With its unspoilt countryside and glorious old Buddhist temples, Laos has a quiet charm that sets it apart from its busier neighbours, Thailand and Vietnam.
It promises to be an economic “game-changer” for Laos; and it makes the overland journey from Vientiane to the “petite” city of Luang Prabang (the country’s “only real tourism hotspot”) far easier. By bus, it took ten hours; now you can get there by train in a little more than two. Tickets are not available online, and are often sold out at the stations, so consider going with a tour operator that guarantees them.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Life onboard the train feels faintly “Orwellian”, with regular announcements instructing you to report “antisocial activities”. But the ride is “captivatingly scenic”, past rice paddies harrowed by buffaloes bearing wooden yokes, and “denticulated” limestone peaks that emerge from misty forests. It is worth lingering in Vientiane before departure, to wander its broad boulevards (the legacy of French colonialism), and see its “dazzling” Buddhist landmarks.
But Luang Prabang is lovelier still, with no less than 32 richly decorated temples, some dating back to its 16th century heyday. Opulent French-built villas, many housing boutique hotels, line the Mekong here, and there’s a great array of restaurants, cafés and cocktail bars in which to while away the long, humid evenings.
Inside Asia (insideasiatours.com) has an 11-day trip from £2,051pp
-
Trump’s poll collapse: can he stop the slide?Talking Point President who promised to ease cost-of-living has found that US economic woes can’t be solved ‘via executive fiat’
-
Codeword: December 7, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
-
Crossword: December 7, 2025The daily crossword from The Week
-
Wake Up Dead Man: ‘arch and witty’ Knives Out sequelThe Week Recommends Daniel Craig returns for the ‘excellent’ third instalment of the murder mystery film series
-
Zootropolis 2: a ‘perky and amusing’ movieThe Week Recommends The talking animals return in a family-friendly sequel
-
Storyteller: a ‘fitting tribute’ to Robert Louis StevensonThe Week Recommends Leo Damrosch’s ‘valuable’ biography of the man behind Treasure Island
-
The rapid-fire brilliance of Tom StoppardIn the Spotlight The 88-year-old was a playwright of dazzling wit and complex ideas
-
‘Mexico: A 500-Year History’ by Paul Gillingham and ‘When Caesar Was King: How Sid Caesar Reinvented American Comedy’ by David Margolickfeature A chronicle of Mexico’s shifts in power and how Sid Caesar shaped the early days of television
-
Homes by renowned architectsFeature Featuring a Leonard Willeke Tudor Revival in Detroit and modern John Storyk design in Woodstock
-
Film reviews: ‘Hamnet,’ ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ and ‘Eternity’Feature Grief inspires Shakespeare’s greatest play, a flamboyant sleuth heads to church and a long-married couple faces a postmortem quandary
-
We Did OK, Kid: Anthony Hopkins’ candid memoir is a ‘page-turner’The Week Recommends The 87-year-old recounts his journey from ‘hopeless’ student to Oscar-winning actor
