What's so great about Luang Prabang?

[craigt3365]

I was there about 10 years ago. Loved it. Getting up early to feed the monks, sitting on the river having a beer, visiting the many temples, seeing the waterfalls, visiting the various local villages. Fantastic place to visit. Great if you combine Vang Vieng.

But to each his own. Some will love it, some won't . But you won't know until you visit there. Unfortunately!

Get up early and feed some monks ? Drinking beer on a boat ?

More temples and waterfalls ?? boring villages with nothing there ?

Don't you have a life ?

Don't like traveling around here, eh? You have to relax and go with the flow. Life is easier that way.

[hanno]

"Feeding" the monks is actually the thing I hate most about LP, it is like a zoo.

I was the only farang doing this. Hardly a zoo. But this was some 12 years ago. Things might have changed now. I'd probably not do it again, but back then, it was a really neat thing to do. Especially as a newbie to Asia.

Hundreds now. Signs everywhere with what to do and what not do do (no flash photography, do not buy the food from the stalls that set up every morning as the Monks will not use it, do not get in the way, etc.) but these rules are flaunted for the "right" shot.

[Zendo]

I spent such a great time in Luang Prabang 15 and 10 years ago, I hope it didn't changed too much.

If you are looking for shopping malls and night life, no need to go there because this is about nature, simple things to do and kindness of people.. And FOOD too !

Also It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If you are lucky enough to go for in the proper season, the one when mushrooms comes, you'll find some Cantharellus cibarius, commonly known as the chanterelle, golden chanterelle or girolle, which is maybe the best mushroom in the world and which is used in Lao Curries, Soups, Omelettes..on the market and also on all french restaurants downtown.

Sabaï Dee !

[squarethecircle]

I've been twice, first time was after a couple of months of ticky-touring around Laos and Thai, and it didn't stick out to me. Second time was right after finishing a grueling job, and it was perfect - great French/Laos food, friendly as hell easy-going locals (a lot of countryside folk come there to work, and a lot speak good English, better than Thailand). The center area of the city is over-touristed IMO but you can walk 5 minutes in any direction and it is like a small town.

About the monk-feeding ritual: I think this got ruined after the Lonely Planet described it as "one of SE Asia's hidden treasures". Once that happened people flocked to it and it became tasteless, with people sticking their cameras right in locals' faces. But that's relatively easy to avoid, and a lot of nice hotels and back streets that u can have basically to yourself during low season.

[Smurkster]

for my money better than Chiang Mai, more laid back....

have a smoke, walk around, good food, genuine smiles...for how much longer, probably not much more

[louse1953]

I have not been there for about 40 years but even then it was unique and a delight with the mountains and rivers coming together.

And the big bags of weed on open display at the market.

[Johnsy]

There are plenty more interesting places in Laos than LP

[AYJAYDEE]

suppose you tell us what you need not to be bored and we'll tell you if luang prabang has it?

[Sparkles]

You can do all those things in other parts of Southeast Asia. Sounds like a nice little stopover if you're travelling by land from Thailand to Vietnam but is it really somewhere you'd want to spend a couple of weeks? I'm thinking of doing that but I can just see myself saying 'Is this it?' and getting bored after a couple of days. It seems places in Thailand like Nan, Pai and Lampang have more to offer.

Lampang has more to offer than Luang Prabang !!!!!!

Luang Prabang a stop over by land from Thailand to Vietnam ??????

Suggest you buy map and a travel guide or 3

[larsjohnsson]

It's one of my favorite cities in S.E.Asia. Very beautiful and nice people. I'm a photographer so I can stay there a long time. So nice old temples with all those monks every morning. Love it

[techboy]

Nice place but I dunno. Something about your post says you may be ok just looking at photos.

[arjunadawn]

Thank you guys/gals. I'd not heard of LP before but I'm really interested now. You say done really nice things about this place- consistently. Appreciate the tips.

[haikurd]

I went four years ago and loved it, spent a weekend there,loved LP and Laos in general. Then went back recently, stayed in a guest house downtown, and it just seemed very touristy, even giving alms to the monks was some crazy tourist show (which I didn't remember from last time at all, a line of monks and three times as many tourists lining up to take photos, tour packages to "give alms to the monks" advertised in the guesthouse - seriously.). The waterfalls were really nice, market is also nice if you want to buy anything, good restaurants, nice shops & cooking schools, beautiful setting, wonderful culture. For better or worse Laos though is developing quickly and things are changing.

