What to see in Mandalay, Myanmar: Check out the wood carvings at the Aung Nan Myanmar Handicrafts Workshop

What to See in Mandalay, Myanmar

After spending a few days in Yangon and Bagan, I made my way northeast to Mandalay. My original plan was to take The Road to Mandalay cruise, which starts in Bagan and stops on Mingun on its way to Mandalay. It looked like a super chill cruise and a nice way to experience Burma but then I learned that the Ayeyarwady River is really low in February so the ship wouldn’t make it all the way to Mandalay anyhow and I’d have to take a bus. I had no desire to take the bus. For the price, it just didn’t seem worth it. So I flew from Bagan to Mandalay instead and hired a tour guide and driver to take me around. And man, did they take me around. I actually had to tell the tour guide that I was all templed-out at one point and that I wanted to end the tour.  (Although I was well looked after during the day, and had both a tour guide AND a driver, my tour guide wasn’t the most exciting.) BUT if you’re wondering what to see in Mandalay, Myanmar, here are my suggestions.

King Galon Gold Leaf Workshop:  My tour started here, which was a fun way to see how they make all the gold leaf that adorns the many buddhas in Mandalay and beyond. This was a very quick stop and as it turned out, it was also very close to my Mandalay hotel, which was convenient.

What to See in Mandalay: Mahamuni Pagoda

Mahamuni Pagoda: This is at the top of all the “What to see in Mandalay, Myanmar” lists. Busy temple that’s a major pilgrimage site in Mandalay. This was really beautiful but most of my pictures are full of strangers as it was quite crowded so no only this very basic photo for you! Soz.

Buddhas on Marble Street

Marble Street: Very close to Mahamuni Temple. Super interesting street where many marble Buddhas are made, many of which are shipped to China. It’s amazing what humans are capable of.

Aung Nan Myanmar Handicrafts Workshop: After Marble Street, we also made a quick pit stop here to use the loo and check out the amazing wood carvings. A bit touristy but you know I like the crafty stuff. (See top photo.)

What to See in Mandalay: Mandalay Palace

Mandalay Palace: I had just finished The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh (fantastic read), and this palace features heavily in the beginning of the book. While I was there, a tour guide for a group of Americans asked if anyone had read the book and no one had so I piped up and put in a good word. It is the last palace in Myanmar occupied by the royal family before they were exiled to India, although now it’s really just a reconstruction. It should still be at the top of your list of what to see in Mandalay though! The palace is oddly empty and bare, just fyi.

Golden Palace Monastery

Golden Palace Monastery: This was perhaps one of my favorite things to see in Mandalay after Mandalay Palace because of the ridiculously beautiful woodwork that obviously photographed extremely poorly. This is the only remaining original part of the royal palace. (It was moved from its original location at the Mandalay Palace.) Amazing that they let people walk all over this.

Kuthodaw Pagoda & the World’s Largest Book

The World’s Largest Book: Over 700 slabs of Buddhist scriptures. Beautiful and peaceful in all of its white marbleness.  It’s definitely worth checking this place out on Instagram because apparently there’s a lot more that I didn’t see. It’s all very very Instgrammable, but this is definitely when I really started to lose steam so the fact that I missed all the photo opps is not surprising. HOT. Mandalay was HOT.

Kuthodaw Pagoda Mandalay Myanmar

Kuthodaw Pagoda: Once you walk through the world’s largest book, you’ll come to Kuthodaw Pagoda. This is the royal merit pagoda and it was built by King Mindon Min in the 1850s.

What to See in Mandalay: View from Mandalay Hill

Mandalay Hill: We ended the tour at the top of Mandalay Hill, which was a great way to get an overview of all of Mandalay.  This would be an awesome place to watch the sunset from. (Note there were some temples in between — the temples where your shoes get stolen apparently so I was advised not to leave them — but I totally broke down at the last temple stop and asked to wrap up the tour.)

