Private & tailor-made · 1–4 guests
Bat Trang Day Trip from Hanoi: Pottery, a Village Banquet and Hoan Kiem Lake
A full, unhurried day: a family workshop and an hour at the wheel in Bat Trang, lunch of the village banquet in an old house, then the Old Quarter with egg coffee and Hoan Kiem Lake in the late-afternoon light. The class, the lunch and every ticket are paid before you travel.
A sample day at a glance
What changes when the day is yours
A private car for your group alone
Private, 1-4 guests, and nobody outside your party is added to it
Your own licensed local guide
Fluent in English, explaining the craft in the morning and the streets of old Hanoi in the afternoon — to your group alone
Collected at your own hotel
Anywhere in central Hanoi. No meeting point to reach on your own, and no shuttle round of other hotels
Class, lunch and tickets prepaid
The pottery class, the museum, the banquet lunch, egg coffee and the temple are paid for you. Nothing is collected from you on the day
No shop stops, in writing
No detour to a ceramics or silk showroom that pays to have you delivered
A lunch most visitors never find
The dishes Bat Trang families cook for their own feast days, served in an old village house booked for you
Duration
9 hours
Departure
08:00 hotel pickup
Pickup
Any central Hanoi hotel
from · $89 · / person · ›Check your price ›
Choose your group size · price is the total for the group
Solo traveller$225 BOOK →2 guests$270 BOOK →3 guests$315 BOOK →4 guests$355 BOOK →Free cancellation up to 3 days before · every tour tailored on request
The day, from the kilns to the lake
This is a sample day: add, skip or linger over any stop and we will adjust it. The morning is in Bat Trang, the afternoon in the heart of Hanoi, a short walk from most hotels.
Hotel pickup · 08:00 · anywhere in central Hanoi
Drive east over the Red River · about 40 minutes
The old village of Bat Trang
08:45 · about 40 minutes · on foot, flat
Included in the tour price
4 photos · tap to enlarge
Behind the market street, Bat Trang is still a village. Your guide walks you through narrow brick lanes to an old merchant house that keeps a collection of old pottery, past a wood-fired kiln of the kind the whole village once used, and to the communal house where the craft’s founders are honoured.
A family workshop and your hour at the wheel
09:30 · about 1½ hours · on foot, then seated
Pottery class included
4 photos · tap to enlarge
A family workshop at work, where your guide explains each step from clay to kiln, then an hour at the wheel with a potter beside you. A piece made at the wheel has to dry for several days before it can be fired. If you are staying in Hanoi for three more days, we bring the fired piece to your hotel; if you leave sooner, you take it home unfired and wrapped, as a keepsake rather than something to use.
Bat Trang Ceramics Museum
11:00 · about 40 minutes · indoors
Museum ticket included
1 photo · tap to enlarge
A museum built to look like stacked potter’s wheels, tracing Vietnamese ceramics from the earliest wares to the work of today’s Bat Trang artists.
Lunch of the Bat Trang village banquet
12:00 · about 1¼ hours · seated
Lunch included
4 photos · tap to enlarge
Bat Trang families are known for the feast they cook on holidays and anniversaries. Lunch is a set of those dishes, such as the soup of dried squid and bamboo shoots the village is proud of, served in an old house in the village. Tell us about allergies or a vegetarian diet when you book and the kitchen will cook for it.
Back into Hanoi · about 45 minutes
The Old Quarter on foot, with egg coffee
14:15 · about 1¾ hours · on foot, flat
Egg coffee included
4 photos · tap to enlarge
Your guide walks you through the streets that were once named for the goods sold in them, into Bach Ma Temple, one of the oldest in the quarter, and inside a long, narrow tube house. Then a stop for egg coffee, the Hanoi drink of coffee topped with whipped egg yolk.
Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple
16:00 · about 45 minutes · on foot, flat
Temple ticket included
1 photo · tap to enlarge
Across the red The Huc bridge to Ngoc Son Temple on its island in the lake, in the soft light of the late afternoon. Your guide tells the legend that gave the lake its name, the Lake of the Returned Sword.
