Hue: Imperial City

Since arriving in Vietnam, Hue has been top of our list of places to visit.  Hue was the home of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors (1802 - 1945) and is well known for the old buildings that date back to this period.  Some of the main attractions in Hue are the Imperial City (or Citadel), the tombs of some of the emperors, the perfume river, and the cuisine.  

With a public holiday in September, we decided to make the most of the long weekend by booking a trip to Hue.   

Hue is located in central Vietnam, about 100km north of Da Nang.  Getting to Hue from Ho Chi Minh City is quite easy; a 1h10 flight with a number of flights per day.  We took the late flight on Friday after work and were able to enjoy three full days exploring this city.  The first day was spent exploring the Imperial City, with days two and three spent visiting some of the tombs, museums and pagodas.  This first blog about Hue is all about the Imperial City.  Enjoy!

Wall and moat surrounding the Imperial City

The Noon Gate (or Meridian Gate) is the main entrance to the Imperial City

A map of the Imperial City.  I think we covered all of it...

Koi!

Inside the Royal Theatre

Bundles of incense.

The day ended with a leg and foot massage and was just what we needed to get the legs ready for another full day of walking. 

For this trip we stayed at the Purple Hue BnB.  At just $21 per night, it was a great deal.  We had our own en suite room with a balcony, breakfast included, and the staff were all extremely friendly.  They also have a great little craft beer and coffee shop in the foyer.  The perfect place to start or end the day.  The BnB is in a great location, being walking distance from the river (600m) and from the Imperial City (2km).  We also got some great restaurant tips, with the best being Nina's Cafe; we can definitely recommend the Bun Thit Nuong (top picture) and Bun Bo Hue (bottom picture).  

Another great tip was to get a two-day visitor pass.  The two-day visitor pass gives you access to the Citadel and also to the main tombs, and we got our tickets at the entrance to the Citadel.  

Next time:  Visiting tombs, pagodas and museums in Hue