Hue Private City Tour: Citadel, Royal Tombs, Lunch & Tickets
Description
Hue in one private day, at a pace you choose. You travel with a licensed local guide - not a driver - so every gate, tomb and courtyard comes with the Nguyen Dynasty story behind it. The car is yours alone, and every option includes a private dragon boat on the Perfume River, all entrance fees and food. Three ways to spend the day - you pick the tombs: CITADEL, BOAT & ONE TOMB (6 hours) - Thien Mu Pagoda, the dragon boat, the Imperial City, and one royal tomb: Minh Mang, Khai Dinh or Tu Duc. CITADEL, BOAT & TWO TOMBS (8 hours) - the whole imperial day, with Khai Dinh plus either Minh Mang or Tu Duc. CITADEL, BOAT, TOMB & HUE FOOD (6.5 hours) - banh khoai with nem lui, banh uot thit nuong and salt coffee at family-run kitchens, around the Imperial City, the river and one tomb. We confirm timing, route and menu on WhatsApp beforehand, so dietary needs are sorted. We plan around the heat: early starts in summer, shaded stops at midday. Thuy Xuan incense village is free to add.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your licensed local guide and driver collect you from your hotel in Hue city at the departure time you chose when booking. We message you on WhatsApp before the day to confirm the pickup time, the route, which royal tombs you would like, and your lunch menu. The guide travels with you all day and is not the driver.
The seven-storey Phuoc Duyen tower stands above the Perfume River in front of a working monastery founded in 1601. On every option you reach it by private dragon boat one way and by car the other. The walk is flat and short, and there is no entrance fee. Your guide explains the pagoda's part in the Nguyen story and in more recent Vietnamese history.
About thirty minutes on the water between the city pier and Thien Mu Pagoda, on a dragon boat booked for your group alone rather than a shared tourist boat. Included on all three options. You are seated the whole way, so it is the easiest part of the day for anyone who would rather not be on their feet in the heat.
Two hours inside the walled Citadel, seat of the Nguyen emperors from 1802 to 1945 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your guide takes you in through the Ngo Mon gate and on to the Thai Hoa throne palace, the mandarin halls and the restored corners of the Forbidden Purple City, explaining who lived where and why the city is laid out the way it is. The entrance fee is included on all three options.
On "Citadel, Boat & One Tomb" and "Citadel, Boat & Two Tombs" this is a sit-down lunch at a family-run restaurant. The menu is agreed with you on WhatsApp before the day and vegetarian or other dietary needs are arranged in advance. On "Citadel, Boat, Tomb & Hue Food" there is no single lunch stop: the eating is spread across the day instead, with banh khoai and nem lui after the Imperial City, banh uot thit nuong after Thien Mu Pagoda, and Hue salt coffee to finish. Food is included on every option.
A roadside village of incense makers and conical hat makers on the way out to the royal tombs. There is no entrance fee and no charge to add it: tell your guide on the day, or when we confirm your route on WhatsApp, and we build in about thirty minutes. Available on all three options.
Finished in 1843 and the most formal of the three royal tombs: a symmetrical run of courtyards, gates, lakes and bridges set in gardens about twelve kilometres from the city. On "Citadel, Boat & Two Tombs" it is one of the two pairings you can choose, alongside Khai Dinh. On the other two options it is one of the three single tombs you can choose. The entrance fee is included.
Completed in 1931 and unlike anything else in Hue: blackened concrete and stone climbing a hillside, with an interior covered in glass and porcelain mosaic. Note that there are a lot of steps up to it. Visited on "Citadel, Boat & Two Tombs" whichever pairing you choose, and one of the three you can choose on the other two options. The entrance fee is included.
The largest and greenest of the three: pine woods, a lotus lake and a pavilion the emperor used for writing poetry while he was still alive. It is also the flattest to walk, which makes it the gentlest choice in hot weather. Paired with Khai Dinh on "Citadel, Boat & Two Tombs", and available as your single tomb on the other two options. The entrance fee is included.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We message you on WhatsApp before your tour day to confirm the pickup time, the route and your lunch menu. Please share your hotel address when you book.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A stroller fits in the car and rolls well at the Imperial City and Tu Duc Tomb, but Khai Dinh Tomb is a long flight of steps. Tell us on WhatsApp and we will plan around it.
