With one day in Da Nang, you can get a pretty decent taste of what the city is all about. As a long-time resident, I’ve put together this one-day itinerary to help you make the most of your brief time in Da Nang.
If you’re doing Da Nang trip research, you’ll need to know the best time to visit, how to get around, and where to stay (though I covered this one briefly in a dedicated section below). If you want to mix and match other sights with my sample itinerary, here’s my article on things to do in Da Nang.
If you have any questions on Da Nang (or Hoi An), ask me in my Da Nang and Hoi An travel planning group, where I’ll personally answer them.
Da Nang 1-Day Itinerary Summary
- One full day is enough to get a good taste of Da Nang
- Where: stay near My Khe Beach, in Hai Chau near Bach Dang or Tran Phu streets, or in a hotel near one of the itinerary stops (I’ve provided recommendations for each below)
- Stops: must-visits include My Khe Beach, the Dragon Bridge, the Marble Mountains, and Lady Buddha
Arriving at Da Nang Airport
To get to Da Nang, you’ll likely be flying into Da Nang International Airport (DAD), which is conveniently located right in the city (here). It’s also one of the better airports that I’ve used in Southeast Asia — definitely one of the best in Vietnam.
Getting from the airport to your hotel in the city or near My Khe Beach will take no longer than 15 to 20 minutes. The best way to do this would be to use the Grab app (like Uber) to order a taxi after you land. To do this, you’ll need a SIM card or Wi-Fi. Here’s my SIM card guide. If you want to pre-order a SIM card and pick it up at the airport, you can do that here.
If you don’t want to deal with travel apps or SIM cards, a hassle-free way to get to your hotel is to pre-order an airport transfer from a travel site like Klook. Here is their airport transfer from Da Nang airport.
Clearing the immigration line after arriving is the most time-consuming hurdle, and it can take anywhere from 15 minutes to well over an hour. After immigration, you’ll have a line of SIM card vendors on your left side and baggage claim carousels on your right.
Anthony’s tip: usually, the arrival immigration lines feed to one desk with one officer. But sometimes, a single line will feed to two desks, and these will move much faster. So when you’re going down the stairs to the immigration area, and you see a few different lines, see if you notice one that’s feeding to two officers. In my recent experience, this has been the line furthest away.
Also, when you step off the plane and make your way through the airport to immigration, be mindful that everyone on your plane, plus other newly-arrived planes, is heading for immigration. So, with a bit of pep in your step, you can get ahead of the large crowd and ultimately save a good chunk of time.
Where to Stay in Da Nang for One Day
With only one day in Da Nang, you’ll want to stay somewhere central and convenient. This is either across from My Khe Beach or near Bach Dang and Tran Phu streets in Da Nang’s city side. Both areas have tons of options for any kind of food or drink you’re after and are great for on-foot wandering.
Near My Khe Beach, I like the TMS Hotel (Agoda / Booking) and the Sala Danang (Agoda / Booking). Both of these have great breakfasts. Here’s my review of the Sala Danang.
If you prefer staying in the city, the Cozy Danang (Agoda / Booking) is a nice boutique hotel. For a high-rise with river views, look at the Vanda Hotel (Agoda / Booking).
Another option: You could also stay in a hotel or resort that’s near one of the attractions you plan to visit. My itinerary below starts with visiting the Marble Mountains in the morning, and there are two nice beachside resorts across the street: the Melia Danang Beach Resort (Agoda / Booking) and the Danang Marriott (Agoda / Booking).
For more details on areas and hotels, this article covers Da Nang’s best areas to stay, this one covers Da Nang’s hotels, and this one covers beach resorts.
Da Nang 1-Day Itinerary
Depending on where you stay, you’ll have several opportunities during the day to see both the Dragon Bridge and My Khe Beach. I’ve added them to the itinerary below, but because they’re central and easy to access, you can visit them whenever it works best for you.
The Dragon Bridge is the middle of five total bridges that connect Da Nang’s city side to its beach side. The city hotels I recommended above (the Cozy and Vanda) are at the Dragon Bridge’s tail.
The same goes for My Khe Beach — if you stay across the street (like at the TMS Hotel), you’ll be able to work in a visit around the attractions I recommend below. So keep that in mind as you go through my sample itinerary.
