What the walk covers
The Old Quarter is the part of Hanoi that people picture before they arrive: 36 streets, each named after the trade that once filled it — silk, tin, bamboo, paper. Most of the trades have gone. The street names and the shape of the buildings have not.
The houses here are worth the walk on their own. They are neither the apartment blocks of a modern Asian city nor the stilt houses of the northern mountains, but tube houses — narrow at the front because tax was levied on street frontage, and running back an extraordinary distance. Even the damage of the war years left much of the original grain intact, and anyone with an interest in architecture will spend the whole three hours looking up.
Highlights
- The guild streets and what each of them used to sell
- Tube houses, and why they are the shape they are
- Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple on its island
- Local specialities to try along the way, chosen by your guide
- The weekend walking street and night market, if your walk falls on a Friday to Sunday
Itinerary
Your guide meets you at your hotel at 9:00 AM or 2:00 PM, depending on the slot you booked, and the walk starts there.
The first part is the guild streets themselves — wandering rather than marching, because the point is the detail: a shrine wedged between two shops, a house that has been in one family for four generations, a street that still sells only votive paper.
After that you head for Hoan Kiem Lake. There is time to visit Ngoc Son Temple on its island, or simply to sit with a drink — Trang Tien or Thuy Ta ice cream, or one of the cafés on the lakeside, egg coffee included.
At weekends the streets around the lake are closed to traffic from Friday evening to Sunday night. If your walk falls then, the last hour is considerably calmer and the night market is worth staying on for.
The morning walk finishes around noon; the afternoon walk around 5:00 PM. Both end near the lake, which is a short walk from most Old Quarter hotels.
What is included, and what is not
| Included | Not included |
|---|---|
| An English-speaking student guide for the whole walk | Entrance tickets to museums and sites |
| Route planning and hotel pick-up | Food, drinks and snacks along the way |
| Confirmation by email before the day | Taxis, ride-hailing or any transport |
| Your personal expenses, and your guide's share of tickets and meals |
Changes, cancellation and weather
If you cannot make the walk, tell us at least three hours before the departure time so we can let your guide know and offer the slot to someone else.
If weather or an unexpected closure affects a route after it has started, we may change the itinerary for everyone's safety. Where there is more than one sensible option, your guide will ask you before deciding.
Before you set off
- Tell us the ages of anyone in your group when you book, so the guide can set the right pace.
- Wear shoes you can walk several kilometres in, and cover shoulders and knees if pagodas or the Mausoleum are on the route.
- Photographs taken on the walk may be used in club promotion. If you would rather they were not, say so in the booking and we will not use them.
Book this walk
- Days
- 1
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