Cat Ba island (Halong Bay), Vietnam – What to Visit ? Where to Stay, Transport – Page 2

Note : You are on Page 2a (Cat-Ba island- Useful Info).
Start with Page 1 (Halong Bay Info).

Cat-Ba island- Maps – Orientation

Map 1 : Distance Hanoi to Halong Bay

sapa

Map 2 – Tourist Attractions  + Transport

Map 3 – The Town of Cat-Ba island

Map 4 : The 3 Beaches + Trail

Map 5 – Interactive Map – Tourist attractions + Transport

  1. Points in Red : Transport
  2. Points in Blue : Tourist Attractions

How is Cat-Ba Island ?

A nice little island, just 15 Km long. It is the main location where tourists choose to stay while visiting the area of Halong Bay. You can take a cruise boat from here to visit the special waters of the area and there are a few attractions on the island itself.

There is a small town at the south of the island and almost 100 % of the tourists are staying in the town. Most of the hotels are small, modest and economic in price. Many Hotels are managed by families. See where to Stay – the potential zones.

Tourists are usually staying on Cat-Ba for 2 days. The first day is dedicated to a sail on a cruise boat and the second day is for exploring the island, usually on a motorbike. You can stay more days, it is a pleasant place.

The main attractions on the island are :  Three beaches + a panoramic trail, a national reserve on a mountain and an impressive cable car. All these attractions are described on the Page : What to Visit on Cat-Ba island.

The climate in Cat Ba island is not like in the islands of Thailand, or on Phu Quoc island in Vietnam. It is the north of Vietnam. The sky is usually gray. Yes, there are beaches near the town, but the weather is not ideal for swimming. I have wrote about the climate on the page about Halong Bay.

Cat-Ba is small so it is very easy to ride a motorbike in order to explore the island. You can also manage without a motorbike if you insist. See the section : How to move on Cat-Ba island.

For orientation : There are 2 main roads on Cat-Ba island (see them on Map 2 above).

  1. A vertical road from the Town (the bottom of the  island) till the port in the north of the island.
  2. A diagonal road from the Town (the bottom of the island) till the port in the west of the island.

See an explanation about the ports, on the section : How to arrive.

Cat-Ba is developing. At the moment that I am writing there are huge works in front of the main road in the town. When the works will be completed, there will be a new beach exactly in front of the town, with hotels and touristic facilities. There is also a plan to extend the cable car till the town in the south.

Is it worth to visit Cat-Ba island ?

Yes. If you visit Halong Bay, this is the place to stay. There are tourists who choose to make a very short visit in Halong Bay and they skip Cat-Ba. These tourists want to see the famous rocks in the water and they are short in time. So, they make a one day trip from Hanoi which includes a sail with a boat for a few hours. Other tourists choose to make a boat cruise for 2 days and sleep on the boat.
But, if you have time, you should stay in Cat-Ba island. The “3 beaches” are beautiful, the view from the cable car is impressive and there is now good food in the town. On my last visit I have stayed 4 days on Cat-Ba and I could have stayed easily more.

How to Arrive to Cat-Ba island ?

I have described on Page 1 : how to arrive to Halong Bay area (bus, train or a flight).
More specifically for Cat Ba :

From Cat-Ba island :

The way to go out from Cat-Ba island is with a bus that includes a short sail with a boat (a ferry). There is no airport on the island and no trains.
At the town, in the south of Cat-Ba, you will see on the main street, travel agencies that sell bus tickets to different destinations. The common destinations are : Hanoi, Halong City, Hai Phong and Ninh Binh. There are also tickets to Sapa and Ha-Giang, but it is via Hanoi.

You can also buy your ticket online with 12Go Asia.

From Cat-Ba to the airport of Hai Phong

If you want to fly to a destination in Vietnam (for example to Saigon), you may want to arrive from Cat-Ba to the airport of Hai Phong. This airport is closer than the airport of Hanoi, but it is mostly a domestic airport. If you can’t find a bus directly to the airport, take a bus to the city of Hai Phong and then a Taxi to the airport. It is located close to the city. See details on the page about Hai Phong.

  • You can buy your ticket online with 12Go Asia.

From Cat-Ba to the city of Halong

There are now buses that takes you directly from Cat-Ba to the city of Halong. It includes a sail with a boat.

Note that there are 2 possible ways (look at Map 2 above):

  1. Via the port at the north of Cat-Ba.
  2. Via the port at the west of Cat-Ba.

I recommend to take a bus that uses the north port.

The reason is that the boat sails in beautiful waters (with the famous rocks).

The sail via the north port takes longer than via the west port. It takes 1 hour sail (in total 2 hours). The sail via the west port takes only 10 minutes of boat but the waters are not beautiful and the bus ride to Halong city via the road is longer (in total 2.5 hours).
There are more boats during a day, on the west port. On the north port, usually 3 times a day (but it can change).

