Huế in a day: the Citadel, Thiên Mụ pagoda and the royal tombs

Huế was the capital of the Nguyễn emperors, and it still feels like one: a walled citadel on the Perfume River (sông Hương), pagodas on the hills, emperors’ tombs hidden in the pines. You could spend a week here. If you have one day, this is how to fill it without running.

Breakfast: bún bò

Start the way Huế does, with a bowl of bún bò: thick round noodles in a beef and pork broth with lemongrass and a red slick of chilli. It is a morning dish, and the good stalls are busiest early. Our bún bò guide tells you what is in the bowl and how to order it, and what to eat in Huế covers the rest of the city’s table.

Morning: the Imperial City

Inside the walls of the Citadel (Kinh Thành) sits the Imperial City, Đại Nội, where the emperors held court. Together with the tombs and pagodas around the city, it makes up the Complex of Huế Monuments, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.

• The Noon Gate (Ngọ Môn): the grand main entrance, with a pavilion on top where the emperor appeared on great occasions.
• The throne hall (điện Thái Hòa): red lacquer, gold dragons and the throne itself, where coronations and court ceremonies were held.
• The Forbidden Purple City (Tử Cấm Thành): the emperor’s private world at the centre. Much of the complex was damaged or destroyed in the wars of the 20th century, and restoration is still going on, so you walk between rebuilt halls, gardens and quiet patches of grass.

Give it the whole morning. It is big, and there is little shade.

Late morning: Thiên Mụ pagoda

A few kilometres upriver, Thiên Mụ pagoda stands on a low hill above the Perfume River, its seven-storey, eight-sided tower the most photographed shape in Huế. The name means “heavenly lady”: the story goes that an old woman appeared on the hill and said a lord would come and build a pagoda here. Monks still live and study here, so keep your voice down. Behind the main hall is the old car that carried the monk Thích Quảng Đức to Sài Gòn in 1963, where he burned himself to death in protest.

Go by road, or by one of the dragon-headed boats that wait on the riverside in town.

Afternoon: the royal tombs

The Nguyễn emperors planned their tombs like private parks, in the hills along the river south of the city. They are spread out, so hire a car or a motorbike with a driver for the afternoon. Each of these three has its own style:

• Minh Mạng: the classical one. Gates, courtyards, pavilions and lakes laid out along one long, symmetrical line in the woods. Calm and grand.
• Tự Đức: the romantic one. A lake, pavilions and pine trees. The emperor used it as a retreat while he was still alive, to read and write poetry.
• Khải Định: the odd one out, and the last to be built. Grey concrete outside, a long flight of steps, and inside, walls covered in mosaics of broken porcelain and glass. A mix of Vietnamese and European styles that people either love or don’t.

Only time for one? Pick by mood: Minh Mạng for grandeur, Tự Đức for peace, Khải Định for something you have never seen before.

Evening: dinner in a garden house

Huế’s garden houses (nhà vườn) are old family homes set in walled gardens. Some families still cook the court-style recipes there for guests: small, careful dishes, laid out as if for an emperor. After a day of palaces, it is the right way to end.

Good to know

• Heat. Huế summers are hot and the Imperial City is exposed. Start early, carry water and wear a hat.
• Dress. Cover your shoulders and knees at pagodas and temples, Thiên Mụ included. Light trousers or a scarf in your bag does the job.
• Rain. The rainy season runs roughly from September to December, with heavy downpours and sometimes floods. Pack a rain jacket and keep your plans loose.
• Pace. This is a full day. If you have two, split it: the Citadel and Thiên Mụ on one, the tombs on the other.

End the day at the table

Our Royal Recipes, Home Dinner is a seven-course dinner with a family in a garden house: dishes once made for the Nguyễn court, from bánh bèo and nem lụi to the spiciest bún bò you will find. You cook two of them with the family, and we pick you up from your hotel.