Laos country guide

Things To Do In Laos

The quietest country in southeast Asia, a UNESCO town of monks and French bakeries, and a new railway that has cut a two-day bus ride to two hours.

Pick a city What it costs

€6

Dorm bed, from

Vientiane to Luang Prabang by train

€2

A bowl of khao soi

Coastline

Slower than everywhere around it

Laos is the only landlocked country in southeast Asia and the least visited, and both facts shape it. There is no coast, no mass tourism, and a pace that people either love or find frustrating within three days.

Luang Prabang is the reason most come: a UNESCO-listed town where the Mekong meets the Nam Khan, full of temples, French colonial shophouses and bakeries, with monks collecting alms at dawn. It is the most beautiful town in the region and it is small enough to walk.

Vang Vieng, once infamous for river tubing and the accidents that came with it, has reinvented itself around climbing, caves and ballooning over karst mountains. Vientiane is a capital that feels like a large town. And the new Laos-China railway has changed travel here completely — a journey that took a day and a half by bus now takes two hours.

Where to go

Buses are slow and the new high-speed railway has changed the north entirely.

Vientiane

27 hostels · dorms from €7

The capital: riverside, a few temples, and a pace so slow it surprises people arriving from Bangkok.

The Vientiane guide

Luang Prabang

28 hostels · dorms from €6

A UNESCO town of temples, monks and French bakeries where two rivers meet. The country's highlight.

There’s a reason why Luo Prabang is a World Heritage city, it’s beautiful! A great mix of culture and sophistication at the sane time. We had a great new year party in a local bar. My only regret? To not have stayed longer!
A traveller, on Hostelworld

The Luang Prabang guide

Vang Vieng

23 hostels · dorms from €4

Karst mountains, caves, lagoons and hot air balloons at dawn. Reinvented from its tubing years.

The Vang Vieng guide

Nong Khiaw

7 hostels · dorms from €4

A river village between limestone cliffs, with viewpoints and almost no one there.

It is very calm, but charming. The more time you spend, more things you realise you can do. A great place to relax and enjoy outdoorsy life with beautiful sceneries and view points.
A traveller, on Hostelworld

The Nong Khiaw guide

What kind of trip is this?

Laos is a slow country, and the trips that work here accept that.

Adventure in Laos

Caves, karst, kayaking and the motorbike loops.

What to do

Ride the Thakhek Loop
Kayak the Nam Song
Trek to a hill tribe village

Spots to visit

Thakhek Loop
Kong Lor cave
Nong Khiaw

Best cities for it

Things to do

Things to do in Laos

Luang Prabang is the centre of any trip. The dawn alms giving, when hundreds of monks collect food along the streets, is genuinely moving and has been damaged by tourism — watch from a distance, stay silent, do not use flash, and do not buy food from vendors to hand over unless you understand the local practice.

Kuang Si waterfall, half an hour out, has turquoise pools you can swim in and is the best half day in the country. Mount Phousi at sunset is the classic view over the rivers.

Vang Vieng has the karst landscape, caves, lagoons and hot air balloons at sunrise, which are cheaper here than almost anywhere. The Thakhek Loop, three or four days by motorbike through caves and limestone country, is the best road trip in southeast Asia for anyone confident on a bike, and Kong Lor cave — a seven-kilometre river cave you travel through by boat — is its highlight.

Food and drink

Eating in Laos

Lao food is closer to northeastern Thai cooking than anything else: sticky rice eaten with the hands, laap — minced meat with herbs, lime and toasted rice — and papaya salad that is hotter than the Thai version.

The French left baguettes, and khao jee, a baguette sandwich with pâté and vegetables, costs about a euro from a street cart. Luang Prabang's night market has a vegetarian buffet where you fill a bowl for around €2, which is the single best budget meal in the country.

Beerlao is the national beer, costs under a euro, and is genuinely good. Lao coffee from the Bolaven Plateau is strong, sweet with condensed milk, and worth seeking out.

