One hundred or so monks and nuns reside at Truc Lam Monastery, located just a few miles outside of Da Lat. It's a truly peaceful place with manicured grounds and magnificent views of nearby Tuyen Lam Lake. If you're interested in studying meditation, consider joining the resident monks and nuns at 7am for a 12-hour glimpse into life and meditation at Truc Lam. To get to the monastery, you can take a taxi (~150,000 dong), motorcycle taxi (~50,000 dong), or cable car.

Coffee is very much part of the culture in Dalat, and there is no shortage of cafes serving up quality black coffee. A few coffee shops in Dalat are worth noting. By far the best in town is Bicycle Up, a vintage-styled oasis of caffeine tucked away on Truong Cong Dinh in the backpacker area of town. A close second designed by the owner of Bicycle Up is competing Windmills, which has two locations in town and is good for Western-styled coffee. For caffeine with a view, check out the ice-cream expressoes at Pho Hoa on the hill near the market.

The budget area of town near Xuan Huong lake is about 1km from the bus station. Expect to pay 30,000 dong for a motorbike or about 60,000 dong for a proper taxi. If you came in on a Phuong Trang bus, take the free shuttle into town.

You have to go 30km outside of Dalat to find land flat enough for an airstrip. If you're flying out of Dalat, have your guesthouse call a taxi and request the fixed rate, or 300,000 dong. A metered taxi can cost double so be careful.