family friendly travel ideas for Vientiane

While Vientiane's no Disneyland, it's definitely a very kid-friendly

city – just one smile-filled walk around town will prove this.

Children are welcome just about everywhere in the capital city and

travelers with little ones will find kind, accommodating people

everywhere, helping to make traveling with the family an altogether

pleasant experience.

Cycling is great way for families to explore Vientiane. The traffic is

mellow, and all the city's major sites are within reasonable distances

from downtown. Most guesthouses and hotels rent bicycles for

approximately $1 a day.

Vientiane's small size also makes for a great walking tour for

families who have children to young for cycling. Grab a map at any

local travel agency, and plan a loop around the historic temples,

monuments and stupas.

In addition to being postcard-perfect place for a photo-op, the

Patuxai monument provides an expansive park for the little ones to run

loose for a while. A great place for a picnic lunch, to bring or to

buy from one of the vendor selling food on-site, Patuxai park is

easily a place to spend a few fun-filled hours.

A stroll down along the Mekong will lead you and your team past a wide

variety of options for food and through a small park with swings,

slides and see-saws for the younger ones in the family to climb around

on. There are plenty of trees about the grassy lawn and always vendors

about selling fruit and other snacks.

Some like it hot, but if you'd prefer to keep things cool, head to the

public pool near the National Stadium.

The Buddha Park, about 20 kilometers outside of Vientiane, toward the

Friendship Bridge, is a fascinating afternoon trip for all ages. Kids

and adults will be mesmerized by the gargantuan statues that fill the

park, and you might have a hard time pulling the younger ones away

from a large pumpkin-like structure that they can climb inside and on

top of.

The Thoulakhom Zoo, is perfect kid-style entertainment. Located 50

kilometers north of Vientiane, the zoo features a host of exotic

animals, including tigers, elephants, monkeys, parrots, mouse deer and

kangaroos.