Must see attractions in Luang Prabang

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Luang Prabang's best-known monastery is centred on a 1560 sǐm (ordination hall). Its roofs sweep low to the ground and there's a stunning 'tree of life'…

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Dominating the old city centre and a favourite with sunset junkies, the 100m-tall Phu Si (prepare your legs for a steep 329-step ascent) is crowned by a…

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The sobering UXO Laos Information Centre helps you get a grip on the devastation Laos suffered in the Second Indochina War and how nearly 40 years later…

Wat Mai is one of the city's most sumptuous monasteries, its wooden sǐm (ordination hall) sporting a five-tiered roof in archetypal Luang Prabang style,…

Thirty-two kilometres west of the city, this slice of natural paradise reclaimed from a rubbish dump uses the forest and a stunning cascade as its…

Footpaths lead back from the commercial main drag into a little oasis of palm-shaded calm around Heuan Chan, an authentic traditional longhouse on tree…

Evoking traditional Lao and French beaux-arts styles, the former Royal Palace was built in 1904 and was home to King Sisavang Vong (r 1904–59), whose…

Visiting this professionally presented three-room museum is a must to learn about northern Laos' various hill-tribe cultures, especially if you're…

Set serenely close to the Mekong, this beautiful, traditionally styled workshop, where weavers, spinners and batik makers produce top-quality fabrics,…

The sacred Pha Bang image, from which the city takes its name, is stored in this highly ornate pavilion that wasn't completed until 2011. The 83cm-tall,…

As relaxing as a trip to the spa, this botanical garden, opened in 2017 as the first in Laos, is a serene spot to read, take a stroll or perfect some yoga…

In the old quarter, Wat Xieng Mouane's ceiling is painted with gold naga (river serpents) and the elaborate háang thíen (candle rail) has naga at either…

Rich ruby-red walls with intricate gold overlay give Wat Sensoukaram one of the most dazzling facades of all of Luang Prabang's temples. The name, temple…

A beautifully faded temple guarded by emerald nagas (river serpents) on its roof, supported by columns and with an illustrated ochre interior.

When the coronation of a Luang Prabang king was pending, he spent three days in retreat at Wat Longkhun before ascending the throne. The central sǐm …

Though touted as one of Luang Prabang's oldest operating temples, it's actually an 1898 reconstruction built following the Black Flag raids. Peruse a…

Over the gilded and carved wooden facade, Wat Pa Phai has a classic Tai–Lao fresco depicting everyday scenes of late 19th-century Lao life.

Winding lanes to the west lead to Wat Manorom, set amid frangipani trees just outside what were once the city walls (now invisible). This is possibly the…

Traditionally the cremation site for Lao royalty, legend has it that Wat That Luang was originally established by Ashokan missionaries in the 3rd century…

First founded in 1592, Wat Xieng Maen gained a hallowed air in 1867 by housing the Pha Bang, the sacred gold Buddha statue that gives the city its name,…