Breakfast: I recommend booking a hotel with breakfast as an add-on, which will save time for the day ahead. If not, there are tons of breakfast choices near My Khe Beach, especially in the My An area. SIX ON SIX (here’s my review) and NU Arrows are two good choices near the beach. I like Voi’s Kitchen, too, for breakfast or lunch.
I’ve also included recommendations for lunch/dinner in different sections below. You can also see my article on places to eat in Da Nang, which has some of my favorites.
I’m assuming that you have one full day in Da Nang. Starting early in the morning (let’s say, around 8 AM), here’s what I would do with 24 hours in Da Nang.
First Stop
After getting fueled with breakfast, in my opinion, you should start the day with what can be* the most strenuous activities — the Marble Mountains and Am Phu Cave (optional). They both open at 7 AM.
The cave and mountains are part of the same site (here). Depending on where you stay, the cave and mountains are about 15 minutes south of Da Nang’s beach side.
The cave is accessed from the ground level and requires a separate entrance ticket. If you’re claustrophobic, you’ll likely want to skip this. But if not, it’s worth the visit since you’re here anyway. Plan to spend around 30 minutes inside Am Phu Cave.
*There are two ways to get up to the Marble Mountains from ground level: an elevator or taking the stairs. But these only get you to the base level. From here, there is a mixture of flat areas, paths with stairs up and down, and a few steep staircases leading to the mountain’s best views (these are optional). But you will, at a minimum, have to climb several small and medium staircases on the mountains (unavoidable).
There are a lot of benches to rest. There’s also a dedicated relaxation area with drinks for sale and bathrooms in a central part of the mountain.
There are also a few caves to explore up here on the Marble Mountains. So if you skip Am Phu Cave, you can get your cave fix up here instead.
Personally, I would plan to spend at least two hours on top of the Marble Mountains. If you decide to visit later in the day, ticket sales stop around 5:30 PM. For more info and details, see my Am Phu Cave and Marble Mountains guide.
Second Stop
After the Marble Mountains, we’ll head north to Lady Buddha and the Linh Ung Pagoda on the Son Tra Peninsula. Here’s my detailed guide to visiting Linh Ung Pagoda and Lady Buddha.
This is one of my personal favorite places in Da Nang — it’s free to visit, with no tickets required, and the overall experience is always pleasant. You can see her from My Khe Beach, but here’s the location.
I filmed this video at the Lady Buddha statue and tried to capture the awesome views of Da Nang and the ocean.
Using the Grab app, a taxi from the Marble Mountains to Lady Buddha will cost between 200.000 and 300.000 VND, depending on the time and vehicle size. It will take between 20 to 30 minutes. Remember, we went about 15 minutes south of the beach to get to the Marble Mountains, and Lady Buddha is all the way north.
Itinerary note: You’ll be passing right by My Khe Beach on your way north to Lady Buddha. You can stop at the beach now, but it depends on the purpose of your beach visit. A more proper beach visit is next on the itinerary.
I designed it this way (doubling back) because I think visiting the cultural attractions first, which require walking/climbing, is better before relaxing at the beach. If you were to stop at the beach fully for a proper visit now, you risk being too drained to visit Lady Buddha after (which you absolutely should see).
As I mentioned, Lady Buddha is free to visit. It’s usually a peaceful experience, with a decent breeze and great views of Da Nang. Since it closes at 9 PM, you can also watch the sunset here. Plan to spend at least one to two hours here.
Third Stop
A stop at My Khe Beach can be done in a number of ways, depending on your interests. You can stop for 20 minutes to get some photos, rent a lounge chair for a couple of hours, or have lunch or a drink at one of the beachside restaurants or bars. You can read more about Da Nang’s other beaches here.
The atmosphere on the beach also varies depending on where you visit. For example, further north (here, at Man Thai Beach) is quiet and much less touristy. South, at My Khe Beach (here, by the My An area), is much more busy and touristy. Personally, I avoid this beach area.
A beach spot with a good blend of quiet and touristy is East Sea Park. This is one of my personal choices. It’s south of the aforementioned Man Thai Beach but north of the ultra-touristy My An.
Here’s a video I filmed at East Sea Park.
