How to Travel to Da Lat from Nha Trang [Updated]

Da Lat is a stunning Central Highland city that’s very famous for its beautiful landscapes and a cool climate all year round. Nha Trang, an outstanding city on the South Central Coast, is known for its enchanting beaches, pristine islands, as well as unique cuisine.

Dalat is about 140 km or 3 hours travelling by car on the new road QL27C, and about 180 km or 4 hours travelling on the old QL27B from the city centre of Nha Trang. And to get directly to Nha Trang from Da Lat, you have nearly no other choice besides the private car, bus or motorbike. Actually, there are options that do exist like going hiking or biking, but we have never seen anyone do that before. So first, we have no experience about it to review, and second, those ways promise too much tiredness, and we would absolutely not recommend it to you.

Nha Trang to Da Lat travel map

There are many options to travel from Nha Trang to Da Lat by bus, car or motorbike, let's learn detail each option below.

Private car

Private transportation is an ideal choice for travelling. Compared to the other transportations in Vietnam, a private car transfer can sound far more expensive, but it’s actually not. By hiring a private car service, you have the privilege of choosing any departure time you want, stop by anywhere in the middle of the way for taking pictures, you can also ask for different ways with more stunning views… 

The table below shows you an estimated price for regular car service from Nha Trang to Da La together with the inclusive and exclusives underneath. The price can change depending on the car quality, car brand and other included services provided by different companies. This may not be the exact price you can get, but from this, you can estimate the price range to avoid being overcharged.

Inclusion: A/C private car, English speaking driver, petrol, road tolls, parking fees, wifi free, water. Moreover, baby car seats will be provided for your kid totally free of charge. So don’t forget to inform the staff if you need it for your trip.

Exclusion: Entrance fees, meals, English speaking guide, insurance, personal expenses, tip gratuities.

Note: If you looking for a private car from Cam Ranh airport to your hotel in Da Lat surcharge will be applied: Sedan/SUV: 300,000vnd

Bus

A bus is the cheapest transportation tourists can think of when travelling from Nha Trang to Da Lat. This is also a very easy and common way to travel this route too. You have some bus options with different service levels, and different prices to think of regular bus, sleeper bus and limousine luxury bus. 

Limousine Luxury Bus: This is definitely the sort of bus you should choose for your trip to Da Lat from Nha Trang. The bus offers you a really comfortable seat with charging ports, water, a basic English speaking driver, and pick-up and drop-off services all included in a 12 - 18 USD ticket. The travelling time of a Limousine Bus is normally shorter than the other kinds thanks to its small size, and flexibility on the hill roads of the Central Highland of Vietnam.

Regular Bus: Not too comfortable, but it’s the cheapest choice. The regular bus offers you a soft seat with quite narrow space and air conditioning. This sort of bus mostly serves the local people, so there are only a few chances that the driver or the supporting guy can speak some basic English, and probably no picking up service. The Regular Bus service will only charge you about 7 - 10 USD, that’s a really good price to consider.

Sleeper Bus: Only a little bit higher price, Sleeper Bus offer you much better service than the regular one. A comfortable bunk berth, air conditioning, and a comfortable space to relax are the things you can get with only a 7 - 10 USD ticket, of course, that price’s already included the guarantee to bring you from Nha Trang to Da Lat. 

Motorbike

Currently, the new road Nha Trang - Hon Giao Pass - Da Lat or highway 27C has just been built with guaranteed quality and saving about 40km of distance, so many people choose for their journey. And that’s great because this highway allows motorbikes to enter. So if you want to travel the Nha Trang - Da Lat route by motorbike and still haven’t decided which way to travel yet, the highway 27C is a really good option.

Replace the boring bus ride for adventure and drive-by motorbike. This beautiful ride through the mountains passes impressive waterfalls, many plantations and farms, and villages where ethnic minorities still live in the traditional way. In addition, when travelling by motorbike in Nha Trang, you can admire Omega Pass, a very famous new road connecting the sea and flowers. 

For a basic motorbike, you only have to pay 10 - 20 USD a day, or 40-60 USD for the whole month. The motorbike rental price is quite reasonable, however, you need to think about this option carefully. If you are not familiar with the road, it will be quite dangerous and in case it rains, the road is really slippery too.

- If you are considering renting a private car, just buying some tours from a travel agent is much more convenient. And sometimes that is even cheaper than booking every single service yourself. Take your bookings, the travel agents will have to take responsibility for all services so you will not have to worry about booking the wrong place, or being scammed.

- Coming to the bus station at least 15-20 minutes before the departure is necessary. 

- Don’t forget to make many copies of your personal documents and put them in all of your luggage when travelling. In case the original paper’s missing (that’s no one expect), you already have the backup.

- Mind your luggage, especially when you are at the bus station. There are so many people, and sometimes, there are even some pickpockets around.

- Check the weather forecast carefully before you decide to ride a motorbike. If it’s raining, you'd better choose another way.

Recommended Nha Trang to Da Lat tour itinerary

From Nha Trang to Da Lat, there are so many things to discover and several fascinating activities to do. But if you don’t have much time, a 2 days 1-night tour from Nha Trang to Da Lat and back, or a Nha Trang - Da Lat day tour are fine choices. 

If you have more time, spend at least 1 week for these 2 destinations to enjoy as much as you want. 3 days in Nha Trang to have enough time to visit at least 1 island, a fishing village, do surfing, diving and anything else. 4 days in Da Lat may be enough to enjoy the pleasant atmosphere of this romantic city as well as visit all attractions, enjoy local cuisines and do thrill recreations like rafting, ziplining,...

Or a combination of Central and South Vietnam tour to visit not only Nha Trang and Da Lat, but also Ho Chi Minh city or Hoi An sounds really good too.

All in all, getting from Nha Trang to Da Lat is not difficult to choose the best way of transportation. Hope that you can also help you plan a perfect trip.

Hue Pham

Image source: Internet