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Best Things to Do in Luang Prabang from Temple Touring to Learning to Cook Lao Food. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved. Buddha statue at Wat Visounnarath Temple, Luang Prabang, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Laos.

Best Things to Do in Luang Prabang from Temple Touring to Learning to Cook Lao Food

The best things to do in Luang Prabang, the beguiling UNESCO World Heritage-listed former royal capital, whose peaceful streets are lined with splendid colonial villas and sparkling temples containing golden Buddhas, include everything from observing the early morning alms-giving ritual to learning to cook Lao food.

Lovely Luang Prabang lies on the banks of the Mekong River in northwestern Laos. Its compact, well-preserved, UNESCO World Heritage-listed historic centre is located on a sleepy peninsula formed by the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers. Its palm-shaded streets are lined with shimmering Buddhist temples, handsome French colonial villas, and charming shop-houses that are home to boutiques selling textiles and crafts and atmospheric restaurants, cafés and bars.

An ideal escape from chaotic Southeast Asian capitals such as Bangkok, Saigon and Phnom Penh, Luang Prabang is one of the region’s most serene cities. Aside from boisterous festive holidays, such as Lao New Year, the bustle of the morning markets is about as busy as things get. Pre-pandemic, the late afternoon arrival of travellers on the slow boats from Thailand brought a little more activity.

That tranquillity and the unhurried pace of life are big parts of the appeal of Luang Prabang, along with diminutive size of its historic heart. You can leisurely stroll from one end of the 2km-long heritage area to the other in twenty minutes. But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t take long to experience the place. On the contrary, there’s a lot to do for such a petite town.

Some of the best things to do in Luang Prabang include observing the early morning alms-giving ritual (from a respectful distance), discovering the countless mural-clad temples, learning to weave on a traditional loom, ambling the lush botanic gardens, sampling buffalo ice-cream, and climbing Phousi Hill for Mekong River sunset vistas.

You can’t travel to Luang Prabang right now unfortunately as the Lao borders remain closed to foreign tourists. Although there’s talk of travel bubbles and opening up to safe countries. Laos has only had 20 coronavirus cases and zero deaths, so who can blame them for wanting to keep things that way. But you can still dream about travelling to Laos and when you can these are the best things to do in Luang Prabang.

Things to Do in Luang Prabang from Temple Touring to Learning to Cook Lao Food

Stay at a Heritage Hotel that Oozes History

One of the first things to do in Luang Prabang is to check into one of the many atmospheric heritage hotels that ooze history. The Hotel 3 Nagas in Lamache House, built in 1898 as a venue for royal court meetings and a former residence of Lao royal Tiao Sithideth Sisaleumsack and his French wife Dany Lamache.

Across the road, there are more rooms at Khamboua House, built in 1903 for the King’s counsellor and named after one of the 15 wives of Sisavang Phoulivong, King of Laos from 1904 until his death in 1959. Lamache House was once the official ice-creamery to the Royal Palace in the 1930s, and Khamboua’s ground floor now serves as an ice-cream parlour and café. You can hire one of the hotel’s vintage cars, either a 1957 Mercedes-Benz or a 1953 Citroen.

A grand whitewashed French-colonial mansion, Maison Souvannaphoum was home to four-time Prime Minister of Laos, Prince Souvanna Phouma, the half-brother of Prince Souphanouvong. The Prince’s former lodgings, the Maison Room has polished parquet floors, a Victorian style bathtub and a pretty balcony overlooking the lush garden.

Satri House was built in 1904 by Prince Bounkhong, the last uparat (viceroy) of Luang Prabang and father of Prince Souphanouvong, who lived here as a child and was the first President of the new Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Rooms are furnished with four-poster beds, antiques carpets, artefacts, and crafts.

Set on the riverside in lemon-coloured colonial-style buildings with grey-blue shutters, The Apsara Rive Droite has polished teak floors, rattan furniture, and balconies with river views. Built around a former royal summerhouse, Belmond La Residence Phou Vao has lush gardens filled with frangipani and mango trees and dotted with lotus ponds.

For more inspiration, see our guide to Luang Prabang’s best boutique hotels. Luang Prabang is also home to luxury hotels such as Luang Say Residence and Amantaka.

Tour the Glittering Temples of Luang Prabang

Touring the glittering temples to gawk at the magnificent murals and shimmering mosaics is one of the best things to do in Luang Prabang and the next thing you should do after checking into your historic hotel. Luang Prabang was the capital of Lane Xang, ‘Kingdom of a Million Elephants’, from the 14th to the 16th century.

