48h itinerary in Huè Imperial City
Huế is a place that thrives on contrasts: a stupendous imperial city aging in sun and rain, majestic tombs dotting modest villages, garden houses hidden among vegetation far from prying eyes, a dense modern town bustling with hundreds of uncontrolled horns and groups of locals practicing Tai Chi next to a temple on the riverbank , restaurants with music blaring in front of hunched-over grannies cooking street food, surrounded by smoke and hiding in the shade of a nón lá (the typical Vietnamese cone-shaped hat).
The small town of Huế is a cluttered, vibrant, modern conurbation around a geometric, austere, decadent imperial city. A moat and imposing walls interrupted by four majestic gateways surround what had been the seat of imperial power in Vietnam since the 1800s, when efforts had been made to move the center of administrative power to Central Vietnam before institutions returned to Hanoi. Here, several generations of emperors ruled, creating an elite center of life that mimicked Beijing's more famous Forbidden City.
Within the walls, a series of pavilions, pagodas, theaters, temples, alternate with wide green spaces and pleasant bodies of water. Visiting the imperial city requires at least half a day. We recommend visiting the pavilions counterclockwise, as the majesty of the buildings follows a natural climax.
From the Palace of Supreme Harmony, the first building one encounters upon entering, proceed to the Hall of Mandarins. Painted arcades, and sun-discolored roofs, rich with dragons and majolica tiles welcome you to this remote and forgotten place. Through the vermilion tunnels of Can Chanh Palace, east of the complex is the theater and the Emperor's Reading Room.
The Tu Vo Phuong Pavilion, at the citadel's northern entrance, is a semi-abandoned place not worth a detour. Instead, proceed to the residences to the west, Truong San and Dien Tho, which are mostly deserted except for a small café surrounded by a lily pond, which is also the only dining spot in the complex. Don't expect much more than dried noodles and ice cream, but it is a lovely place to take a break in the shade, perhaps sipping a coconut.
The crown jewel of the Imperial City is the Mieu Temple, in the southwest corner of the complex. A large space in which somewhat labyrinthine buildings surround an imposing Buddhist temple. At this point you will have to retrace the entire south side of the complex to go to the Hien Nhon portal, the only way out.
The only authorized entrance is the Ngọ Môn portal to the south, where the ticket office is located. Admission costs 200,000 VND for adults, but we recommend that you already purchase a cumulative ticket with other attractions if you plan to continue your visit to the Emperors' Tombs. In fact, this option is not indicated anywhere (or at least not in an understandable language) and we ended up paying almost double for visiting all the sites.
In the afternoon you can enjoy a relaxing walk along the Perfume River from the Học viện m nhạc Huế music academy to the end of Công viên 3 Tháng 2 Park, where the restaurant area begins. The riverfront is very pleasant, well-maintained, well-equipped, and full of parks, boardwalks over the water, and, after dark, of the evening market stalls.
The Võ Thị Sáu street, overflowing with restaurants and stores, becomes pedestrian in the evening, and is enriched by street stalls or clubs that extend their terraces to the roadway. Loud music, scents of all sorts, and an endless choice of places to dine. Our choice turned out to be excellent: we dined at Madam Thu, spontaneously and without reservations. Besides being a very cozy place, even for children, with a really helpful staff, it offers amazing cuisine. Lots of typical Central Vietnamese dishes, very well prepared and presented.
On the second day, it will be convenient to hire a driver who will know how to take you through the surrounding villages that house the city's other historic sites. It will take you about 6-7 hours to complete the visit, and your driver will certainly be able to advise you which sites are of most interest.
The emperors who resided in Huế planned their burial well by making veritable monumental residences that were built in remote areas around the city. The tombs of the emperors are varied, but at least 3 are worth visiting. The most distinctive, and different from each other are the tombs of Minh Mạng, Tự Đức and Khải Định.
The former, is an alternation of pavilions placed on stone podiums, gardens and stairways connecting the different temples. The Tomb of Tự Đức is a true nature park, housing the various temple halls and burial grounds within a majestic garden filled with trees, large green spaces, and a body of water that makes you want to spend the whole day contemplating its calm waters.
Of a different kind is the Khải Định Tomb, an imposing twentieth-century mausoleum, to reach by climbing the steep steps, at the top of which rises a richly decorated hall with the burial. All squeezed between the road and the forest behind.
The visit to the tombs (at least an hour each should be devoted to the first two) can be combined with a visit to some of the pagodas (free of charge), temple complexes that are still functioning today, in which to stroll among the bonsai gardens or attend the chanted prayers of Buddhist monks.
Thiên-Mụ Temple, for example, houses an imposing multi-story pagoda that serves as the entrance to the temple complex, in which, in addition to the prayer rooms, there is a placid flower garden for a peaceful stroll (assuming it is not overrun by curious crowds).
Finally, another place to visit, to get an idea of traditional life in Huế, are the garden houses, once the homes of royal officials, which are a true oasis in the city: surrounded by greenery, among jaka trees and pools of water lilies and lotus flowers, these are small wooden dwellings, with a few pavilions attached, where you can sip tea while admiring the architecture of the rooms made of wood inlaid with mother-of-pearl. (Entrance price 50,000 VND).
This content is NOT SPONSORED, but based on my genuine personal experience. Spontaneous, positive and negative opinions, shareable or not, that I hope will help to live better travel experiences. My advice is a guide to accompany you in your explorations, but the real journey is built by yourselves!
