Planning a visit to Luang Prabang? This guide will give you info on the best areas and budget accommodation in this charming city.
Located in the valley where the Nam Khan river meets the Mekong river, Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has topped the ‘Top City’ category in Wanderlust’s travel awards four times in the last ten years.
On arrival, it is easy to see why. It is a beautiful city that is exceptionally well maintained. The streets are clean and the buildings are a mixture of traditional Laos wooden buildings and European architecture; a reflection of the time when Laos was a French colony. The city is surrounded by beautiful mountains and sits beneath a big hill on which sits a temple. It makes for perfect sunsets.
It is a popular holiday destination so you will encounter backpackers mixing with holiday makers. As such, it is not the cheapest destination but if you look around, you can visit here on a budget.
Where To Stay In Luang Prabang
The old town is the most obvious area to base yourself. This area lies between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. As Luang Prabang is relatively small, any accommodation within the old town is within walking distance of the city’s attractions.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL ACCOMMODATION IN LUANG PRABANG!
These are some of the best budget hostels in Luang Prabang, according to user reviews. These are affiliate links to the Agoda web site. I found Agoda to be much better than booking.com in Southeast Asia. I receive a small amount for any bookings made through these links at no extra cost to you.
- LuangPrabang Old Centre House
- Downtown Backpackers Hostel 2
- Sunrise Riverside Pool Hostel
- Y Not Laos Hostel
- Aham Hostel
- Mad Monkey Luang Prabang
- Lakangthong 2 Friendly Hostel
Nalin Guesthouse
We had decided to visit Luang Prabang before travelling further north and then returning for a few days before flying to Vietnam. For our first visit, we stayed at ‘Nalin Guesthouse’ (map). I think it may have only just opened as it did not have many online reviews and didn’t appear on Google Maps.
The guesthouse was located on the Nam Khan river but did not offer river views. It was a little out of the main town (about 15 minutes walk) but there were plenty of bars, shops and restaurants in the surrounding area so we never felt too far away from the action. In fact, Utopia (the city’s most lively bar) was so close, we could hear the music loudly in our room. Utopia closed at 11.30 so this didn’t cause us any problems.
Nalin Guesthouse
The rooms were separate to the check-in and breakfast area but the WiFi was pretty good. Not streaming-good, but good enough for the internet. The owners were very friendly and the free breakfast was a real bonus (banana pancakes or eggs with baguettes). They offered a laundry service which we took advantage of. It was more expensive than others in the area but the clothes came back nice and fresh.
The room itself was comfortable but with bizarre decoration: a combination of industrial and 70s grandma’s house! The bathroom needed some work though. This was the only negative.
Joanna checks in.
A bonus point has to go to the owners’ dog, Pancake, who was just the cutest and most friendly dog in the world. It was so nice to leave the guesthouse in the morning and see his cute little face and wagging tail, getting all excited for a belly rub!
Pancake!
We had a great stay in this guesthouse and highly recommend it as a base to explore this beautiful city.
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EDIT: Unfortunately, it seems that Nalin Guesthouse is no longer operating.
Lakangthong 2 Friendly Hostel
On our return to Luang Prabang, we booked to stay at ‘Lakangthong 2 Friendly Guesthouse‘ because it offered a usable swimming pool!
The room was very nice and the towels and bedding were fresh and smelt good. The shower was as hot or cold as you wanted it and you could even change the power! WiFi was excellent; perhaps the best we had in Laos. The free breakfast was great. Overall, it was exceptional.
Relaxing days at Lakangthong 2 Friendly Hostel.
Check-in was in a different building, 10 metres down the road. I also had to go here late one night to be let in as our hostel had been locked up! Luckily, there was someone still there. They don’t stay up late in Laos!
We were really surprised at the quality of this guesthouse. It was perhaps the best quality guesthouse we had stayed in so far on our entire trip.
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Click here to book a stay at Lakangthong 2 Friendly Hostel.
