Things to Do in Da Lat for Non-Golfers: A Half-Day Plan Near Each Course (2026)

Last updated: 21 October 2026

The best things to do in Da Lat for non-golfers depend on which course your partner is playing. Dalat Palace sits in the middle of town, so a lakeside walk, the market and a café are minutes away. SAM Tuyen Lam is closer to the cable car, the Zen monastery and Datanla Falls. The Dalat at 1200 is out past the airport, with nothing much nearby. Plan the morning around the course, and meet up for lunch.

Where the Da Lat courses are, and why it matters for non-golfers

Each of the three courses sits in a different part of the plateau, so the “while they play” plan changes with the tee sheet. We measured these drive times on Google Maps on 21 October 2026, at an ordinary weekday midday:

A round with caddie and cart usually takes four to four and a half hours, so a 7:30 tee time frees the non-golfer until about lunchtime. Course details, lengths and hotel bases are in our guide to the three Da Lat courses and how far each one is from town.

While they play Dalat Palace: the town on foot

This is the easy one. Dalat Palace overlooks Xuan Huong Lake, and the city flower garden is under a kilometre from the club. A slow loop of the lake, a coffee on one of the terraces facing the water and a wander through the garden fill a morning without a single taxi.

For a little more, the old Da Lat railway station, with its 1930s Art Deco building, is 7 minutes away by car (3.1 km), and the central market is 8 minutes (3.1 km). The Valley of Love, a landscaped park north of town that is popular with couples, is 9 minutes (3.9 km). Everything here is close enough that the golfer can join you straight from the 18th green.

In our experience, this is the day that convinces a sceptical partner that a Da Lat golf trip is a good idea. Nobody has to wait, nobody is stuck at a resort, and lunch is in town.

While they play SAM Tuyen Lam: monastery, cable car and waterfall

SAM Tuyen Lam is in the pine hills by Tuyen Lam Lake, south of the centre, and it happens to be the closest course to two of Da Lat’s best-known sights:

A good plan is to drive to the monastery, walk the gardens, then take the cable car from the monastery down to the Robin Hill station on the edge of town and meet the golfer for lunch there. Datanla works as a second stop, or as the main event for children who want the coaster. We have not listed opening hours or ticket prices because they change; check on the day.

One caution: from about May to October, Da Lat’s rainy season, showers often arrive in the early afternoon. Do the outdoor sights in the morning, when the golfer is out, and keep the afternoon for something indoors.

While they play The Dalat at 1200: stay in town

The Dalat at 1200 is a fine course in an awkward place for anyone not playing. It sits on the plateau near Lien Khuong Airport, 23 minutes from the terminal and 47 minutes from Da Lat Market by Google Maps. The nearest sights we checked, Linh An Pagoda (44 minutes) and Pongour Falls (52 minutes), are no closer than the town itself.

So we normally recommend splitting up for the day. The golfer takes an early transfer out, and the non-golfer has a slow morning in town and an afternoon in a café. On an arrival or departure day, when most groups play this course because it is near the airport, the non-golfer can go ahead into town with the luggage and check in, and the golfer follows after the round.

Rainy afternoons in Da Lat

Da Lat is mild all year, with average temperatures of around 18–21°C (VinWonders, July 2025), and mornings can be cold, so bring a jacket. When the afternoon rain comes, the town has plenty to do indoors:

• Cafés. Da Lat grows coffee and has a serious café culture, from lake-view terraces to small rooms in old villas. A long coffee is the local answer to rain.
• Spa time. Many hotels have a spa, and a massage after the golfer’s round works for both of you.
• The night market. The streets around Da Lat Market fill with food stalls and knitwear stands in the evening. Go together after dinner and try the grilled rice-paper snacks and hot soy milk.

Da Lat with family or as a couple

With children: the cable car and Datanla’s coaster are the obvious wins, and both are near SAM Tuyen Lam, so book the family’s golfer there. Strawberry farms and flower gardens on the edge of town are easy half-day trips; ask us to add a driver for the morning.

As a couple: Dalat Palace days suit couples best, because the golfer is back in town for lunch and the afternoon is free. Our four-day Da Lat itinerary with a free morning for everyone is built that way, with rounds at Dalat Palace and SAM Tuyen Lam and time off in between.

A shared day off

Most of our guests keep one day for everyone. The classic choice is Langbiang, the mountain north of town, where jeeps run up to a viewpoint over the plateau. A gentler option is a countryside loop through flower farms, a coffee plantation and a strawberry garden, with lunch on the way. In the dry season, from about November to April, either is a safe bet.

If Da Lat is one stop on a longer trip, the beach towns pair well with it. Nha Trang is about 3.5 to 4.5 hours by road, and we have a separate Nha Trang plan for the partner who skips the golf course. For Da Lat alone, GoGolfVietnam, a local golf tour operator based in Da Nang, can line up tee times, transfers and a driver for the non-golfer in one quote; see our Da Lat golf holidays that leave room for a partner who doesn’t play.

A month-by-month guide to Da Lat weather is coming soon.

Frequently Asked Questions

GoGolfVietnam, a local golf tour operator based in Da Nang, arranges tee times, transfers and hotels in Da Lat and across Vietnam.