Despite its increase in popularity, Luang Prabang is one of the most relaxed towns I’ve visited in Southeast Asia. Its incredible architecture, spirituality, top-notch cuisine and great shopping are bringing in plenty of visitors, most recently on the new high-speed train line built by the Chinese. But it still feels laid-back, and it’s easy to find quiet streets lined with traditional wooden houses. So, be sure to make plenty of time for gorgeous Luang Prabang on your Southeast Asia itinerary.
Here’s my top 10 experiences to get you started.
1. Explore some of Luang Prabang’s gorgeous wats
I say explore some of Luang Prabang’s wats because there are 33 of them! So, it would be pretty hard to get around all of the town’s beautiful temples. Wat Xieng Thong is one not to miss and is close to the end of the peninsula that Luang Prabang sits on – the Mekong River is on one side and the Nam Khan River on the other. Wat Xieng Thong features several stupas and chapel halls, as well as the central ‘sim’, the most sacred building in a temple, which boasts a stunning tree of life mosaic on one wall. Also stunning is the Red Chapel, so called because it’s covered with red stucco inlaid with mosaics that depict religious activities and everyday life. Inside is a rare reclining Buddha, while nearby there’s a gorgeous gilt-fronted carriage house, framed by pretty trees.
There are lots more temples to wander in and out of if you walk back along Sakkaline Road from the end of the peninsula. One is Wat Khili, where we found a free exhibition about meditation. It’s also an unusual temple for Luang Prabang, as it looks more like a colonial mansion. Closer to the centre, Wat Xieng Mouane’s old monks’ quarters have been turned into a classroom where monks can learn the skills needed to preserve Luang Prabang’s temples. Then a little further is Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham. Its wooden sim has a gorgeous five-tiered roof while the verandah features beautiful gold reliefs showing Loatian village life.
2. Experience alms-giving as dawn breaks
Every morning, there is a dawn call to alms in Luang Prabang, when local people give their daily offerings to hundreds of saffron-clad barefoot monks. Tak Bat is a quiet, meditative practice and while it’s possible for visitors to participate, we preferred to observe it from a respectful distance. We were told various times that we needed to be out on the street, ranging from 5.30 to 6.30am. But in the end, it was determined by being awake early on a morning we didn’t plan to go due to the inevitable jet lag! It was just after 6.00am when we went outside our hotel, Indigo House, which is towards the end of the procession. Some monks had already received their alms, but we found alms-giving was still in progress. It’s quite something to see and well worth setting an alarm for in case your body clock doesn’t work.
3. Climb up Phu Si Hill
For a birds-eye view of Luang Prabang, you can climb the 329 steps to the top of Phu Si Hill. At the summit is a 25m gilded stupa That Chomsi, but the main event is the sweeping views below. We went up from the north by Wat Pa Huak, but came down the other side, passing a series of gilded Buddhas that are nestled into the rocks and represent different days of the week.
4. Visit the former home of Laos’ longest-reigning monarch
Luang Prabang’s former Royal Palace is right in the centre of town and was home to King Sisavang Vong who ruled Laos from 1904 to 1959. Now a museum, there’s a series of rooms to explore. Initially, they are quite lavish; the reception room has stunning murals while the throne room’s walls are red with a gilt trim and gorgeous mosaic paintings in blue, red and gold. But the living quarters, including the King and Queen’s bedrooms, are surprisingly plain. A separate building houses the royal car collection and carriages for carrying the Buddha Prabang. The 83cm tall Buddha gave the town its name and is the most sacred Buddha image in Laos. It’s kept in Hor Prabang, which is in the corner of the palace gardens. You’ll spot the tiered-roof building straight away in Luang Prabang because of its elevated position above the palace walls. There’s a strict no-photography policy in the palace and all bags must be left in lockers. I could only take in what I could fit in my pockets.