Note : Halong City has 2 parts. The bus could terminate on the left side of Halong city. If you want to stay on the right side, you may need to complete the journey with a Taxi (see Where to Stay in Halong City).

Do it yourself

Since there are buses from Cat Ba island to Halong city that includes the ferry, it is easier to use them, but you can make the trip on your own, if you want :

  • Step 1 : You take a Taxi (or the local bus) from Cat-Ba town to the north port (half hour).
  • Step 2 : You take the ferry to the port in Halong City (1 hour). Note that it is located 15 Km from the center of Halong city.
  • Step 3: Taxi from the port of Halong City to the center (half hour).

You can book Flights, Trains and Buses inside Vietnam with the site 12Go Asia. Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.

If you want to involve the Cable Car for traveling between Cat-Ba island and Hai Phong (or Halong City)

The cable car only runs a short portion of the trajectory (see it on Map 2 above), so the rest you will need to do with a Taxi. You may choose this option if you want to include a panoramic view with the cable car.
I wrote about the cable car on the page about the sightseeings in Cat-Ba island.

Where to Stay on Cat-Ba island ? – Hotels

See this on the next page : The Potential zones to stay + some Hotels.

How to Move inside Cat-Ba island ?

By Walking

Assuming that you are staying in the little town in the south of the island, you can manage without a mean of transport. You can visit by foot the 3 beaches+trail. You can arrive to the national park with the local bus or a private bus.

Rent a Motorbike

This is the best way to explore the island. You have total freedom.

It is very easy to ride a motorbike on Catba island. The roads are in good conditions are there are no climbs. The distances are short and there are only 2 main roads as you can see on Map 2.

The rent price is around 150,000 Dong, depending on the season. Unfortunately the rented motorbikes are old, so check that the essential works (especially brakes and lights).

It is very easy to park the motorbike anywhere on CatBa island. Unlike other places in Vietnam, there are no thefts of motorbikes here, because it is an island. Still, it is advised to park the motorbike beside a guard.

Bus

Option 1 : Local Bus

There is a local bus that runs on the vertical road of the island, a few times a day (it is coordinated with the timing of the ferry-boats on the north port).
The main stops are :

  1. The Cat-Ba town, on the promenade road.
  2. Cat-Ba National Park.
  3. Ferry terminal at the north of the island (for Halong city).

But, you can ask the driver to drop you anywhere along the road.

Option 2 : Private Bus Company

You can ask a travel agency or your hotel and they will arrange you a seat on a bus that travels long distance. The driver will drop you on the way (for example, at the entrance of the national park).

Taxi

There are some taxis, on the island. Taxi-App like Grab doesn’t seem to work (at the moment that I am writing).

Guided Tour

Ask the travel agencies, your hotel or online.

How is the Climate on Cat-Ba island ?

See the Halong Bay page : What is the climate in Halong Bay. It is usually gray in Cat-Ba.

What to Eat on Cat-Ba island ?

There are no western restaurants owned by foreigners but there is still very good western food in some restaurants in the little town.

The best restaurant that I have experienced is called Casa Bonita 2. They are located on the main road. They are not vegetarian but they have great vegetarian options. Here is a great breakfast I got, with avocado and high quality bread.

Here is a vegetarian burger with salad and fries.

Surprisingly also the spaghetti with tomato sauce was good. Not sweet at all (like some asiatics do, as if spaghetti was a Pad-Thai).

Also the Vietnamese options are good. Here is a veg spring roll. It was not sweet.

Also the desserts are good.

There is another restaurant with the same name on the “loop road”. Casa Bonita 1. From my experience, they are less good than restaurant number 2.

More good restaurants :
The Little Leaf Restaurant, on the main road.

Here is a vegetarian dish I got. They have a live singer sometimes, in the evening.

If you want a good pizza, come to The Big Man Bar-Restaurant. They have good Vegetarian options, Western and Vietnamese food.
There is sometimes a singer.

Another good restaurant : The Healing Kitchen on the main road. They have a vegetarian option of “Meat balls”.
There are more vegetarian restaurants like Celery Vegan Restaurant.

If you are not vegetarian, then there is plenty of sea food on that island.

Where to go out at Night on Cat-Ba island ?

On sunset you should be on the 3 beaches trail.

Later, you can sit in one of the restaurants or bars on the main road or the “loop road “. Some of the places have live music.

halong

Cat-Ba is not a place for dancing.
There are still some mysterious Karaoke on the inner streets.

There is no nightlife on the rest of the island, you should stay in the town.

Now Continue  :

Or :

  1. Page 1 – Halong Bay 
  2. Page 2 – Cat-Ba island
  3. Page 3 – Halong city
  4. Page 4 – Hai-Phong city

More on Vietnam :

  On Thailand :

Other Stuff :

If you find incorrect data on this page, like a restaurant that has closed or a big river that has moved or you want to tell me something, please write me to contact.

alienviet