For those of us living in Europe or America, a trip to SE Asia is not only a top bucket list item but a significant investment of time and money. Considering the airfare prices and time it will take just to reach one of the major transportation hubs such as Bangkok, Singapore of Hong Kong, a visit to SE Asia is best enjoyed if you have time on your side. When my fiancé and I managed to carve a month out of our hectic London lives, we knew that this would be it. Time to make a dream come true. Here’s the 4-week SE Asia itinerary for our incredible trip to Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia and one of the most extraordinary experiences of our lives.
Total No of days: 26 (excluding transfer time from / to Europe)
Singapore: 4 overnight stays
Vietnam: 8 overnight stays
Indonesia: 14 overnight stays
Who is this itinerary best suited to?
Travellers who love culture, nature and aquatic activities in equal measure.
Backpackers, flashpackers & luxury travellers. You can easily adjust the quality of your accommodation & meals accordingly!
When is the best time for this itinerary?
We took our trip in September which is well within the best time to visit Northern Vietnam, Indonesia & Singapore
OUR 4-WEEK SE ASIA ITINERARY
✈️ 13h direct flight from London
We flew directly from London to Singapore with British Airways. Our 13h flight on the top deck of Airbus A380 in economy class was actually quite comfortable!
Upon hitting the tarmac, I got so excited not only because our adventure began but also because Changi airport is amongst the best in the world! We didn’t rush to the exit but took a little detour to check out the incredible Rain Vortex, make sure not to miss it!
4 incredible days & nights in Garden City!
The perfect amount of time to get a taste of the incredible sights, experiences and cuisine that Singapore has to offer, especially if this is your first time in the city, as it was for us.
Nevertheless, I really want to visit Singapore again and explore more, so you can definitely spend more days here if you wish.
✈️ 3.5h direct flight from Singapore
A short and sweet stay to get a glimpse of the capital of Vietnam!
When planning this trip, friends who visited Hanoi told us that one night in Hanoi is enough because most visitors (especially westerners) either love it or hate it, and you don’t know which camp you are going to be in! Indeed, I have not seen anything like this before in my life!
Walking around in Hanoi (especially in the historic centre) can be an incredibly overwhelming experience due to the insane traffic! The photo above was a rare moment of tranquility!
Despite its chaotic energy (or maybe because of it) we really liked Hanoi and would certainly like to go back and explore more. However, I still believe that one day in Hanoi might be enough for the first time traveller!
🚌 + 🛳️ 2h drive from Hanoi to the coast; the islets of Ha Long Bay are just a stone’s throw away from there
Time for a classic bucket list item, a dreamy two-night cruise in Ha Long Bay!
Visiting Ha Long Bay was one of my most anticipated things for this trip and it certainly did not disappoint. The natural beauty of the area is jaw dropping and the floating villages are really impressive too.
Ha Long Bay is certainly worth the hype and our boat, Paradise Elegance, certainly enhanced the experience. Most people opt for the 1-night cruise but I am glad that we chose the 2-day itinerary. We had enough time to enjoy this magical place and relax in the beautiful boat.
🚕 3h drive from the coast of Ha Long Bay
Another classic Vietnam destination!
Ninh Binh is quite an established stop on the travellers’ trail and its nickname ‘Ha Long Bay on land’, should give you a hint as to what this is about. Nevertheless, it is certainly not redundant to visit Ninh Binh after Ha Long Bay, in fact this was one of favourite places in Vietnam!
Otherworldly boat rides, incredible natural landscapes, serene bike rides in the countryside and Buddhist temples galore, our three days in Ninh Binh were filled to the brim with awe inspiring sights and unique experiences.
🚕 + 🚂 + 🚕 1.5h drive from Ninh Binh to Hanoi + overnight train to Lao Cai + 1h drive to Sapa
A barrage of extraordinary experiences in rural Vietnam…
The charming overnight sleeper train took us to the northern mountains of Vietnam. We hiked through the incredible terraced rice fields guided by one of the lovely ladies of Sapa Sisters, an ethnic minority Hmong trekking group, before having lunch at a local home. That’s just day one! A spectacular cable car ride up to Fansipan, the tallest peak of Vietnam made for a relaxing second, and final day, in Sapa.
🚌 + ✈️ 4h drive from Sapa to Hanoi airport; flight duration to Bali varies (direct flights are quite limited)
Sea, sand, surf and those incredible Bali vibes!
After a long day of travelling, we made it to Bali! We spent 4 days next to the ocean in the dramatic cliffs of Uluwatu while exploring southern Bali and indulging in some serious beach club hopping! (We saved the more cultural endeavours for when we move on to Ubud… )!
✈️ + 🚤 1h flight from Bali + 40min (or so) boat ride from Labuan Bajo
Embrace your inner little mermaid and explore life under the sea!
