Hanoi City Half Day Private Tour: Hidden Corners & Train Street
1. A good chance to admire Hanoi Old Quarter of long history of 2000 years history.
2. Pass by French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and traditional pagodas and temples that date back hundreds of years.
3. Private Hanoi city sightseeing tour, led by an experienced tour guide. You can see as many things in a half-day tour as full day one.
4. Flexible to choose a morning or afternoon itinerary (If you choose afternoon tour, you cannot go inside Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and just visit its surrounding outside because the mausoleum is open to public in the morning time, closed at 11:45am daily.
5. With your limited time, you can explore most of highlights and hidden things; all hidden corners of beautiful Hanoi.
6. See all aspects of Hanoi (modern and old) and a good chance to taste special noodle soup of the area.
7. Experience a unique "train street' - a new "must-see" place of Hanoi City.
ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Hanoi Opera House, 01 Trang Tien - Phan Chu Trinh Old Quarter, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
Tour guide and car from Paradise Indochina Travel pick you up at your hotels (at your expected start times given in our tour program) then start discovering Hanoi City.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, 2 Hung Vuong Ba Dinh Square, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Ba Dinh Square is one of the most visited attractions in Hanoi. It is the final resting place of Ho Chi Minh, the most iconic and popular leader of Vietnam, known to his people as ‘Uncle Ho’. His body is preserved here in a glass case at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in central Hanoi (albeit against his wishes).
For visitors, a trip to Uncle Ho’s final resting place can be an extraordinary experience as it is not just an average attraction; it’s a part of a unique history.
Started in 1973, the construction of the mausoleum was modeled on Lenin's mausoleum in Russia and was first open to the public in 1975. Security is tight and visitors should dress with respect (no shorts, sleeveless shirts and miniskirts) and everyone has to deposit their bags and cameras before getting in. Uncle Ho’s remains are sent yearly to Russia for maintenance therefore the mausoleum is closed usually from October onwards.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: One Pillar Pagoda, Ong Ich Khiem St, Ngoc Ha, Ba Dinh District Ngoc Ha, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
Legend claims that The One Pillar Pagoda was built following a dream by the fatherless emperor in which the enlightened being Avalokiteshvara gave him a baby son resting on a lotus flower. Emperor Ly Thai Tong commissioned the pagoda to be created in resemblance of this lotus flower which is also the Buddhist symbol of enlightenment. The Emperor remained in gratitude to the bodhisattva and subsequently to to Quan Am, the Goddess of Mercy following the birth of his son. Inside the temple a richly gilded statue of Quan Am takes centre place at the main altar. Today, the concrete pillar that supports the tiny wooden pagoda is a replacement for the original one which was blown up by the departing French, it remains unclear how much of the wooden temple is the original one.
Another point of interest is a bo tree that grows behind the pagoda which legend state is an offshoot of the one under which Buddha became enlightened - the tree was given as a gift from India in 1958.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Temple of Literature & National University, Quoc Tu Giam Street Dong Da District, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
The Temple of Literature is often cited as one of Hanoi’s most picturesque tourist attractions. Originally built as a university in 1070 dedicated to Confucius, scholars and sages, the building is extremely well preserved and is a superb example of traditional-style Vietnamese architecture.
This ancient site offers a lake of literature, the Well of Heavenly Clarity, turtle steles, pavilions, courtyards and passageways that were once used by royalty. Visiting the Temple of Literature you will discover historic buildings from the Ly and Tran dynasties in a revered place that has seen thousands of doctors’ graduate in what has now become a memorial to education and literature.
Originally the university only accepted aristocrats, the elite and royal family members as students before eventually opening its doors to brighter ‘commoners’. Successful graduates had their names engraved on a stone stele which can be found on top of the stone turtles.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Dong Xuan Market, Dong Xuan and Hang Chieu Sts., Hanoi 10000 Vietnam
Dong Xuan Market, the largest wholesale market in Hanoi was built in 1889. Dong Xuan Market has long been a tourist attraction in Hanoi, thanks to its prime location in the heart of this city as well as the impressive architecture and history. Coming to Dong Xuan Market, you can find a wide range of commodities from fabric, clothing, local handicrafts, souvenirs and street foods. Read on to explore all the specific things about Dong Xuan Market. When the nationwide war broke out in 1946, Dong Xuan Market witnessed the fierce battles of Vietnamese resistance fighters against the French soldiers, especially the combat of deciding-to-die soldiers (Quyết Tử Quân) to prevent the French attack on the Inter-resistance Zone 1 in February 1947.
For more than 100 years, Dong Xuan Market has associated with many important milestones throughout the history of Hanoi, contained all the material and sentimental value of Hanoi and become one of the inseparable symbols of Hanoi.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: St. Joseph's Cathedral, 40 Nha Chung Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
Next stop for your trip is Saint Joseph Cathedral. It is located at 40 Nha Chung street and is a Roman Catholic cathedral with neo- gothic style which was built about 120 years ago.