[edwardandtubs]

I see there's a new bus route from Loei to Luang Prabang which takes 9 hours and costs 700 baht. Makes it seem less out of the way just to visit somewhere 'nice'. I can't find any reviews of the bus service so I might post the first one if I take it.

[Dixie Normus]

I was there about 10 years ago. Loved it. Getting up early to feed the monks, sitting on the river having a beer, visiting the many temples, seeing the waterfalls, visiting the various local villages. Fantastic place to visit. Great if you combine Vang Vieng.

But to each his own. Some will love it, some won't . But you won't know until you visit there. Unfortunately!

+1

I too havent been back in over ten years, great street food also, ping gai (bbq chicken) and sai uaa( pork and herb sausages) with a beer Lao or two. LP has or had a very relaxing spiritual vibe that reminded me of Tibet. I hope it hasnt changed too much..

[Dixie Normus]

I was there about 10 years ago. Loved it. Getting up early to feed the monks, sitting on the river having a beer, visiting the many temples, seeing the waterfalls, visiting the various local villages. Fantastic place to visit. Great if you combine Vang Vieng.

But to each his own. Some will love it, some won't . But you won't know until you visit there. Unfortunately!

Get up early and feed some monks ? Drinking beer on a boat ?

More temples and waterfalls ?? boring villages with nothing there ?

Don't you have a life ?

Awesome Troll attempt!

[uhuh]

it is the most boring place in Laos

a tourist trap - fake, artificial, set up for tourists

the old town has been refurbished and is all tourism oriented businesses (hotels, coffee shops, pizza outlets. ..) and populated by tourists who usually came by plane. It has the feel of a museum.

The new parts of LP, where actual people live, is a boring Lao town.

[edwardandtubs]

it is the most boring place in Laos

a tourist trap - fake, artificial, set up for tourists

the old town has been refurbished and is all tourism oriented businesses (hotels, coffee shops, pizza outlets. ..) and populated by tourists who usually came by plane. It has the feel of a museum.

The new parts of LP, where actual people live, is a boring Lao town.

That's what I feared. The whole business of feeding the monks and taking photos as part of some tacky tourist show seems very inappropriate. Can you suggest a more interesting place to go in Laos? I've already been to Vientiane and Suvannakhet and was uninspired.

[uhuh]

from the towns, I liked Savannakhet best (and LP least, Pakse is another bad one).

The best thing in Laos is nature. Thakek is a good starting point.

[haikurd]

You know, maybe if don't get Lao after a few trips there maybe you just don't get it, and that's OK. Things have changed so rapidly there in the last few years, even locals say for the worse (especially in Vientiane!). I still think if you're open to the local culture and to a quieter experience (not looking for Vang Vieng, which is shut down anyway) it can be quite sublime. But to someone else that might be "a boring Lao town." I thought Vientiane had great places to eat and really loved it, a friend went there and complained that it was awful (he was vegetarian and on an extreme backpacker budget, that probably made a difference). Even with the touristy aspect to LP which I mentioned in my previous post, I would recommend it for a few days, very nice guest houses for a reasonable rate, see the waterfalls, enjoy walking along the river, seeing the mist settle in the town in the morning and the sunset from the hilltop temple at night. You can buy some phenomenal silks and basketwork there, amazing things that people still make by hand. I really enjoyed a short trip to Champassak which is a pretty non-touristy town being promoted as a base for climbing and hiking trips, it's also a colonial small town set by a river, there is a Khmer ancient temple about 40 minutes away (Vat Phou) which is not reconstructed, if you are into energy or a romantic poet it is an ideal location. If you're in Vientiane check out the Makphet restaurant run by Friends International and the COPE museum for victims of UXO. My friend (the same one who didn't like Vientiane) said he had heard that Vang Vieng was actually great now that the crazy bars had been shut down, if you want to just get a quiet place to stay in a beautiful natural environment. It just depends on what your expectations are and what you find interesting.

