Hoi An itinerary: 3 days plus self guided walking tour map

If you’re wondering what to do in Hoi An, Vietnam, read on for the perfect itinerary for 2 or 3 days in Hoi An.

You’ll also find our Hoi An walking tour map below.

To get full details on the restaurants, sights, and things we recommend to do around town, along with our self-guided bicycle route map, be sure to check out our curated, interactive map and Hoi An Travel Guide.

Get our Interactive Map + Hoi An Travel Guide

To be honest, if you have only one week in Vietnam, I would advise you to spend most – if not all – of it in Hoi An.

That’s just my own preference. Vietnam is full of beautiful places and wonderful people, so it really depends on how much you want to move around. In my opinion, staying in one place is (ironically) the best part of “travel.”

We’ve found Hoi An to be a worthy home base and keep coming back for months at a time. But I digress…

Updated 2024, originally published 2019.

Disclosure: Our article contains affiliate links, which means if you use our links and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. (We only recommend things we love and believe in.)

How many days in Hoi An are ideal? We started out with 10, then returned for 6 weeks, then returned again for 2 months. But we also work online while we’re abroad. 

If you’re solely focused on sightseeing, I’d recommend at least three days in Hoi An – or a minimum of two nights.

I can’t tell you how many people we met at our homestay who wished they could extend their stay in Hoi An!

What to do in Hoi An for 3 Days

Hoi An, Vietnam has so much to offer visitors. Depending on your interests, you’ll want to adjust the Hoi An 3 Day Itinerary with your choice of activities.

Here are some of the options of things to do in and around Hoi An.

Active adventures:

• Biking around rice paddies and villages
• Swimming at the beach
• Kayak tour at My Son
• Rock climbing at Marble Mountain
• Hiking day trips
• Walk around town
• Motorbike tours

Other activities to do in Hoi An:

• Shopping: clothing, silk, leather, woodcrafts, stone sculptures, housewares, gifts, etc.
• Have custom clothing made at a tailor shop
• Motorbike tours to villages, waterfalls, and more (see our Hue to Hoi An trip)
• Hang out at the beach or pool
• Day trip to Marble Mountain
• Day trip to My Son temple ruins
• Day trip to Da Nang, Monkey Mountain, and Hai Van Pass
• River boat rides
• Bird watching
• Eat! See our guide to Best Food and Restaurants in Hoi An
• Hang out at open-air coffee shops

For more details, see our post about the best things to do in Hoi An.

Three Day Hoi An Itinerary

Let’s dive into my suggested Hoi An 3 day itinerary day by day.

Day One

Assuming you can arrive in the morning, likely from Da Nang airport or train station, let’s begin with a walking tour of Ancient Town and lunch.

Tip: Mid-day sun can be hot most of the year, so be sure to bring bottled water, light-weight clothing, and wear sun protection.

For an interactive, curated map with all of our recommended places in Hoi An, plus our complete Hoi An Travel Guide, you can purchase here:

Yes! I want the Interactive Map + Hoi An Travel Guide

We’ll begin in the local markets, which are always some of the most fascinating areas of any foreign country. What’s interesting about Hoi An is that despite the influx of tourism into Ancient Town, daily life of the locals still goes on alongside it all.

First, make a quick pass through the fabric market. Here is where they sell fabrics for tailoring, shoes (custom made and wholesale), and now also souvenirs.

There are two buildings each with two stories. Bike parking is available for a small fee outside.

I recommend going through quickly the first time, just to get the lay of the land, because the vendors can be persistent. If you’re wandering aimlessly and looking like a shopper, you may get swarmed by hopeful salespeople.

When exiting the fabric market, you’ll be facing the river. Following the street to the right, you’ll pass through the outskirts of the food market alongside various souvenir shops.

Tip: Stay alert for bicycles and motorbikes all the way through the market area!

After a couple blocks, you’ll see a covered area to your left with many of the produce and fish vendors. To your right will be another building which houses the meat market, wholesale goods (spices, housewares, etc.), and then has a food hall for cooked meals at the other end.

Take a walk through the two long buildings, front to back.

Upon exiting the food market, you’ll come out on Trần Phú Street (a busy intersection despite no cars or trucks allowed). Turn left, heading into the heart of Ancient Town’s shopping district.

Within the first block, you can enter the Chinese Assembly Hall on your right. This is a local gathering place for worship with temples and gardens.

Entrance fee is included in the Hoi An Ancient Town ticket, but if they’re not checking for tickets, you can go right in.

Be sure to remove hats, cover shoulders, and refrain from photos in certain areas according to the posted signs. Also, keep walking back – it’s larger than you might think!

