Luang Prabang, in north central Laos, has been an important Buddhist spiritual center for hundreds of years. As a result, it has some of the most ancient and exquisite Buddhist temples in the region.
Visiting these beautiful temples doesn’t take a great deal of planning. Just walk in any direction, and you’re guaranteed to stumble into a couple of extravagantly decorated temples. In fact, as we quickly discovered on our visit, undecorated surfaces were the exception in local temples.
As architectural buffs, we’ve developed the habit of studying not only the building as a whole, but also its individual elements. You may have seen our Baltic doors, ceiling art, as well as Santorini doors. In Luang Prabang, we fell in love with columns of Buddhist temples.
Luang Prabang temples have a distinctive style, and are well known for their gleaming gold leaf ornamentation.
Some of the temples are quite old, built as early as the 16th Century. Given the harsh climate of the highland area, their state of preservation is astounding.
And to my eye, the color palette, even though vivid, is also quite elegant and appealing.
In our travels in Southeast Asia, we saw countless temples, but the Buddhist temples of Luang Prabang were some of our favorites.
Happy Trails,
James
We are there right now! Loving the temples. Went for a looong trek yesterday – bit stiff and sore today but off to the waterfall anyway
Were staying here for only 6 days but this morning changed it to 12. Love Luang Prabang.
Great Photos!
LP is a wonderful place to just wander around. We loved the night market. If you haven’t discovered it yet, there’s a tiny alley just off the main street that is jammed with street vendors during the night market. A couple have small “buffets” that are wonderful. Also, we had an excellent lunch at a place called Tamarind (check it on Tripadvisor). It’s on the river (not the Mekong, but the other side), with a nice porch and cold beer. We did a post with some food photos
Too funny – we had dinner at one of those buffets tonight! Best chicken we’ve had for a long time.
I’ll check out Tamarind – maybe for tomorrow night.
Alison
Ah, Luang Prabang. One of my favourite cities (if you can call this tranquil place a city) in the world!
Thanks Chris. I agree that tranquil is the word. LP is the perfect place to kick back after hustling around SE Asia. We came here from 2 weeks in Bangkok, and it was perfect.
Great pics. Have you seen the Buddhist temples & monasteries of Ladakh,India ? A must see
No. Our travels in India have mostly been around Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. But thanks for the recommendation, maybe on our next trip.
Thanks for the preview! We haven’t been to Luang Prabang yet, but are looking forward to going. Hopefully this year!
Thanks Kelly. Definitely put LP on the list. In addition to all the wonderful Buddhist temples, there’s also tons of perfectly preserved French Colonial buildings. It’s quiet and laid-back, and was the perfect place to decompress after a couple of weeks in Bangkok. Pick one of the small restaurants with a beautiful deck hanging over the Mekong, order a beer, and life will be good.
great place and amazing pictures (should read Laos in the first line, not Loas?)
LP is an amazing place, and was a wonderful respite from hectic Bangkok. Thanks for the catch on the typo, both I and the spellchecker were asleep at the switch.
Amazing place – somewhere I dream of going back to again and again…
The architecture there is indeed incredible.
This little reminder of LP makes my morning that bit better.
I’m with you, it’s one of those places I could definitely go back to just to feel the serenity in the morning and craziness at night! ~Terri
Amazingly detailing ornaments for these temples. Beautiful post!
They had a workshop for Monks to teach them how to do that incredibly detailed painting. Looks like it requires a very steady hand and immense patience. ~Terri
These are so colorful and beautiful! What a cool thing to just stumble upon while you’re walking.
Hi Jessica, Luang Prabang blew our minds with its “everyday beauty.” It must be quite special to grow up surrounded by these ornate temples and buildings. ~Terri
Wow, this is REALLY beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Allie, We’re so glad that you liked it!
Thanks for the tour. Your photos are exquisite. We are contemplating a visit to Southeast Asia next winter.
Hi LuAnn, Thanks and you’re welcome. You and Terry are so adventurous, so I think you would really enjoy Southeast Asia. It would be a great winter escape. All the best, Terri
Luang Prabang is still on my wish list, nice pictures tho…
Hi Nin, It’s always fun to have inspiring places on your wish list. Luang Prabang was on mine for years before we finally made it there. ~Terri
Love it. So much more ornate than Cambodia.
We didn’t see many Buddhist temples in Cambodia, but I have to say that columns couldn’t be much more ornate that the temples in LP. Thanks for the comment.
Soooo beautiful. One day, I need to go there.
Thanks Liz. LP definitely should be on you list. We’ve traveled throughout SE Asia, and LP has a calm, laid-back vibe that I haven’t experienced much.
love love love!
Thanks so much Sarah.
Thanks Sarah!
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Hi Ricky, Great post! Thanks so much for linking to us. All the Best, Terri & James
You captured the temples beautifully. Luang Prabang is one of my favorite places of all times. Thanks for bringing back lovely memories.
You’re welcome Lori. Luang Prabang was a wonderful surprise for us – even better than we’d anticipated. I thoroughly enjoyed your post on the Alhambra – one of our favorite places. Thanks for the memory and congrats on the FP – so well deserved. All the Best, Terri
This is more my cup of tea! And you’d be warm here too.