The Ultimate Guide To 48 Hours in Sapa, Vietnam

With it’s beautiful waterfalls, mountainous hills, charming town & exciting market, Sapa is the ideal destination for any explorer looking to get out of the busy city and go a little more off the grid.

 

While still a very popular tourist destination, highlights are definitely on the more scenic side of things. Stunning rice field explorations, exhilarating mountain trekking and learning about new culture are just some of the many amazing activities you can expect to experience during your time in Sapa.

When To Go :

Although Sapa is a beautiful destination any time of year, my partner and I learned the hard way that it can get very cold there. We travelled to Sapa in late January with little warm clothes. Lucky for us items from the surrounding shops were quite inexpensive so we were able to purchase some warmer gear.

However, if you are planning on going in the colder season I would definitely recommend packing warm pants & sweaters, as well as gloves. Your fingers will get really cold, especially if you’re riding in the mountains by scooter.

Now, for the best time to go weather wise, April till May or September till December are ideal.

 

Rainy season can be anywhere from June until October, and some may choose to avoid these months, but this can also be a very beautiful time to see the lush green rice fields surrounding Sapa. Regardless of when you go, I always recommend looking up the weather forecast a week or so in advance just to be prepared.

For a better idea when would be the best month for you, take a look at a more detailed month by month break down of weather reports.

No matter what month you go, the weather can be quite quick to change. The clouds can also sometimes settle in the town centre, coating the village in a thick layer of fog.

However, don’t let this deceive you! Once you travel to a higher elevation to explore the views outside of the town, the clouds will dissipate, revealing gorgeous panoramic horizons.

Getting There :

Sapa is a district level town located in the Lào Cai Province of northwest Vietnam.

It can be a slight mission to get there, but I promise with it’s quaint little village, friendly locals and breathtaking scenery it will be well worth it! The easiest way I recommend is to travel from Hanoi by overnight train.

Not only do you save on accommodation costs for the night this way, but you can also purchase tickets for a cabin with beds and sleep while you travel.

I personally purchased tickets a few weeks in advance, but because there are so many different train companies that travel this route there are still usually tickets available 1-2 days prior to departure dates for those of you that like to do things more spontaneously.

The train you will take actually goes from Hanoi to Lào Cai. As Sapa does not have it’s own train station you will have to take a bus or private car from Lào Cai station into Sapa. A mini bus is ~$5-10 USD per rider.

 

I would recommend comparing prices between drivers instead of agreeing on the first price you get offered. In my experience, some drivers were ready and waiting when you got off the train to help you with your bags, rushing you through the train station past the other drivers. These were typically the ones wanting to charge more.

*** TRAVEL TIP ~ Check ahead of time if the accommodations you have arranged are able to provide transport from the station. Many of the hotels or hostels in Sapa may have mini buses that frequently run this route, as a private car can be quite expensive.

For train timetables & prices I recommend using Vietnam Railway System or Hanoi Sapa Train to book tickets. Prices will vary on the class of cabin you choose ie. 4 sleep, 2 sleep or private cabin.

Where To Stay :

For my stay I chose the Saparis Hotel, located just a short walk/scooter ride away from all of the markets and restaurants in the main town area.

I booked the hotel quite last minute so there was definitely less options to choose from, however I still ended up getting a beautiful room, with a gorgeous view & buffet breakfast for a fair price.

For a one night stay at the Saparis Hotel, I paid just under $30 USD per night for a king bed room with a full sized bathroom and lake view balcony. This hotel has a 4.5 star rating on Google & Trip Advisor, and is one of Booking.com‘s top picks for where to stay in Sapa.

Luckily, all of the main accommodations are relatively close together and near the town centre, so you can’t really go wrong with location! There are also some really nice boutique & luxury hotels to stay at further off the beaten path with amazing views to take in if you feel like having a more scenic stay.

As well, there is always the option to do a home stay with locals of the area. I have heard great things about this experience, but unfortunately did not have the opportunity to do so myself. Perhaps next time!

Booking.com & Trip Advisor have both created a top ten list of their number one picks for where to stay in Sapa as of 2020.

OR check out this link for more information about homestays.

Getting Around :

The best way to get around BY FAR is to rent a scooter.

Even though most of the hotels are walking distance to the town centre, there are some beautiful hotels you may choose to say in further away. Also, there are so many scenic views in the surrounding areas that are definitely not walking distance, so I would highly encourage the rental if you feel comfortable riding one.

