Hue Private City Tour: Citadel, Royal Tombs, Lunch & Tickets

Duration6h - 8h

Free cancellationFull refund up to 24 hours before

Instant confirmationYour booking is confirmed right away

TicketMobile or paper ticket accepted

LanguagesEnglish

Private tourOnly your group will participate

Pickup offeredSee the meeting and pickup details below

Overview

Hue in one private day, at a pace you choose.

You travel with a licensed local guide - not a driver - so every gate, tomb and courtyard comes with the Nguyen Dynasty story behind it. The car is yours alone, and every option includes a private dragon boat on the Perfume River, all entrance fees and food.

Three ways to spend the day - you pick the tombs:

CITADEL, BOAT & ONE TOMB (6 hours) - Thien Mu Pagoda, the dragon boat, the Imperial City, and one royal tomb: Minh Mang, Khai Dinh or Tu Duc.

CITADEL, BOAT & TWO TOMBS (8 hours) - the whole imperial day, with Khai Dinh plus either Minh Mang or Tu Duc.

CITADEL, BOAT, TOMB & HUE FOOD (6.5 hours) - banh khoai with nem lui, banh uot thit nuong and salt coffee at family-run kitchens, around the Imperial City, the river and one tomb.

We confirm timing, route and menu on WhatsApp beforehand, so dietary needs are sorted. We plan around the heat: early starts in summer, shaded stops at midday. Thuy Xuan incense village is free to add.

Options

Citadel, Boat & Two Tombs

Perfume River dragon boat: A private dragon boat between the city pier and Thien Mu Pagoda, about thirty minutes on the water.
8-Hour Private Full Day: The whole imperial day: pagoda, dragon boat, Imperial City and two royal tombs, at an unhurried pace.
Duration: 8 hours: For travellers who want the whole imperial day and would rather not skip anything.
Local Lunch: One sit-down local lunch. The menu is agreed with you on WhatsApp before the day; vegetarian is fine.
Pagoda, Boat, Citadel, Tombs: Thien Mu Pagoda, a private dragon boat, the Imperial City, then Khai Dinh plus either Minh Mang or Tu Duc.
Private car and dragon boat: A seven-seat Mitsubishi Xpander or sixteen-seat Ford Transit, plus a private dragon boat on the river.

Pickup included

Citadel, Boat, Tomb & Hue Food

Perfume River dragon boat: A private dragon boat between the city pier and Thien Mu Pagoda, about thirty minutes on the water.
Private Heritage and Food Day: Three Hue food stops - banh khoai, banh uot and salt coffee - built around the Imperial City and one royal tomb.
Duration: 6 hours 30 minutes: For travellers who care as much about how Hue eats as about how many monuments they see.
Three Hue food stops: Banh khoai with nem lui after the Citadel, banh uot thit nuong after Thien Mu, and Hue salt coffee to finish.
Citadel, Food, Boat, Tomb: The Imperial City, banh khoai and nem lui, a dragon boat to Thien Mu, banh uot, one royal tomb, then salt coffee.
Private car and dragon boat: A seven-seat Mitsubishi Xpander or sixteen-seat Ford Transit, plus a private dragon boat on the river.
Pickup included

Citadel, Boat & One Tomb

Perfume River dragon boat: A private dragon boat one way between the city pier and Thien Mu Pagoda, about thirty minutes on the water.
6-Hour Private Heritage Day: Thien Mu, a dragon boat on the Perfume River, the Imperial City and one royal tomb of your choice.
Duration: 6 hours: Six hours at a pace that suits people who would rather not spend a whole day on their feet.
Local Lunch: One sit-down local lunch. The menu is agreed with you on WhatsApp before the day; vegetarian is fine.
Pagoda, Boat, Citadel, Tomb: Thien Mu Pagoda, a private dragon boat, the Imperial City, then one royal tomb you choose on the day.
Private car and dragon boat: A seven-seat Mitsubishi Xpander or sixteen-seat Ford Transit, plus a private dragon boat on the river.
Pickup included

What's included

Bottled water
Food is included on every option: a sit-down local lunch on the two heritage days, and three Hue food stops - banh khoai, banh uot and salt coffee - on the food day.
Private car with driver, yours alone for the whole day, plus hotel pickup and drop-off in Hue city. Seven-seat Xpander or sixteen-seat Transit by group size.
Dragon boat on Perfume River
Local Guide
All entrance fees for the sites on your chosen option are included. Nothing to buy at the gate.

