Visiting the town of Luang Prabang was our most northern trip within Laos. Once being the country’s capital it is now the cultural and spiritual heart of Laos. Luang Prabang is beautifully situated between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers and is very well known for its fusion of old french-colonial architecture and Buddhist temples. It is quite a nice contrast to the country’s other natural attractions such as the adventurous Laos motorcycle loops further down south. The town is probably Laos’s most visited and has a very established tourist infrastructure. Despite the large influx of tourists you can still feel its magical atmosphere. The streets are picked with nicely decorated cafes and restaurants and invite to enjoy some Laotian coffee while observing the local town life.
Luang Prabang is filled with a lot of different temples, each decorated and constructed in its very own and unique style. We realized that the temples in town differ from other ones that we have seen in Laos. The town has over 34 wats and you will see many novice monks around who come to Luang Prabang for their education. Note that many temples now charge around 20.000 kip entrance (around €2.20) and have strict clothing rules (covering shoulders and knees, taking off your shoes). You can just slender around town and take your time in exploring each of the temples, many of which we found to be the most beautiful ones in all of Laos.
Apart from seeing the temples, Luang Prabang is also a great place to observe some beautiful Mekong sunsets. Best places to do so is to either walk down and sit along the river itself or to climb the Mount Phou Si. It actually sounds larger than it is since its just a roughly 100m high elevation in the center of town. It is a very famous place to watch sunrises and sunsets and can get extremely crowded. Nevertheless it offers some spectacular views across town and the surrounding mountains and rivers. Make sure NOT to make the mistake of taking along some beer to enjoy the view – after all its a temple and alcohol is strictly forbidden!
We enjoyed our stay in Luang Prabang and encourage every Laos traveler to visit it – despite its large amount of tourists. It is a very magical town and clearly stands out from other towns in the country. We therefor want to show you some pictures that we have taken during our visit and hope that these will inspire you to explore this beautiful place.
Ein von Rocio & Julian (@apenoni_traveller) gepostetes Foto am
Love love love Luang Prebang! Haven’t been in almost 10 years, glad it is still gorgeous!
Emily, glad you likes it 🙂 It is beautiful but for sure more touristic than 10 years ago. Nevertheless still a nice town.
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