Quick answer: 5 days is ideal for Da Nang. You have time for beach days, Ba Na Hills, Marble Mountains, a full day in Hoi An, and the city itself without rushing. Add a 6th day if Hue is on the list - it is a 2-hour drive each way and needs most of a day to do properly.
Da Nang Itinerary · 5 Days · 2026
Da Nang 5-Day Itinerary 2026
The complete plan for 5 days in Da Nang - beach, Ba Na Hills, Hoi An day trip, Marble Mountains, and city time without anything feeling rushed.
Day 1: Arrive and Orient
Arrive, Beach, and the Han River at Night
- MorningArrive into Da Nang airport and Grab to your hotel ($4-6). Check in. Da Nang airport is compact and you are in a Grab within 20 minutes of landing.
- Late morningWalk to My Khe beach. Get your bearings. The beach is 5-10 minutes on foot from most hotels in the An Thuong area. Swim if the energy is there. Settle in.
- LunchAn Thuong food street has everything from Vietnamese rice dishes to fresh seafood. Budget $3-7 per person. Sit down, eat well, orient to the neighbourhood.
- AfternoonRest or explore the immediate area on foot. The An Thuong strip has cafes, minimarts, and small restaurants. Low-key afternoon intentionally - Day 2 starts the real activity.
- EveningGrab to Bach Dang riverside (Han River promenade). Walk the riverfront, take in the illuminated bridges. If it is Saturday or Sunday, stay for the Dragon Bridge fire show at 9pm - it is worth positioning yourself on the western bank before 8:45pm.
Day 2: Beach Day, Son Tra Peninsula, Dinner at An Thuong
Full Beach Day with Son Tra Afternoon
- MorningFull beach morning at My Khe. The beach is best before 11am - less heat, manageable crowds. Swim, read, settle into Da Nang pace. Most good beach hotels have loungers on the sand or nearby.
- 11:30amIf your hotel has a pool, afternoon pool session is a legitimate option in addition to the sea. The Hyatt, Sheraton, and similar properties near My Khe have strong pool setups.
- 2:30pmGrab to Son Tra Peninsula ($4-5). Drive up to Linh Ung Pagoda and the Lady Buddha statue. The vista from up here covers the full coastline - My Khe, Non Nuoc, and on a clear day the Hai Van Pass to the north. 45-60 minutes on site. The Banyan Tree viewpoint nearby is also worth a stop.
- 5:00pmReturn to hotel. Freshen up.
- EveningDinner at An Thuong. The concentration of good restaurants in a small area makes this the most reliable evening dining zone in Da Nang for tourists. Walk from your hotel if you are in the area. Plenty of seafood restaurants, Vietnamese street food, and international options.
Son Tra tip: The Lady Buddha is a working religious site. Dress respectfully - cover shoulders and knees. The drive up the peninsula through jungle is genuinely scenic. Ask your Grab driver to take the coastal road down for a different view.
Day 3: Ba Na Hills Full Day
Ba Na Hills - Cable Car, Golden Bridge, French Village
- 7:00amDepart by Grab or pre-booked private car. Ba Na Hills is 25km west of the city. Journey takes 30-40 minutes. A private driver for the day (roughly $40-60) gives more flexibility than individual Grabs.
- 8:00amGates open. Buy tickets in advance online ($35-40 per person including the cable car). The Toc Tien cable car is one of the world's longest - 5.8km. The ascent through clouds to the French Village at 1,400 metres elevation is the experience in itself.
- 9:00amHead straight to the Golden Bridge first - the stone hands-in-the-mist structure that everyone photographs. Do it before the tour groups fill the area after 10am. Allow 30-45 minutes here.
- 10:30amFrench Village - the mock-European architecture complex at the top. Worth a wander. The scale is impressive even if the concept is peculiar. Le Jardin gardens are pleasant.
- 12:30pmLunch on site. Numerous restaurants inside - prices are higher than Da Nang city but not extreme. This is where the day-rate inclusion of meals (some packages) is worthwhile.
- 2:00pmFantasy Park indoor entertainment complex if you have energy and interest. It has rides, games, and a wax museum. Optional but fills time well if you are with varied age groups.
- 3:30pmCable car down. Grab or driver back to Da Nang. Evening at leisure - dinner near your hotel.
Ba Na Hills is genuinely impressive as an engineering feat and the Golden Bridge is worth seeing in person. It is also unambiguously a theme park and you will be surrounded by large tour groups. Going early and doing the Golden Bridge first makes a significant difference to the experience.
Weather note: Ba Na Hills sits at 1,400 metres elevation. It can be cool, misty, or rainy at the top even on clear days in Da Nang below. Bring a light layer regardless of the forecast.
Day 4: Full Hoi An Day Trip
Hoi An - Ancient Town, Tailors, An Bang Beach
- 7:30amGrab or private car departs for Hoi An. 45-50 minutes, $12-15 one way. Book a return driver if you want flexibility on timing.
- 8:30amArrive at the ancient town before the crowds. Morning light in Hoi An is excellent and the lanes are manageable before 10am. Buy the combined ancient town entry ticket (covers most sites). Walk the main lanes, Japanese Covered Bridge, merchant houses.