It was an important centre of Buddhism, which explains the abundance of gleaming mosaic-covered pagodas in the historic centre. Allow at least a few days to discover the scores of dazzling temples, richly decorated with engravings, gilding, stencilled patterns, sculptures, and paintings.

While you could visit the temples on your own, we recommend venturing out with a local guide on a temple walking tour (at least for the first time) for an insider perspective on the history as well as the chance to learn about local customs and experience local rituals, such as fortune telling.

Highlights include Wat Visoun, also known as Wat Wisounalat, Wat Visounnarath and Wat Wisunarat, which is named after King Wisunarat, who reigned during the temple’s construction in 1512. Neighbouring Wat Aham or the Monastery of the Opened Heart, built in 1818, is set in sprawling grounds shaded by colossal banyan or Bhodi trees.

Wat Xieng Thong or the Temple of the Golden City, at the tip of the peninsula where the Mekong meets the Nam Khan was built in 1560 by King Setthathirath and is Luang Prabang’s most important temple. A Royal Temple, it was the site of royal coronations, festivals and cremations for centuries, which is why the stupendous, carved, gilded funerary carriage house is crammed with gold Buddhas, intricately carved urns, and a gold cremation chariot decorated with naga heads.

It’s the most magical of Luang Prabang’s temple complexes. This Buddhism Tour with a Local Guide takes in the most significant Luang Prabang historical Buddhist temples, as well as offering the chance to participate in the early morning alms giving ceremony, which you do with locals.

Observe the Early Morning Alms Giving to the Monks in Luang Prabang

For most travellers to Laos, observing the early morning alms giving to monks is at the top of their to-do list, and it’s easily one of the best things to do in Luang Prabang. Called tak bat in Lao, the morning procession of monks from nearby monasteries through the heart of the historic centre to collect rice from locals is all about making merit for the Buddhist residents making offerings to the monks.

Sadly, with the rise in tourism of recent years, photographing the monks became a spectacle due to the picturesque background, and even a bit of a circus, with many tourists obsessed with securing the perfect photo, getting too close to monks, shoving their lenses in their faces, and demonstrating disrespect to Buddhists and Lao culture. When the borders open, make a beeline for Luang Prabang before the masses get there to miss that obnoxious behaviour.

We recommend doing a temple tour first with a local guide so you can learn about Buddhist rituals and how to observe the alms-giving from a respectful distance, and if you’re really keen to participate in tak bat, learn how to do so considerately.

Luang Prabang’s best hotels provide information on ‘do’s and don’ts’ for guests, advising travellers how to behave and even arranging for their guests to join hotel staff in making merit. If you choose to set out on your own to experience tak bat please do click through to our link above to read our advice on how to do so respectfully.

Learn How to Cook Lao Food in Luang Prabang

Learning how to cook the local food of the places we go to has always topped our to-do list when we travel and Laos was no exception on our first trip. If you’re a food-lover, learning how to cook Lao cuisine is easily one of the best things to do in Luang Prabang and the best person to learn Lao cooking from is chef Joy Ngeuamboupha of Tamarind restaurant.

A former novice monk, DJ and bartender before he became a chef, Joy opened his restaurant and cooking school with his Australian wife Caroline, and quickly established Tamarind as the best place to learn to cook Lao food in Luang Prabang.

We joined Joy for a cooking class, which began with a morning market tour, on our first trip to Laos and it was easily one of the best cooking classes in Southeast Asia that we’ve done in all our years in the region. Lao cuisine is not well known outside Southeast Asia — unlike Thai food and Vietnamese food – which is reason enough to learn how to cook Lao cuisine.

If you don’t want to do the cooking class it’s possible to just do the market tour, which we highly recommend for lovers of local markets.

Hike Up Phousi Hill for Golden Buddhas and Luang Prabang Sunsets

Another one of the best things to do in Luang Prabang is to hike up Phousi Hill or Mount Phousi for the panoramic vistas of the picturesque old town, the Mekong and Khan Rivers, and the surrounding majestic mountains, as well as the stupas, shrines and shimmering Buddhas that speckle the hill itself.

We recommend using the ‘back entrance’ to Phousi Hill and climbing up the steep dog-legged stairs that start on Ratsavong Road, rather than take the busier staircase that begins in front of the National Museum. When we last did it we were quite alone, except for a novice monk foraging in the forest.