5. Shop until you drop
One of Luang Prabang’s main attractions is its handicraft night market. It opens as the sun starts to go down and runs from Indigo House along Sisavangvong Road. Yes, it’s largely for the tourists, but many of the products for sale are good quality and reasonably priced. We walked through the market most days and always spotted new items to buy. Our purchases included silk scarves and makeup bags. Opposite Indigo House is the food night market, which is a great place to get a cheap bite to eat after shopping. And Sisavangvong Road, which later becomes Sakkaline Road, also has lots of other shops that are perfect for browsing and buying. Look out for the Friends Visitor Centre, which raises funds for the children’s hospital and Ock Pop Tok which works with different tribes to sell their handicrafts.
6. Learn about Laotian culture
There are lots of ways to learn about Laotian culture in Luang Prabang. Just walking through the leafy streets to find a laundry will give you an idea of what local homes are like. And there’s a morning market, where you’ll find locals shopping for food, some displayed on the floor rather than on stalls. But there’s also the Heuan Chan Heritage House, a traditional longhouse on stilts in a quiet courtyard shaded by trees. This small museum showcases Lao life and has a cafe, handicraft classes and a costume store where you can dress in traditional clothing for a photo opportunity.
Dressing in local costumes is not for me, but experiencing Lao life is. So my friend and I spent a day and night at a homestay, which is about 65km north of Luang Prabang on the Nam Ou River. As our Luang Prabang hotel was inexpensive, we kept our room and just took an overnight bag, which was good as the last 20 minutes of our journey to the village was on a narrow fishing boat! You can read more about our amazing homestay experience, including sleeping in a wooden longhouse, in this blog post.
7. Help local people to learn English
Another way to learn about local life is as a volunteer at Big Brother Mouse. This local initiative aims to improve literacy among young people in Laos. The office in Luang Prabang sells books that you can buy and donate, but you can also donate your time. Every day from 9.00-11.00am and 5.00-7.00pm, you can drop by to read or chat to local youngsters. You could also buy books to take to any villages you are visiting, as their access will likely be limited. Our experience from the homestay is that books in English need to be very basic, as English is hardly spoken in the more remote villages.
8. Explore the UXO Lao Visitor Centre
Unexploded bombs are something you’ll hear quite a lot about in Laos, and it’s sobering stuff. Laos is the most bombed country in the world and the Second Indochina War was devastating for its people. Nearly 40 years later, death or serious injury from unexploded ordnance (UXO) is still a very real threat in some areas of the country. The visitor centre explains the issue as well as the clearance and educational work that is being done to address it. Also on display is Stories from the Plateau, an art installation that uses bomb casings to illustrate the stories of people injured by UXOs.
9. Watch the sunset over the Mekong River
A walk along the Mekong is lovely at any time of day, but watching the sunset over the river is an experience not to be missed in Luang Prabang. We booked a sunset cruise with Khopfa, a local company that has a comfortable boat with two upper decks and chilled music (apparently some cruises are a bit more rowdy!). Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day, so there was no sunset that night, but we still enjoyed cruising along the river and making friends with the guys sitting next to us. A couple of days later, after a sunny day, we walked down to the riverfront and found a small cafe bar serving drinks from an upright fridge, which turned out to be the perfect spot to watch the sun go down.
10. Enjoy great food and drink
Of course, there are countless places to enjoy great food and drink in Luang Prabang. We had a couple of good lunches at French cafes Le Bistro Ban Vat Sene and Le Banneton. We also had a nice lunch at the Indigo Cafe under our hotel and had dinner on its rooftop one evening. There are plenty of places to have dinner along the main street, many of which are strung with pretty lights. The fish and rice dish I had for dinner at Tangor was very good. But we saved the best for last and had a fab farewell to Luang Prabang dinner on the terrace at the Belle Rive. It’s a great spot overlooking the Mekong, and afterwards we walked a little further along the river for drinks at 525 Terrace, a pop-up cocktail bar that serves drinks from a modified white Tuk Tuk. The perfect place to reflect on a perfect few days in lovely Luang Prabang.
For more posts about my adventures in Laos and Vietnam, visit the Asia section of my blog.