Nesting a huge number of spectacular karst islands – 1,969 islands and covering an area of 1,550 square km, Halong Bay is the largest limestone island ecosystem in Asia. Do you know how to discover such an enormous bay to the fullest? Taking a Halong Bay day cruise from Halong City can be a great option. Let’s see what awaits us ahead.
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1. About Halong City:
Halong City about 20 km from Halong Bay is the capital and 1st-class provincial city of Quang Ninh Province. Halong literally means descending dragon. Halong City was established in 1993 when the old capital – Hon Gai was merged with Bai Chay – the main tourist area in Quang Ninh Province.
2. How to get to Halong Bay from Halong City?
As an advantage of traveling to the beautiful bay from Halong City, the distance from these two places is quite close and yes, you don’t need to get up to early and depart for the bay. If your Halong Bay day cruise from Halong City starts at around 9 AM, then you can start leaving for the gathering point at the bay at 8 AM. Refer to one of the means of transportation below:
By motorbike:
If you wish to totally explore Halong on your own, you can consider renting a motorbike. The rental fee is from VND 120,000 – 150,000 / day. This mean is suitable for those who want to head to various places during the day.
By taxi:
If you travel in groups, then taking a taxi is very convenient especially given the distance from Halong City to Halong Bay is about 20 km. Here are some local taxi brands you can take:
- Thanh Cong Quang Ninh Taxi – 0203 3 67 57 57
- Mai Linh Taxi – 0203 3 62 86 28
- Minh Anh Taxi – 0203 3 85 85 85
- Thinh Hung Taxi – 0203 3 61 61 61
- Bai Chay Taxi – 0203 3 64 64 64
If you travel to Halong Bay from Hanoi Capital, refer this Hanoi to Halong Bay transfer to get the detailed guides.
3. What can we do on a Halong Bay day cruise from Halong City?
3.1. Cruising around the bay:
As its name suggests, this is the main activity on our Halong Bay day cruise. Sitting on the cruise, you will go through the most stunning places on the bay such as its breathtaking limestone islands, its splendid cave system. Remember to charge your phone or camera fully to take as many stunning photos as you can. Halong Bay cruise 2 days 1 night to Cat Ba may shine your journey.
3.2. Admiring impressive cave system:
Surprise Cave or Sung Sot Cave: As one of the largest and most beautiful caves of Halong, this is the place where many rocky islands with unique shapes are located. Coming deeper into the cave, you will be extremely excited with a fresh-water lake, splashing shadow on the wall, creating such a fantastic view.
Trong Cave and Trinh Nu Cave: Only about 3 km away from Sung Sot Cave, it is very convenient for you to explore these caves. Besides the beautiful scenery, you will learn more about the hidden story of these which promises to excite you.
Dau Go Cave: It is considered the largest karst cave in Halong, Dau Go Cave with its wild beauty enchants any tourists. Stone pillars, rich flora and fauna, twinkling light effect from stalactites will make you feel like going into the fairy place in the world.
Luon Cave: If you want to see the stalactites that have been through millions of years, surely Luon Cave is the ideal choice for your journey to discover Halong Bay.
Thien Canh Son Cave: This place still remains almost the intact and spectacular features inherited from the Mother Nature.
Heaven Cave or Thien Cung Cave: A place associated with the legend of the Dragon King to help locals fight against foreign invaders. The fanciful beauty here inspires a lot of famous photographers. Remember to add this place into your best Halong Bay tour from Hanoi.
3.3. Learning about the enticing local life:
Cruising on Halong Bay gives you the ideal chance to contact with locals especially those living on the bay. Some remaining floating villages on the bay include: Cua Van, Vung Vieng, Cong Dam and Ba Hang.
3.4. Taking part in water-sports activities: kayaking, swimming:
Kayaking is a popular sport activity among foreign tourists. The feeling of sitting on a kayak rowing through the emerald blue water, watching the magnificent mountains and rivers bring you such absolutely peaceful moments.
3.5. Mountain climbing – Halong Bay day cruise from Halong City:
In addition to kayaking, Halong Bay with diverse and dangerous terrain includes many islands and mountains is also a challenge for climbing lovers. These thorny rocky outcrops, majestic curves of mountains, cliffs, caves in the bay will really challenge you. Do you wanna try all this activities? Halong Bay 3 days 2 nights tour is suitable for you!
4. What to do in Halong City – Halong Bay day cruise from Halong City:
After experiencing a Halong Bay day cruise, let’s come back to Halong City and further explore the exciting place. Halong City has four main tourist areas including Halong Bay, Bai Chay, Tuan Chau Peninsular and Hon Gai. As Halong Bay is introduced above, then now we’ll discover about the other areas.
Bai Chay area:
This is the most crowded tourist destination with a range of recreational activities such as Bai Chay artificial beach, Bai Chay Bridge (the first cable-stayed bridge in Vietnam), night markets, Halong Sun World Amusement Park, Marine Plaza shopping center – museum of painting 3D, a combination of diverse restaurants and hotels.
Tuan Chau area:
Tuan Chau is a small artificial peninsular located about 2 km from Halong City. This area is famous for large-scale modern villas, Tuan Chau International entertainment area, Tuan Chau beach and harbor bridge with Halong Bay cruise 2 days 1 night.
Hon Gai area:
The area is home to many local people. Highlight attractions of Hon Gai include Sun Wheel Amusement Park on Ba Deo Hill, Halong Market, Quang Ninh Museum, Hoa Halong Park and Vincom Plaza Shopping Center. The price for food, activities in Hon Gai area is lower than the two previous areas.
Remember to spend your time sampling top Halong Bay specialties.
5. Where to stay in Halong City – Halong Bay day cruise from Halong City:
If you intent to stay in Halong City for a few days, you should book an accommodation in advance. Consider our guides to choose accommodation in the city:
Homestay: With the price from VND 500,000 – 1,000,000 / night, homestay is suitable for those who love fresh and trendy experiences.
Hostel price goes from VND 150,000 – 500,000 / night and is a good choice for budget travelers.
3-star hotels have the price starting from VND 500,000 – 1,200,000 and 4-star hotel price starts from VND 900,000 – 1,700,000. These two kinds best fit for family with kids, elderly people and for couples.
5-star hotels: If you travel for relaxation then staying in these luxury hotels is a perfect choice. The price is from VND 1,500,000 – 2,100,000.
Keep on reading this Where to stay in Halong Bay Vietnam for more details.
One more tip is that you can find an accommodation based on areas. Take a look at the average accommodation price in Bai Chay, Tuan Chau and Hon Gai areas when booking place to stay in your Halong Bay day cruise from Halong City.
Hon Gai area has a lot of low-cost hostels and hotels with the price of VND 180,000 – 800,000 / night.
Bai Chay area offers various accommodations at different prices, from VND 200,000 – 2,500,000 / night.
Tuan Chau area is home to high-class resorts and villas. The price is from VND 4,000,000 – 3,000,000 / night.
We hope that this article has brought you the necessary information when planning for your Halong Bay day cruise. Contact us via our hotline number: +84 9 4161 8080 or via our email: support@goasiadaytrip.com for instant support. Wish you have a great journey!
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