Take a Cruise to Mingun from Mandalay

If you, like me, love a good boat cruise, consider taking a half day sailing cruise  to Mingun, up the Irrawaddy just north of Mandalay. Discover the world’s largest bell, meet locals in a typical village, visit the historic Mingun Pahtodawgyi stupa, and watch an epic sunset. I think this is one of the nicest things to do in Mandalay. Book this tour.

Summary of What to See in Mandalay

In hindsight, I would have broken this tour of Mandalay in half and done three-ish hours one day (plus snacks, drinks, and photo breaks) and three hours another day (plus snacks, drinks, and photo breaks). Given that it was so hot, it was just way too much to see in one day. So really, what I did in one day is an ideal two day itinerary for Mandalay. My challenge is that I really wanted to sit down and soak things in for a bit and make all the Instagrams but we were go-go-go. (And obviously, I kinda like to be fed.) By the time I got back to my hotel, I was too exhausted to even get a massage, which tells you something. Now all this being said, I only had one night in Mandalay and did my tour on the day I arrived so squeezing all the sights into one day worked with my schedule. But you live, you learn. Next time around, when I’m planning what to see in Mandalay, Myanmar, I’ll go a little slower. I wish I had left more time for souvenir shopping and eating and just wandering around. Mandalay (and Burma!) deserves it! You’ll feel the same!

My Hotel in Mandalay

While I was in Mandalay, I stayed at Link 78 Mandalay and liked it. The restaurant on the top floor was great — the tea leaf salad was so delicious I had it twice. Rooms were clean and modern. Pre-arrival service was pretty non-existent — I was hoping for some tour guide recommendations — but the team at the front desk was friendly and helpful and spoke good English. In short, this was a fine stay and I’d consider this a business class hotel. (Don’t let the ground floor entrance scare you off. Once you get upstairs, it’s nicer.) Also, the wifi was great! Clocked in around 10Mbps. Note I had considered staying at The Hilton, which is the best hotel in town, but it was under renovation and was a lot of money for just one night. So Link 78 it was.

Other Posts You Might Like

• What to do in Yangon, Myanmar
• What to do in Bagan, Myanmar

Still Wondering What to See in Mandalay? Check Out These Tours!

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Things to Do in Bagan: Visit All the Temples

Things to Do in Bagan, Myanmar

My 2 days in Bagan started out badly. Right before I left for Myanmar, I went shopping on London’s Oxford Street for last minute essentials. I fell into a pothole and ripped my left knee up. I came home and cleaned and bandaged it but apparently not enough because a few days later, I was in Burma and my knee was still “weepy.” The morning I flew from Yangon to Bagan, I sent a picture of my knee to my cousin in New Jersey who is a nurse practitioner and her response was immediate and clear: “You need some meds. ASAP.”

So now I needed to find a doctor in Bagan. Great.

Finding a Doctor In Bagan

Luckily, the internet is your friend and I quickly found the travelers’ clinic. It’s called the Global Care Clinic and it’s in New Bagan. Only problem? There was an American kid in there already and he had HEMORRHOIDS and was totally freaked out. I sat there for an hour listening to him ask the doctor question after question. (The clinic walls were quite thin.) After a long discussion about whether or not he could go horseback riding with hemorrhoids — I kid you not — I had to pipe up and demand to be seen. $50 USD and some antibiotics later, I was on my way to The Hotel Tharabar Gate to start my weekend. (The doctor advised he should steer clear of horseback riding, just fyi.)

The Hotel at Tharabar Gate in Bagan

Hotel Room at Hotel Tharabar Gate

I got very lucky when planning my things to do in Bagan and found the Hotel at Tharabar Gate. It’s in a GREAT location in Old  Bagan and so many of Bagan’s temples are within easy reach by car or e-bike. It’s an excellent place for a weekend trip. The hotel is trying to be 4 star but was probably more a 3.5 star for me. It could definitely be 4 or 5 star with a bit of updating to the rooms.

The outdoor dining area and pool at Tharabar Gate

There’s a (very cold) pool, a spa (I had a good manicure and very good facial), and a lovely poolside restaurant and bar area with happy hour specials.

