Hanoi Temple Tours: Our Top 15

1.Ninh Binh, Trang An, Mua Cave and Bai Dinh Pagoda

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 345 reviews · from $38Our pick

Spend a full day outside Hanoi with an English-speaking guide such as Duc, Kate, Ruby, or Jadon. Visit Bai Dinh Pagoda, climb Mua Cave for sweeping Tam Coc views, eat a Ninh Binh buffet lunch, and glide through Trang An’s caves by sampan. Round-trip Old Quarter transport and entrance fees are included, though Bai Dinh’s 100,000 VND electric car ticket costs extra.

“Fantastic tour. Jadon and the other guide were excellent as was our driver. The tour is planned so that you have the option of seeing almost everything people recommend in Ninh Binh, including Bai Dinh, Trang An, and a choice between Hoa Lu and Hang Mua. It was one of the best organized tours we’ve taken in Vietnam, with simple pick up and drop off from our hotel in Hanoi, and the guides knew us all by name so we never worried about getting lost. The bus was air conditioned and comfortable. Jadon was a particularly compelling and knowledgeable guide who was able to answer all our questions and happy…”

Check availability →Our full write-up

2.Exploring Bai Dinh Pagoda -Trang An -Mua Cave with Buffet Lunch 1 Day From Hanoi

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 195 reviews · from $48Best reviewed

Travel from Hanoi Old Quarter to Bai Dinh Pagoda, Trang An, and Mua Cave on an 11 to 12-hour guided day trip. You’ll see Vietnam’s largest pagoda complex, eat a buffet lunch with local specialties such as goat meat, row through cave passages, and climb about 500 steps for wide views. Guides may include Ruby, Jack, or Quyen.

Check availability →Our full write-up

3.Full-Day Perfume Pagoda Private or Small-Group Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 174 reviews · from $67

Travel from Hanoi to Perfume Pagoda with an English-speaking guide, glide for an hour along Yen Stream, visit Thien Tru and Huong Tich Cave, and eat lunch near the mountain. You can walk the steep route or pay extra for the cable car. Guide Minh has earned especially warm praise for his clear explanations and good humor.

“The activity was really well planned and I would highly recommend this tour to family and friends”

Check availability →Our full write-up

4.Trang An Eco-tourism & Bai Dinh pagoda full day

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 148 reviews · from $37

Travel from Hanoi to Bai Dinh Pagoda, Trang An, and Mua Cave with an English-speaking guide. You’ll see vast Buddhist halls, row through limestone caves, eat a Vietnamese buffet lunch, and climb Ngoa Long Mountain for wide views. Guides may include Harry, Sy, Nemo, Tezzy, or Hai, depending on the departure.

“Everything was great. Tezzy was a great host and guide.”

Check availability →Our full write-up

5.Ninh Binh Boat Ride, Mua Cave Hike, Temple Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 146 reviews · from $37

Leave Hanoi for Ninh Binh with a guide such as Duong, Ruby, Jun, or Thang, depending on the departure. Choose a shared, VIP Dcar, or private tour. Visit Hoa Lu or Bai Dinh, climb Mua Cave, and ride a sampan through Trang An or Tam Coc. Expect a full day of scenery, history, buffet food, and some busy sightseeing stops.

“The Budist temples , and the boat trip were both excellent”

Check availability →Our full write-up

6.Full-Day Perfume Pagoda Group Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 141 reviews · from $48

Leave Hanoi’s Old Quarter for a full day at Perfume Pagoda, traveling by coach, electric vehicle, bamboo boat, and on foot. Visit Huong Tich Cave and Thien Tru Pagoda with an English-speaking guide such as Minh or Long. Expect beautiful scenery, sacred sites, a local lunch, and a tiring climb unless you choose the cable car.

“Excellent host (minh) very proud of his family history in the area and expressed this on the tour. Very well organised. It’s a long tiring day so wear comfortable shoes and we recommend the cable car for either up or down and walk the other.”

Check availability →Our full write-up

7.Perfume Pagoda – Yen Stream Boat Ride, Lunch & Cave

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 85 reviews · from $49

Travel from Hanoi Old Quarter with an English-speaking guide, ride a bamboo boat along Yen Stream, and visit Huong Tich Cave and Thien Tru Pagoda. The tour includes lunch, hotel pickup, an electric car transfer, and a group limited to 12 people. Guide Minh is praised for explaining local stories and Buddhist customs.

“It was amazing! Our guide Minh was fantastic! Best part was him singing Vietnamese songs while we were going down the river. And he told the story of his people and the pagoda, cave and the emperors daughter deep from the heart.”

Check availability →Our full write-up

8.Perfume Pagoda Day Tour with Boat Ride & Cave Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 20 reviews · from $46

From Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem Old Quarter, travel by air-conditioned car to Ben Duc Pier, cruise the Yen Stream, and visit the Perfume Pagoda complex and Huong Tich Cave. An English-speaking guide such as Minh explains the site’s legends and Buddhist traditions. Lunch is included, while the cable car and electric cart cost extra.

