HALONG BAY 3 DAY 2 NIGHT

Classic Halong Bay 2 night itinerary

Day 1: Hanoi – Halong Bay – Sung Sot Cave

Get from Hanoi to Halong Bay

Most Halong Bay 3 day cruises from Hanoi offer shuttle bus transportation with pick-up and drop-off services. You will depart from Hanoi Old Quarter at 8:00 am and arrive at Tuan Chau Port at 11:30 am. After transferring to cruise private pontoon, you will get the cruise briefing and safety instructions while sipping a welcome drink. At 12:00 pm, you can embark on the cruise and check-in.

Read detail about how to travel from Hanoi to Halong Bay

Have deluxe Vietnamese lunch

The first lunch is about the luxury Vietnamese set menu filled with appetizing traditional dishes and fresh seafood. Booking a Halong Bay cruise 3d2n, you don’t have to worry about what to eat and where to try in Halong since the cruise lines offer full meals with various types of cuisine from Vietnamese, Japanese, Western styles to Vegan and Halal food. While you enjoy your lunch on board, the cruise is heading for Sung Sot Cave, the first destination following Halong's classic itinerary.

After lunch, you can take a rest in your cabin or have a massage to treat yourself. You better book a massage service in advance to ensure there is a room available.

Visit the magnificent Sung Sot Cave

A Halong Bay 3 day cruise tour can’t be complete without a cave visit to discover the spectacular stalactite and stalagmite formations. Located at Bo Hon Island, Sung Sot Cave is not only one of the largest caves in Ha Long Bay but also the most renowned and most visited of all. The grotto possesses the most surprising beauty among 59 Halong Bay caves listed on the official registry. Covering a staggering 10,000 square meters, Sung Sot boasts the interior divided into 2 caverns: the first one is like an auditorium connected by a narrow pathway to the larger one which is enormous enough to hold 1,000 people or so. In addition to sightseeing, you can take about 100 steps to reach the mouth of the grotto for a stunning aerial view.

Join sunset party and cooking class

The most mesmerizing moment in Ha Long Bay must be sunset over the layered rock formations. Take your time to sit back and sip a cup of tea on the sun deck. Or else, pamper yourself at the swimming pool. From 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, you can attend a cooking class to learn how to make Vietnamese spring rolls.

Some cruises will hold a carving lesson to introduce the art of fruit and vegetable carving. For those who are interested in Vietnamese cuisine, this is a great opportunity to get a deeper insight into the culinary of the country.

Have dinner and take part in night activities

Dinner on the cruise is somehow diverse than lunch with a great variety of set menu dishes. If you book a luxury Halong Bay cruise in 3 days 2 nights such as President Cruise, you will have the chance to enjoy a Michelin-starred dinner with more than 40 dishes of both Eastern and Western cuisine.

After dinner, you can leisure on your own with a wide range of nightlife activities on board. If you travel in a group, board games like cards or Parcheesi are the best choices. If you like to chill, you should have some drinks at the bar on deck.

Take note that the time between 9:00 pm and 11:00 pm is the Happy Hour when you can buy one drink – get one free (wine by the bottle excluded). In case you want something invigorating, take it easy at the spa and massage room. At midnight, you can try your luck at squid fishing on the boat.

Day 2: Luon Cave – Cua Van Floating Village – Pearl Farm

Do Tai Chi session and have breakfast

Waking up on the second day of the Halong Bay cruise 3d2n itinerary, you should have some coffee and tea before a Tai Chi session, a kind of Chinese traditional material arts. Refresh your day with this 30-minute physical and mental workout to improve health balance and relieve stress. Then, have something for breakfast at the buffet served in the dining hall.

Visit Luon Cave and Cua Van Floating Village

The first spot on this classic itinerary of Halong Bay 2 night cruise is Luon Cave, an open-air cave only accessible by boat. To enter the grotto, you have to take a rowing boat or kayak through a 100-meter-long and 3-meter-wide arch with heights of 2.5 – 4 meters.

Once passing under the arch, you can feast your eye on sheer limestone cliffs rising up from the emerald water. Here, you can let your hair down and explore the diverse ecology system. Especially, you may spot brazen monkeys climbing the cliffs and fragrant orchids thriving in rocky outcrops.

Take bamboo rowing boat to Luon Cave

The next destination is Cua Van Floating Village, one of the largest remaining fishing villages in Halong Bay. As one of the top world’s 16 most beautiful ancient villages, Cua Van village is an extraordinary laid-back corner in Halong. Nestled among the plunging karst formations, the village is home to floating houses, hospitable residents, and long-lasting tradition.

Have lunch and visit Pearl Farm

The afternoon excursion heads for Pearl Farm, which is located near Vung Vieng fishing village. This must be a favorite destination for those interested in pearls and how they are acquired. Pearl Farm is 74 acres and consists of roughly 3,000 cages. Here, you will find how long it takes for pearls to grow, harvest, and extract. It is a distinctive experience to figure out that pearl farming is an extremely slow process.

Relax at your leisure on a cruise

Back to the cruise at twilight and admire the magnificent sunset. There are plenty of activities to calm down after a day excursion of 3 days 2 nights itinerary in Halong Bay. On the first day, you will have dinner on board and join interesting night activities till midnight.

Day 3: Titop Island – Halong Bay – Hanoi

Pay a visit to Titop Island

After the Tai Chi lessons and breakfast, you will be transferred to Titop Island, a photogenic spot that attracts a lot of tourists to check in. After one hour of discovering the island, you can climb to the peak for a marvelous 360-degree view of the bay or relax on the beach.

Have a full breakfast and transfer to Hanoi

Upon returning the boat, you will have half an hour to freshen up and finish packing. Afterward, a full breakfast will be served at 9:30 am in the dining room. During that time, the cruise will approach the pier, so you can sit back and relax for the rest of the time onboard. Around 11:30 am, the transportation will transfer you from Halong to Hanoi. End of the 3-day tour.