Easy · any scooter
Countryside and Tra Que loop
Ancient Town → Tra Que → rice paddies → hidden alleys
The classic first ride: rice paddies, water buffalo and the herb gardens of Tra Que. Flat, quiet roads, fine for beginners and electric bikes.
Hoi An · The Guide
Things to Do in Hoi An
Every ride, beach, temple and bowl of noodles worth your day, sorted by how far it sits from the Ancient Town.
The Ancient Town is barely a kilometre end to end. Everything else worth seeing spreads out over about 40 km in three directions: east to the beaches, west to the Cham ruins, north over the pass. This guide is how we would split it, written by the people who hand over the keys every morning.
Read it like a magazine: start with how much time you have, pick a ride, learn the two rules that catch renters out in the old town, then use the A to Z at the bottom when you need an address. If you want to do it on two wheels, rent a motorbike in Hoi An from us and we will deliver it to your hotel.
20.000₫Per heritage site in the old town, since 10 Aug 2026
9–11 · 15–21Hours the old-town core is closed to motorbikes
38 kmTo My Son Sanctuary, about an hour each way
52 kmTo the top of Hai Van Pass
Things to do in Hoi An, sorted by how much time you have
Most people land here with a list and no plan. Here is what fits comfortably, and the bike we would give you for it.
-
Half a day
Ancient Town and Tra Que
Old town on foot, then the Tra Que herb village loop, about 8 km.
Bicycle or 50cc
-
One day
Dawn, beach, lanterns
Old town before 8am, An Bang Beach after lunch, lantern boats after dark.
50cc scooter
-
Two days
Add My Son
My Son at sunrise, 38 km each way, and the Bay Mau coconut forest.
110–125cc
-
3–4 days
Add Da Nang side
Marble Mountains (18 km) and on to Son Tra, or a boat to the Cham Islands.
125cc
-
A week
Add Hai Van Pass
52 km to the top, then ride one-way to Hue.
Manual or 125cc+
Six motorbike rides from Hoi An
Our favourite rides, tested by the Anh Khoa team. All distances start from the Ancient Town.
Swipe for all six →
Easy
Coconut forest and Cua Dai Beach
Ancient Town → Bay Mau → Cua Dai Beach
Ride through the Cam Thanh water-coconut forest, take a basket boat, then cool off at Cua Dai. Ask your rower for a quiet channel before the spinning show.
Easy
Beach-hopping: An Bang to Ha My
Ancient Town → An Bang → Ha My (coastal road)
An Bang for beach bars and sunbeds, then north along the coast road to Ha My, the quieter beach most visitors never reach.
Moderate · leave early
My Son Sanctuary
Ancient Town → DT610 → My Son
UNESCO-listed Cham temple ruins in a jungle valley. Leave by 6:30 to beat the heat and the tour buses.
Moderate · full day
Marble Mountains and Son Tra
Ancient Town → Marble Mountains → Da Nang → Son Tra
Climb the marble caves and pagodas, then carry on to the jungle roads of Son Tra, Lady Buddha and the wild monkeys above Da Nang bay.
The big one · experienced riders · manual or 125cc+
Hai Van Pass, the legendary ride
Hoi An → Da Nang → Hai Van Pass → (optional) Hue
Hairpins, ocean views and the Top Gear legend, about 1 hour 30 minutes to the top. Motorbikes are not allowed in the tunnel, so you ride over the pass. Ride it as a day trip, or take our one-way rental: pick up in Hoi An, drop the bike in Hue, first two bags transferred free. The reverse direction works too.
Prefer pedal power? Four flat bicycle loops
Hoi An is flat, compact and made for cycling. No licence needed. Rent a bicycle from 50,000₫ a day.
~8 km · 1–2 h · all ages
Tra Que and the rice paddies
Car-free lanes between paddies and herb beds. Come at 6–7am or after 4pm to see anyone actually tending them.
~10 km round trip · 2–3 h
An Bang Beach ride
A straight, flat cruise to the beach. Park free at the beach cafés, swim, and roll home for sunset over the paddies.
~15 km · half day · almost no cars
Cam Kim island loop
Cross the bridge to wood-carving workshops, sleepy hamlets and riverside paths. The quietest cycling around Hoi An.
~10 km round trip · 2–3 h
Coconut forest pedal
An easy pedal to the water-coconut forest. Add a basket-boat ride and a riverside seafood lunch on the way back.
