King Palace

Dalat

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Built by a French merchant in 1929, the surprisingly modest but attractive royal residence of Bao Dai (1913–97), Vietnam's last emperor, beckons visitors with its beautiful tree-lined avenue. It was home to Bao Dai and his family until they went into exile in France in 1954. The house was subsequently taken over by then Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem.

Highlights are the emperor's coronation photos and the easily missed secret doorway, disguised as a bookcase, that leads through tunnels to a parked Huey helicopter. For 40,000d you can have your photo taken next to a waxwork likeness of Bao Dai.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Room for guests in Hang Nga Crazy House on Huynh Thuc Khang Street.

    Hang Nga Crazy House

    2.55 MILES

    A freewheeling architectural exploration of surrealism, Hang Nga Crazy House is a joyously designed, outrageously artistic private home. Imagine…

  • Front of Cremaillere Railway Station.

    Crémaillère Railway Station

    0.91 MILES

    From Dalat’s wonderful art deco train station you can ride one of the nine scheduled trains that run to Trai Mat (return from 108,000d, 30 minutes) daily…

  • Linh Phuoc Pagoda or Ve Chai Pagoda.

    Linh Phuoc Pagoda

    2.16 MILES

    This complex comprises a large prayer hall, a dragon made from more than 10,000 beer bottles, a seven-storied pagoda, a massive Bodhisattva of Compassion…

  • Lang Dinh An village known as the Chicken Village of Koho weavers, Central Highlands, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam

    Lat Village

    6.21 MILES

    Less than 1km from the base of Lang Bian Mountain is Lat Village (pronounced ‘lak’), a fairly unremarkable minority community of about 6000 people spread…

  • Blue hour at Xuan Huong Lake

    Xuan Huong Lake

    1.91 MILES

    Created by a dam in 1919, this banana-shaped lake was named after an anti-authoritarian 17th-century Vietnamese poet. It has become a popular icon of…

  • DALAT, LAM DONG, VIETNAM - 2012/05/26: Dalat Flower Gardens Gazebo - With its cool mountain climate, Dalat is an excellent place for flowers and plants to thrive. The Dalat Flower Gardens were established in 1966 by the Vietnamese government, and are tended continually. Among the tastefully arranged flora are orchids, roses, fuchsias, hydrangeas, narcissus and ferns. Altogether there are more than 300 species of flowers and plants here, many of which blossom all year round. (Photo by John S Lander/LightRocket via Getty Images)

    Dalat Flower Gardens

    1.3 MILES

    These gardens were established in 1966 and include hydrangeas, fuchsias and orchids, the latter in shaded buildings to the left of the entrance. Like any…

  • K'Ho Coffee

    K'Ho Coffee

    5.88 MILES

    This coffee farm has been in the family of Rolan since the 1860s. It's part of a K'Ho coffee-growing cooperative that ensures profits directly support K…

  • Bidoup Nui Ba National Park

    Bidoup Nui Ba National Park

    13.99 MILES

    Occupying a densely forested highland plateau, this little-visited national park encompasses coniferous woodlands, bamboo groves and grasslands at…

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Nearby Dalat attractions

1. Lam Dong Museum

0.57 MILES

This hillside museum is a stampede through Dalat's history, with a side trip into natural history, complete with outrageously bad taxidermy, and plenty of…

2. Crémaillère Railway Station

0.91 MILES

From Dalat’s wonderful art deco train station you can ride one of the nine scheduled trains that run to Trai Mat (return from 108,000d, 30 minutes) daily…

3. Dalat Flower Gardens

1.3 MILES

These gardens were established in 1966 and include hydrangeas, fuchsias and orchids, the latter in shaded buildings to the left of the entrance. Like any…

4. Xuan Huong Lake

1.91 MILES

Created by a dam in 1919, this banana-shaped lake was named after an anti-authoritarian 17th-century Vietnamese poet. It has become a popular icon of…

5. Dalat Cathedral

2.09 MILES

The gingerbread-style Dalat Cathedral was built between 1931 and 1942 for use by French residents and holidaymakers. The cross on the spire is topped by a…

6. Linh Son Pagoda

2.14 MILES

Built in 1938, the Linh Son Pagoda is a lovely ochre-coloured building that fuses French and Chinese architecture. The giant bell is said to be made of…

7. Linh Phuoc Pagoda

2.16 MILES

This complex comprises a large prayer hall, a dragon made from more than 10,000 beer bottles, a seven-storied pagoda, a massive Bodhisattva of Compassion…

8. Hang Nga Crazy House

2.55 MILES

A freewheeling architectural exploration of surrealism, Hang Nga Crazy House is a joyously designed, outrageously artistic private home. Imagine…

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