In 1882, after the French army conquered Hanoi, the cathedral was constructed and completed in 1886. The cathedral and Nha Chung area were built on the land formerly belonging to Bao Thien pagoda, which was built under Ly dynasty.
The architecture with domes of the cathedral follows the Gothic style and design of Paris Cathedral. It is 64.5m in length, 20.5m in width with two bell towers of 31.5m-height. Though the appearance of the cathedral, from the doors, the colorful window glass, to the religious paintings for decoration follows Western style, the main interior part is decorated in Vietnamese way with two typical colors yellow and red. Outside, in front of the cathedral is the statue of Mother Maria.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Hanoi Train Street, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
Visiting Hanoi Train Street in Hanoi is one of the Best Things To Do to learn and explore Hanoi local life
Rather than being a normal road with car or motorbike traffic, it has actual real railway lines running through it. Homes and businesses literally open out onto the railway lines.
For the most part, the locals who live and move through there go about their day as with any other Hanoi street. Motorbikes zoom up and down the side of the railway lines.
Local ladies cook delicious smelling foods, crouched over their seasoned cooking pots and surrounded by bundles of herbs and other fresh ingredients. Kids run around, crossing the tracks to each other’s houses. Animals snooze peacefully in the daytime sun.
Duration: 30 minutes
Pass By: Lake of the Restored Sword (Hoan Kiem Lake), Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
The lake is considered the heart of Hanoi, not only geographically but also symbolically. In fact, the more you spend time learning about the lake, the more special it becomes.
The lake is not only special in her history. The water color of Hoan Kiem Lake is not commonly found in other lakes elsewhere in the country: greenish, with dark or light shade depending on the reflection of the sky. The lake is full of tortoise, which is second to none to be found among Vietnamese lakes. If you are lucky, you will catch sight of these giant animals rising out of water. And because tortoise is considered a sacred animal in Vietnam’s culture (along with dragon, phoenix and unicorn), Hoan Kiem Lake then becomes a holy place that nurtures tortoises.
Stop At: Hanoi Opera House, 01 Trang Tien - Phan Chu Trinh Old Quarter, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
The Hanoi Opera House (French: Opéra de Hanoï), or the Grand Opera House (Vietnamese: Nhà hát lớn Hà Nội, French: Grand Opéra) is an opera house in central Hanoi, Vietnam. It was erected by the French colonial administration between 1901 and 1911. Hanoi Opera House is one of three opera houses that the French built during their time in Indochina, the others are Haiphong Opera House and Municipal Theatre in Ho Chi Minh city.
It was modeled on the Palais Garnier, the older of Paris's two opera houses, and is considered to be one of the architectural landmarks of Hanoi. The main architectural style of the Opera House is Neoclassicism. As mentioned before, Hanoi Opera House was modeled on the Palais Garnier but with a smaller scale and using materials that are suitable with the environment. After the departure of the French the opera house became the scene for several political events. as well as the scene of street fighting during the fight for Hanoi.
Duration: 15 minutes
Pass By: Hanoi Opera House, 01 Trang Tien - Phan Chu Trinh Old Quarter, Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
Our car and driver will drop you off same pickup place. Say goodbye to tour guide and driver. End of the trip!
Informacion Adicional
"Not wheelchair accessible"
"Near public transportation"
"Infants must sit on laps"
"Most travelers can participate"
"Ho Chi Minh mausoleum opens only in the morning (untill 11:00am) and closed weekly on Monday; Friday. So you will visit outside if you choose tours on Monday, Friday or tours sheduled after 10:00am"
"All passengers must dress modestly when visiting Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. Passengers' shoulders must be covered; shorts must be to knee length."
"Customers are advised to contact local tour operator to confirm pickup location before departure"
"The Cathedral church, and Hanoi Opera House are closed and only open to public for its ceremony and some special events. The visit to these 2 places is to experience the French style architectures and history information."
"The complimentary meal added free will be a bowl of noodle soup with beef/chicken in a small, authentic, clean restaurant. If you are not interested in the meal, you can skip lunch. It is impossible to ask the guide to change the restaurant or to take you to your favourite one."
"Surcharge: Extra 10 USD per person on Vietnamese Tet Festival (Chinese New year festival: Feb 09,10,11,12 of 2024). The customes will pay cash to the local tour operator tour guide."
"This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate"
"Confirmation will be received at time of booking"
Duration: 4 To 5 Hours
Start location: Hanoi Opera House, 1 Tràng Tiền, Phan Chu Trinh, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam
Traveler pickup is offered
This private tour allows you either to request for pickup at your location or to come to the "meeting point" in case you not yet booked a hotel. The time duration of the tour will last 4 to 5 hours. You can choose the given start times matching your plan. Our guide and vehicle will pick you up at your location.
Cancellations and refunds:
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.