The 5 Best Tours in Hanoi for an Unforgettable Adventure
Hanoi hooks you the moment you arrive. The buzz of motorbikes, the smell of sizzling street food, and the deep history down every alley can feel overwhelming to sort through on your own.
Booking the right excursion makes a huge difference in how you experience the capital, so finding the best tour in Hanoi is well worth the effort.
I spent weeks exploring the city, sorting through local guides and unique routes to see what actually delivers.
In this guide, I break down the top options so you can pick an adventure that fits your travel style. Here are my favorite picks.
How much does a tour cost in Hanoi?
A tour in Hanoi costs between 200,000 VND for a local food and city walk and 1,000,000 VND or more per person for a private customized day trip, depending on the style and destination.
| Tour Type | Price Range (VND per person) |
| Local street food & city sights | 200,000 – 500,000 |
| Private customized day trips | 500,000 – 1,000,000+ |
1. Ha Giang Loop Tours – Cao Bang
Website:thelooptour s.com
Address: 46 Au Trieu Street, Hoan Kiem District
Contact: +84 862 443 320 | [email protected]
Hours: Available 24/7
Heading up north from the capital takes plenty of planning, but Ha Giang Loop Tours handles the logistics beautifully by combining popular mountain loops with untouched local valleys.
They focus on authentic travel connections rather than rowdy party culture, and they even offer a cool workshop where you customize your own riding gear.
I joined one of their small groups last month and loved how easily we visited quiet ethnic minority villages without dealing with giant crowds.
On top of that, you get traditional family-style meals and cozy homestays instead of cheap hostel food.
Just keep in mind that the connector bus from the city center is an extra fee on top of your baseline cost. You also need a valid motorcycle license to drive yourself, which pushes many people to pay for a driver instead.
Customer Reviews
Great fun with professional easy riders
This was such a great experience! I had done the Ha Giang loop prior and chose this time to do the 3 day Cao Bang tour with this company. My easy rider Zue was very professional and great fun, and his cousin Zue Hai was my partner’s easy rider and also great. The sights were great and so was the karaoke at night! The whole Viet team were very fun, shout out to Leo as well for beautiful singing. All the leaders had great English as well.
– Felicity Lodge |Google Review
Safe, flexible, and a smaller group
We had an amazing time doing the Ha Giang and Cao Bang tour with the Loop hostel group. Our tour guide was Leo and he was great at making sure we were all happy and going at a comfortable pace. I felt very safe with my driver and overall we had a great time hiking, seeing caves, and eating together at the beautiful homestays after a long day of riding. We really enjoyed being part of a smaller group because you could be more flexible with your plans and breaks, 10/10 would recommend!
– Lydia Barnston |Google Review
2. Hanoi Backstreet Tours
Website:hanoibackstreettours.com
Address: No. 19 Gia Ngu Street, Hoan Kiem District
Contact: +84 972 15 8383
Hours: Available 24/7
Cruising through the city in an open-air vehicle gives you a totally different take on the local traffic.
Hanoi Backstreet Tours stands out among local travel agencies by using a vintage fleet of Soviet-era motorbikes and military jeeps to navigate the capital.
They skip the polished tourist tracks to show you the raw, quirky reality of everyday life in historic neighborhoods.
These trips weave through narrow alleys to reach hidden residential compounds and multi-generational food stalls. They offer a great refund guarantee if you don’t enjoy the ride, and they even donate a portion of profits to local orphanages.
On the downside, these older vehicles lack modern air conditioning and seat belts, so the journey gets bumpy and exposes you to road dust or sudden rain.
Customer Reviews
A full day with everything packed in
The Ninh Binh tour was awesome! It was a full day of activities. From visiting pagodas, to climbing a small mountain (500 steps), floating down a river, lunch, and finally a 90 minute motorbike ride through the rice fields. This tour had it all. This was in a beautiful mountainous area. You will get your money’s worth. I would definitely recommend this excursion. By the way, the tour guide Danny and his driver were outstanding! Danny was so energetic!
– Eric the Reb |Google Review
Streets we would never have seen
We had a great evening tour on the back of a jeep around the streets in Hanoi. Our guide Hai was really good, very knowledgeable, funny, and his English was very good. They were very accommodating and showed us streets that we would never ever see, and gave us all an insight into the lives of the locals as well. The backstreet tour showed us a couple of stores selling their wares, and Hai explained the purposes and traditions. The train street was very unique and we got a free drink watching it. A unique whole experience.
– MAX MAX |Google Review
3. Hanoi Street Food Tour
Website:hanoistreetfoodtour.com
Address: 78a Tran Nhat Duat Street, Old Quarter
Contact: +84 966 960 188 | [email protected]
Hours: Daily, 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Finding safe, delicious local dishes in the Old Quarter can be tricky if you don’t know where to look. Hanoi Street Food Tour specializes strictly in authentic culinary experiences.