Back at your hotel · around 17:00 · 9 hours after pickup
From the kilns to the lake, in one day
No stops we did not tell you about, nothing to pay at any gate, and any part of it can be changed.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$225 BOOK →2 guests$270 BOOK →3 guests$315 BOOK →4 guests$355 BOOK →Price is the total for the group · free cancellation up to 3 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Want a different route, pace or group size? We will plan your day and send you an all-inclusive quote. ›What is in the price
Included
- Private car and driver
- Licensed local guide, fluent in English
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in central Hanoi
- Pottery class with a Bat Trang potter
- Bat Trang Ceramics Museum ticket
- Bat Trang banquet lunch in an old village house
- Egg coffee in the Old Quarter
- Ngoc Son Temple ticket
- Bottled water
Not included
− Dinner, and drinks beyond lunch, egg coffee and the water we provide
− Ceramics and anything else you choose to buy
− A tip for your guide and driver — never expected, always welcome
− Travel insurance, which we recommend you carry
Is this the right tour for you?
A good fit if
You want Bat Trang and the heart of Hanoi in one day, without planning either.
You would like to make something yourself, then eat what the village cooks for its feasts.
You are a couple, a family or a small group who likes a full day with room to pause.
You want one price that covers the class, lunch and every ticket.
Look elsewhere if
You are one person on a tight budget.
A nine-hour day is too long for your group; the half day covers Bat Trang alone.
You have already walked the Old Quarter with a guide.
You only want to shop for ceramics; the market street needs no guide.
If Bat Trang is what you came for, the half day covers the old village, the workshop and the wheel in four and a half hours. See the Bat Trang half day. Or tell us what you want to see, and we will plan a day around it.
Questions before you book
About the day
How long is the tour and when does it start?
It runs 9 hours door to door, departing 08:00 hotel pickup from your hotel. The morning is in Bat Trang and the afternoon in the Old Quarter, ending at Hoan Kiem Lake.
Where do you pick us up, and where does the day end?
At your own hotel, with no meeting point to reach on your own. Free pickup and drop-off at any central Hanoi hotel. The day ends at Hoan Kiem Lake, a short walk from most Old Quarter hotels; otherwise the car takes you back. Your guide waits in the lobby for 20 minutes at pickup.
Can I take home what I make?
A piece made at the wheel has to dry for several days before it can be fired. If you are staying in Hanoi for three more days, we bring the fired piece to your hotel; if you leave sooner, you take it home unfired and wrapped, as a keepsake rather than something to use.
Can we change the route or the pace?
Yes. This is a sample day and every part of it can be adjusted: longer at the wheel, a water puppet show instead of the temple, or more time in the Old Quarter. Tell us before you book and we confirm the plan and an all-inclusive price in writing.
Does the guide speak good English?
Yes. Your guide is a licensed local who speaks fluent English and explains the craft of Bat Trang and the history of old Hanoi as you go.
Booking and practicalities
Is the price per person or for the whole group?
For the whole group, from one to four guests: four people pay less each than two, and the car is the same car. Children under 5 travel free and do not count towards the group size; from 5 a child counts as one guest. Groups of five or more travel in a larger vehicle — message us for a quote.
How do I pay, and when?
Two ways: pay the full price online by card, or pay a 30% deposit online and the rest in cash on the day of the tour, in US dollars or Vietnamese dong. We can also send a secure payment link on WhatsApp. The booking is confirmed once the online payment goes through, and your pickup time and guide’s name arrive in writing.
Can I cancel or reschedule?
Yes — free cancellation up to 3 days before departure for a full refund, and free rescheduling subject to availability. Within 3 days of departure, 30% of the tour price is charged because the car and guide are already committed. Date changes are arranged over WhatsApp.
What should I bring, and do I need cash?
Clothes you do not mind getting a little clay on, comfortable shoes, and clothing that covers shoulders and knees for the temples. You do not need cash for the tour; bring your own money only for anything you choose to buy, and the balance for your guide if you chose to pay it in cash.
What about food allergies?
Tell us when you book. Lunch is ordered for your group in advance, so the kitchen can cook it vegetarian, without seafood, peanuts or gluten, or mild on chilli.
Book the Bat Trang and Hanoi day
Private car and licensed local guide, hotel pickup, every fee already settled.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$225 BOOK →2 guests$270 BOOK →3 guests$315 BOOK →4 guests$355 BOOK →Price is the total for the group · free cancellation up to 3 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Want a different route, pace or group size? We will plan your day and send you an all-inclusive quote. ›