Cafeography
Đà Lạt · Xuân Hương Lake & the station

Cafés in Xuân Hương Lake & the station

The lake, the 1938 railway station and the cafés of Nguyễn Trãi and Yersin, with Lâm Viên Square on the shore.

Photo: Phi Long, Pexels License

Xuân Hương Lake began in 1919, when the engineer Labbé dammed the Cam Ly stream. A storm in March 1932 broke the early dams, and the stone dam built in 1934–1935 made the lake as it is now, about 2 km long and 25 hectares.1 The French called it Grand Lac; the town's chairman Nguyễn Vỹ gave it its present name in 1953.1

The Lang-Bian Palace Hotel, now the Dalat Palace, opened across from the water in 1922, and the railway station was finished in 1938.23 Around the shore and the station, half of the cafés are on Nguyễn Trãi and Yersin.

Local tip: Take the Trại Mát train in the morning and stop for coffee on Nguyễn Trãi on the way back; the station grounds close at 18:00.4

At a glance

110Cafés listed
4With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
22:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Nha Rang Cafe, from 06:00 (Daily 06:00–18:00).
  • Closes latest: Still Cafe, until 22:00 (Daily 07:00–22:00).
  • Most listed streets: Yersin (11), Đường Khởi Nghĩa Bắc Sơn (10), Quang Trung (4).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (7%), specialty (2%), bakery café (2%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Đà Lạt.

Coffee chains in Xuân Hương Lake & the station

The station and the Trại Mát train

Đà Lạt station, at 1 Quang Trung, was designed by the French architects Moncet and Reveron and finished in 1938; its three steep roofs are said to stand for the three peaks of Lang Biang.34 The rack railway it served ran 84 km down to Tháp Chàm, lost regular service in 1968 and was dismantled after 1975.3

A 7 km stretch to Trại Mát was restored for tourists in the 1990s.3 Since December 2024, "La Reine" carriages styled on the empress's palace have run the route with artichoke tea (trà atisô) and live music on board; one-way fares were 80,000–170,000₫, and the line carried more than 276,000 passengers in 2024.5 The station grounds open 07:00–18:00, with a 5,000₫ entry ticket.4

Cafés on Nguyễn Trãi and Yersin

Nguyễn Trãi has Cocaland at No. 39 and Still Cafe at No. 59, which opens 07:00–22:00, the latest posted closing time in this area. Yersin, named for the explorer of the plateau, has Cafe Bồ Công Anh at No. 1, Tiệm cafe Cô Bông at No. 238 and Le J' Cafe, open 07:30–17:00 every day except Wednesday.

In the streets around them, Sóc Nâu is at 10 Hà Huy Tập and Lamb Coffee at 10B Phạm Hồng Thái, both with Wi-Fi, and K'fe House is on the lakeside road at 2 Trần Quốc Toản. The Choco, a bakery café on Quang Trung, is the place for something sweet before a train.

Coffee on the water and in an artichoke

Lâm Viên Square, on Trần Quốc Toản directly across from the lake, was built between 2008 and 2016 and covers more than 70,000 m². Its glass artichoke bud, more than 15 m tall, holds a café of about 150 m², and the wild-sunflower (dã quỳ) building beside it is a 1,500-seat performance hall.6

For a table over the water, Thủy Tạ is built out on the lake itself: a glass-walled room that Vietnam Coracle priced at 55,000–65,000₫ in 2022 and rated best at dawn and dusk.7 Boats can also be rented on the lake.8

Walking the shore

Downtown around the lake is walkable, and as of 2026 a Grab bike across town costs 10,000–30,000₫.9 Rain falls mostly from May to October, usually as a two- to three-hour downpour after lunch, so walk the shore in the morning and save the afternoon for a covered table.9

Sources

  1. Xuân Hương Lake, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Dalat Palace Hotel, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Da Lat station, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Ga xe lửa Đà Lạt (23 July 2025), VinWonders, accessed October 2026
  5. Khai thác đoàn tàu "hoàng hậu" phục vụ du khách tại Đà Lạt (24 December 2024), Sài Gòn Giải Phóng, accessed October 2026
  6. Quảng trường Lâm Viên: biểu tượng của Đà Lạt, MoMo, accessed October 2026
  7. 19 Coffee Shops in Đà Lạt With a View, Vietnam Coracle, accessed October 2026
  8. Da Lat, Wikivoyage, accessed October 2026
  9. Da Lat 2026: Vietnam's Cool Mountain Town Guide (updated 16 July 2026), Vietnam Spot, accessed October 2026
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FAQ

Xuân Hương Lake & the station cafés: questions

How much does the train from Đà Lạt station to Trại Mát cost?

The tourist train from Đà Lạt station, at 1 Quang Trung, runs 7 km to Trại Mát on a restored stretch of the old rack railway. When the "La Reine" carriages started in December 2024, one-way fares were 80,000–170,000₫, with artichoke tea served on board. The station grounds open 07:00–18:00 with a 5,000₫ entry ticket.

When was Xuân Hương Lake in Đà Lạt created?

Xuân Hương Lake dates from 1919, when the engineer Labbé dammed the Cam Ly stream. A storm in March 1932 broke the early dams, and a stone dam built in 1934–1935 created today's lake, about 2 km long and 25 hectares. The French called it Grand Lac; it was renamed Xuân Hương in 1953.

Where can you drink coffee overlooking Xuân Hương Lake in Đà Lạt?

Thủy Tạ is built out over Xuân Hương Lake, a glass-walled room that is best at dawn and dusk; drinks were 55,000–65,000₫ in 2022. Across the road on Lâm Viên Square, the glass artichoke bud holds a café of about 150 m². K'fe House is on the lakeside road at 2 Trần Quốc Toản.

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