What To Do In Vientiane For A Night And A Day?

[trompelemonde82]

I'm going to Laos for a tourist visa run with my girlfriend and will have around 4000 baht left after getting to Vientiane.

We'll be arriving sometime on Sunday, applying for visa first thing Monday morning, before returning to pick it up the following afternoon (Tuesday).. Can anyone recommend reasonably priced hotels in Vientiane, and also some kind of one night one day tour or trip within or near to Vientiane that we could take in time to get back to the Embassy to pick up the visa? . Any tour company names, website links, general costs and information much appreciated.

[CMSteve]

Well, I can't say that Vientianne is one of the most fun places to be, nor the cheapest.... I was there about a month ago and it looks like the park at the river is just about done. I guess it you're with your girlfriend you could grab a sandwich and some drinks and spend a couple hours there. I've rented a motorbike and drove upto Vang Vieng. Its about a 3 hours trip and really amazing scenery around Vang Vieng. I stayed the night and drove back in the morning with enough time to pick up my passport and head back across the bridge.

If you choose to stay in town, the is the Arc de Triumph, the Champes., morning market, government museums. There used to be a waterpark, but it looks like its went bust.

At night there are the shops along the river and a couple of bars, nothing really special, but something to do.

BTW, last time I was at the consulate was a Monday morning. got there about 9:20am and was there until 12:10pm. Good Luck!!!

[danpat]

i went to vientiane a few weeks ago.really loved it ,stayed at Salana boutique hotel,about 2,000 b inc breakfast,really nice small hotel ,and great area,especially at night down by the river.

if you have a morning free go to Buddha park.take the number 14 bus from the main bus station,cost is 20 baht,this bus can also stops at the friendship bridge,so why pay 300 baht ,which is what tuk tuk charge.for 2 saves 520 baht return,spend this on the hotel.

don't let anyone put you off the 14 bus,it does exist,so just get it and save money.

the trip to buddha park takes about 50 mins,and you can spend a hour or so there,they have a place to eat.

enjoy.i know i will be back.think it is a real backwater .............in the best possible way.

[SlyAnimal]

I found the Riverside hotel there was pretty decent, nothing special but only around 600 or 700 Bhat and it's near the river so you can easily walk home from the bars at night

Eating out in Vientiane is expensive, I found on average it was around 2x the price of eating out in Thailand. So be careful with that 4000 Bhat, as it might not necessarily go as far as what you'd normally expect.

Tourism wise, check out the Patuxai (Laos Arc De Trimph) as it's pretty impressive, also That Luang is pretty impressive as well. Those were the two "Must Sees" for me while I was there, a few other temples and stuff as well, and the national history museum & war history museum are worth checking out if you're interested in learning a bit more about Laos, the country has a pretty colourful history and finding out more about it gives you a real appreciation of how far Laos has come. All are just within the city, so you can fit in as many as you have time for, although the national history museum is closed for lunch, and I think pretty much all of the tourist attractions close at 4pm.