A lot of the restaurants on the beach can really be hit or miss in terms of service and quality, even though many look like they have great reviews. The beachside views are great, and I suspect that’s what mainly bolsters the positive reviews. They’re also going to be pricy because of the location.
Keep this in mind if you’re looking for a place to eat on the beach.
East West Brewing is a pretty reliable beachside restaurant for lunch/dinner and craft beer. In the same area are Esco Beach and Mad Platter.
As you’d expect, there are a lot of nearby seafood choices, too. Across from the beach, in the same area as the above restaurants, is Be Ni 2. And a bit further inland is this seafood restaurant (it’s popular, so expect a wait).
If you only have one day in Da Nang, I don’t recommend spending hours lying on the beach when there’s a lot to see elsewhere in the city.
Fourth Stop
We’ll be going over the Dragon Bridge into the city to the next stop. If you stay in a hotel by the beach, it would be a good time to get out here and enjoy the bridge from the dragon’s head side — tail = city, head = beach.
The bridge has raised walking sidewalks on both sides. I actually ran across the bridge last night during a run. Since there are five bridges (plus a pedestrian-only bridge at Nguyen Van Troi here), you can do a walking loop over the river.
There’s also a river promenade below the Dragon Bridge, with a small pier area here that is free to check out. A lot of good photo opportunities of the Dragon Bridge in this area.
I filmed this video from that pier.
If you’re in Da Nang on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, you can also visit the Dragon Bridge at night for the fire breathing show. The dragon’s head breathes fire and water. It usually starts around 9 PM and lasts about 10 to 15 minutes.
Fifth Stop
I personally like the promenade along the Han River in Da Nang’s city side. This is a great place to stroll in the evening and take in the breeze, the views of the river, the Dragon Bridge and other bridges, and the Son Tra Mountain in the distance.
The street and promenade along the river is Bach Dang Street. One street inland is Tran Phu Street. This is a popular and busy area, home to the Han Market and the Da Nang Cathedral (pink church).
Visiting the Han Market is free and totally optional. If you’ve been to Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City, you know what to expect: busy, touristy, a lot of knock-offs, and vendors ready to negotiate.
There are some nice riverside cafes, like Ut Tich Cafe and nearby Happy Coffee. For dinner, there are a lot of choices nearby, like the Vietnamese Xom Moi Garden. If you skipped East West Brewing before, there’s Heart of Darkness here in the city.
For good Western food, Bikini Bottom Express is nearby.
The promenade along Bach Dang Street actually runs a good length along the river on the city side. So you can actually start walking the promenade from further south if you want.
But the central, happening area of the promenade is north of the Dragon Bridge and south of the Song Han Bridge.
Bonus Stop
The Son Tra Night Market is near the head of the Dragon Bridge on Da Nang’s beach side (here). I would have suggested stopping here along with the Dragon Bridge stop earlier, but the night market doesn’t open until 5:30 PM. If you find that you’re visiting the Dragon Bridge later in the afternoon or evening, the night market is right next to the bridge.
In general, the situation at the night market is similar to what’s going on inside Han Market in Da Nang or Ben Thanh Market in HCMC, only outside and at night. There are a lot of different goods and souvenirs for sale. You can also eat dinner here if you want. Some of the vendors (not all) at markets can be pushy or aggressive, so be prepared. Welcome to Vietnam!
Da Nang Itinerary Flexibility
Renting a scooter for the day will open you up to seeing more in a short time. I personally use Quang Nga for my motorbike rentals. But don’t worry because using the Grab app to get around is very easy and convenient, too.
The suggested order of my items can be rearranged depending on where you’re staying and your personal preferences.
For example, if you stay further north along the beach at a hotel like the Le Sands Oceanfront (Agoda / Booking), then you’ll be close to Lady Buddha, so you may want to start your day there instead of the Marble Mountains (which are about 20+ minutes south of the Le Sands).
Or, you can look at a hotel like the Melia Vinpearl Riverfront (Agoda / Booking), which is a nice riverside hotel on Da Nang’s beach side. The Dragon Bridge is a 15-minute walk south along the river here. You could visit the bridge in the morning or at night (and pair it with the Son Tra Night Market from my bonus section).
If you are going to mix and match, remember that the Marble Mountains stops selling tickets at 5:30 PM, and Lady Buddha closes at 9 PM.
