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| Dalat Railway Station was designed in the Art Deco architectural style and built in 1932 by French architectures, and opened in 1938. Dalat Railway Station is the unique and beautiful construction of Dalat, a harmonious combination between Western architecture and Central Highland’s communal house architecture. It is also the oldest railway station in Vietnam, as well as in Indochina. In 2001, Dalat Railway Station was recognized as the National architectural relic by Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture and Information. |
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| The station is shaped like the Langbiang Mountain, with a length of 66.5m, a width of 11.4m and a height of 11m. The three roofs, said to represent the three peaks of Dalat's iconic LangBiang Mountain, are also reminiscent of Normandy's Trouville-Deauville Station in a southern province of France. Under each roof is a multicolored glass window, and under the central roof is a large clock, which has recently been restored. Inside the station, the elevated roofs create a raised ceiling. At the front of the station is a Porte-cochère, or coach gate, supported by two rows of twelve columns each. |
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| In the past, there were two daily trains from Dalat to Nha Trang and Dalat to Saigon with three compartments for passengers and one for goods. However, during the Vietnam wars, the railways and station became the target of bombing and they were seriously destroyed. After the fall of Saigon and the national unification in 1975, the railways were repaired and put back into use. |
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| Since 1991, Dalat railway station provided tourists with the 7km route from Dalat to Trai Mat station, where visitors can enjoy the fresh peaceful daily lifestyle of local people, find fresh vegetables and fruits in the local market, as well as visit small Linh Phuoc Pagoda. Sitting on the train going on a slow speed, tourists can enjoy the full sight of Dalat from different angles when the train is winding its way along hillside, as well as the purest atmosphere of the highland. Though the seat is not quite so comfortable, this train trip is really worth a try, thanks to the unique feeling of the past that it brings about. |
- 5.40am, 7.45am, 9.50am, 11.55am, 2.00pm, 4.05pm
- 6.40am, 8.45am, 10.50am, 12.55pm, 3.00pm, 5.05pm
- The price is starting from 108,000vnd to 150,000vnd for a return ticket.
- The ride takes about 30 minutes per way.
- Not advisable for you take the last train to Linh Phuoc Pagoda because 30 minutes is not enough time for you to tour the whole pagoda unless you plan to not to return by train. Please remember that they only sell return train ticket. There is no one-way ticket for sale.
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| Dalat Railway Station is now the ideal address to photograph the wedding of the couple to record sacred moments right at the old trains existing over the time. Young people also come Dalat Railway Station to explore and take beautiful photos. Retaining the unique and impressive records along with its magnificent beauty, Dalat Railway Station is worth a must-see tourist site in the journey of exploring Dalat tour. The station thus displays its significant contributions in promoting Dalat tourism closer to both domestic and international tourists. The entrance fee is 5,000vnd per person. If you are driving a car or a motorbike, parking is charged separately at a very small fee. |
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| There are 3 types of trains with different design are displayed here. There’s an original Black Prairie steam engine which was manufactured in 1930 in Germany. This is the one and only train engine is displayed here. It was getting lesser train displayed here than it used to be. That's really sad. |
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| Anyway, I believe with your photography technique and if you have a model that's very photogenic like I do, you can get a good picture with all the limitation it has here. You may only need to spend about 30 minutes here but if you have creativity photography in mind, you will spend more than an hour. |
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| After the French occupied Vietnam, as part of the colonialists ‘mission civilastrice’, major infrastructure projects were initiated. The French installed electricity power stations, built French-style buildings as well as roads, parks, canals and of course a rail system. In the early 20th century, Paul Doumer, the French Governor-General of Indochina from 1897 to 1902, approved the construction of a railway line from Thap Cham in Ninh Thuan province to Da Lat at a cost of 200 million franc. |
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| The colonialists hired Swedish engineers for the job, who had experience at building zigzag railways for use on steep slopes. Although the initial survey was conducted in 1898, construction of the first phase running from Thap Cham to Song Pha, just 38 kilometres, only commenced in 1908 and took seven years to be completed. |
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| During the second phase the railway line was laid down from Song Pha to Eo Gio, just 10km as the crow flies, but it had to run over the vast Ngoan Muc pass. Work on the railway from Thap Cham to Da Lat continued until 1932. The last stretch was said to be the hardest as it traversed the Lam Vien Plateau, 1,500m above sea level. The construction of Da Lat Railway Station was subsequently completed in 1938. The railway station was among the first colonial-style edifices to be built in the area. |
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| It is a stunning piece of architecture, and the largely French style is complemented by architectural gestures towards the cottage style of ethnic minorities from the Central Highlands. Right in the middle if its façade three high, pointed roofs cut a striking shape against the sky. Under the central roof sits a large clock, which has been restored in recent times. The front of the building features a porte-cochere, supported by two rows of columns, twelve in each row. |
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| In 1997, as Vietnam’s economy began to flourish and tourism industry was starting to thrive, the seven-kilometer railway tour around Da Lat city was initiated and has proven to be highly popular. The railway station was also restored. You can find vintage post boxes and time-tables still fixed on the walls and antique chairs and tables in the waiting rooms. |
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| The highland city of Dalat is considered an oasis in the mountains. Being a city of Vietnam, however, Dalat has the breath of France, France's climate and be affected by French architecture. Dalat Railway Station is a typical French classical architecture in Dalat. |
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| To get to here is very easy since it is located at the city of Dalat. You can either take a taxi or rent a motorbike to come here. There is grab service here but only Grab bike available. No grab car service available. Overall, I would highly recommend you to drop by here especially you like to take photos. This place will be the best place for you. |
Total Damage: 5,000vnd per person
Ambiance: 3/5
Cleanliness: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Recommended?: Yes
Dalat Railway Station
Quang Trung, Phường 10, Tp. Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
Opening Hours: 8.00am - 5.00pm (daily)
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