Tips for your guide and driver are optional and never expected.
Anything not mentioned
Personal expenses

What to expect

Hue
5m

Your licensed local guide and driver collect you from your hotel in Hue city at the departure time you chose when booking. We message you on WhatsApp before the day to confirm the pickup time, the route, which royal tombs you would like, and your lunch menu. The guide travels with you all day and is not the driver.
Thien Mu Pagoda
30m

The seven-storey Phuoc Duyen tower stands above the Perfume River in front of a working monastery founded in 1601. On every option you reach it by private dragon boat one way and by car the other. The walk is flat and short, and there is no entrance fee. Your guide explains the pagoda's part in the Nguyen story and in more recent Vietnamese history.
Perfume River
30m

About thirty minutes on the water between the city pier and Thien Mu Pagoda, on a dragon boat booked for your group alone rather than a shared tourist boat. Included on all three options. You are seated the whole way, so it is the easiest part of the day for anyone who would rather not be on their feet in the heat.
Hue Imperial City (The Citadel)
2h · Admission ticket included

Two hours inside the walled Citadel, seat of the Nguyen emperors from 1802 to 1945 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your guide takes you in through the Ngo Mon gate and on to the Thai Hoa throne palace, the mandarin halls and the restored corners of the Forbidden Purple City, explaining who lived where and why the city is laid out the way it is. The entrance fee is included on all three options.
Hue
45m

On "Citadel, Boat & One Tomb" and "Citadel, Boat & Two Tombs" this is a sit-down lunch at a family-run restaurant. The menu is agreed with you on WhatsApp before the day and vegetarian or other dietary needs are arranged in advance. On "Citadel, Boat, Tomb & Hue Food" there is no single lunch stop: the eating is spread across the day instead, with banh khoai and nem lui after the Imperial City, banh uot thit nuong after Thien Mu Pagoda, and Hue salt coffee to finish. Food is included on every option.
Thuy Xuan
30m

A roadside village of incense makers and conical hat makers on the way out to the royal tombs. There is no entrance fee and no charge to add it: tell your guide on the day, or when we confirm your route on WhatsApp, and we build in about thirty minutes. Available on all three options.
Mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mang
1h · Admission ticket included

Finished in 1843 and the most formal of the three royal tombs: a symmetrical run of courtyards, gates, lakes and bridges set in gardens about twelve kilometres from the city. On "Citadel, Boat & Two Tombs" it is one of the two pairings you can choose, alongside Khai Dinh. On the other two options it is one of the three single tombs you can choose. The entrance fee is included.
Tomb of Khai Dinh
45m · Admission ticket included

Completed in 1931 and unlike anything else in Hue: blackened concrete and stone climbing a hillside, with an interior covered in glass and porcelain mosaic. Note that there are a lot of steps up to it. Visited on "Citadel, Boat & Two Tombs" whichever pairing you choose, and one of the three you can choose on the other two options. The entrance fee is included.
Tomb of Tu Duc
1h · Admission ticket included

The largest and greenest of the three: pine woods, a lotus lake and a pavilion the emperor used for writing poetry while he was still alive. It is also the flattest to walk, which makes it the gentlest choice in hot weather. Paired with Khai Dinh on "Citadel, Boat & Two Tombs", and available as your single tomb on the other two options. The entrance fee is included.

Meeting and pickup

Pickup details

We message you on WhatsApp before your tour day to confirm the pickup time, the route and your lunch menu. Please share your hotel address when you book.

Additional information

Specialized infant seats are available
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
A stroller fits in the car and rolls well at the Imperial City and Tu Duc Tomb, but Khai Dinh Tomb is a long flight of steps. Tell us on WhatsApp and we will plan around it.
Khai Dinh Tomb is reached by a long flight of steps. On the two options where you choose your tomb, we can swap it for Tu Duc or Minh Mang, which are flatter.

Cancellation policy

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

Reviews

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