These are some of our favorite things to do in Laos. Discuss incorporating some of these ideas into your own itinerary with a travel specialist.

Vientiane
Stop by Wat Sisaket, believed to be the oldest temple in the city…check out the collection of statuary at Wat Pra Keo Museum…attend the That Luang Festival in November, when the stupa becomes the center of activities, candle-lit processions, and entertainment…ogle the colonial villas around the Presidential Palace…compare Patuxai to Paris' similar Arc De Triomphe…enjoy the calm of Xieng Khuan, also known as Buddha Park, with its eclectic array of Buddhist and Hindu statuary in a meadow near the Mekong River…shop the Morning Market for weavings, Lao cotton, ceramics, and curios.

Luang Prabang
Enjoy the unhurried pace and quiet streets of the ancient Royal Capital...attend one of the city's many festivals…compare the architectural style of the city's temples with that of Northern Thailand…visit Mount Phousi, covered with small wats, and providing panoramic views of the city and the Mekong…stop in at the Palace Museum for its intentional mix of Lao and French architectural styles...stop by Wat Xieng Thong to see its mosaics and classic Luang Prabang style sweeping roofs…visit Wat Visoun, the oldest in the city, with its 35-meter Lotus stupa and lovely collection of Buddha statues…shop for produce alongside locals at That Luang market…sail up the Mekong to visit the Buddha statues at the Pak Ou caves.