Where to stay in Hoi An

Sleep just off the lantern-lit Ancient Town for tailors and food on foot, choose An Bang beach for a pool and calm, or the Cam Thanh rice paddies for slow-stay value.

Written by the Departly editorial team Reviewed against GOV.UK on 10 Jun 2026

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In short

Where to stay in Hoi An

For a first trip, stay on the quiet streets just outside Hoi An's Ancient Town, close enough to walk to the lanterns and tailors in under ten minutes but back from the riverside crowds. Choose An Bang beach instead if a pool and calm nights matter more than walking out for dinner, and the Cam Thanh rice paddies for the best value on a longer, slower stay. Don't book inside the busiest pedestrian streets unless you sleep through tour-group noise.

The short version

Best all-rounder: the lanes just off the Ancient Town, a 5-10 minute walk to the Japanese Covered Bridge.
Best for couples and families: An Bang beach, 4km east, for a pool and quiet nights.
Best value: the Cam Thanh rice paddies, a flat 10-minute cycle from the old town.
Skip a room on the main riverside pedestrian streets unless tour-group noise until late doesn't bother you.
Wherever you stay, most hotels lend bikes free, so being 1-4km out costs you a cycle, not a taxi.

Best areas to book

Ancient Town (edge streets)

££ mid-range

The lanes just outside the pedestrianised core, around Tran Hung Dao and Ba Trieu, put the lanterns, tailors and riverside restaurants a 5-10 minute walk away while keeping you back from the worst of the evening crowds. Genuine boutique stays here are small and book up; ask for a room off the street, as the old town stays loud until late.

Best for: First-timers wanting atmosphere and food on the doorstep

Browse hotels 5-10 min walk to the old town

An Bang Beach

££ mid-range

Beachfront and back-lane guesthouses 4km east, with pools, sea breeze and far quieter nights than the old town. You cycle the 15 minutes in for dinner or take a Grab, which most couples are happy to do. The better pick if a pool and calm matter more than stepping straight out to the lanterns.

Best for: Couples and families wanting a pool and the beach

Browse hotels 4km east; 15 min by bike or Grab

Cam Thanh / rice paddies

£ value

The green belt between the old town and the river, with garden resorts among the water-coconut palms. Peaceful and the best value of the three, on a flat cycle into town, but you need bikes or a Grab for everything after dark. Best on a longer, slower stay rather than a two-night first visit.

Best for: Value, quiet and a slower pace

Browse hotels 10 min by bike to the old town

The simple choice

If you are booking in a hurry, filter for the streets just off the Ancient Town first, then compare An Bang beach if you want a pool. The common mistake is paying a premium for a room on the main riverside pedestrian streets: it looks idyllic in photos, but the tour groups and bars run late and the rooms are no bigger. A quiet lane five minutes back gets you the same lantern walk with sleep on top.

Compare Hoi An hotels

Beach or old town, not a 50-minute compromise

Don't try to split the difference by booking a resort halfway out on the Cua Dai road. Cua Dai beach has lost much of its sand to erosion, so the resorts there leave you neither walkable to the lanterns nor on the good beach. Pick the Ancient Town edge for sightseeing-led trips or An Bang for beach-led ones; the 4km between them is a free hotel bike ride, so you can have a day of each whichever base you choose.

Getting in from the airport and around at night

There is no Hoi An airport, so you arrive from Da Nang (DAD) about 30km north, a 45-minute drive that costs around £8-£11 by Grab or £10-£13 in a pre-booked hotel car. For nights out and rainy evenings, use the Grab or Xanh SM apps for a metered car rather than flagging one down: GOV.UK links several assaults in tourist areas to unlicensed taxis. Don't hire a motorbike to commute from a beach guesthouse unless you ride well at home, as GOV.UK is blunt that accidents are common and a UK licence isn't valid to ride here.

Safety and the things that actually go wrong

Hoi An is a low-crime, walkable town and the usual risk is your bag, not your safety: GOV.UK notes bag-snatching by thieves on motorbikes, so carry your bag on the side away from the road on the busier streets. The bigger trap is the tailors rather than your hotel. Order on your first full day so there's time for two or three fittings, and pick a base within a short walk or cycle of your tailor so popping back for an alteration isn't a half-day trip.

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Where to stay in Hoi An FAQs

Is it better to stay in Hoi An Ancient Town or at An Bang beach?

For a first trip with the tailors and the lantern evenings as the point, stay on a quiet lane just off the Ancient Town, a 5-10 minute walk from the Japanese Covered Bridge. Choose An Bang beach, 4km east, if you want a pool and calm nights and don't mind a 15-minute cycle or Grab in for dinner. Both are easy to combine, since most hotels lend bikes free.

Should I book a hotel right on the riverside pedestrian streets?

Usually not. The main pedestrian streets along the Thu Bon look idyllic but stay loud with tour groups and bars until late, and the rooms cost more without being any larger. A quiet street five minutes back, around Tran Hung Dao, gets you the same lantern walk and far better sleep.

Where should I stay in Hoi An for the best value?

The Cam Thanh rice-paddy belt has the best-value garden stays, a flat 10-minute cycle from the old town. The trade-off is needing a bike or a Grab for everything after dark, so it suits a longer, slower stay more than a quick first visit. If you want value but still walkable, take a smaller guesthouse on the edge streets of the Ancient Town.

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