Best budget Ha Long Bay cruises: day trips and overnights compared

Spending less on Ha Long Bay does not mean settling for less of the bay. Every cruise on this page is rated 4.6 or more by GetYourGuide travellers, most of them 4.8 or 4.9, and the day cruises follow the same classic route as boats costing twice as much. We read each listing’s inclusions and options on 15 November 2026 and added up what one and two people actually pay, including the Hanoi shuttle where it is sold separately.

The short version: for one day on the bay, the classic day cruise from Hanoi gives the most certainty for the money; for a night aboard, the balcony and bathtub cruise is the lowest price for a private balcony; and if you are already on Cat Ba Island, a local boat day costs less than any cruise from Hanoi. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest per adult on 15 November 2026.

Six day cruises from Hanoi cost €40 or less a person, and all six follow the classic route through Sung Sot Cave, a kayak or bamboo boat at Luon Cave and a stop at Ti Top Island for a swim or the climb to the viewpoint. All six serve lunch on board (a set menu, seafood or a buffet) and tea or a sunset party on the way back. The gap between the lowest and highest price is about €4 a person, so choose on what the boat adds and what your option covers, not on price alone.

All six sell options with and without the Hanoi transfer, and GetYourGuide’s from-price is the lowest option on each listing. Pick the Hanoi option in the calendar and the price shown is what you pay. The classic day cruise is the one that publishes its coach price: US$10 a person, about €9.05 at the European Central Bank’s rate of 13 November 2026 (1.1052 dollars to the euro), so two people pay from €71.80, and €89.90 at most with the coach.

The entrance fee is part of what you are buying. The Ha Long Bay Management Board’s fee for a day on route 2, through Sung Sot, Luon Cave and Ti Top, is 250,000 VND a person. Four of the six name it in the price; the round trip on the overnight route includes it, with the kayak, on its all-inclusive option; and the lively buffet cruise does not mention it, so ask when you book.

Choose the classic day cruise if you want the most-tested day, with nearly 15,000 reviews. Choose the standard or luxury day trip if you want the best rating and are happy to pay a little more for a buffet and jacuzzi. Choose the deluxe or luxury day cruise with lunch, cave and kayaking for the lowest price and the wheelchair-accessible tag, and the seafood day trip for a later 08:00 pick-up and wine at sunset. For cost per hour on the water, see our comparison of a Ha Long Bay day trip and an overnight cruise.

A night aboard costs about three times a day cruise and gives you sunset and sunrise at anchor, four meals and a morning kayak before the day boats arrive. Six well-rated overnights cost less than about €115 a person, and every one of them names the entrance fees as included: on Ha Long route 2 the Management Board’s fee for one night is 550,000 VND a person, and Lan Ha’s overnight fee is 400,000 VND, as Hai Phong’s rate from 1 August 2024 was reported in the press.

The balcony and bathtub cruise is the clear value pick: from €99.79 a person, €199.58 for two, with a private balcony, a bathtub, a pool and jacuzzi on deck, taxes included and a free move to the second floor when there is space. For €27.20 more for two, the Elite ship with a panoramic pool has the highest rating of any overnight, 4.9 from more than 3,100 reviews, plus a panoramic pool, spa and gym; add its US$25 shuttle and two people pay about €272.02 from Hanoi.

If you want one booking that covers the road, the budget cruise with cycling includes Old Quarter pick-up on its Hanoi options, and the kayaking cruise includes the return shuttle on its option with transport. The 5-star cruise from Hanoi or Ninh Binh has the most reviews of any overnight, more than 6,300, and is the only balcony cruise here that also stops at Sung Sot Cave.

The day cruises are the simplest buy for a solo traveller: they are sold per person and none of the six lists a single supplement, so you pay from €35.85 like everyone else. The lively buffet cruise, with music on the upper deck at sunset, is the one its own listing describes as a dynamic group experience, and it suits travellers who want company.

Overnight, a cabin to yourself costs extra. The listings we read charge from US$45 to US$125 depending on the cruise and class. Among the budget overnights, the kayaking cruise names the lowest supplement, US$45, which brings one person to about €141.94 with VAT included. The Venezia small-group cruise charges US$50 and keeps each departure to 15 guests, which makes it easy to meet people at dinner. The budget cruise with cycling lists a single supplement without giving the amount in the text we read, so check it in the calendar.

If you are staying on Cat Ba Island, the local boat days are the most time on the water for the money: about 9 hours on Lan Ha Bay and the south of Ha Long Bay, with kayaking, lunch on board and a swim, from €25.67 a person. They collect you in Cat Ba Town, so there is no long drive, and all three name the entrance fees as included; Lan Ha’s day fee is 120,000 VND a person, as Hai Phong’s rate from 1 August 2024 was reported in the press.

The full-day Cat Ba tour with biking and kayaking is the one to book for most people: rated 4.8 from more than 1,700 reviews, it paddles through Bright, Dark and Bat caves, anchors off the Ba Trai Dao beaches for a swim, then lands at Viet Hai for a bike ride across the rice fields, with an electric car if you would rather not cycle. If you are heading back to Hanoi afterwards, its operator sells a bus for US$12 a person, about €10.86.

Choose the small-group kayak day if you are a keen paddler: it spends longer in the lagoons and archways and serves lunch anchored off Ong Cam islet. Choose the kayak and snorkelling tour if you mostly want to swim, with snorkelling gear on board and a last stop at Monkey Island. Getting to Cat Ba from Hanoi takes about 3 to 4 hours by road and the Dong Bai to Cai Vieng ferry; our Cat Ba Island guide has the ways there.

The Ninh Binh and Ha Long Bay 5-star cruise is rated 4.7 from 780 reviews and starts from €31.75 a person (GetYourGuide, 15 Nov 2026), with taxes and insurance included. Day one collects you in Hanoi for Hoa Lu, a sampan through the Trang An Landscape Complex and the climb of about 500 steps to the Mua Cave viewpoint, with a night in Ninh Binh. Day two drives you to Tuan Chau for a 6-hour 5-star day cruise on the classic route, with a seafood lunch, a jacuzzi, kayaking and a sunset party, and your luggage can come on the boat.

Read the options before you pick a date. The listing sells the trip as 1 to 2 days, names two start points (Hanoi’s Old Quarter and Tuan Chau International Marina) and includes the cruise day only if you select the optional Ha Long Bay cruise. GetYourGuide’s from-price is the lowest option, so €31.75 is not the price of the two days with the bay; choose the option with the cruise and the calendar shows what you pay.

If you would rather sleep on the water, the 3-day Ninh Binh, Ha Long and Lan Ha cruise spends one night in Ninh Binh and one aboard in a 5-star balcony cabin, with all transport included, from €199.57 a person, €399.14 for two.

Book the classic day cruise from Hanoi if you have one day and want the classic caves and Ti Top at a known total: from €35.90 a person, €44.95 at most with the coach. Book the standard or luxury day trip if the highest rating matters more than €1.32, and the lively buffet cruise if you travel alone and want company.

Book the balcony and bathtub cruise if this is your main visit to the bay and you want a private balcony at the lowest price, from €199.58 for two. Book the budget cruise with cycling if you want the Hanoi pick-up in the price, and the Elite ship if the best-rated overnight is worth about €27 more for two.

If you are already on Cat Ba, book the full-day tour with biking and kayaking from €25.67. For more room to spend, see our guide to the best luxury Ha Long Bay cruises, or browse all our cruises and tours. All of the cruises on this page have free cancellation up to 24 hours before, and prices change by date, so check yours in each cruise’s calendar.