Coffee With a View: Da Lat Cafés You Can Reach by Motorbike

Why Da Lat is a café town

Da Lat sits on a high plateau at about 1,500 metres, so mornings are cool, the air is fresh and the coffee is strong. Much of Vietnam's coffee grows on the Central Highlands around the city, and drinking it slowly while looking over a valley is a local habit. Many of the best view cafés are on hillsides a few kilometres from the centre — easy on a scooter, tiring on foot.

The main café areas

• Xuan Huong Lake and the centre: rooftop cafés above the city and garden cafés right by the lake. Flat and close together — the easiest start, perfect for a first morning.
• 3/4 Street and the southern hills: cafés built on the slopes look over pine forest and the valley, and are best at sunset. Some lanes down to the cafés are short but steep — ride slowly or park at the top.
• East towards Trai Mat: garden cafés with flower beds and rooftops over greenhouse valleys. A nice morning loop that you can combine with Da Lat Railway Station.
• Tuyen Lam Lake: about 5 km south of the centre as the crow flies, with tables near the water and pine hills around — calm in the morning.
• Coffee farms outside town: near Ta Nung, about 11 km away by road, you can see how coffee is grown and drink it among the plants. The road is hilly.

Our free map of 12 cafés with a view shows these places with directions, and the night-view café map covers six cafés on the eastern hills where you watch the city lights after dark.

When to go

• Early morning: the best chance of mist over the lakes and valleys, and the quietest tables.
• Late afternoon to sunset: the classic time for valley-view cafés — arrive a little early to get a seat by the edge.
• Evening: city-light cafés on the hills. It gets cold quickly, so bring a jacket.
• Weekends and holidays are busy with visitors from Ho Chi Minh City; weekday mornings are calmest.

Opening hours and menus change often, so check Google Maps before you ride. Many cafés ask each guest to order a drink to sit.

What to order

Try cà phê sữa đá (iced coffee with condensed milk), cà phê đen (strong black coffee) or a hot cà phê sữa on a cold morning. Many places also serve egg coffee, coconut coffee, artichoke tea or hot soy milk. If you do not drink coffee, ask for trà (tea) — Da Lat's highland tea is excellent.

Riding and parking tips

• Most cafés have their own parking; staff often give you a parking ticket (gửi xe) — keep it.
• Plan two or three cafés in the same area instead of crossing town; it is more relaxing and you see more.
• Hillside lanes can be steep and wet after rain: go slowly, use both brakes and walk the bike if needed.
• Pull fully off the road before stopping for photos.
• No alcohol or beer when riding, and strictly follow Vietnamese traffic law.

Which bike for a café day

For cafés around the lake and in the centre, a Honda Vision or an electric scooter is light and easy. For the southern hills, Trai Mat or coffee farms outside town, the Honda Air Blade 125cc is more comfortable, especially with two people. After dark, you can continue to the night market for dinner.

Rent a scooter for your café day

At Van Phu every bike is 150,000 VND per day with no cash deposit (you leave your passport or ID card), a free helmet and a phone holder for Google Maps. Our shop opens at 4:30 am, so you can catch the morning mist. See all bikes on our Da Lat motorbike rental page and message us on WhatsApp — we are happy to suggest a café route for the weather that day.