Hanoi Cyclo Tour: The Old Quarter in Two Hours

A cyclo and its driver on a Hanoi street

Hanoi Cyclo Tour: The Old Quarter in Two Hours

See the Old Quarter at cyclo pace, winding through the 36 streets and around Hoan Kiem Lake.

The classic way to see old Hanoi, from the seat of a cyclo. For two hours, a local driver pedals you slowly through the narrow lanes of the 36 streets, past temples, markets and shophouses, then around Hoan Kiem Lake. You sit back at eye level with the street life while your guide points out the details most visitors walk straight past.

Tour highlights

  • Ride through the Old Quarter's "36 streets" by cyclo
  • The guild lanes: Hang Ma, Hang Bac and Hang Gai
  • Dong Xuan, Hanoi's largest covered market
  • A loop around Hoan Kiem Lake and the red The Huc Bridge
  • St Joseph's Cathedral and the edge of the French Quarter
  • Stories of old Hanoi from your guide along the way

Itinerary

Every part can be changed to suit your group.

  1. Start Meeting Point and the 36 Streets

    We meet near Hoan Kiem Lake, where your cyclo and driver are waiting. Settled into the seat, you set off into the Old Quarter, the oldest part of Hanoi, where streets are still named after the trades once practised there. You roll slowly down Hang Ma with its paper and lanterns, Hang Bac the silver street and Hang Gai with its silk, while your guide rides alongside and explains the shophouses, temples and small shrines tucked between the shops.

    A cyclo on a street in Hanoi’s Old Quarter
  2. Midway Dong Xuan Market and the Riverside Lanes

    The route opens out at Dong Xuan Market, the largest covered market in Hanoi and a landmark since the French period. From here we wind through the busy lanes towards the edge of the old town, past street kitchens, flower sellers and the everyday trade that fills these pavements from dawn. The cyclo's slow pace lets you watch it all and stop for photos wherever you like.

    A cyclo on a tree-lined street in Hanoi
  3. Finish Hoan Kiem Lake and the French Quarter

    We come back to Hoan Kiem Lake, the heart of the city, and ride around its shaded path past the red The Huc Bridge and Ngoc Son Temple. A short loop takes in St Joseph's Cathedral and the grand avenues on the edge of the French Quarter before we return to the meeting point, about two hours after setting out. The route can be shortened or extended, and an English-speaking guide is with you the whole way.

    Ngoc Son Temple on Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi, on a mild autumn day

What is included

Included

  • English-speaking local guide
  • Private cyclo and driver for two hours
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off in the Old Quarter / central Hanoi
  • Bottled water
  • Photo stops along the way

Not included

  • Meals and drinks
  • Temple entrance fees (if you choose to go inside)
  • Personal travel insurance
  • Tips for guide and cyclo driver
  • Personal expenses

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Tour: Hanoi Cyclo Tour: The Old Quarter in Two Hours

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