The 5 Best Multi-Day Island Hopping in Hanoi

1.2-Day Royal Palace Ha Long Bay & Ti Top Island Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 627 reviews · from $108Our pick

Spend one night aboard the Royal Palace cruise in Ha Long Bay, with seafood meals, kayaking, Ti Top Island, Surprising Cave, Tai Chi, and squid fishing. Guides such as Violet, Violette, Alex, and Tony are known for warm, capable service. Hanoi pickup is optional.

“The trip was absolutely amazing. Our guide, Violet, was incredibly knowledgeable, funny, and truly outstanding. I highly recommend this trip to everyone. Ha Long Bay is stunningly beautiful.”

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2.BEST UNIQUE 3-Day Halong Bay Cruise, Lan Ha & Cat Ba Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 103 reviews · from $165

Travel from Hanoi to Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island on a guided three-day trip with one night on a cruise and one hotel night. Expect kayaking or bamboo boats, cave and island visits, swimming, a sunset cooking activity, included meals, and transfers by bus, boat, ferry, and bus.

“What a great trip, Annie was a wonderful guide who seemed to have impeccable timing and explanations for each activity in our itinerary. She was very sweet, and very friendly and professional. I'm a professional tour guide in the United State and I thought she managed everything flawlessly. We had a great group and we opted for the extended 3 day tour. Even though she wasn't with us for the extent of the whole 3 days, she passed us on to other individuals smoothly to continue our adventure to other locations in the area. This program was the highlight of our Vietnam trip.”

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3.Halong bay deluxe cruise 2 days/ 1 night: kayaking, titop island, surprise cave

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 21 reviews · from $140Top rated

Spend one night aboard a traditional wooden junk boat in Halong Bay, with kayaking, Titop Island, Surprise Cave, sunset and sunrise views, four meals, and an English-speaking guide. Hanoi pickup is available, but check the transfer option carefully before booking.

“Everything was very good except the room. The facilities in the room needed maintenance or upgrades but the staff were great and the food was excellent.”

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4.Hanoi or Ninh Binh: 2-Day Lan Ha Bay & Cat Ba Island Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 20 reviews · from $160

You’ll cruise from Hanoi or Ninh Binh to Cat Ba and Lan Ha Bay, with bamboo-boat cave trips, kayaking, swimming, a sunset cooking class, seafood meals, and a cycling or electric-car visit to Viet Hai village. An English or Vietnamese guide leads the trip, with several cruise boats available.

“We booked the tour to avoid mass tourism in Halong Bay – with around 15 people, the group size was fine. However, the boat did not match the photos: run-down cabins, unpleasant smell, broken air conditioning. The better rooms on the upper deck are worth it, as it was loud, hot, and barely habitable downstairs. Drinks, even water, were extremely overpriced. The excursions seemed overcrowded, with only a short stop for swimming and lots of groups during the kayaking. The bike tour was the highlight, with an enthusiastic and informative guide – otherwise there was little support. We had to pay extra for hotel pickup or make our own way…”

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5.2-Day Traditional Cruise to Lan Ha Bay & Cat Ba Island

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 14 reviews · from $162

From Hanoi, you travel to Cat Ba for a two-day, one-night cruise through Lan Ha Bay and Ha Long Bay. Expect floating villages, cave kayaking, swimming, Dau Be Island, Vietnamese meals, and an English-speaking guide. Confirm your cabin bathroom before paying the $35 solo supplement.

“I had booked this tour online and received a phone call two hours after my confirmation stating that I unfortunately could not go, because the registrations had forgotten to close and the boat was now fully booked. After I had expressed my displeasure, I received confirmation the next day that I could go – same price, same boat, same room. Nicely arranged, I thought. But once on board it turned out that my room did not have a private bathroom at all, even though it was indicated that it did. I had to wash and brush my teeth in a shared toilet/washroom that was really not clean, and which was…”

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