“Minh was an excellent tour guide, you could ask him anything. He taught us a lot about the stories and legends of the Perfume Pagoda, and he did it in perfect English. He always kept us in a good mood. Lunch was really generous. We couldn't eat everything :) Minh takes pictures of you during the trip, which he then sends to you via WhatsApp. I'd totally recommend this tour with Minh to anyone You'll definitely have a great, humorous day and feel very comfortable as a tourist. Thanks Minh :)”

Check availability →Our full write-up

9.Trang An & Bai Dinh Pagoda Full-Day Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 16 reviews · from $130

Travel from Hanoi to Ninh Binh with a private car and English-speaking guide, then visit vast Bai Dinh Pagoda and its bronze Buddha statues. After a Vietnamese lunch, ride a shared boat through Trang An’s caves and turquoise waterways. Guides such as Phong and Leo add useful local context. Expect a long but rewarding nine-hour day.

“Phong was a great guide. He was super knowledgeable and we learned a lot about religion in Vietnam. Would definitely book this tour again!”

Check availability →Our full write-up

10.From Ha Noi: Perfume Pagoda & Quang Phu Cau Incense Village

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 14 reviews · from $126

Travel privately from Hanoi to Perfume Pagoda, row along the Yen River, visit Thien Tru Pagoda and Huong Tich Cave, then stop at Quang Phu Cau Incense Village. An English-speaking guide, Vietnamese lunch, transport, boat ride, and entrance fees are included. Cable car tickets and non-English guide fees cost extra.

“Peccato aver saputo qua sul posto di dover pagare 60$ in più per la guida in italiano”

Check availability →Our full write-up

11.Full-Day Tour with Hoa Lo, Literature Temple & Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 9 reviews · from $29Cheapest good one

Choose a 5.5-hour afternoon visit to the Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison, or a full-day Hanoi tour with Tran Quoc Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda, lunch, and hotel pickup. Guides such as Son and Chuong Lee add useful context, while the schedule may change with traffic and attraction hours.

“This tour was great for learning about the history of Vietnam. I didn’t know much about President Ho Chi Minh and while I had heard about the “Hanoi Hilton”, I’m afraid to say that I didn’t know much about it either. There was so much to see and learn during this tour and I enjoyed it all.”

Check availability →Our full write-up

12.Full-Day Perfume Pagoda Group Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 8 reviews · from $48

This full-day trip from Hanoi takes you by air-conditioned bus and local boat to Perfume Pagoda. You will ride along Yen Stream, walk or pay extra for the cable car to Huong Tich Cave, eat lunch, and visit Thien Tru Pagoda. English-speaking guides such as Minh help explain the sacred sites and keep the day moving.

“The guide was very nice and very attentive...despite a bizarre departure...I think they had forgotten to send us the new meeting place...so after an email from me they were responsive and gave us a taxi to join the group bus...😊”

Check availability →Our full write-up

13.Full Day Trang An, Bich Dong Pagoda, Biking & Family Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · from $68

Travel from Hanoi to Ninh Binh in a small group of up to eight. Cycle through Tam Coc rice fields, visit a three-generation Vietnamese home, climb to Bich Dong Pagoda, and take a sampan through Trang An’s limestone caves. Guides such as Ben and Alex are praised for strong English and engaging history lessons.

“Alex, our guide, was fantastic. Great English, rich understanding of Vietnamese history and a friendly demeanor. The tour itself was also great. The bike ride was a particular highlight.”

Check availability →Our full write-up

14.Perfume Pagoda Full-day trip From Hanoi

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 5 reviews · from $52

Spend a full day at Vietnam’s sacred Perfume Pagoda complex with an English-speaking guide and a group capped at 15. Cruise Yen Stream, hike to Huong Tich Cave, eat a Vietnamese set lunch, and visit 18th-century Thien Tru Pagoda. Guide Minh has been praised for clear cultural explanations. Cable car tickets cost extra.

Check availability →Our full write-up

15.Full Day to Perfume Pagoda

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 4 reviews · from $52

Travel from Hanoi’s Old Quarter to Perfume Pagoda by air-conditioned vehicle and rowboat. Visit Thien Tru, climb or ride to Huong Tich Cave, eat a Vietnamese lunch, and see Heaven Kitchen Pagoda. English-speaking guide Minh may lead the day, and groups are limited to 15 people.

“A very complicated organization at the start, a lot of waiting and a very uncomfortable bus where we were compressed. That said, the guide Minh was wonderful, very enthusiastic, originally from the village, very proud of its history and the phenomenal pilgrimage which lasts 3 months. He shows us photos, explains well, is very competent and gave us some very funny moments on the boat with karaoke! The cellar is very large, the pagoda very beautiful... You have to pay extra for the electric car and provide a tip for the rower. At the restaurant look at the big vat with dead animals in it...horrible: it's for rice wine!!! Have…”

Check availability →Our full write-up