How to Get Around Dalat Without a Car: Walking, Grab, Buses or a Scooter

Walking: great for the centre, hard beyond it

The heart of Da Lat is compact. Xuan Huong Lake, Da Lat Market, the night market, the Hoa Binh area and many cafés are within about 1–2 km of each other, so a walking day in the centre is easy and pleasant in the cool air. Walking stops being fun once you leave the centre: the streets climb and drop all the time, pavements are narrow or missing in places, and most sights — waterfalls, Tuyen Lam Lake, the tea hills, flower farms — are 5–25 km away.

• Good for: the lake, the market, cafés, an evening at the night market.
• Not good for: anything outside the centre, rainy afternoons, older travellers on steep streets.

Grab and taxis: easy point-to-point rides

Ride-hailing apps such as Grab work in Da Lat, and there are local taxi companies too. You can order a car or a motorbike ride (with a driver) and see the price in the app before you book. This is a comfortable choice for single trips — from the bus station to your hotel, to a restaurant at night, or when it is pouring with rain.

• Pros: no riding yourself, door to door, good in heavy rain.
• Cons: costs add up when you visit several places a day; at remote sights you may wait a long time for a car back; you cannot stop on the road for a photo.

Local buses: for towns, not for sightseeing

Da Lat has a few local and regional bus routes linking the city with nearby towns and the airport area. They are cheap, but they follow fixed routes and timetables and don't stop at most viewpoints, waterfalls or cafés. Ask your hotel for the current routes before relying on them; for a sightseeing day they are rarely practical.

Tours: the whole day is planned for you

Group or private tours (by minibus, jeep or with a motorbike driver) are a good option if you don't want to ride at all. You give up flexibility — the timing and stops are fixed — but you don't have to think about navigation.

Renting a scooter: the most freedom

This is why so many travellers choose a scooter in Da Lat. With your own bike you can catch the sunrise at the tea hills, stop at a café among the pines, change plans when the clouds roll in and reach places no bus goes. All our bikes are automatic — no gears or clutch — so it is easier than many people expect.

• Pros: your own timing, any detour you like, one fixed price for the whole day.
• Cons: you need to ride carefully on hills and in rain; it is not for travellers who have never ridden a two-wheeler and don't want to learn.

Which option fits which day

• Arrival and departure day: walk or take a Grab with your luggage.
• A day in the centre: walking plus a scooter or Grab for the far end of town.
• Waterfalls, lakes, tea hills, flower farms: a scooter, or a tour if you don't ride.
• Heavy rain: Grab or a taxi, and an indoor plan.

For ideas where to ride, see our motorbike routes around Da Lat and the 2-day itinerary. New to riding here? Read our riding tips first.

Rent a scooter from Van Phu

Every bike — Honda Vision 110cc, Honda Air Blade 125cc or an electric scooter — costs 150,000 VND per day, with a helmet and a phone holder included, and 1 liter of fuel in gas scooters. There is no cash deposit: you leave your passport or ID card. Vietnam drives on the right; no alcohol or beer when riding, and strictly follow Vietnamese traffic law. Prices and booking: motorbike rental in Da Lat.