- 10:30amIf custom clothing is on the agenda: visit a tailor. Hoi An has hundreds of tailors. Most reputable ones need minimum 24-48 hours for custom items. If you are returning to Hoi An later in the trip, get measured today. If this is your only day, off-the-rack alterations take a few hours.
- 12:30pmLunch in Hoi An. Cao lau (pork noodle dish unique to Hoi An water), white rose dumplings, and Hoi An chicken rice are the three things worth ordering specifically here. Most sit-down restaurants in the old town do them well.
- 2:00pmOption A: An Bang Beach (15 minutes by motorbike taxi or Grab from the old town). Quieter than My Khe, good for a swim and some down time. Option B: continue exploring the town - the silk roads neighbourhood south of the old town is less visited and worth a walk.
- 5:30pmLantern hour in Hoi An. The old town lit by lanterns in the early evening is the classic image. Worth spending 30-45 minutes for this before heading back.
- 6:30pmReturn Grab to Da Nang. Dinner near your hotel or riverside.
Hoi An is 45 minutes from Da Nang by Grab. Leave at 7:30am, you'll beat the cruise ship crowds by 90 minutes - it's a completely different experience.
Day 5: Marble Mountains, Non Nuoc Beach, Departure Prep
Marble Mountains Morning - Resort Beach Afternoon
- 8:30amGrab to Marble Mountains ($3-4 from central My Khe). Arrive early before the tour buses. Climb Thuy Son - caves, pagodas, a viewing platform overlooking Non Nuoc beach. 1.5-2 hours on site. Entry is 40,000 VND plus optional elevator.
- 11:00amWalk or Grab (5 minutes) to Non Nuoc beach. The stretch in front of the Hyatt or Sheraton area is clean and well-serviced. This is a noticeably quieter, more resort-feeling beach than central My Khe. Good for a final swim.
- 1:00pmLunch at a Non Nuoc beachside restaurant - fresh grilled seafood is the local standard here and it is good.
- 3:00pmReturn to your hotel. Pack. Any last-minute shopping at Con Market or a nearby minimart.
- EveningFinal dinner in Da Nang. Return airport Grab costs $4-6. Da Nang airport is efficient - 60 minutes before domestic departure, 90 before international is adequate.
Day 6 Extension: Hue Day Trip
If you have a 6th day and historical sites are interesting to you, Hue is worth the drive. It is 100km north of Da Nang - roughly 2 hours each way by car. What makes it worth doing: the Imperial Citadel (Vietnam's former royal capital), the royal tombs scattered across the surrounding hills, and Thien Mu Pagoda on the Perfume River.
Book a private car with driver for the day. Budget $60-80 for a return trip. Self-navigating by Grab does not work well for Hue day trips - you want a driver who knows the sites and can manage timing. Most Da Nang hotels can arrange this, or ask at a local tour operator.
Leave by 7am to have enough time in Hue without rushing. A realistic schedule covers the citadel in the morning and two or three tombs in the afternoon before returning. The drive through the Hai Van Pass (if you go by road rather than tunnel) is genuinely scenic - worth requesting the coastal route even though it adds 20-30 minutes.
Hai Van Pass note: Most drivers default to the tunnel for Hue trips because it is faster. Ask specifically for the pass route if you want the views. The difference is about 30 minutes and the scenery is considerably better.
Practical Tips for 5 Days
Book Ba Na Hills Online
Tickets at the gate take longer and can sell out on peak days. Book via the official Ba Na Hills website or a reputable booking platform before you go. Having the QR code ready saves 20-30 minutes at the entrance.
Hoi An Tailors Need 24-Hour Minimum
If you want custom clothing made in Hoi An - suits, dresses, shoes - you need at least 24 hours turnaround and ideally two fittings. A single day trip from Da Nang is tight but doable if you are there for a half-day and can return the following morning for pickup. If custom tailoring is a priority, structure your itinerary to have two Hoi An visits or stay one night there.
Dragon Bridge Fire Show: Saturday and Sunday Only
The fire and water show happens at 9pm on Saturday and Sunday nights only. If your trip does not include a Saturday or Sunday evening free near the Han River, you will miss it. Plan accordingly - it is worth arranging at least one evening for this.
Heat and Timing
Da Nang in the dry season (roughly February to August) gets genuinely hot by midday - 33-37°C in peak summer. Structure outdoor activity for before 10am and after 5pm. Marble Mountains is much more comfortable at 8:30am than at noon. Ba Na Hills is cooler due to elevation. Son Tra Peninsula has shade cover from the jungle but the drive up is hot.
Ryan's Take: What Makes 5 Days Work
5 days is the right amount of time for Da Nang. With 3 days you have to make hard choices - Ba Na Hills or Hoi An, that kind of thing. With 5 days you can do both without rushing either, and still have two genuine beach days rather than just a morning here and there.
The structure I'd stick to: keep Day 2 as a deliberate slow day on the beach and in the neighbourhood. It is tempting to pack every day with activities, but Da Nang is a beach city and part of what makes it work is letting the beach days be real beach days. You will not regret a morning where you just swam and read.
On Hoi An vs Ba Na Hills: I keep them on separate days for a reason. Ba Na Hills is tiring - you are on your feet all day, it gets crowded, and the journey back to the city means you arrive home late afternoon. Hoi An is also a full day but the energy is different - more wandering and less theme park. Putting them back to back would work logistically but you would arrive at the second one tired from the first.