Aside from the spectacular views, there are a few sights on top of the hill, including Wat Pa Huak, a golden stupa, a small chapel, the ‘Buddha’s footprint temple’ of Wat Phra Buddabhat with a seated Buddha image in a grotto, and Kuan Ou, the Goddess of the Waters shrine. Do dress modestly, cover your shoulders and legs, and take plenty of bottled water with you.

How to Get to Luang Prabang

While coronavirus travel restrictions remain in place and the borders are currently closed, there are usually direct flights to Luang Prabang from Bangkok, Hanoi, Siem Reap, and other Southeast Asian cities. You can also travel to Luang Prabang by boat from Thailand along the Mekong River. There is a fast boat and a slow boat and we recommend the latter. We loved our few sultry days cruising down the Mekong on the Luang Say boat.

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About Lara Dunston

A travel and food writer who has experienced over 70 countries and written for The Guardian, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Feast, Delicious, National Geographic Traveller, Conde Nast Traveller, Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia, DestinAsian, TIME, CNN, The Independent, The Telegraph, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, AFAR, Wanderlust, International Traveller, Get Lost, Four Seasons Magazine, Fah Thai, Sawasdee, and more, as well as authored more than 40 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, DK, Footprint, Rough Guides, Fodors, Thomas Cook, and AA Guides.

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Lara and Terence are an Australian-born, Southeast Asia-based travel and food writers and photographers who have authored scores of guidebooks, produced countless travel and food stories, are currently developing cookbooks and guidebooks, and host culinary tours and writing and photography retreats in Southeast Asia.
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Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check o Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check out our seafood recipe collection, especially if you celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve with a fish focused meal in the Southern Italian tradition, transformed by Italian-Americans into the Feast of the Seven Fishes, or like Australians, who celebrate Christmas in the sweltering summer, feast on seafood for Christmas Day lunch, we’ve got lots of easy seafood recipes for you.

Our recipes include a classic prawn cocktail, blini with smoked salmon, a ceviche-style appetiser, and devilled eggs with caviar. We’ve also got recipes for fish soup, seafood pies and pastas, salmon tray bake, and crispy salmon with creamy mashed potatoes.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/seafood-recipes-for-christmas-eve-and-christmas-day-menus/
(Link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas if you’re celebrating!! 

#christmas #christmasfood #seafood #fish #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #grantourismo #grantourismotravels #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you’re still looking for food inspo for Chris If you’re still looking for food inspo for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meals, my smoked salmon ‘carpaccio’ recipe is one of dozens of recipes in this compilation of our best Christmas recipes (link below). 

The Christmas recipe compilation includes collections of our best Christmas breakfast recipes, best Christmas brunch recipes, best Christmas starter recipes, best Christmas cocktails, best Christmas dessert recipes, and homemade edible Christmas gifts and more.

My smoked salmon carpaccio recipe makes an easy elegant appetiser that’s made in minutes. If you’re having guests over, you can make the dish ahead by assembling the salmon, capers and pickled onions, and refrigerate it, then pour on the dressing just before serving. 

Provide toasted baguette slices and bowls of additional capers, pickles and dressing, so guests can customise their carpaccio. And open the bubbly!

You’ll find that recipe and many more Christmas recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/best-christmas-recipes/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas!! X

#christmas #christmasfood #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #salmon #smokedsalmon #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels 
#xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I sh If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I shared a collection of recipes for homemade edible Christmas gifts — for condiments, hot sauces, chilli oils, a whole array of pickles, spice blends, chilli salt, furakake seasoning, and spicy snacks, such as our Cambodian and Vietnamese roasted peanuts. 

I love giving homemade edibles as gifts as much as I love receiving them. Who wouldn’t appreciate jars filled with their favourite chilli oils, hot sauces, piquant pickles, and spicy peanuts that loved-ones have taken the time to make? 

Aside from the gesture and affordability of gifting homemade edibles, you’re minimising waste. You can use recycled jars or if buying new mason jars or clip-top Kilner jars, you know they’ll get repurposed.

No need for wrapping, just attach some Christmas baubles or tinsel to the lid. I used squares of Cambodian kramas (cotton scarves), which can be repurposed as napkins or drink coasters, and tied a ribbon or two around the lids, and attached last year’s Christmas tree decorations to some.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/homemade-edible-christmas-gifts/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Yes, that’s Pepper... every time there’s a camera around... 

