Huế

Citadel Gates by morning, tomb pavilions by afternoon

Hue needs two full days: one for the Imperial City and Thien Mu Pagoda, one for the royal tombs upriver. Enter the citadel through Ngo Mon soon after it opens, take a dragon boat to Thien Mu around 3pm, then give the second day to the tombs of Tu Duc, Minh Mang and Khai Dinh.

Cross the Truong Tien Bridge at about 7am on day one and enter the Imperial City through the Ngo Mon gate soon after it opens, when the long courtyards are empty and the light is soft. Walk past the Thai Hoa Palace, the throne hall, to the site of the Forbidden Purple City, largely destroyed in 1968 and slowly being rebuilt, and finish among the temples and galleries along the western side. Allow the whole morning.

After lunch near Dong Ba market, rest through the heat. Around 3pm, take a dragon boat from the Le Loi pier upriver to Thien Mu Pagoda, whose seven-storey tower stands on a bluff over the water. Look for the pale blue Austin in the garden behind it, then come back by boat as the sun drops.

Day two is for the tombs, each an emperor's idea of the afterlife. Start early with Tu Duc's, where pavilions and a pine-shaded lake were used as a retreat while he was still alive. Go on to Minh Mang's tomb, laid out along a long axis of gates and ponds, and finish with Khai Dinh, a steep concrete monument whose inner hall is covered in glass and porcelain mosaic. Back on the south bank, eat nem lui for dinner and walk the riverside promenade after dark.

Bun Bo, Com Hen and Hue's steamed rice cakes

Bun bo Hue is the dish to start with, a lemongrass beef noodle soup finished with chilli oil and sold at breakfast. Hue's cooking is the spiciest in central Vietnam, and the rest of the day brings com hen with river clams, sets of steamed rice cakes and nem lui skewers in the evening.

Bun bo Hue, known locally simply as bun bo, is a breakfast soup of round rice noodles in a beef broth scented with lemongrass and fermented shrimp, topped with beef shank and pork and finished with a slick of chilli oil. Small family shops serve it from early morning and run out by mid-morning.

For lunch, try com hen, rice mixed with tiny river clams, peanuts, crackling, herbs and chilli, a dish of the poor fishing families who lived on the Perfume River islets. Then work through the city's steamed rice cakes: banh beo, little saucers of rice batter topped with dried shrimp; banh nam, flat cakes steamed in banana leaf; and banh loc, chewy, clear tapioca dumplings filled with shrimp and pork. They are usually ordered together as a set.

In the evening, look for nem lui, minced pork grilled on lemongrass or bamboo skewers and rolled in rice paper with herbs and a thick peanut sauce, and banh khoai, a crisp pancake folded over shrimp and pork. The Buddhist tradition runs deep, so vegetarian restaurants are everywhere, especially near pagodas. Take home a box of me xung, chewy sesame and peanut candy.

Perfume River floods, spring clear skies and the Hue Festival

February to April is the best time to visit Hue, with highs of about 25C to 31C and only 50mm to 60mm of rain a month. Avoid October and November if you can, when monsoon rain often floods the Perfume River banks and disrupts flights. May to August is very hot, so sightsee early.

Hue has one of the wettest climates of any city in Vietnam, and the rain all falls in one block. From September to December the northeast monsoon meets the mountains behind the city: October averages about 773mm and November about 642mm, and the Perfume River regularly floods low streets and roads to the tombs. Flights into Phu Bai are often disrupted from mid-October to mid-December. Visiting then is possible, but bring waterproof shoes and flexible plans.

The rain clears after the new year. Summer follows quickly: from May to August highs reach about 34C to 35C, and dry winds off the mountains make middays draining.

Tet, in late January or February, brings the city's families to pagodas and the citadel, and many shops close for days. The Hue Festival, a city-wide celebration of court music, royal ceremonies and lantern processions on the Perfume River, has traditionally been held every two years in spring or early summer; check the current dates before planning around it. Buddha's Birthday, usually in May, sends floating lanterns drifting down the river.