[phuketrichard]

i have driven over most of the country from the far west to the far north and as far south as Savankhet ( hated thta city)

Laos is a country you go to travel in & thru not a destination, just being out in the countryside is fantastic, The far west is beautiful and the people so friendly

Love Luang Prabang, breakfast on the river, a few days walking around town, having a leisurely lunch, shopping for overpriced tourists goods in the night market an 1 day on the river , Vang Vieng is gorgeous with cheap nice hotels with great views, Muang Sing has a fantastic daily market with various hill tribes visiting to sell their wares/produce, Phonsavan for the many jar sites, and visit the MAG museum, Vientiane for its laid back atmosphere and just having an drink on the riverside.

Excellent value for hotels/guest houses ( wifi everywhere) and the food is very good.

Thailand/Singapore its not

[Smurkster]

i have driven over most of the country from the far west to the far north and as far south as Savankhet ( hated thta city)

Laos is a country you go to travel in & thru not a destination, just being out in the countryside is fantastic, The far west is beautiful and the people so friendly

Love Luang Prabang, breakfast on the river, a few days walking around town, having a leisurely lunch, shopping for overpriced tourists goods in the night market an 1 day on the river , Vang Vieng is gorgeous with cheap nice hotels with great views, Muang Sing has a fantastic daily market with various hill tribes visiting to sell their wares/produce, Phonsavan for the many jar sites, and visit the MAG museum, Vientiane for its laid back atmosphere and just having an drink on the riverside.

Excellent value for hotels/guest houses ( wifi everywhere) and the food is very good.

Thailand/Singapore its not

when you say far west, do you mean Saiyaburi?

[phuketrichard]

North West;

Muang Meung, Xieng Kok, Muang Sing, Luang Namtha

[Sandman77]

Want visit this place last year

But locals told my wife in a teavel agency everything looks same same in Lao then my boss divide it not to go!

When Falange say all on the net say this a beautiful place she also not belive

Maybe I must go alone

Are airplanes operating from bk airport?with Lao airline with 2 crash in 2 year not want fly!

And last question in a book I read

That monks in Luang Prabang not must cut there hair like in Thailand !?

[Dibbler]

I wouldn't mind chilling out there for a few days, but at some point I would need the internet for 3-4 hours to do my contract work. Anyone know if the net connection in LP is any good?

So go to LP for the weekend and return to BKK for your internet connection!

[Dibbler]

I see there's a new bus route from Loei to Luang Prabang which takes 9 hours and costs 700 baht. Makes it seem less out of the way just to visit somewhere 'nice'. I can't find any reviews of the bus service so I might post the first one if I take it.

The bus trip to LP from VTE and other points on the Thai border is a twisting ride up and around steep terrain in sections that will make you intensely motion sick for much of that 9 hr journey. I would take a flight there or if you have to go by road, drive yourself.

[craigt3365]

I actually loved the bus ride from VTE up to LP. Stopping in Vang Vieng for a few days and doing the tube trip down the river. But that was 12 years ago. Absolutely fantastic.

[Smurkster]

my mother came to visit me and she heard so much about Chiang Mai and how wonderful it was...I said don't bother, we will go to LP instead....it was still overrun by tourists, but a lot less so than Chiang Mai and at least it still maintained a lot more of its old charm....

a beautiful thing about Laos is no 7-11's on every damn corner and people really seem to smile a whole lot more than they do in LOS...I jump on every opportunity to visit the country and look forward to my visa runs. I have said it before and will say it again, given the right circumstances and opportunity, I would gladly jump on the chance to live in Lao..but until that changes, I guess being 40 km from the border will have to suffice..

[phuketrichard]

I wouldn't mind chilling out there for a few days, but at some point I would need the internet for 3-4 hours to do my contract work. Anyone know if the net connection in LP is any good?

So go to LP for the weekend and return to BKK for your internet connection!

Everywhere i went over the past 3 years was able to stay at a place that had internet.

You can also buy a laos sim card that has internet capabilities, Was out in the Mekong above LP an online just fine.

[lovelaos]

It was such a beautiful place 10-15 years ago. It is slowly declining due to 1. massive Chinese investment and 2. Plane loads of tourists. It does still have some charm but it is diminishing quickly and the locals seem to be worse and worse every time I go back