Probably most known now for the dish Bún bò Huế, it's meant to be great for food but I found it difficult to track down any really good local food. All the restaurants were for tourists and all served a similar menu. I'm sure great food exists there but it just wasn't as easy to find as other places.
Perhaps the biggest attraction in the Imperial Palace which is a nice way to spend an afternoon but I didn't think it was anything too special. It rained almost constantly during my stay but I still enjoyed my time here. However, if you're pushed for time, I think there are many better places to visit instead.
Food
Please use my Vietnam food guide which has all of my favourite places and dishes for the best food in Huế.
Accommodation
Hong Thien 2 Hotel
200k single, 300k double (with balcony). Breakfast included. You can use the swimming pool of their main hotel nearby.
Nightlife, bars & cafés
Brown Eyes Bar
Urgh! It was pretty horrible in there. We only lasted a minute or two. It seems like it's the most popular club (or maybe the only one) in town. Only go if you're desperate and/or already very drunk.
The One Coffee & Bakery
Great café. Nice staff, good A/C, decent prices.
Their speciality drink is a yogurt with blueberry, apple and coconut for 39k. Delicious!
Beach Bar Resort Hue
Absolutely awful signs to direct you to the beach bar. Multiple signs en route just said the name of the bar without any clue to the location, other signs pointed in the wrong direction or gave completely incorrect directions (one said "Left" when the turning was a few km away, another pointed right when it was straight on, etc). What none of the signs mentioned was the ridiculous 100k price to get in even if you just want a drink.
We declined and I'll never go back.
Quán Xuân Trang
Great little bar and restaurant which is extremely popular with locals in the evenings. They have cheap beer (10k for a large Huda), free fries and pretty decent com ga (rice and chicken) for 50k.
Sights & Activities
Hue Royal Palace
Probably the biggest tourist site in Huế. We were pushed for time and pretty tired so probably didn't give it a chance but it wasn't anything special. It's also likely that I've seen so many old buildings that they have to be something very different to impress me.