Before you ride: quick checklist
- Helmets are free with every Anh Khoa rental. Always wear one.
- Scooters over 50cc need a valid motorcycle licence or IDP. 50cc and e-bikes do not.
- Download offline maps and fuel up before long rides (petrol stations in the A to Z below).
- Sunscreen for the day, raincoat in the wet season (October to January).
- Breakdown? Call our 24/7 roadside line: +84 766 766 087.
- We deliver to your hotel: delivery info and rental terms.
When you can and cannot ride into the Ancient Town
The one thing nobody mentions before handing over a scooter, and it catches renters out every week.
The heart of the Ancient Town closes to motorbikes twice a day. Ride in during those windows and a guard stops you at the barrier, politely, but you are not getting through.
Motorbikes allowedWalk or cycle only
- Before 09:00OpenThe best hour of the day: empty lanes, open cafés, no fight for parking.
- 09:00–11:00 (some days 11:30)ClosedPark at the edge and walk in.
- 11:30–15:00OpenThe delivery window. Fine to ride through, hot and quiet.
- 15:00–21:00 (21:30–22:00 in summer)ClosedPark at the edge and walk in.
- After 21:30–22:00OpenEasy ride home once the crowd thins.
Sources disagree on the exact minute. The city publishes 09:00–11:00 and 15:00–21:00; several local guides list 09:00–11:30 and 15:00–21:30 in the rainy season, stretching to 22:00 in summer. On the 14th of every lunar month, the monthly lantern night, the afternoon closure is enforced hard and even bicycles get waved off some streets.
Treat the wider window as the rule and you will never be turned back at the barrier.
Where to leave the bike. Small paid lots ring the pedestrian zone on Hoang Dieu, Phan Chau Trinh and along Nguyen Phuc Chu. If you rented from us it is easier still: our shop at 84 Phan Chau Trinh is a two-minute walk from the edge of the old town, so drop the bike with us, walk in, and pick it up on the way out.
Hoi An entrance ticket 2026: 20.000₫ per site
Walking the streets, eating, shopping and photographing the yellow walls costs nothing. The ticket only matters if you want to go inside the ticketed heritage buildings.
20.000₫per heritage site
- In force since 10 August 2026, the same price for Vietnamese and foreign visitors
- Under-16s go free
- Thanh Ha pottery village and Tra Que herb village charge separately, 35.000₫ each
- The old 120.000₫ five-coupon booklet no longer applies
Full breakdown in our Hoi An entrance ticket guide.
The best things to do in Hoi An after dark
Hoi An runs on two completely different clocks.
Before 7am
After 6pm
Before 8am the town belongs to the people who live here: coffee on plastic stools, shutters going up, the odd photographer. After 6pm the lanterns come on, the electric lights in the old town go off on the 14th of the lunar month, and 2,000 people walk the same lanes you had to yourself at dawn.
Worth your evening: a 20-minute rowing boat on the Hoai River with a paper lantern (bargain first, the asking price moves a lot); the night market on An Hoi island for grilled seafood and a lantern to take home; and the Nguyen Hoang night market for the cheap end of the food. For somewhere quieter, ride 5 km out to An Bang: the beach bars are still open and the sky is dark enough to see stars.
Places to visit and practical stops
Temples, markets, beaches, craft villages, food and fuel, grouped by distance from the Ancient Town.
Ancient Town7
- Japanese Covered BridgeThe 16th-century tiled bridge that became the symbol of Hoi An.
- Hoi An MarketLocal food stalls and specialties by the river.
- Nguyen Hoang Night MarketLanterns and street food after dark.
- Lantern StreetThe street for night photography.
- An Hoi BridgeOld town to An Hoi, with the river view at night.
- Hoai River at nightFloating lanterns and the glowing waterfront.
- Old houses, halls and templesTan Ky · Phung Hung · Quan Thang · Duc An · Tran Family Chapel · Cantonese Hall · Teochew Hall · Fujian Hall · Chua Ong (Quan Cong Temple) · Ba Mu Temple · Phap Bao Pagoda · Museum of Folk Culture
Surrounding area, 3–5 km5
- Hoi An countrysideRice fields and village life by motorbike.
- Tra Que Vegetable VillageHerb gardens, farming and clean food.
- Bay Mau Coconut ForestBasket boats among the nipa palms in Cam Thanh.