Nightlife

Going out in Laos

Laos has a nationwide curfew and most bars close by 11.30pm or midnight, which is the single thing that most surprises people arriving from Thailand.

In Luang Prabang, Utopia is the well-known bar by the river and closes with everything else; after that, the bowling alley on the edge of town is where people genuinely go, and it has become a local institution by accident.

Vang Vieng has bars and river-adjacent drinking, much calmer than its reputation from the tubing years, when accidents and deaths led to a serious crackdown. Vientiane has a riverside strip and not much else. The evening here is sunset drinks and dinner rather than a night out.

Getting around

Getting around Laos

The Laos-China railway, opened in 2021, has changed travel here completely: Vientiane to Luang Prabang takes about two hours instead of a day and a half on mountain roads, and tickets cost €15 to €30. They sell out, so book a few days ahead or through an agent.

Buses still cover everywhere the train does not, on roads that are slow and winding. Overnight sleeper buses exist and are an experience rather than a comfort.

Slow boats down the Mekong from the Thai border at Huay Xai to Luang Prabang take two days with an overnight stop, and remain one of the classic journeys in southeast Asia. Motorbike hire is cheap and the loops are the point, though the same licence and insurance rules apply as everywhere.

Costs

What Laos costs

Laos is among the cheapest countries in the region. Dorms start around €6, a noodle soup is €2, Beerlao is under a euro, and the night market buffet in Luang Prabang is €2 for as much as you can fit in a bowl.

A comfortable day is €20 to €30. The train, motorbike hire for the loops and organised treks are the extras.

The kip has lost a great deal of value in recent years, which means prices in kip have risen sharply even as the cost in euros has stayed low. Carry cash — ATMs exist in the main towns but are unreliable elsewhere, and withdrawal fees are high.

Safety

Staying safe in Laos

Laos is generally safe and crime against travellers is low. The risks are specific and worth taking seriously.

Unexploded ordnance is the first. Laos is the most heavily bombed country per capita in history, and UXO remains in rural areas, particularly in the east and around the Ho Chi Minh trail. Stay on marked paths and roads, and never touch metal objects in fields.

The second is drink and drug adulteration. There have been serious incidents involving methanol in spirits, including deaths of travellers in Vang Vieng in 2024. Stick to sealed bottled beer, avoid free spirit shots and buckets, and do not buy from unlicensed sources.

The third is roads: mountain routes, poor lighting and enthusiastic overtaking. Motorbike accidents on the loops are common.

Entry and documents

Most nationalities can get a visa on arrival at airports and main land borders, or apply for an e-visa in advance. Bring a passport photograph and cash in dollars for the fee, as card facilities at land borders are unreliable.

Passports need six months' validity from entry.

Land crossings from Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and China are all used regularly, and overcharging at the smaller ones is common. The Friendship Bridge from Nong Khai in Thailand and the Huay Xai crossing for the slow boat are the two most used by travellers.

When to go

November to February is cool and dry and the best time. March and April bring heat and burning season smoke, and the wet season runs May to October.

28°

Jan

Peak season. Cool, dry and the busiest month

31°

Feb

Excellent. Warming but still comfortable

33°

Mar

Hot, and burning season smoke settles in the north

35°

Apr

Hottest month, with poor air quality. Pi Mai water festival

33°

May

Wet season begins. Green and much cheaper

32°

Jun

Afternoon rain. Waterfalls at their best

31°

Jul

Wet. Rivers high and the countryside at its greenest

31°

Aug

Wettest month. Some rural roads become difficult

31°

Sep

Rain easing late. Good value

30°

Oct

Excellent. Rain ending, everything still green

29°

Nov

The best month. Dry, cool and clear

27°

Dec

Cool and dry, and busy over the holidays

Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets: quiet busy peak

Average highs for Vientiane. The north around Luang Prabang and Nong Khiaw is cooler, and genuinely cold at night in December and January. Burning season in March and April affects air quality badly in the north.