A major highlight of my time in Sapa was simply cruising around on the scooter, no destination in mind, just taking in the stunning mountains and valleys.

There are many places to rent scooters locally, but I would advise seeing if your hotel or hostel has any for rent as this is typically more safe/trustworthy. Thankfully our hotel had many.

We paid ~$5 USD per day for the scooter rental and about $1 or $2 USD in fuel to fill the tank. And of course, only ride one of these if you feel absolutely comfortable doing so, and ALWAYS wear a helmet! (Ours were taken off for the photos below).

Where To Eat :

We definitely took advantage of the complimentary buffet breakfast the morning of our early arrival after the night train ride, as well as our second/last morning too. While we were only there a short period of time, we did manage to snag a bite at a few yummy spots I would recommend.

La Roma Pizza on Câo Mây street had amazing…. you guessed it… pizza! Definitely a good choice if you are looking for more Western food options. They also threw in some complimentary garlic bread and hot wine that was delicious. It definitely warmed us up on that chilly evening. I would definitely recommend lunch or dinner here at least once if you are visiting Sapa.

For more traditional cuisine we also tried Viet Home Restaurant. Funny enough we would have never found this place if it weren’t for the large amount of people who passed us by to go inside and dine. You know it ought to be good if it’s drawing such a crowd!

After deciding to follow the masses, we had no regrets. There was a wide selection of local options and the price was very good compared to the other restaurants we had walked past earlier that night. I would highly suggest the mix & match menu, where you can get a little bit of everything, or the special of the night.

Being a small town, the food prices are definitely not as cheap as you can find in the major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. So if you are looking to save money I would definitely pick a place with an all you can eat buffet breakfast, and perhaps use the markets to your advantage for fresh fruits and breads to snack on during the day.

What To See & Do :

So much to see and do! We chose to cram in a lot of activities by scooter on the first day and spent our second day leisurely enjoying & exploring the town centre. Feel free to follow my itinerary below or keep reading for other suggestions on how to switch it up!

Explore shops, restaurants & cafes
~ 15 minutes to walk full lap of lake

Small entrance fee to walk around village
~ 5 minutes from Sapa by scooter

Breathtaking panoramic landscape of winding roads below
~ 45 minutes from Sapa by scooter

On route to Heavens Gate, stunning valley views
~ 30 minutes from Sapa by scooter

Scenic valley with hikes through rice fields and traditional villages
~ 5 minutes from Sapa by scooter

10 minute incline walk to beautiful waterfall, small entrance fee needed
~ 35 minutes from Sapa by scooter

Dogs & wild cows roam the streets
~ Beware when driving, you never know what may be around the bend!

Just next to the infinity pool
~ 30 minutes from Sapa by scooter

Busy markets for food, clothing, jewelries, etc.
~ Within town centre

View from balcony onto Sapa Lake
~ Saparis Hotel

Enjoy bars, restaurants, shops & much more
~ Always stay alert and beware of your surroundings at night

My Personal Itinerary :

With only 2 days to spend in Sapa my itinerary looked a little something like this.

Now obviously our second day itinerary was a lot more relaxed than some would prefer. That was simply because we had already been traveling for quite some time and had constantly been on the go. We just needed a day of rest so we chose to explore areas close by.

An alternate option for the second day if you’re feeling up to it would be to continue scooter bound outside of the centre and explore more of the mountainous rolling hills that can be found on all sides of Sapa.

As well, there are also full day hiking treks that can be arranged with local members of the community. On these tours, locals will take you trekking through the mountains, feed you lunch and even take you to experience what a typical village home is like.

We would have absolutely done this our second day had the weather permitted. It is a great way to help support the local people and give a better insight into day to day lives. Ask your accommodations for more information upon arrival.

Overall Thoughts :

Overall, our time in Sapa was one of my highlights from the three weeks we spent in Vietnam. My favourite activity was taking the scooter out for the afternoon in the little sunshine we had on that first day to Heavens Gate, stopping to take in the views every step of the way.

Ideally it would have been nice if it was a touch warmer, however we still made the most of it! Also, to be honest, the eery clouds rolling into the town each morning was actually a really unique thing to see.

I hope this post helps inspire you to also visit Sapa, Vietnam. Of course, we only had 36 hours which I personally felt was enough time, but you can always choose to extend your time there if you wish! Comment below with any thoughts, questions or suggestions, can’t wait to hear from you!