- Thanh Ha Pottery VillageA 500-year-old craft village and Terracotta Park.
- Kim Bong Carpentry VillageTraditional woodwork and quiet lanes.
Beaches3
- An Bang BeachBeach bars, sunbeds and shallow water.
- Cua Dai BeachSeafood restaurants and the pier for the Cham Islands.
- Ha My BeachFine white sand and far fewer people.
Day trips and experiences6
- My Son SanctuaryUNESCO-listed Cham towers, 38 km away.
- Cham IslandsIsland beaches and coral, by boat from Cua Dai.
- Marble MountainsLimestone caves, pagodas and views.
- Son Tra PeninsulaLinh Ung Pagoda, Lady Buddha and douc langurs.
- Hai Van PassThe coastal mountain road between Da Nang and Hue.
- Yellow walls and hidden alleysThe photo corners of the old town.
Festivals and shows3
- Hoi An festivalsLantern Festival, Nguyen Tieu and the full-moon nights.
- Hoi An Memories ShowAn outdoor show re-enacting 400 years of history.
- Lune ShowBamboo circus and contemporary dance.
Food and cafés7
- Cao LauThe signature noodle, with char siu pork.
- Mi QuangThick noodles in a small pool of rich broth.
- White Rose dumplingsShrimp-and-pork dumplings, a Hoi An original.
- Chicken riceTurmeric rice, shredded chicken, Tra Que herbs.
- Be thui (grilled veal)Sliced veal with fermented anchovy sauce.
- Best cafésRooftops with a view over the old town.
- Vegetarian restaurantsWhere to eat meat-free in Hoi An.
Petrol stations7
- Petrolimex No. 0161 Nguyen Tat Thanh, Hoi An
- Petrolimex No. 03102 Hung Vuong, Hoi An
- Thanh Nam Petrolimex65 Tran Quang Khai, Hoi An
- Cam Chau Petrol263 Cua Dai, Hoi An
- Cua Dai Petrol Agency52 Cua Dai, Hoi An
- Hong Ha Petrol492 Hai Ba Trung, Hoi An
- PV Oil Cam ThanhCam Thanh commune, Hoi An
Getting around and further afield2
- Hoi An to Da Nang by busThe cheapest way between the two cities.
- Dong Giang Gate of HeavenA mountain road trip into Co Tu country, west of Hoi An.
Questions we get every day
What are the best things to do in Hoi An in one day?
Walk the Ancient Town before 08:00 while it is still empty and the streets are open to bikes, ride out to Tra Que herb village mid-morning, eat cao lau for lunch, spend the afternoon at An Bang Beach, then come back for the lantern boats on the Hoai River after 18:00. That is one tank of petrol and about 25 km of riding.
Do I need a licence to ride a motorbike in Hoi An?
Anything over 50cc needs a Vietnamese licence or an International Driving Permit issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention. A 50cc scooter, an electric bike or a bicycle needs no licence at all, which is why most first-time visitors here start on a 50cc.
Can I ride a motorbike into Hoi An Ancient Town?
Only outside the pedestrian hours. The core closes to motorbikes roughly 09:00-11:00 and 15:00-21:00, later on summer evenings and on the 14th of the lunar month. Outside those windows you can ride in and park normally.
Is the Hoi An Ancient Town ticket compulsory?
No. Walking, eating, shopping and photographing the old town is free. You only pay to go inside a heritage building: 20.000₫ per site since 10 August 2026, the same for every nationality, and free for under-16s.
What are the best things to do in Hoi An when it rains?
The wet months are roughly October to January. Head indoors: a lantern-making or cooking class, the heritage houses and assembly halls you paid the ticket for, the Precious Heritage museum, or a long lunch at a Mi Quang place. If the rain is light, a raincoat and a 50cc still beat sitting in the hotel – we hand out raincoats free with every rental.
How far is My Son from Hoi An by motorbike?
About 38 km each way, roughly an hour on DT610. Leave by 06:30 if you want the towers before the tour buses and before the valley heats up.
Ride it yourself
Scooters, electric bikes and bicycles, delivered to your hotel in Hoi An. Free helmets and raincoats, 24/7 roadside help.
Prices, opening hours and the pedestrian-street windows change without much notice. We re-check this page every time we update the guides it links to; if you find something out of date, tell us on WhatsApp and we will fix it the same day. Roadside help while you are out riding: +84 766 766 087, 24/7.