If you’d like to get some custom clothing – suits, dresses, shirts, pants – then make a stop by Mr. Xe tailor shop (71 Nguyễn Thái Học) for a first fitting while you’re in the area. Mr. Xe has a great reputation in Hoi An for quality clothing, fair prices, and efficiency.

The team moves quickly to serve many clients each day, so it helps to know what you want. Prices are on the lower end of mid-range. We had a previously-bought jacket adjusted for $5. Full suits start around $125. Shirts are around $30 (these are 2019 prices so it may be a little more now).

Bring in an item you love to have it copied or design something new from Pinterest or magazines photos. Basic things can be completed in a day. For suits, you’ll likely need to return the next day for a second fitting and then take it home on the third day.

Continue West to find Reaching Out Arts & Crafts. This is a social enterprise workshop and craft store that provides meaningful employment to people with disabilities.

Walk quietly through the tea house, or stop for a tea tasting, entering from Trần Phú street.

Visit the workshop and admire the exquisite handicrafts, tea sets, clothing, and more. On week days it’s fun to see the artisans at work in the shop (before 4:30pm).

If you’re ready for lunch, how about noodles at Verdant Space (687 Hai Bà Trưng)? Delicious, cheap bun thit nuong (pork with thin rice noodles fresh greens, and sweet gravy) and cao lau (thick wheat noodles with pork and sweet soy sauce) are 40,000 each.

This little place is in the courtyard of a local family house. They often prepare some of the noodles in advance so they can serve you quickly. The place is nothing fancy and you might be sharing a big table with other guests.

We go back regularly because the sweet, savory bun thit nuong sauce with peanuts for crunch is so incredible.

Return to Trần Phu Street, heading West toward the Japanese Bridge.

The Japanese bridge is a landmark in Hoi An. It bridges the tributary that divided Japan Town from China Town, back when Hoi An was a bustling trading port.

Usually you can walk across the bridge no problem, but occasionally employees require an Ancient Town ticket, which gives you access to view the rooms off the back of the bridge. (The bridge is currently under construction as of 2024.)

For a refreshing coffee drink or smoothie, find your way back to the river on Công Nữ Ngọc Hoa Street and stop in at Cong Caphe. This Vietnamese coffee “chain” can be found in most major cities in Vietnam but there’s no big box feel here.

The hip photo-worthy decor always seems popular with the Vietnamese youth as well as visitors. The coconut ice cream with coffee poured over is pretty darn amazing (49,000d small, 59,000d large) as is the sweet and tangy passion fruit freeze (55,000d).

Only down side is smoking is allowed since it’s somewhat open air, but there are plenty of different places to sit both inside, outside, and on the second floor.

For more shopping, find Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai Street, which tends to be a bit quieter than the other shopping streets.

Still hungry? Walk North along hidden alleys (see our map) to Banh Mi Queen (115 Trần Cao Vân).

After trying several of the highly rated banh mi spots, Banh Mi Queen became our favorite. Get the “mixed,” which is the specialty of the house, and can be ordered with or without spicy chili.

Crispy bread, egg, pate, pork, and pickled veg for 30,000d = delicious! Eat in or take away.

With all that walking, now may be good time to head back to your hotel or homestay to rest.

You’ll want to visit Ancient Town at least one time after dark, too, to see the lanterns illuminated and the boats on the river. Be prepared: it can get pretty crowded with large tour groups in the evenings.

One of our favorite dinner spots is in a hidden courtyard off the busy “restaurant row” across the bridge from Ancient Town. Look carefully for the sign and menu of NostaLife restaurant on Nguyễn Phúc Chu Street where you’ll enter a short alley to the courtyard.

This family-run restaurant has a nice, quiet ambiance, good local food (as well as some Western), and good prices. Try the bbq pork skewers, which comes with greens, rice paper to wrap it up, and peanut sauce to dip it in (50,000d for small). The fried wontons are another favorite.

We like to bring friends here so we can order family style and share different dishes. NostaLife has some of the best prices on local DaLat wine, too.

After dinner, you’ll be right near the Night Market on Nguyễn Hoàng. They don’t really sell anything you can’t find elsewhere, or during the day. But you can always stop by to look for souvenirs or order a banana crepe.

Day Two

Most accommodations in Hoi An provide breakfast, so we’ll assume that’s taken care of.

If you’re an early riser and your place also provides bicycles, we recommend doing a bike ride through the rice paddies and Tra Que vegetable village (see our interactive route map, included with our Hoi An Travel Guide).

Interactive Map + Hoi An Travel Guide

This morning’s adventure is Marble Mountain. It’s just a 20 minute drive from Hoi An on the way North to Da Nang. You can book a driver through your hotel, call a Grab, drive yourself by motorbike, or ride the local bus.

