Hanoi city tours side by side

What is the best tour to take in Hanoi?

For most first-time visitors, the half-day highlights tour by van is the best start. It covers the main sights of Ba Dinh and the Temple of Literature in four hours, with hotel pickup and a guide who explains what you see.

The Hanoi Half-Day City Highlights Tour is rated 4.8 from 453 reviews. One reviewer wrote that it covered more sights than they could have seen on their own in a full day. The van is air-conditioned, which matters in the heat, and the pace is steady rather than rushed.

The best tour for you may be a different one. If you have a whole day and want history, the full-day or walking tour goes further. If you want an experience as much as the sights, the jeep or motorbike tour is livelier. The sections below set them side by side.

What is included in a half-day Hanoi city tour?

On the flagship half-day tour: a guide, an air-conditioned van, hotel pickup in the Old Quarter, entry to the Temple of Literature, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Ba Dinh Square, the One Pillar Pagoda and one drink. The mausoleum is seen from outside only.

• Transport: an air-conditioned van with pickup and drop-off at your hotel in the Old Quarter, in the morning or the afternoon.
• The Temple of Literature: founded in 1070, Vietnam's first national university from 1076, with the 82 doctors' stelae on stone turtles. Entry is included.
• Tran Quoc Pagoda: on a small peninsula of West Lake, often called the oldest pagoda in Hanoi.
• Ba Dinh: the square and Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum from outside, then the One Pillar Pagoda.
• Photo stops: St Joseph's Cathedral and the Opera House, both from outside, then a cafe.
• Not included: tickets for the Ho Chi Minh Museum and the Stilt House, the electric car and the water puppet show.

Half day or full day: which Hanoi city tour should you choose?

Choose the half day if you have only a day or two, or if you want time on your own in the afternoon. Choose the full day if you want Hoa Lo Prison, a museum and lunch in one organised day.

The Hanoi Full-Day City Tour with Lunch (4.6 from 194 reviews) travels by air-conditioned bus, with optional hotel pickup in the Old Quarter, admission fees, water and an eight-dish set lunch. It covers Tran Quoc Pagoda, the Ho Chi Minh complex with the Stilt House, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, lunch, the Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison. On Mondays the Ethnology Museum is closed, so the tour visits the Women's Museum instead. An optional cyclo ride can be added.

A full day is long in the heat of May to September, and some travellers find the afternoon tiring. In that season, a half day in the cool morning and a rest after lunch is often the better plan. There is a holiday surcharge on the full-day tour at Christmas, New Year and Tet.

A full day by air-conditioned bus: Tran Quoc Pagoda, the Ho Chi Minh complex, the Ethnology Museum, an eight-dish set lunch, the Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison, with admission fees included. Rated 4.6 from 194 reviews.

★ 4.6 (194) · Full day · Full refund up to 24 h ahead

Explore the full-day city tour with lunch →

Van, jeep, motorbike, on foot or by bus: how do the tours compare?

The van is the most comfortable, the jeep and motorbike the most fun, the walk the richest in history, and the bus pass the most flexible. The table sets them side by side.

Ratings are from GetYourGuide on 1 October 2026. The mausoleum column shows what happens when the mausoleum is open; until 2 November 2026 every tour sees it from outside only.

Which Hanoi tours go inside the mausoleum, and what stays outside?

Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum is closed for its yearly maintenance until 2 November 2026 and reopens on Tuesday 3 November. When open, only tours that reach Ba Dinh on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday morning can take you inside.

The mausoleum closes for about two months each year for maintenance; in 2026 from 4 September to 2 November. The grounds around it stay open, including the Presidential Palace grounds, the Stilt House and the One Pillar Pagoda. Afternoon tours never go inside, and the half-day tour sees the mausoleum from Ba Dinh Square even on open days. If going inside matters to you, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Guided Entry gives you a guide and a separate security line, from 3 November.

The Hanoi Opera House has been closed for restoration since February 2026, for about two years, so tours stop outside for photos. Hanoi's famous train street runs through a residential neighbourhood on a working railway line. Local authorities have limited access in recent years, organised tours are not supposed to stop there, and the train service is being reduced as the city plans to redevelop the area. The jeep tour listing mentions it depending on local rules, so treat any Train Street stop as depending on the rules on the day. More on this is in the guide to what to avoid.

How much does a Hanoi city tour cost?

From the least to the most expensive: the hop-on hop-off bus pass, a water puppet ticket, a street-food walk, a half-day shared tour, a jeep or motorbike tour, a full-day tour with lunch, and a private tour. Each listing shows the live price for your date.

Prices change with the date, the group size and the option you pick, so check the live price on each listing before you decide. A hop-on hop-off pass costs less than most guided tours, but it includes no entry tickets. The half-day and full-day tours include their entry fees, which you would otherwise pay at each gate. The motorbike tour includes a meal and a drink, and the full-day tour a set lunch, so compare what is included as well as the price. How to pay for extras on the day is in the payments guide.

Is a private tour better than a shared group tour?

A private tour costs more per person than a shared one, but less per head for a family. It goes at your pace, starts when you want and lets the guide answer every question.

Shared tours suit solo travellers and couples, and you meet other visitors along the way. Private options suit families with children, older travellers and anyone with a special interest. The City Highlights Walking Tour (5.0 from 158 reviews) runs as a small group or as a longer private tour. It covers Quan Thanh Temple, the National Assembly building, the Ho Chi Minh complex, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Women's Museum and Hoa Lo Prison, with drinks and snacks. Reviewers say the guide brought the history to life.

The motorbike tour (4.9 from 214 reviews) gives each rider a driver-guide. It starts at about 8 am with hotel pickup, a helmet, Temple of Literature entry, a meal and a drink. Wear long sleeves and long trousers for the temples. Hanoi is creating a low-emission zone in the Old Quarter, and motorbike tours still run, adjusting their routes on weekend evenings.

Which food and evening tours pair well with a city tour?

A street-food walk on your first evening pairs well with a morning city tour. A water puppet show fits any late afternoon by Hoan Kiem Lake.

Eat Like a Local: Hanoi Street Food Tour (4.9 from 1,105 reviews) is 3.5 to 4 hours on foot in a small group, with seven or more dishes at family-run eateries: bun cha, pho, banh cuon, banh mi and sweets. A reviewer advised doing it on the first day to find the good spots for the rest of your stay. For a slower overview, the army jeep tour (4.9 from 820 reviews) takes you to the farms of Banana Island in the Red River in two hours. Its four-hour option adds a meal and egg coffee. All the tours are compared on the homepage.

Seven or more dishes at family-run eateries in the Old Quarter, from bun cha and pho to banh cuon and banh mi, with a guide who tailors the food to your taste. Rated 4.9 from 1,105 reviews.

★ 4.9 (1,105) · 3.5 hours · Full refund up to 24 h ahead

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