They let you choose between motorbikes, cyclos, or classic walking tours to explore. My close friend told me their all-female local guides are incredible at bridging the language barrier and tracking down the best hidden food stalls.
You can book online and simply pay when you arrive, which removes any digital payment hassle. They also back trips with a full money-back guarantee and a best-price match.
That said, because the name is so famous, you have to watch out for fake booking offices, and the heavy food focus means you miss out on the major historical landmarks.
Customer Reviews
A great mix of cozy and lively spots
Loved the food tour today we had with Tina. Tried all sorts of dishes on our first day in Hanoi, learned about culture and customs, and got some nice recommendations. Some of the places we visited were really tiny and cozy, a backyard family restaurant with grandchildren and grandparents present, some bigger and more touristic, just a great mix of everything. Can’t recommend more.
– Artur Grenda |Google Review
Authentic spots with great vegan options
We had such a great time on the Hanoi Food Tour with Train Street! Tina was an amazing guide, friendly, knowledgeable, and so fun to explore the city with. She took us to authentic local spots and explained each dish and its history. I really appreciated that they offered delicious vegan options at every stop, so I never felt left out. The Train Street experience was definitely a highlight, such a unique and exciting moment! Highly recommend this tour, especially with Tina as your guide!
– Tam Nguyen |Google Review
4. Hanoi Local Tour
Website:hanoilocaltour.com
Address: No. 31A Van Mieu Street, Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam Ward
Contact: +84 974 301 339
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM; Saturday, 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Skipping the annoying souvenir shops is a top priority for travelers who want authentic sightseeing. Hanoi Local Tour delivers exactly that with a strict policy against forced commercial stops.
They pair you with a local specialist to design custom itineraries within a day, and they allow unlimited free changes to the plan.
On top of that, they keep nearly forty percent of their vehicle seats empty so you can stretch out and relax on long drives. Their deep regional roots also give you access to quiet craft villages with fully flexible, private pacing.
Just note that the custom planning takes some back-and-forth messaging, and narrow historic streets mean vans often cannot pick you up right at your hotel door.
Customer Reviews
Genuine experience and quick replies
I’m a photographer and always look for authentic moments when traveling. I joined a half-day tour to Thu Sy Bamboo Fish Trap Village with Hanoi Local Tour and honestly had a great time. The booking process was simple and Ms. Lynn replied very quickly, even though I booked at the last minute. The itinerary was clear and well arranged. The experience felt genuine and the service was better than I expected. Highly recommended!
– Nguyễn Thị Thùy Dương |Google Review
Best trip in Vietnam
I had the best trip in Vietnam as well as in Hanoi. Thanks an ocean, Hanoi Local Tour! I took many pictures and I’m sure that I will show them to my friends. Hope to see you guys soon!
– Khánh Linh Nghiêm |Google Review
5. Hanoi Old Quarter Travel
Website:hanoioldquartertravel.com
Address: 40c Hang Manh Street, Hang Gai Ward, Hoan Kiem District
Contact: +84 969 192 689 | +84 972 285 689 | [email protected]
Hours: Daily, 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Getting all your travel logistics sorted in one spot makes exploring the capital incredibly smooth. Hanoi Old Quarter Travel runs as a comprehensive hub, coordinating everything from visa help and train tickets to specialized jeep and bicycle excursions.
They put a strong emphasis on local spirit and culture, and they back up their trips with loads of positive online reviews.
They also offer flexible tour durations, from quick afternoon food crawls to intensive full-day regional trips out to famous nearby incense villages.
That said, their short-specialized blocks carry a higher hourly price than the standard full-day city options. You should also prepare for transit bottlenecks, since rush-hour traffic bans often force large tour groups to walk to central transfer hubs.
Customer Reviews
Just as discussed, vegan-friendly too
Used them for a day trip to Ninh Binh. Everything was just as discussed. The transportation was comfortable and clean, and the tour guide was fun, engaging, and knowledgeable. The food was great even for vegans! If you’re looking for a good trip while visiting Hanoi, hit them up.
– Trevis Upchurch |Google Review
An excellent three-day itinerary
Mrs. Thui Bui arranged an excellent 3 day trip for us in Hanoi. We went on a Hanoi City Tour, Ninh Binh, visited an incense factory, and visited a traditional Viet hat making workshop where we had hands-on painting of a Viet hat and learned how the hat is made. The English-speaking tour guide Frankie was very good and explained the history and insights of the places we visited.
– Stephen Yee |Google Review