Explore the various temples, pagodas, gardens, and caves built into this carst – one of five mountains in an otherwise flat landscape. There’s a 40,000d entrance fee to walk up. Taking the elevator costs more but you still need to do plenty of stairs to get around the mountain.

Tip: I don’t recommend paying for the “map and souvenir cards” – they’re not worth the money.

Marble Mountain is best first thing in the morning when it’s cooler and less crowded, as long as it’s also clear skies so you can see the views from the top.

Definitely don’t miss heading all the way into Tang Chon Cave and Huyen Khong Cave! “Heaven’s Gate” has a panoramic view but the way up is very steep, uneven and can get a bit slick. Other viewpoints with more manageable stairs are just as good.

If you booked a driver, consider having them drop you off at Hoi An’s beach on the way back into Hoi An. (There are two beach options, but due to storms and erosion, their levels of reconstruction vary depending on the year.)

At An Bang beach, you can get drinks and relax on lounge chairs and/or order lunch at a restaurant. Most of the beach-side restaurants have changing rooms and showers for guests, beach towels may be available for a fee.

We always go to La Plage beach bar and restaurant or The Fisherman vegan restaurant, which happen to be right next to each other.

La Plage has a very extensive menu of local dishes, seafood, and some Western items. The Fisherman is more fusion style and vegan. Food at the beach is pricier than most local food, but these two places offer some of the better values on the beach and are both owned by local families.

From here, you can continue to hang out at the beach, if that’s your thing. Or head back to your accommodations to shower and try another activity.

Perhaps you’re up for a massage or spa treatment. Be La Spa lets you book online and they’ll even send a driver to pick you up and drop you off. Most massages are less than $20 per hour, and they tend to be more relaxing than some of the other places we’ve tried.

If you like deep tissue or Thai style, you might prefer Five Senses Spa.

Alternatively, you could spend your afternoon learning a new skill. Cooking classes, lantern making, bamboo or other craft workshops are all available with local guides.

Check out workshops and classes on GetYourGuide >

For dinner, try Com Linh restaurant (42 Phan Chu Trinh) for more great local specialties in a central location at affordable prices (65,000d on average).

Or head back into Ancient Town to Morning Glory (106 Nguyễn Thái Học) where a female Vietnamese chef has started a mini food empire. Her extensive menu represents an elevated cuisine inspired by traditional Vietnamese dishes. Western prices and may require reservations.

Looking for dessert? At Com Linh, you’re right next to Hoa Champa Cafe, which also sells single original Vietnamese chocolate bars. Across from Morning Glory is another of the chef’s restaurants, Cargo, which has a huge cake and tarte menu – we recommend anything with chocolate mousse.

Day Three

If you love archeological sites, Hoi An to My Son temple ruins is just over an hour drive. It does get crowded and very hot by mid-morning, so it’s best to arrive by 8am.

If you’ve been to Angkor Wat, My Son will pale in comparison since a large portion of it was unfortunately destroyed in the Vietnam-American War. It’s still a fascinating place, and there are English-speaking local guides on site for a fee.

Alternatively, a truly memorable experience is a motorbike day tour. Our friend, Phu, runs Hoi An Motorbike Tour Adventures and loves to show visitors the back roads and non-touristy destinations around Hoi An.

Phu provides an all-inclusive day trip (or multi-day adventures), and all you have to do is sit back, take pictures, and enjoy the ride. There are different options, including visits to nearby villages and craft workshops, waterfalls and hikes, the scenic and historic Hai Van Pass, and more.

If your next stop is Hue, Vietnam, you can also arrange a one-way motorbike day tour as a scenic way to get you and your luggage from one place to the other. We did the reverse Hue to Hoi An trip, and it was a blast.

For your last night in Hoi An, we recommend Nu Eatery for dinner. They use local ingredients in creative flavor and texture combinations. We like to order small plates or tapas-style and try different dishes (40,000-100,000d per dish).

The menu rotates occasionally, but look for the pork bao and catfish wraps. Everyone we’ve taken has loved the food, and the atmosphere is cute, too. It feels special, very unique, and still not too expensive.

Hoi An Travel Resources

• • Save this itinerary offline! It’s included with our curated Hoi An Map and Travel Guide.
  • Compare and book Vietnam transit tickets on BookAway here >
  • Browse Experiences in Vietnam here >
  • Mr. Phu’s Motorbike Tours
  • Hidden Gems Hoi An Food Tour
  • ✈️ Protect your Hoi An trip with Travel Insurance – We’ve started using Nomad Insurance by Safety Wing for affordable evacuation, international medical, and trip coverage.

Hopefully, this itinerary plan and Hoi An walking tour is a useful starting place for your two or three day Hoi An itinerary. It will take you through Ancient Town, surrounding rural areas and villages, nearby day trip attractions, and much of the wonderful food and other specialties the region has to offer.