Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong) Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience the Perfume Pagoda. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Full-Day Tour to Perfume Pagoda With Traditional Boat Ride

• Perfume Pagoda Full-Day Guided Tour From Hanoi - All Inclusive

• Perfume Pagoda Full Day With Boat Trip

• Perfume Pagoda Day Trip From Hanoi

• Quang Phu Cau Incense Village and Perfume Pagoda Full-Day Tour

Tickets for the Perfume Pagoda cost 120,000 dong. However, you also need to pay for the boat ride, which costs 110,000 dong per person on a 6-person boat. If you’d prefer the comfort of the cable car to hiking, a 1-way ticket costs 180,000 dong, with a round-trip ticket for 260,000 dong.

Yes, the Perfume Pagoda is well worth visiting—it's Vietnam's most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site, set in a spectacularly beautiful karst landscape with an atmospheric river ride. Visiting streamlines the complexities of getting here and can help you identify the many different individual pagodas and explore the intricacies of Vietnamese Buddhist life.

Per one customer who booked the Full-Day Tour to Perfume Pagoda With Traditional Boat Ride, "Really happy we booked this experience for several reasons: Our guide Minh is from the village and was so knowledgeable. He's a great storyteller, and we loved learning about the culture. There were practically no tourists and only locals. The views were amazing. Everything was perfectly organized and scheduled well, with the perfect amount of time for travel, for learning, and for exploring."

The Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong) is a popular Buddhist pilgrimage site in the limestone Huong Tich Mountain. The large complex features shrines, temples, and grottos, dotted amongst the stunning landscape. The pagoda is only accessible by boat, then visitors can choose to either hike or take a cable car up the mountain to the Huong Tich Cave and its shrines.

It’s best to visit the Perfume Pagoda during the dry season, from around February to April, when weather is typically at its best. Be aware that these months are also peak times for tourists and pilgrimages, so you will want to get an early start, especially if you’re driving from Hanoi. If visiting at other times of the year, remember to pack a raincoat.

Within the Perfume Pagoda, the most famous of the grottos, caves, and shrines is the Huong Tich Cave, which means “traces of fragrance” and inspired the complex’s name.

Many tourists book a day tour from Hanoi to the Perfume Pagoda. There are lots of logistics involved, including transfers from Hanoi, the boat cruise, hike, and cable car, but the journey only adds to the adventure. You can choose either a private or shared tour, and many include food.

Yes, the Perfume Pagoda is good for kids, if they’re up for an adventure. The gentle boat ride is safe for all ages, and the cable car is fun for children, too. Hiking can prove problematic, unless your kids are extra energetic. Overall, it is a fun family day out.

There are tons of fun things to do when you're done visiting the Perfume Pagoda. According to travelers, these are some of the top attractions in and around Hanoi:

• Ha Long Bay

• Hanoi Old Quarter

• Ninh Binh

• Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre

• Tam Coc

View Viator's guide to all the best attractions in Hanoi.