Luang Prabang: The Old Royal Capital, a Forest Resort and the New Railway

A town on a peninsula

Luang Prabang stands in the mountains of northern Laos, on a narrow peninsula between the Mekong and the Nam Khan. UNESCO listed it in 1995 for the way it joins traditional Lao architecture with colonial buildings of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Most traditional houses are wooden, the temples are masonry, with Wat Xieng Thong, of the sixteenth century, among the finest, and brick colonial houses with wooden balconies line the main street and the riverbank.

The town was the capital of the Lane Xang kingdom from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries, and again served as the royal and religious capital under the French until Vientiane took over in 1946. Walk it at dawn and in the late afternoon,. Development and tourism pressures are real, and many houses have lost their authenticity to modern materials.

The dawn alms round

Each morning, monks in saffron robes walk in silence through the streets to collect offerings, often sticky rice, from local people. It is a sacred daily practice, not a performance, and it has been strained by tourism: flash photography, crowding and loud talk are the common failings. If you watch, keep your distance, do not block the procession, switch off the flash, cover your shoulders, chest and legs, and never touch the monks. Visitors who want to make an offering should prepare it through their hotel or a local market and not from vendors along the route; non-Buddhists are advised not to take part. The dawn alms round explains how to observe.

Where to stay and how to arrive

Rosewood Luang Prabang is a forest resort by Bill Bensley, ten minutes from the old town. La Résidence Phou Vao is a resort and spa in a former royal guesthouse on a hill above the town.

The Laos-China railway has put Luang Prabang on the rail map: its station opened in December 2021 as part of the Boten to Vientiane line. Schedules and border rules change, so check official sources. The trip pairs well with Siem Reap and Angkor.

Sources: UNESCO: Town of Luang Prabang; Yoga Wine Travel: Alms-giving ceremony in Luang Prabang; Wikipedia: Luang Prabang railway station. Check the official websites for current information.