DAY ONE: TEMPLES AND SHOPPING

Morning

Luang Prabang means “city of the Golden Buddha Phra Bang”, a 83cm statue of which is believed to be the source of the city’s protection since the 14th century. On his marriage to a Khmer princess, warrior Fa Ngum was given the diminutive statue by his father-in-law, the King of Angkor, and it has since bounced back and forth between Bangkok and Luang Prabang in wars with Siam (now Thailand). Since 2013, however, it has sheltered in the golden Haw Pha Bang in the grounds of the Royal Palace.

The Royal Palace (entry £3), built by French colonialists between 1904-09, is a blend of Lao and French architecture, hallmarked by the royal symbol of Laos – a three-headed elephant under a parasol. The living quarters are spartan but the throne room shines with mosaic emerald palms, lapis lazuli elephants, silver rivers and golden robes. Don’t miss the royal cars exhibition with the royal logo embedded in car doors and number plates. Opposite is Mount Phousi (entry £2– pay about half way up) best climbed at sunset.

Next, head to the Wat Mai palace (entry £1), built in 1788, known for its glorious bas-relief work, golden stencilling of its sim (assembly hall), and for the ritual cleansing of the Phra Bang during Lao New Year.

Walk along the main Sisavangvong peninsula road, ducking into the left-hand alley for a drink (and to view handicrafts) at the Luang Prabang Artisans Cafe and to see local houses cheek-by-jowl with spruced up plots rented by foreigners. Walk towards the end of the peninsula passing the French-built school, the Hotel Villa Santi and the Three Nagas Hotel, with its vintage Citroën and Mercedes cars parked outside. Pause at the early 18th-century Wat Sene (entry free), with its sweeping four-tiered roof, before heading to the 16th-century Wat Xieng Thong (entry £2), described by Auguste Pavie, the first French vice-consul in Luang Prabang, as “famous for its sloping curved roof with three levels overlapping one another, as if it were an immense bird preparing to fly”. Search for its dazzling Tree of Life mosaic and, in the grounds, the immense funeral chariot of King Sisavang Vong.

Opposite Wat Xieng Thong is Queen Design, where you can buy handmade Hmong batik wrap skirts, and Article 22 peacebomb jewellery, fashioned from war scrap metal; next door, Noi sells baskets and cases from Khmu communities in remote Sam Neua.

Lunch at L’Elephant Vert with its “living” cuisine set menus (from £12) serving tomato carpaccio and coriander and mustard mousse, or at small Cafe Toui where friendly Toui serves souisi pa (fresh fish poached in coconut, basil and a red-chilli broth) for about £4 and a twist on the Cuban mojito, a “cojito”, made with Lao basil, lemongrass and Malibu rum.

Afternoon

After lunch, wander through the myriad alleys and streets. Close to L’Elephant Vert is Gallery Asiama where south-east Asian textiles specialist Dr Linda S McIntosh sells select wares; next door, Alain Ménoni sells his digital and silver print photographs of Laos.

Returning to the main road, you’ll find Ock Pop Tok Heritage (selling vintage Laos textiles) and Passa Paa store (in the same alley as the Artisans Cafe and selling bags and cloth stitched with modern takes on indigenous motifs). Try silkworm poo tea (with a nutty edge!) in its pretty garden. Tuk tuk out to Ock Pop Tok’s riverside location to learn weaving, Hmong batik and bamboo weaving (from £24). Hungry after class? Begin Backstreet Academy’s Fear Factor Food Tour (£14), a three-hour munch through chicken feet, goat’s blood, duck foetus and pig’s intestine at street stalls and roadside pit stops; its khaipen (Mekong riverweed snack) cooking class is fascinating too (£15).

For a tranquil take on Luang Prabang, glide out on a new, stylish Bounmi cruise along the Mekong with expat Adele Frigon, who provides insider info on sights along the river (from £16) accompanied by red lao lao (rice whisky made from purple sticky rice). Post sunset, head into town to graze around the night market (tasting grilled chicken or fish on bamboo skewers from £1.50-£5), a bowl of noodle soup (£1.50), and sweets made from coconut (80p-£1.60), or dine on tilapia ceviche at hotspot Tangor. Later, settle in for a cocktail and offbeat conversation at Elizabeth Vongsaravanh’s artsy Icon Klub, followed by gourmet tapas for the peckish (the pulled-pork sliders are great) and full cocktail repertoire at Brit-owned 525.

DAY TWO: FOOD, MUSIC AND DRINK

Morning

Rise early to take part in a sacred ritual: the giving of alms. There are some 35 wats in town and every morning the saffron-robed monks walk through the centre, collecting rice for their day’s food. (There are strict rules on participation, observation and photography so seek advice so as not to disrupt the monks). Afterwards, browse at the morning market (6.30-10am): rice lollipops, wasp cocoons (the pupae are considered a delicacy), buffalo lung, betel-nut bark and leaves, live toads and catfish. For an insight into Laos’ culinary staple, sticky rice, enrol at Living Land, 5km from Luang Prabang, for a lesson and a chance to work in a paddy field (£23.50). Lunch at Khaiphaen restaurant, supported by Friends International which trains young people for employment, for a good chicken laap (minced chicken with diced veg and mint) and pandan panna cotta.

