To Truly Experience These Five Cities, Wake Before Sunrise

Everyone focuses on a destination’s nightlife, but perhaps we should be more concerned with what its early morning hours have to offer

Laura Kiniry - Travel Correspondent

May 14, 2025

Get our newsletter!

Get our newsletter!

Late last fall, I found myself in Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital city, battling jet lag. It was 6:30 a.m. and I was posting on social media, when an Instagram follower suggested that since I was up so early, I should take a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, a fresh body of water within Hanoi’s historical center. “It’s the most beautiful thing to see how the city comes together at sunrise,” he wrote.

Just as soon as I stepped outside the doors of my hotel, I came upon teams playing badminton at temporary nets set up along the French Quarter’s wide sidewalks, and groups of cyclists pedaling along surprisingly lightly trafficked streets. In the few blocks it took to reach the lake, I realized that Hanoi was in full swing. Dozens of people walked and jogged around the lake’s one-mile loop, while others partook in activities like traditional Vietnamese fan dancing, tai chi and even tango lessons. The scene was unequivocally local, and it felt incredibly special—like I was getting an insider’s look at Hanoi that few tourists get to see.

“Hanoi begins to stir between 3 and 4 a.m.,” says Ly Dinh, marketing communications manager for the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, which sits just a few blocks away from Hoan Kiem Lake. “That’s when you’ll hear the sound of the street sweepers and start to smell the aroma of simmering broths signaling the preparation of breakfast for the morning crowd.”

While cities around the globe are known for their nightlife, Hanoi is just one of the many urban centers that spring to life before the sun even rises. And as global temperatures continue to increase, early morning offers travelers the advantage of experiencing these cities in the company of their local residents, while the weather is significantly cooler, the vibe is more relaxed, and the energy is still thriving.

“I’m unable to speak on the statistics of early rising trends,” says Ruth Engel, the data scientist for environmental health and extreme heat at World Resources Institute, a global nonprofit working to protect and restore nature and stabilize the climate, “but I have seen a lot more advocacy for changes to schedules within cities to facilitate people going about their days earlier.” Engel points to a 2024 study from Arizona State University that shows how extreme heat changes peoples’ daily routines and travel plans, including making more trips in the early morning, before temperatures soar. Increasing temperatures have also brought a call for better urban infrastructure, such as gathering spaces like Hoan Kiem Lake.

“The way that an urban environment is constructed means that people within some parts of cities feel much hotter than in other parts of cities,” says Engel, “especially as the temperatures warm. Whether you’re near a body of water or are able to stand in the shade determines how your body responds to heat and your ability to stay safe and healthy on a hot day.” The more you can take advantage of cooling spaces and lower temps, the better.

In Sydney, Australia, summer temperatures can reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the afternoon, although the coastal areas can be significantly cooler. “Where you live within Sydney definitely makes a difference to how much it feels like an early rising city,” says Emily Tillett, a product and graphic designer who resides in Marrickville, one of Sydney’s Inner West suburbs, though previously lived in Bondi, a well-known beach community within the city. “If you head down to Bondi at 5 or 5:30 a.m., it genuinely seems like it’s the middle of the day. There are people running, swimming, doing yoga on the beach, walking or just sitting with a cup of coffee.”

Of course, other factors beyond accelerating temperatures and cooling spaces produce a city of early risers. “People in Hanoi—whether they’re born here or moved from other provinces—are incredibly hard-working,” says Dinh. “Many start their day really early, some even before sunrise, either because of long commutes or just to avoid the traffic.” This means you’ll often see parents and children sharing a quick early morning breakfast of pho or banh mi at local food stalls before they head off to work and school. At wholesaler venues like Long Bien Market and Quang Ba Flower Market, early morning is the time for the city’s street vendors to stock up on fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and flora. “Here in Hanoi, every moment is well spent,” says Dinh.

Tillet says it’s a similar ambition that drives Sydney’s beachside areas. “Places like Bondi, Bronte and Coogee are quite expensive to live in, so a lot of people who do reside there start their days early to fit in exercise or quiet time before work kicks off.”

While much of the early morning action in cities centers around local residents, travelers can easily get in on the fun as well. Hoan Kiem Lake is undoubtedly the center for Hanoi’s before-dawn activities, though visitors can also catch the flag-raising ceremony that occurs in front of Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum daily at 6 a.m., or set out on the Waking Up With Hanoians tour with Daytours Hanoi, which begins its three-hour-long excursions at 5:30 a.m. in summer and 6 a.m. in winter, and includes trips to the markets, Hanoi’s Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake. In Sydney, consider joining the many walkers and joggers who take advantage of the nearly four-mile Bondi to Coogee coastal walk pre-sunrise, enrolling in an early morning surf lesson at Bondi’s Let’s Go Surfing, or setting out on a sunrise kayak and coffee tour with Sydney by Kayak.

For Tillet, the best thing about Sydney in the early morning is experiencing a sunrise at the beach. “It’s pretty magical,” she says. “You feel like the whole city is already in motion, and it really sets the tone for your day.”

At first light

From Da Nang, Vietnam, to Phoenix, Arizona, here are three other urban environments where—whether due to excessive afternoon heat or a surplus of cooling spaces—local residents take full advantage of the early morning hours, creating scenes that are often livelier at 7 a.m. than they are at mid-afternoon.

Da Nang

Join dozens of locals swimming in the waters of My Khe Beach—or take in a game of beach volleyball—in the wee morning hours. More recently, Da Nang’s younger crowds have been heading to the city’s Hai Chau District to sip a cup of joe and watch the sunrise over the Han River. Tours to the nearby Ba Na Hills, with their lush landscapes and spectacular views, begin as early as 6:30 a.m.

Phoenix

Summer is Phoenix’s low season, when temperatures are high and most local residents spend the afternoons indoors. Because of this, they also tend to make great use of their mornings. From June through August, the Phoenix Zoo opens its gates to non-members at 7 a.m., helping keep the ruffed lemurs, red river hogs and other resident animals (along with both visitors and staff) safe from sweltering heat. Zoo members can get in an hour earlier. Hiking in a place like Phoenix Mountains Preserve while the air is still cool is an ideal way to spend your morning hours. And from May through September, the city’s Desert Botanical Garden also opens at 7 a.m., the perfect time for taking in its fragrant herbs, desert habitats and historic plant collections in comfort.

Honolulu

Hawaii has always been a place where waking early is par for the course. Its capital city, Honolulu, is also a great example of what some urban centers can offer before sunrise. Snack on malasadas (Portuguese-style donuts) at Honolulu fixture Leonard’s Bakery, which is already buzzing by 6 a.m. The Pearl Harbor National Memorial, honoring the lives affected by the World War II attack, welcomes visitors as early as 7 a.m. Want to catch the sunrise from the Pacific? Embark on a Waikiki sunrise cruise, keeping an eye out for Hawaiian green sea turtles and spinner dolphins, and engaging in some early morning snorkeling as well. With your activities out of the way, consider spending the midday heat lounging in the shade with a book.

Laura Kiniry | Read More

Laura Kiniry is a San Francisco-based freelance writer specializing in food, drink, and travel. She contributes to a variety of outlets including American Way, O-The Oprah Magazine, BBC.com, and numerous AAA pubs.