- Khai Dinh Tomb is reached by a long flight of steps. On the two options where you choose your tomb, we can swap it for Tu Duc or Minh Mang, which are flatter.
Reviews(13)
We had a great day and a wonderful excursion. Our tour guide Hoa did an outstanding job. It was very pleasant to have her as a guide. At every location, we had enough time to sightsee, rest, and ask questions about the history and the places. She gave us a lot of information. Our driver was also very good and friendly. Both were very flexible and attentive. The food was delicious and the restaurant is a very nice place. The tour shows wonderful places in this great city and there are no bait-and-switch offers where you can only leave once you have bought something. The organization was excellent (via WhatsApp the evening before, pickup and return transfer punctual and at the hotel as agreed). We would definitely recommend the excursion. Best regards, Jens
Our private tour included a walking tour of the Imperial City, taxi to Pagoda and then dragon boat cruise back on Perfume River. Our guide Nhi was excellent- so friendly, kind and knowledgeable. On a very hot day she’d even prepared cold facecloths to keep us cool. Learnt so much in a few hours and a highlight of our stay in Hue
I wanted a good historical perspective on Hué and the tour was a perfect way to achieve that goal. Having a car for much of the day (plus the dragon boat ride) was an efficient way to cover a lot in a day, Nhi was a kind and knowledgeable tour guide.
We had an excellent tour with Rin through Get your Guide. He was very knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. He was our driver and also a great guide! He even gave us recommendations for restaurants and shops. Highly recommended!!!
We were thrilled. Ngoc our tour guide has great expertise, excellent English and is super friendly. The tour was entertaining.
Absolutely marvellous tour. Stunning locations and Matthew’s rich passion towards the history of Hue Dynasty, is marvellous and so worth it. Felt like I was back in time in all the eras we talked about. Highly recommend it - you do not want to miss this if in Hue. I have such a deeper appreciation of this city. Thank you, Matthew.
Highly highly recommend this tour with Matthew. He was extremely knowledgeable and offered incredible insights into the various points of interest we hit on the tour. He clearly knows a ton and feels passionately about Hue. His English is very good and he is easily understood.
Our guide My, picked us up promptly at our hotel with a very efficient and pleasant driver. As we headed off, she outlined what the day would be like, starting in the citadel and imperial city in the city of Hue itself. We spent a great deal of time there My provided extensive detail and answered all of our questions. My friend, and I are both extremely inquisitive and jump around from subject to subject and My was more than able to accommodate us. She had a great sense of history and a wonderful sense of humor. Over the course of the day, we went to a number of temples and mausoleums. the ones she chose were all different from each other but each one was spectacular and had lots of historical significance. We also found a casual lunch at a very friendly Roadside restaurant. I cannot recommend this guide highly enough for her intelligence, friendliness, and sense of humor, which made an eight hour day fly by. We will definitely use her again
Dear Henry, Thank you very much for taking full-day tour Hue city with us. My is one of our knowledgeable tour guides in Hue. We and My are so glad to have your compliments. We wish you both a great trip ahead! Best regards, Matthew
The tour was very well organised and ran well throughout the day. Matthew was very passionate about his city and gave plenty of informative historical facts. He was very friendly and always ready to assist with photo opportunities. I would highly recommend this tour and Matthew.
Thank you so much June and Polly for taking my full day tour. It is a great chance for me to show you both my city. Your compliments are very meaningful to me. Wish you both a great trip ahead!
Matthew was recommended to us by friends who had been on one of his tours previously. We opted for the full day tour and it was fantastic: Matthew was so friendly and informative and is very passionate about the history of Hue. The places we visited were so interesting and the lunch was delicious! We really couldn’t have hoped for a better tour guide - thank you Matthew!
Thank you very much Veronica for giving me a great review. It is a great gift for my job. It was my honor to have you from one of my previous guests who took this tour before. Thank you very much