#christmasgiftideas #ediblegifts ##christmasfoodgifts #foodgifts #giftideas #homemadegifts #christmasfood #ediblegiftideas #hotsauce #chillisauce #sriracha #pickles #homemadepickles #recipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood 
#blackcat #blackcatsofinstagram #picoftheday 
#christmas #christmastree #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas #cambodia #siemreap
This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’ This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’s perfect if you’re just back from the fish markets armed with luxurious fresh crab meat. It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and very, very moreish.

Our crab omelette recipe was one of our 22 most popular egg recipes of 2022 on our website Grantourismo and it’s no surprise. It’s appeared more times than any other egg recipes on our annual round-ups of most popular recipes since Terence launched Weekend Eggs when we launched Grantourismo in 2010.

If you’re an eggs lover, do check out the recipe collection. It includes egg recipes from right around the world, from recipes for classic kopitiam eggs from Singapore and Malaysia and egg curries from India and Myanmar to all kinds of egg recipes from Thailand, Japan, Korea, China, Mexico, USA, Australia, UK, and Ireland.

And do browse our Weekend Eggs archives for further eggspiration (sorry). We have hundreds of egg recipes from the 13 year-old series of recipes for quintessential egg dishes from around the world, which we started on our 2010 year-long global grand tour focused on slow, local and experiential travel. 

We’re hoping 2023 will be the year we can finally publish the Weekend Eggs cookbook we’ve talked about for years based on that series. After we can find a publisher for the Cambodia cookbook of course... :( 

Recipe collection here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio):
https://grantourismotravels.com/22-most-popular-egg-recipes-of-2022-from-weekend-eggs/

If you cook the recipe and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either in the comments at the end of the recipe or share a pic with us here.

#recipe #recipes #eggs #eggslover #breakfasteggs #WeekendEggs #egg #breakfast #brunch #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #lookingforapublisher #writingacookbook  #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angko I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angkor Archaeological Park, home to stupendous Angkor Wat, pictured, celebrated 30 years of its UNESCO World Heritage listing. 

That’s as good an excuse as any to put this magnificent, sprawling archaeological site on your travel list this year.

While riverside Siem Reap, your base for exploring Angkor is bustling once more, there are still nowhere near the visitors of the last busy high season months of December-January 2018-2019 when there were 290,000 visitors. 

Last month there were just 55,000 visitors and December feels a little quieter. A tour guide friend said there were about 150 people at Angkor Wat for sunrise a few days ago.

If you’re looking for tips to visiting Angkor, Siem Reap and Cambodia, just ask us a question in the comments below or check Grantourismo as we’ve got loads of info on our site. Click through to the link in the bio and explore our Cambodia guide or search for ‘Angkor’. 

And please do let us know if you’re coming to Siem Reap. We’d love to see you here x

#siemreap #cambodia #asia #travel #instatravel #traveldeeper #slowtravel #localtravel #experientialtravel #exploremore #neverstopexploring #goexplore #igtravel #angkorwat #angkor #temple #temples #angkorwithoutcrowds #unesco #unescoworldheritagesite #unescoworldheritage #archaeology #archaeologicalsite #traveladdict #beautifuldestinations #beautifulplaces #travelgram #wanderlust #picoftheday📷 #grantourismotravels.
Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky, flavourful and succulent chicken thighs that are fantastic with steamed rice, Chinese greens or a salad, such as a Southeast Asian slaw. 

The chicken can be marinated for up to 24 hours before cooking, which ensures it’s packed with flavour, then it can be cooked on a barbecue or in a pan.

Terence’s soy ginger chicken recipe is one of our favourite recipes for a quick and easy meal. I love the sound of the sizzling thighs in the pan, and the warming aromas wafting through the apartment. 

It’s amazing how such flavourful juicy chicken thighs come from such a quick and easy recipe.

Recipe here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio): https://grantourismotravels.com/soy-ginger-chicken-recipe/

If you cook it and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either here or in the comments at the end of the recipe on the site or share a pic with us x 

#recipe #recipes #chicken #soygingerchicken #asianfood #southeastasianfood #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #cookingtime #recipe #recipes #comfortfood #foodblog #food #foodstagram #healthyfood #instafood #healthy #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re mak Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re making with my market haul from Psar Samaki in Siem Reap — all for a whopping 10,000 riel (US$2.50)?! 

