (Haw Kham), Morning alms giving (Tak Bat) and Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham |
| Views | Mount Phousi, Mekong sunset cruise and Chomphet across the Mekong |
| Outdoors and nature | Nam Khan bamboo bridge and Chomphet across the Mekong |
| Food and markets | Night market and Morning market |
| After dark | Night market |
| With children | Mount Phousi, Night market, Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre and Nam Khan bamboo bridge |
| On a rainy day | Royal Palace Museum (Haw Kham), Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, UXO Laos Visitor Centre and Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre |
What to book ahead
- Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre: Classes have limited places; reserve a day or more ahead in high season.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Luang Prabang?
Wat Xieng Thong. Built around 1560 under King Setthathirath, Wat Xieng Thong is the finest monastery in Luang Prabang, its main hall sweeping almost to the ground in layered roofs.
+What can you do for free in Luang Prabang?
Morning alms giving (Tak Bat), Night market, Wat Sene, UXO Laos Visitor Centre and Morning market. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Luang Prabang when it rains?
Head indoors to Royal Palace Museum (Haw Kham), Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, UXO Laos Visitor Centre and Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre.
+What is there to do in Luang Prabang at night?
Night market are best after dark.