Things to do
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Alms Giving Ceremony
At first light, lines of monks walk Sakkaline Road collecting sticky rice from kneeling residents, a daily ritual called tak bat. Visitors are asked to watch from across the street, stay silent and keep cameras low; buying rice from street vendors to hand over is discouraged by the monasteries. The procession is finished within half an hour of first light, well before the cafes open.
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Kuang Si Falls
Limestone pools step down through forest south of the town, turquoise from the calcium carbonate carried in the water, ending under a drop of about fifty metres. Swimming is allowed in several of the lower pools, and a moon bear rescue centre sits beside the path. Tour vans arrive mid morning, so early arrivals get the terraces quiet.
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Luang Prabang Night Market
Sisavangvong Road closes to traffic each evening and fills with red canopies selling Hmong textiles, paper lanterns and silver. Bargaining is expected and quiet. A lane off the side serves vegetarian buffets and grilled Mekong fish, which is where much of the town eats before the canopies come down around ten.
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Mount Phousi
A stairway of more than three hundred steps climbs the hill at the centre of the peninsula to a gilded stupa and a long view over the Mekong. Sunset draws a crowd onto a small summit terrace, and the light works equally well from the eastern stairs in the morning. Water and sturdy shoes help on stairs that stay warm long after dark.
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Pak Ou Caves
Two caves in a limestone cliff at the mouth of the Nam Ou hold thousands of Buddha images, left by pilgrims over centuries until the ledges filled. Boats take about two hours upstream from the town and return faster with the current. The upper cave is dark, so a torch is worth carrying.
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Royal Palace Museum
Laos kept a monarchy until 1975, and the residence built for King Sisavang Vong in the French era serves as the national museum. Rooms hold the throne hall, diplomatic gifts and the Phra Bang, the gold Buddha that gave the town its name. Photography and bags are barred inside, and it closes over lunchtime.
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Wat Mai
Beside the palace stands the temple that housed the Phra Bang for much of the twentieth century, recognisable by a five tiered roof and a gilded relief panel across the front veranda telling a Buddhist birth story. A short visit suffices. During Lao New Year the compound becomes the centre of the water blessing.
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Wat Xieng Thong
Built in the sixteenth century at the tip of the peninsula, this temple carries sweeping roofs that almost touch the ground and a tree of life mosaic in coloured glass across its rear wall. Royal funeral processions once began here. Shoulders and knees must be covered, and the compound is ticketed at the gate.