Luang Prabang Attractions: Temples, Royal Palace and Mount Phousi

These five guides cover the temples, palace, hill and museum at the heart of Luang Prabang's old town. Fees are charged in Lao kip, and several rise on November 15, 2026: foreigners pay 60,000 kip at Wat Xieng Thong and at Mount Phousi and 200,000 kip at the Royal Palace Museum from that date. Wat Mai is listed at 10,000 kip and the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre at 35,000 kip. Each guide gives that site's hours, fees and how to get there, with the source for each figure.

Luang Prabang attractions with visitor guides

Wat Xieng Thong

Wat Xieng Thong is a working Buddhist monastery at the tip of the Luang Prabang peninsula, set on an embankment above the Mekong near where the Nam Khan joins it. Built by King Setthathirath around 1560, it was a royal temple where Lao kings were crowned, and the official Luang Prabang tourism site calls it a classic example of the Luang Prabang style, with a low, sweeping roof and glass mosaics. It is open daily 6:00 am to 6:00 pm; foreign visitors pay 60,000 kip from November 15, 2026 (30,000 kip before that) and Lao visitors enter free.

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Royal Palace Museum, Luang Prabang (Haw Kham)

The Royal Palace, or Haw Kham, was the residence of the Lao kings in Luang Prabang from its completion in 1909 until 1975 and has been the National Museum of Luang Prabang since 1976. The grounds on Sisavangvong Road also hold Haw Pha Bang, the gilded hall that enshrines the Pha Bang Buddha, a garage of the king's cars and the Phralak Phralam Theatre. The museum opens 8:00 to 11:30 am and 1:30 to 4:00 pm (tickets sold until 11:00 am and 3:30 pm), closes for cleaning on the last Thursday of each month, and from November 15, 2026 charges foreigners 200,000 kip.

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Mount Phousi (Phou Si hill and That Chomsi stupa)

Mount Phousi (Phou Si) is the sacred hill in the center of Luang Prabang, topped by the gilded Pha That Chom Si (That Chomsi) stupa and known for its panoramic views of the town and the Mekong, especially at sunset. Tourism Luang Prabang lists it as open daily from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, depending on the season, and the most popular way up is the 328-step stairway from Sisavangvong Road in front of the National Museum. The foreigner ticket rises from 30,000 kip to 60,000 kip on November 15, 2026, and visitors are asked to dress modestly because the hilltop is a sacred religious site where alcohol is strictly prohibited.

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Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham

Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham, usually called Wat Mai ("New Monastery"), is a working Buddhist temple on Sisavangvong Road in central Luang Prabang, right beside the Royal Palace Museum. Wikipedia describes it as the largest temple in Luang Prabang. It is known for the gilded relief panels on the front veranda of its sim (ordination hall) and its five-tiered roof.

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Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC)

The Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC) is a small museum and learning centre in Luang Prabang dedicated to the ethnic cultures and artisans of Laos, founded in 2006 as a local social enterprise. It sits on a small hill behind Dara Market at the foot of Phousi Hill and is open Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 5pm, closed Mondays. A fair-trade Museum Shop is on site and TAEC runs a second store, the TAEC Boutique, on the main road in Ban Vat Sene.

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Planning your visit to Luang Prabang

Opening hours differ: Wat Xieng Thong and Mount Phousi are listed from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Wat Mai from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and the Royal Palace Museum closes from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. TAEC lists Mondays as closed, and the Royal Palace Museum's official pages disagree on Sunday opening, so check those two before planning a Monday or Sunday. Wat Mai stands beside the Royal Palace Museum on Sisavangvong Road, and the main 328-step Mount Phousi stairway starts on the same road in front of the National Museum.