If you want to see Laos at its easiest, go in January or February. The rains have stopped, the mornings are cool, and the fast train now links Vientiane and Luang Prabang in about two hours. In Vientiane, the official climate normals of the World Meteorological Organization give an average of one rainy day in January and two in February, with highs around 28 to 30°C and nights near 16 to 18°C. From May to September the same city gets 15 to 21 rainy days a month.
The airlines have noticed. On 26 October 2026 Aeroroutes reported that Jeju Air will fly Busan to Vientiane four times a week from 30 December 2026 to 28 February 2027, exactly the driest weeks of the year. The flight leaves Busan at 21:00 and lands in Vientiane at 00:25, so book your first night before you go. For most travellers from Europe or North America, Laos still means a connection through Bangkok, Hanoi or another regional hub, and it fits well with a trip to Thailand or Cambodia.
When to go, and when to think twice
December to February is the comfortable window. By April Vientiane averages a high of 34.3°C, and in May the rains return with about 246 mm in the month (WMO normals, 1951 to 2000). There is a second reason not to leave it too late: Wikivoyage notes that from late February to April slash-and-burn farming fills the northern valleys with a smoky haze that hides the mountains and can irritate eyes and lungs. If views over the Mekong matter to you, aim for January.
The cool, dry months are also the busy ones. Trains, guesthouses in Luang Prabang’s old town and boat trips fill up first, so book the parts of the trip that have fixed dates.
Vientiane: a slow start on the Mekong
Vientiane is a low-rise capital that you can mostly cover on foot in the cool season. Give it one or two days. The gilded stupa of Pha That Luang, the country’s national symbol, sits about 4 km from the centre, the Patuxai victory gate is on Lane Xang Avenue, and the COPE Visitor Centre explains, in a sober and useful way, the unexploded ordnance that still affects rural Laos. Wikivoyage lists city bus 14 to the Friendship Bridge and Buddha Park. Agree on tuk-tuk fares before you get in.
The train to Luang Prabang
The Laos-China Railway is the quickest way north. According to Wikivoyage, five fast trains a day run from Vientiane via Vang Vieng and take about two hours to Luang Prabang. The bus on Route 13 takes around 12 hours. The catch is demand: tickets sell out, especially in high season, so buy them as early as you can or through a travel agent.
Luang Prabang station is 12 km from the old town. The shared green minibus costs a fixed 40,000 kip (about US$2 in August 2026). Plan for stairs with your luggage: the lift at the car park is often out of order.
Three days in Luang Prabang
The old town, on a peninsula between the Mekong and the Nam Khan, is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it is small enough to walk. A sensible plan:
- Day one: temples of the old town in the morning, the climb up Mount Phou Si for sunset, then the night market on Sisavangvong Road, which closes at about 22:00. The food stalls in the alley towards the Mekong are the cheapest good meal in town.
- Day two: Kuang Si Falls, the region’s best-known natural sight, with turquoise pools on limestone terraces. A green minibus leaves Thatluang Park several times a day, 45,000 kip one way or 90,000 return (Wikivoyage, October 2025 prices).
- Day three: a boat trip on the Mekong, or a rest day. If you want to see the dawn alms round, ask your guesthouse how to take part respectfully. Wikivoyage points out that the ceremony has become crowded with visitors, so keep your distance and do not use flash.
Before you book
Most visitors need a visa. For British passport holders, the UK Foreign Office says a tourist visa is valid for 30 days, an e-visa should be requested at least five days in advance, and visas on arrival are available at Wattay airport in Vientiane and at Luang Prabang airport. Your passport needs at least six months of validity and two blank pages. All foreign visitors also fill in the online Lao Digital Immigration Form within three days before arrival and again before departure. Rules depend on your passport, so check the official advice for your nationality before you pay for anything.
The currency is the kip. ATMs in Luang Prabang dispense up to 1,000,000 kip per withdrawal with a 20,000 kip fee, according to Wikivoyage, and Thai baht and US dollars are often accepted at varying rates.
For a wider loop, our story on Angkor in the dry season covers the same months next door in Cambodia. Practical details on health, money and getting around are in our Laos travel guide, and more countries in the region are in the Asia guides. If January suits you, book the train seat and your first night in Vientiane now, then fill in the rest.
Cover photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