The coral reefs in Seraya are a lively colourful world that seems like it was taken out of Disney’s ‘Little Mermaid’ and dropped in the shallow waters in front of our lovely bamboo hut! We were absolutely stunned every time we put on our snorkels and swam just a few metres off the shore…
Chatting to other guests and staff over drinks and dinner under the stars was also great fun and, of course, we had a blast exploring Komodo National Park… The Seraya is certainly a hidden Indonesian gem, tell only your best friends…
🚤 20min boat trip from Seraya island (or 1h boat trip from Labuan Bajo)
Yo ho ho, a pirate’s life is certainly for me!
From the little beach shacks that we slept in, to the phenomenal turquoise coloured water that we woke up right next to, this is one of the best Robinson Crusoe experiences you’ll get with a cocktail in hand! We had so much fun!
Le Pirate Island is the perfect destination for those who love a little bit of flashpacking, wonderful snorkelling and friendly chats with other like-minded travellers…
🚤 + ✈️ 1h by boat from Le Pirate Island to Labuan Bajo + 1h flight to Bali
Back in Bali for the second part of our island exploration: Ubud and the centre of the island!
Ubud is such a cool place to have a coffee, relax, explore the temples and walk through the Monkey Forest. Further out, there are incredible waterfalls, rice terraces and Mount Batur volcano to explore!
After spending a total of 9 nine days in Bali, I can certainly attest to the island’s magnetic energy! Bali is certainly beautiful but there is something more about this island that I cannot put my finger on; it certainly leaves you wanting more!
✈️ 2.5 flight from Bali to Singapore + ✈️ 13h flight to London
An epic trip comes to an end. We loved every single minute and feel like we had the experiences of three more lifetimes in the space of a month… SE Asia, we will be back!
If we had even more time, I’d love to have visited central Vietnam (Hoi An and Hue) before heading to Indonesia. Also, I wish we could spend a night or two more in Le Pirate Island as it turned out to be such a fun experience!
HOW DID WE PUT TOGETHER OUR 4-WEEK SE ASIA ITINERARY?
When we first started daydreaming about a trip to SE Asia, my fiancé and I were really keen on visiting Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia. However, we were also open to seeing what else is out there; SE Asia truly is a vast place filled with wonderful sights and experiences.
In retrospective, being flexible and open to travel ideas actually helped us a lot because the biggest factor that ended up shaping our 4-week SE Asia itinerary was the weather. Travelling off season in tropical destinations is not really our jam. The timings for being able to have a break from work were very specific, so we had to adjust our itinerary to that time of the year. So, we picked places in SE Asia, where September would not suck, and preferably be a good time to visit. This itinerary generally works well when travelling during April, May, September & October (which are the best months for visiting all relevant locations combined).
If you are struggling with when to go where in SE Asia, make sure to check out at my overview of the best time to visit the various countries of SE Asia.
DECIDING ON VISITING SINGAPORE
Singapore was the first and easiest destination that we decided on. This is such an iconic SE Asia destination and it only takes a direct long-haul flight from London to get there. Also, the weather does not change that much throughout the year, so visiting Singapore was a no-brainer!
DECIDING ON VISITING VIETNAM
Things got a bit trickier after that. When I started researching about Vietnam, I realised that September is not a great time to visit the southern part of the country (or the majority of mainland SE Asia). This was a bit disappointing as it made us abandon our original idea for travelling through the whole of Vietnam by train and popping to Cambodia. Strangely though, September is a good time to visit northern and central Vietnam. We really wanted to visit Ha Long Bay, so northern Vietnam became our next stop after Singapore.
DECIDING ON VISITING INDONESIA
For the second half of the trip, we decided to explore Indonesia as September is one of the best months to visit the country. When we started looking into Bali and Flores, we quickly realised that after two weeks of urban and cultural delights in Singapore and northern Vietnam, our trip would now take an exciting turn to more beach time and nature activities! A perfect blend of everything we love doing while travelling! Yeah!
DECIDING ON HOW MANY NIGHTS WE SHOULD STAY IN EACH PLACE
Before putting together this itinerary, I did some research to gauge what would be the main things worth seeing in each place. I then tried to allocate them in a way that we would have one or maximum two activities per day. No more. Trying to do too much in a day has always been a big no no for us, as we want to have enough time and energy to fully appreciate and enjoy our surroundings. For that reason, we also chose to stay for at least two nights in most locations. For the second half of the trip, we extended our stays to 4-5 nights in order to make sure that we didn’t run out of steam after the whirlwind of the first two weeks.
Nevertheless, our itinerary still involved a fair amount of transferring and hotel changing. So, if you are planning a similar (or the same!) itinerary, my advice to you would be to pack light.
FINAL THOUGHTS: HOW DID OUR 4-WEEK SE ASIA TRIP GO?
In retrospective, our trip exceeded even our wildest expectations. When we came back, our friends were asking us which place we liked the best and we honestly could not choose one over the other! I still haven’t really decided which part was my favourite! This itinerary combined culture, nature, beach time and city time and allowed us to have so many wonderful and unique experiences and see so many things while also having time to relax and enjoy! Needless to say, I wouldn’t change a thing…
This is not a sponsored post & I am not affiliated with any of the hotels, restaurants or organisations mentioned.
