In ancient times, Padum was used to be one of the two capitals of the kingdom of Zanskar, other being Zangla, which also houses a palace too. Padum village serves as the base for the tourist visiting Zanskar valley.It offers a decent range of restaurants to eat, and private hotels or budget guest houses/home stays for overnight stay. There is a very decent government tourist bungalow too for the stay that charges about Rs 600-700 per night.