Birds-eye chillies thrown in for free! They were on my list but the seller I spent most at (5,000 riel!) scooped up a handful and slipped them into my bag. She was my last stop and knew what I was making.

My Khmer is poor, even after all our years in Cambodia, as I don’t learn languages with the ease I did in my 20s, plus I’m mentally exhausted after researching and writing all day. I have a better vocabulary of Old and Middle Khmer than modern Khmer from studying the ancient inscriptions for the Cambodian culinary history component of our cookbook I’m writing.

So when one seller totalled my purchases I thought she said 5,000 riel but she handed back 4,500 riel! The sum total of two huge bunches of herbs and kaffir lime leaves was 500 riel.

Tip: if visiting Siem Reap, use Khmer riel for local shopping. We’ve mainly used riel since the pandemic started— rarely use US$ now as market sellers quote prices in riels, as do local shops and bakeries, and I tip tuk tuk drivers in riels. I find prices quoted in riels are lower.

Psar Samaki is cheaper than Psar Leu, which is cheaper than Psar Chas, as it’s a wholesale market, which means the produce is fresher. I see veggies arriving, piled high in the back of vehicles, with dirt still on them — as I did on this trip. 

The scent of a mountain of incredibly aromatic pineapples offloaded from the back of a dusty ute was so heady they smelt like they’d just been cut. More exotic European style veggies arrive by big trucks in boxes labelled in Vietnamese (from Dalat) and Mandarin (from China), such as beautiful snow-white cauliflower I spotted.

Note: the freshest produce is sold on the dirt road at the back of the market.

#cambodia #siemreap #foodwriter #foodblogger #foodphotography #igfood #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #instadaily #picoftheday #market #siemreapmarket #psarsamaki #marketfresh #vegetables #healthyfood #marketshopping #traveltips #foodtravel #culinarytravel #localtravel #cooking #cookingtime #curry #homemade #currypaste #grantourismotravels
My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recip My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recipe makes tender meatballs doused in a delightfully tangy-sweet sauce, sprinkled with crispy fried shallots, with carrot-daikon, crunchy cucumber and fragrant herbs. 

The dish is inspired by bún chả, a Hanoi specialty, but it’s not bún chả. No matter what Google or food bloggers tell you. Names are important, especially when cooking and writing about cuisines not our own.

This is an authentic bún chả recipe:  https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-bun-cha-recipe/ You’ll need to get the outdoor BBQ/grill going to do proper smoky bún chả meat patties (not meatballs).

My meatball noodle bowl is perhaps more closely related to dishes such as a Central Vietnam cousin bún thịt nướng (pork skewers on rice noodles in a bowl) and a Southern relation bún bò Nam Bộ (beef atop rice noodles, sprinkled with fried shallots (Nam Bộ=Southern Vietnam) though neither include meatballs. 

Xíu mại= meatballs although they’re different in flavour to mine, which taste more like bún chả patties. Xíu mại remind me of Southern Italian meatballs in tomato sauce.

In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, home to millions of Khmer, there’s bánh tằm xíu mại. Bánh tằm=silk worm noodles. They’re topped with meatballs, cucumber, daikon, carrot, fresh herbs, crispy fried onions. Difference: cold noodles doused in a sauce of coconut cream and fish sauce. 

Remove the meatballs, add chopped fried spring rolls and it’s Cambodia’s banh sung, which is a rice noodle salad similar to Vietnam’s bún chả giò :) 

Recipe here: (link in bio) https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-meatballs-and-rice-noodles-recipe/

For more on these culinary connections you’ll have to wait for our Cambodian cookbook and culinary history. In a hurry to know? Come support the project on Patreon. (link in bio)

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It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour matches the furnishings of our rented apartment. So, no, I did not colour-coordinate the interiors to match our cat’s eyes. 

I keep getting DMs from pet clothing brands wanting to “partner” with Pepper and send her free cat clothes and cat accessories. Although she did wear a kerchief for a few years in her more adventurous fashion-forward teenage years, I cannot see this cat in clothes now, can you? 

#pepper #blackcat #blackcats #blackcatsofinstagram #blackcatsrule #blackcatsmatter #cat #cats #catsofinstagram #catstagram #catlover #catlovers #catlove #catoftheday #catphoto #catpic #catpics #cambodiancat #cambodiancatsofinstagram #catlife #catloversclub #catoftheday #catgram #catstagram #cats_of_instagram #catphotography #catsofig #catsoftheworld #catsofinsta #cats🐱 #siemreap #cambodia

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