Getting to Vientiane:

If departing from Vang Vieng I would recommend catching the local bus which arrives at the North bus station in Vientiane. You can get this from the road that runs along the north side of the air field. The bus costs only 40,000 and takes approximately 4 hours. It’s an authentic experience as you travel with the locals and amongst their livelihood. You will then need to take another local bus which is at the bus depot into town for an additional 5,000. The driver will drop you in town close enough to your desired destination.

Snoozing:

I would thoroughly recommend Shihome backpackers. I stayed in both an 8 & 4 bed dorm and had buddies who shared a private room. The rooms are all awesome, clean and spacious enough. The staff are really nice, friendly and helpful. David is a pool shark so don’t make any bets too high 😉

Eating:

Vientiane has many great places to eat, particularly along the Mekong. If you would like a cheap western fix head to the Swedish Bakery or for an incredible feed but a higher budget head to the Street which boast Sticky Fingers and The Full Moon cafe.

Things to do:

To be honest there really is not too much to do in Vientiane and I would only recommend a couple of days maximum. Vientiane is a popular visa stop as it is particularly close to the Thai border.

If you would like to cool off then head to the local plaza which is located adjacent to the post office. I had a great day hiring a bicycle and exploring the streets along the Mekong River. There are also a few nice parks to chill out in. The night markets are ok but not as good as Luang Prabang so save your pennies and shop there.

Yoga: Yoga is available at Vientiane Yoga Studio. The owner of the studio is lovely. Nancy was the instructor there at the time of writing and is amazing. I would thoroughly recommend any of her classes as she is fantastic with alignment and encouragement with tricky poses. Her Vinyasa class was exactly what I needed to stretch out my travel body.