Hoi An in 4 Days: The Lucalvry Itinerary
By Alex Marlowe · Updated 2026-05-17 · 13 min read
An hour-by-hour itinerary for four days in Hoi An — a Japanese-Bridge dawn, the Ancient Town walking circuit, an An Bang beach morning, a My Sơn temple sunrise, a basket-boat lagoon morning, and four serious dinners.
Day 1
Arrival, the Ancient Town walking loop, a Morning Glory dinner
- Mid-morning (10:00–12:00) — Arrival and the slow-start lunch
Most flights into Đà Nẵng (DAD) land between 6am and 11pm; a 10am arrival puts you at y…
Most flights into Đà Nẵng (DAD) land between 6am and 11pm; a 10am arrival puts you at your Hoi An hotel between noon and 1pm after the 35-minute transfer. Book the hotel's complimentary or fixed-rate transfer in advance — the Grab pickup at DAD works but the airport-taxi queue at the official rank can add twenty minutes, and a fixed 500,000-VND transfer eliminates the negotiation. Eat the in-hotel arrival lunch on day one; the rest of the trip's lunches are off-property.
- Afternoon (14:00–17:00) — The Ancient Town walking loop
Start at the Japanese Bridge (Chùa Cầu) on the western edge of the Ancient Town — fifte…
Start at the Japanese Bridge (Chùa Cầu) on the western edge of the Ancient Town — fifteen minutes is enough for the bridge itself and the small temple in the centre. Walk east along Trần Phú street through the merchant houses (Tan Ky House, Phung Hung House — both €5–€8 entry, fifteen minutes each) to the Quan Cong temple at the eastern end. From the temple, drop south to the riverfront and walk west along Bạch Đằng street back toward the An Hội footbridge for the textbook river-and-lantern-shop afternoon. Two and a half hours at a slow pace, with stops for a Cao Lầu Bà Bé bowl on Trần Phú (50,000 VND) and an iced Vietnamese coffee at one of the riverside cafés.
- Sunset (17:30–18:30) — The An Hội island lantern-shop strip
Walk across the An Hội footbridge at sunset for the textbook Hoi An photograph — the la…
Walk across the An Hội footbridge at sunset for the textbook Hoi An photograph — the lanterns go on at 6pm, the river-edge cafés on the An Hội side are slightly less crowded than Bạch Đằng, and the light at golden hour on the yellow-washed Ancient Town walls is the city's most-photographed view.
- Dinner (19:30) — Morning Glory, Nguyễn Thái Học
Trinh Diem Vy's cooking-school flagship is the right first-night dinner: the menu is re…
Trinh Diem Vy's cooking-school flagship is the right first-night dinner: the menu is recognisable (cao lầu, white-rose dumplings, bún chả Hội An) but executed at a serious-restaurant level, the room is comfortable rather than performative, and the kitchen is the textbook introduction to the central Vietnamese repertoire. Two hours, €15–€25 a head with wine. Walk back to the hotel through the Trần Phú lanes; the Ancient Town is safe and well-lit until 11pm.
Day 2
A My Sơn sunrise, an An Bang beach afternoon, a Mango Mango dinner
- Sunrise (05:30–08:30) — My Sơn UNESCO Cham temple complex
Be picked up at 5:30 (book a private car the night before, 700,000–1,000,000 VND for th…
Be picked up at 5:30 (book a private car the night before, 700,000–1,000,000 VND for the full half-day) for the 50-minute drive south-west to the My Sơn UNESCO World Heritage Site — the 4th-13th-century Cham Hindu temple complex in the jungle valley. Be at the gate at 6:30 when the site opens; the morning light through the brick towers and the absence of the 9am tour-coach crowd is the entire reason to do this excursion. Two hours on site is enough; back at the hotel by 9.
- Mid-morning (09:30–11:30) — A late hotel breakfast and pool time
The My Sơn morning earns the slow recovery; have the late breakfast at the hotel and a…
The My Sơn morning earns the slow recovery; have the late breakfast at the hotel and a pool morning before the beach shift.
- Lunch (12:30–14:00) — Soul Kitchen, An Bang Beach
Grab to An Bang Beach (15 minutes from the Ancient Town, 80,000 VND) for the textbook b…
Grab to An Bang Beach (15 minutes from the Ancient Town, 80,000 VND) for the textbook beach-shack lunch at Soul Kitchen — Australian-Vietnamese, beach-edge tables, €15–€20 a head, ninety minutes including the post-lunch beach walk.
- Afternoon (14:00–17:00) — An Bang Beach
The four-kilometre An Bang strip is the textbook afternoon beach session — the south en…
The four-kilometre An Bang strip is the textbook afternoon beach session — the south end is quieter (rent a sun-lounger from one of the smaller restaurants for 100,000 VND), the central section is the Soul Kitchen-anchored social hub, the north end is the sub-€200 boutique strip. Three hours of beach time, with a 4pm coconut from one of the vendor walk-ups.
- Late afternoon (17:30–18:30) — A foot massage at La Siesta Spa
Walk to La Siesta Hoi An's spa on the An Bang ridge for the 60-minute foot reflexology…
Walk to La Siesta Hoi An's spa on the An Bang ridge for the 60-minute foot reflexology — 600,000 VND, no booking required for the late-afternoon walk-in, a useful reset before the dinner Grab back to the Ancient Town.