What your trip will cost

Pick how you travel and how long for. Per night, for one person, in euro equivalents of kip.

The railway at €15–30 a leg, motorbike hire for the loops and the two-day slow boat are the main extras.

Nights 7

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Beds—
Food and drink—
Getting around—
Doing things—

What's on

What is on while you are there

Pi Mai in April is the biggest, and it is three days of water in the hottest week of the year.

Staff pick

26 October

Boun Ork Phansa

Vang Vieng

Boun Ork Phansa in Vang Vieng, Laos, marks the end of Buddhist Lent with a blend of spiritual rituals and stunning visual displays. Locals…

Staff pick

4–8 December

Blue Chair Film Festival

Luang Prabang

Blue Chair Film Festival in Luang Prabang, Laos, is a celebrated gathering dedicated to showcasing the best of Southeast Asian cinema and fostering cross-cultural…

Staff pick

18 October

Luang Prabang Ultra-Trail

Luang Prabang

The Luang Prabang Ultra-Trail invites runners to tackle challenging courses through the breathtaking mountains and lush jungles surrounding Luang Prabang, Laos. Participants can choose…

26 October

Boun Ork Phansa

Luang Prabang

Boun Ork Phansa marks the end of the three-month Buddhist rainy season retreat, when monks who were ordained during this period leave the temple…

26–28 October

Boun Lai Heua Fai: Festival of Light

Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang transforms into a glowing sanctuary as Buddhist Lent draws to a close during Boun Lai Heua Fai, the Festival of Light. This…

27 October

Festival of the Light Boats

Luang Prabang

Lhai Heua Fai is a traditional festival celebrated in Luang Prabang Province to honor the Phanang Naga and bring good luck. Villages create and…

9–11 October

Luang Prabang Trail

Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang Trail 2026 invites runners to challenge themselves on scenic trails in Luang Prabang, Laos. The event includes multiple race distances with special…

24 October

Luang Prabang Half Marathon

Luang Prabang

A scenic half marathon through Luang Prabang that starts at the Royal Palace, drawing runners who want to combine a meaningful cause with a…

All events in Laos

Hostels

Where to stay in Laos

The highest-rated hostels in the country, live from Hostelworld. Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane have almost all of them.

9.6 1,321

Laos travel questions

The ones we get asked most.

How long do you need in Laos?

Ten days to two weeks. Luang Prabang deserves three or four days, Vang Vieng two or three, and the rest depends on whether you do a motorbike loop or head south to the 4000 Islands.

Has the new railway changed things?

Completely. Vientiane to Luang Prabang used to be a day and a half on mountain roads and now takes about two hours for €15 to €30. Tickets sell out, so book a few days ahead or through an agent.

Is Laos cheap?

Among the cheapest countries in the region. Dorms from €6, noodle soup at €2, Beerlao under a euro, and the Luang Prabang night market buffet at about €2 for a full bowl. A day runs €20 to €30.

How should I behave at the alms giving?

Watch from a distance and in silence, do not use flash, and do not step into the procession for photographs. If you want to participate, arrange it properly through your accommodation rather than buying food from street vendors on the morning.

Is it safe to drink in Laos?

Stick to sealed bottled beer. There have been serious methanol poisoning incidents involving spirits, including deaths of travellers in Vang Vieng in 2024, so avoid free shots, spirit buckets and drinks from unlicensed sources.

What is the Thakhek Loop?

A three or four day motorbike circuit through limestone country, caves and villages, with Kong Lor — a seven-kilometre river cave you travel through by boat — as the highlight. It is the best road trip in southeast Asia if you are confident on a bike.

When is the best time to visit?

November to February, when it is cool and dry. Avoid March and April in the north, when burning season smoke makes air quality genuinely poor and temperatures reach the mid-thirties.

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Things To Do In Laos

Slower than everywhere around it

Where to go

Vientiane

Luang Prabang

Vang Vieng

Nong Khiaw

What kind of trip is this?