Hue Royal Tombs Tour by Private Car with Local Guide

Hue's royal tombs sit several kilometres outside the city, scattered along the Perfume River. That is why most travellers see the Imperial City first, then look for a way to reach the tombs. This private half-day tour is that way. On the guided options, a licensed local guide, not an English-speaking driver, travels with you in a private air-conditioned car, and you choose the tombs: Minh Mang, Khai Dinh, Tu Duc or Gia Long. Options add a Hue garden house where a family still lives, a dragon boat along the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda, or a third tomb. Most options include all entrance tickets, so there is nothing to pay at the gate. If you already hold the Hue combo ticket, choose the option without tickets and pay less. Morning and afternoon departures, hotel pick-up in the city centre, cold water and towels on board. Prefer to explore on your own? The Private Car & Driver option comes with a basic-English driver, not a guide.

1. 1

   Mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mang

   1 hour

   Minh Mang's tomb is laid out as a single axis through pine woods and lotus ponds, the most formal of the royal tombs and the one that best shows how the Nguyen court read landscape. Ticket included on most options; on the no-ticket and driver-only options, pay at the gate.

2. 2

   Mausoleum of Emperor Khai Dinh

   45 min

   Built in concrete and finished in porcelain and glass mosaic, Khai Dinh's tomb is where French and Vietnamese design collide. Steep steps lead to the mosaic chamber at the top. Ticket included on most options; on the no-ticket and driver-only options, pay at the gate.

3. 3

   Tomb of Tu Duc

   1 hour

   Tu Duc built this as a retreat before it became his tomb: a lake, a boating pavilion and a stone tablet he wrote himself. The most lived-in of the tombs. Ticket included on most options; on the no-ticket and driver-only options, pay at the gate.

4. 4

   Stop 4

   1 hour

   The founder of the Nguyen dynasty lies furthest from the city, in open country across the river. Few travellers make it here, which is exactly the point. Ticket included on most options; on the no-ticket and driver-only options, pay at the gate.

5. 5

   Thien Mu Pagoda

   30 min

   Hue's oldest pagoda, on a rise above the Perfume River. On the dragon boat option you arrive by water, the way the court once did.

6. 6

   Stop 6

   30 min

   A village of incense makers on the road to the royal tombs, where families still roll and dye incense sticks by hand. The driver-only option stops here.

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Walking involved at tombs and pagoda – please wear comfortable shoes.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.