Afternoon

Cycle out to the village of Ban Xang Khong, 1km north, and watch the conversion of mulberry tree bark into homemade, petal-spattered saa paper before buying at the handful of shops. Back in town, bike or walk to Taec, an excellent non-profit museum where exhibitions showcase Laos’s ethnic groups’ clothes and crafts (entry £2.50). It also offers Hmong embroidery and Khmu bamboo-weaving classes (from £10). From here, make your way to the south side of Mount Phousi to Wat Visoun (entry £2), crowded with golden buddhas and housing a jumbled cluster of artefacts. Search out the ceremonial swan, a huge, carved wooden red-eyed bird vessel, whose purpose was to channel holy water in a purification ritual for a Lao king on coronation. Spend the rest of the afternoon drinking at the bars that line the Nam Khan river back road, or zone out at Utopia, overlooking the water. For even more relaxation, book in for a massage. There are spas for all budgets: near Wat Visoun is the no-frills Lao Red Cross massage (a few pounds); the affordable L’Hibiscus Spa (from £6); or the indulgent Lao Coffee Body Wrap (£50) at the Sofitel Luang Prabang.

At Garavek, hear folk tales in English at a small theatre at 6.30pm (£4) to the backdrop of khene music played on a bamboo-reed instrument. With tour guide Saeng Touly, you can visit the last Hmong khene maker in Luang Prabang province, who will show you his craft and play soulful tunes. Saeng can then take you around the corner for khao piak (tapioca and rice noodle soup with herbs, spices, chicken or beef) on a street known to locals as “noodle soup road”. Khene devotees should look up The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band, featuring a 70-year-old player.

Laos is famous for its do-it-yourself barbecues, known as sindat. Pitch up on the Mekong River road, lined with mango, tamarind and coconut trees, as well as huge fig trees prickled by bromeliads, and look for the “BBQ Buffet Mekong” sign. Tuck in from 6-10pm for £6 per person. If you feel like being waited on, cross the Nam Khan river to Dyen Sabaí (bamboo bridge access is 50p return crossing before 6pm), set in a lantern-festooned garden. For western fare, track down fun Secret Pizza, run by an Italian-Lao couple. After dinner, bar hop “bar street”. The Red Bul Bar is a guaranteed party spot.

DAY THREE: OUT OF TOWN

Morning

Thirty kilometres from Luang Prabang (£5 in a tuk tuk) are the turquoise, postcard-perfect Kuang Si Falls (8.30am-5pm). Head out on your own early to see them empty of visitors and glittering in the sunlight at the beginning of the day. On site is Free the Bears, where more than 20 Asian black moon bears, rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, are kept in enclosures. Close by is the vibrant Kuang Si Butterfly Park, opened two years ago by a Dutch couple. For a great Lao lunch, or a few Japanese dishes, head back to town to Sonphao run by the delightful Shingo.

Afternoon

There are a couple of choices. Either, take the vehicle-carrying boat (50p per foreigner) from behind the Royal Palace to the left bank of the Mekong. Climb up the hill and turn right onto a pebble path to a string of temples which each cost about £1 to enter – the pretty 16th-century sloping-roofed Wat Xiengman, hilltop Wat Chomphet, and the historic Wat Long Khoun, which boasts extraordinary colourful murals and was the meditation retreat of Laos kings before their coronations. Hidden in the Chomphet district jungle, for those tenacious enough to track it down, is the royal cemetery (with the tomb of the mother of the last king of Laos). Then take a boat 25km upstream (from £20) to the Pak Ou caves, where thousands of Buddha statues are secreted inside. During Lao New Year (Pi Mai), the caves are thronged with pilgrims.

Alternatively, end the day with the fun Tamarind Cooking Class at its lakeside school (£21) and experience a great entrée into cooking some of Laos’s most emblematic and tasty foods, such as the above-mentioned laap.

Opening in November, 2km downstream, the Pha Tad Ke Botanical Gardens, the first in Laos, will brim with Lao plants and flowers and offer a cafe, restaurant, shop and workshops (£28 for boat transport and garden entry).

Return for de rigeur beerlao on the Mekong at sunset at any one of the bars lining the Mekong Road. Purchase your souvenirs at the night market (5-10pm), which sets up from the post office roundabout to the Royal Palace on Sisavang Vong Road. Buy embroidered story books, cloth purses, paper parasols, upcycled cement bags, tea and spices.

Claire Boobbyer travelled with Audley Travel (01993 838 000; audleytravel.com)