- Dinner (19:30) — Mango Mango, An Hội island
David Rocco's design-led modern-Vietnamese on the An Hội side of the river is the textb…
David Rocco's design-led modern-Vietnamese on the An Hội side of the river is the textbook day-two dinner — modern Vietnamese with a fusion lean, €25–€40 a head with wine, two hours at the table. Reserve two weeks ahead. The walk back across the An Hội footbridge to an Ancient Town hotel is part of the dinner.
Day 3
A Red Bridge cooking class, a tailor afternoon, a Cao Lầu farewell to the Ancient Town
- Sunrise (06:30) — A second Cao Lầu or a hotel breakfast
Day three is the half-day cooking-class day; do not over-schedule the morning
Day three is the half-day cooking-class day; do not over-schedule the morning. The textbook breakfast is a phở bò at one of the Trần Phú street-corner stalls (60,000 VND) or the in-hotel breakfast.
- Morning (08:30–13:00) — Red Bridge Cooking School (or Morning Glory's class)
The Red Bridge half-day cooking class (€35–€45 a head, includes the boat ride down the…
The Red Bridge half-day cooking class (€35–€45 a head, includes the boat ride down the Thu Bồn to the school's riverside campus, the local-market visit, and the four-dish hands-on class with lunch) is the textbook half-day Hoi An experience. The Morning Glory alternative (€40–€50, more centrally located, smaller groups) is the better choice if mobility or boat-comfort is a concern. Either is the trip's headline activity.
- Lunch (13:00–14:30) — At the cooking class (included)
The four dishes you cook are the lunch — typically a fresh spring roll, a banana-leaf-g…
The four dishes you cook are the lunch — typically a fresh spring roll, a banana-leaf-grilled fish, a salad, and a noodle dish.
- Afternoon (15:30–18:00) — The tailor circuit
Hoi An's tailor scene is the city's other obligatory afternoon — the Yaly Couture flags…
Hoi An's tailor scene is the city's other obligatory afternoon — the Yaly Couture flagship on Trần Hưng Đạo (the most polished operator, €120–€200 for a tailored shirt or dress, 24-hour turnaround), the BeBe Tailor on Lê Lợi (the textbook €60–€100 mid-tier shirt-and-trouser pair), or the Kimmy Tailor for the suit-and-jacket band. Three hours is enough for one fitting and one collection; allow a full second-day fitting on day four if you order multiple pieces.
- Dinner (19:30) — Cao Lầu Bà Bé and the night-market crawl
Day three is the textbook street-food evening: a 50,000-VND Cao Lầu at Bà Bé on Trần Ph…
Day three is the textbook street-food evening: a 50,000-VND Cao Lầu at Bà Bé on Trần Phú, a banh mi at Phượng's on Phan Châu Trinh (35,000 VND, the queue moves fast even at 8pm), an iced sugar-cane juice from the night-market vendors, and a 30,000-VND chè dessert at one of the An Hội footbridge stalls. €8–€12 a head total; ninety minutes of walking and eating.
Day 4
A basket-boat lagoon morning, a tailor collection, an Anantara farewell dinner
- Sunrise (07:00) — A late breakfast
Day four is the rest day; do not over-schedule it
Day four is the rest day; do not over-schedule it. A late breakfast at the hotel or a slow phở at one of the Trần Phú stalls is the textbook morning.
- Morning (09:00–12:00) — The basket-boat lagoon at Bay Mau coconut-palm forest
Grab to the Cẩm Thanh coconut-palm forest (15 minutes from the Ancient Town, 60,000 VND…
Grab to the Cẩm Thanh coconut-palm forest (15 minutes from the Ancient Town, 60,000 VND) for the basket-boat (thuyền thúng) lagoon morning — the round bamboo boats poled through the coconut-palm-and-water-coconut-palm wetlands by local fishermen. Two hours including the 80,000-VND boat-and-guide fee and the lunch warung at the lagoon edge. Yes, it is genuinely touristy; yes, it is also genuinely worth doing once.
- Lunch (12:30–14:00) — At the Bay Mau warungs or back at An Bang
The lagoon-edge warungs serve a competent 80,000-VND local lunch; the alternative is a…
The lagoon-edge warungs serve a competent 80,000-VND local lunch; the alternative is a Grab back to An Bang for a final beach-edge meal at La Plage on the northern strip.
- Afternoon (15:00–17:30) — The tailor collection and the closing spa
Collect the Yaly Couture or BeBe Tailor pieces (allow 45 minutes for the final fitting…
Collect the Yaly Couture or BeBe Tailor pieces (allow 45 minutes for the final fitting and any small alterations), then the closing-day spa appointment at the Anantara Hoi An's spa (1,500,000 VND for a 90-minute treatment, the textbook serious-spa pick on the Ancient Town circuit) or the more accessible La Siesta Spa back in the Ancient Town.
- Dinner (19:30) — Anantara Hoi An's Lanterns Restaurant
The closing-night dinner is the textbook splurge: Lanterns at the Anantara Hoi An on th…
The closing-night dinner is the textbook splurge: Lanterns at the Anantara Hoi An on the An Hội island side of the river is the city's most refined sit-down room — modern Vietnamese tasting menu, €60–€90 a head with wine, two-and-a-half hours at the table, and the Anantara grounds are the closest thing to a once-in-a-trip room on the Hoi An circuit. Reserve three weeks ahead. Walk back across the An Hội footbridge for the goodnight lap of the lantern-lit lane.
Frequently Asked Questions
Editor-in-Chief
Alex MarloweAlex Marlowe is Lucalvry's Editor-in-Chief. Twelve years covering hotels and travel for Condé Nast Traveller, Monocle, and Wallpaper. Based between London and Lisbon.
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