Five day holiday in Laos after Christmas

[brianp0803]

I live in Bkk and thought about taking a short holiday to Laos.

Best airline?

I think I heard 2 or 3 typical places to see. I like nature.

Not sure if should take bus between cities or fly.

5 days enough?

I am American and going with a Thai friend

[phuketrichard]

Van Vieng is beautiful an cheap The surroundings are amazing

Luang Prabang take the river trip to the temple in the caves

enjoy the area

Phonsavan as well ( plain of Jars)

5 days is enough for 1 or 2 at most

[brianp0803]

Van Vieng is beautiful an cheap The surroundings are amazing

Luang Prabang take the river trip to the temple in the caves

enjoy the area

Phonsavan as well ( plain of Jars)

5 days is enough for 1 or 2 at most

I have heard the name Luang Prabang but wasn't sure how far from Vientiane. Bus or train?

I thought about flying into one city and return to bkk from a different city.

[phuketrichard]

Bus or fly

Vientiane to Laung Prabang about 8-10 hours

Vang Veing in the the middle

5 days u will not be able to do 2 places if u need travel by bus one or more of those 5

[brianp0803]

An 8 hour bus ride is not relaxing.

Would you suggest Vientiane or Luang Prabang as initial start?

maybe try 2 nights in Vang Vieng and then fly home

[laban]

Depending on your budget, I would suggest the following based on many trips to Laos over 20 year period:

Good budget: fly to Vientiane for a couple of nights and enjoy strolling the wide avenues and the small cafes and restaurants as well as a few cultural sites. Enjoy the slower pace of Laos. Then fly to Luang Prabang, a jewel of an old city and ensure you stay in the old town. Fly back to BKK

Low budget: fly to Udon Thani, take a minibus to the friendship bridge, then a short ride to Vientiane. Take a bus to Vieng Vien for another 2 nights, and return the same way.

Another option is to fly to LP direct, spend 3 nights and then take the slow boat to Huay Xai. Takes 2 days including overnight in Pakbeng. From Huay Xai, cross the river and get to Chiang Rai to fly back to BKK.

I am sure you'll enjoy Laos and the Laotian hospitality.

[brianp0803]

Wow. Thank you.

I think I don't have time or patience for long bus ride unless it is comfortable and a nice view.

The boat ride sounds nice. Is it beautiful?

I enjoyed Halo Bay in Vietnam. Do you eat meals on the boat.

The river trip to the temple and caves also sounds nice.

I may need to go a second time

I plan to go with a Thai friend. With English and Thai we should do ok.

[SoiBiker]

5 days I'd just stay in Luang Prabang.

[brianp0803]

5 days I'd just stay in Luang Prabang.

I like your name.

I used to love to ride bikes but stopped after moving to bkk 5 years ago.

[SoiBiker]

Why not get back in the saddle in Laos? Luang Prabang is a lovely place to explore by bike, with plenty of places to rent them from in the old town. Or if you want something a bit more off-piste, hire a mountain bike in Vang Vieng and head out into the countryside. The roads are bumpy but fun, and you can pass through karst mountains, paddy fields and local villages, caves and swimming holes.

[cruisemonkey]

Remember - if you are getting a VOA after a certain time in the afternoon (4:00, 5:00, 6:00?) they add an "overtime" charge to the cost. I arrived early in the evening (around dinner time) across the bridge from Nong Khai with USD $42 (I'm Canadian - price varies by nationality) and plunked it down with my passport, picture & application form. The Immi officer looked at me and said "Fourty-three dollars... one more dollar... overtime".

[brianp0803]

I arrived at 12:40 in the afternoon and there was a sign $1 service fee.

But I was suprised there was a sign if you did not bring it photo for the visa then it was $1 to copy your passport photo. Unless you have pictures already, this would be easier that going to a shop and paying 150 baht for a page of pictures.