We did a day trip to Hue with a private driver organised from our hotel. We started by driving off at 8 AM towards Danang. There we stopped by a mountain called the Marble Mountain. It was a very beautiful limestone mountain. On top of it were temples and caves. It was very beautiful and the view over the beach was really nice, if you found the right spot.
Then we drove through the Hai Van pass, which was very beautiful - but I would recommend people doing it by bikes instead. Then it's possible to stop and enjoy the beautiful view instead of just driving past it. We stopped once, on top. The view was nice, but there were a lot of tourists..
After the stop at the Hai Van pass drove we to Hue and the citadel. It's a lot bigger than first expected! There were a lot of bike-taxis who offers to take you around to see the citadel - don't do that , unless you have a lot of time (more than 1,5 hour) Then you don't get to see the inside of the citadel, and that's quite impressive. We walked around and dreamt us back to the golden age of the citadel. It must have been really beautiful with its symmetry and beautifully decorated houses and corridors.
Next stop was a fancy and expensive restaurant, where the food wasn't to impressive or delicious...
Our last stop was a beautiful pagoda on top of a hill overlooking the river. Very idyllic with the sun going down, monks working and the respectful quietness.. Phillip and I had a good time taking kong fu pictures in front of the buildings.
On our way back we went through Danang, where I really wanted a picture of the dragon bridge. Our driver was so kind, that he took us there just because we wanted. When we got back to Hoi An we are at a nice and quiet little place with really good food, and then we went to bed after a long day..