Grounds of The Hotel at Tharabar Gate

Getting around Bagan

I asked the hotel to hook me up with a driver to see the temples of Bagan and they gave me the very efficient “Mr. Knee.” Mr. Knee seriously took me to all the main sites in Bagan in ONE DAY and never made me wait more than 1 minute for a pick-up after visiting a temple. (Honestly, it was like he was psychic.) I had a pretty good time with Mr. Knee — he’s a happy guy and we managed to communicate without speaking each other’s languages — and if you stay at the Tharabar Gate and need someone to drive you around for the weekend, ask for him. (He is also a porter at the hotel.) That being said, I’d consider him more of a driver than a tour guide. If you want to know the history and the details, see if you can get a combined driver and guide for the day.

Renting an e-Bike in Bagan

One fun way to get around all the temples in Bagan is to rent an e-bike. These are basically mopeds that you can use to get around the temples. You do not need  a license to rent an e-bike. Note that a lot of the temple areas are very sandy which can make riding hard. Ask the motorbike rental place which bikes might be better on sand. Also, please don’t forget a helmet! Your hotel might be able to help you rent an e-bike but there are also motorbike rental places dotted around town.

Explore the Temples of Bagan

Things to do in Bagan: Check out the hot air balloons at dawn

OK — now for the reason you came to Bagan! TEMPLES! Bagan is one of those places where you think to yourself, “Man, people back in ancient times were AMAZING.” It’s really crazy to me that they built SO MANY of these temples. (There are over 2,000 still standing. This is 11th century stuff!) I mean, I’ve been to Angkor Wat but this was crazy. I decided to skip the hot air balloon ride — I have this fear that I will die in a hot air balloon accident — but it was lovely to watch them all floating over Bagan’s temples. Getting up early to experience this should go to the top of your list of things to do in Bagan.

More temple visits in Bagan

There weren’t many tourists in Bagan the weekend I visited (besides for these two in the photo above), and at times it felt like I had the entire place to myself which was quite eerie. Later in the afternoon, we ran into a big school group and then we spent the rest of the afternoon avoiding them. It wasn’t hard.

Explore the Temples on a Bicycle Tour

OK, so I mentioned renting an e-bike if you need a little oomph but you can also tour the temples by regular bike as well — with a guide! This is one of the best things to do in Bagan because you’ll get to explore the temples and local backroads, meeting locals and stopping for snacks and drinks along the way. It’s six hours of bike riding BUT Bagan is pretty flat and this is not a race! This is a very well-organized adventure.

Take a Hot Air Balloon Ride

I’ll admit it…I’m kinda chicken to do this but everyone I met in Bagan did it so I am an outlier. I loved looking at the hot air balloons floating over Bagan but I just couldn’t muster up the courage to climb into a balloon basket. (Also, to be fair, it’s a bit pricey.) BUT…if you are heading to Bagan and you are not afraid of heights, this is one of those classic things to do in Bagan that everyone (except me) does.

Have Dinner & See A Show in Bagan

Things to do in Bagan: Check out the Dandaree Show

When I wasn’t visiting temples, I hung out poolside at Tharabar Gate and read. On my second evening, looking for more things to do in Bagan, I went to a dinner show down the road from Tharabar Gate (about an 8 minute walk) and while the dinner was totally dreadful and the service was strangely comical (they were fascinated by a Westerner, eating), the show was entertaining (teenagers dancing in traditional costumes) and took me through the history of Myanmar. (Another reason why I am glad I read Amitav Ghosh’s The Glass Palace before visiting Myanmar. I could totally follow parts of the story!)

To be honest, I’m not entirely convinced I would do the dinner again, but the show was sweet, and it was one of those nice things to do in Bagan at night given that I had no plans and the hotel wifi was painfully, unusably slow. It’s called the Dandaree Show, by the way. Tip: If you do the dinner and show, it will be dark when it is time to go back to the hotel. While I could have walked it, the show has a golf cart! I flashed some cash and asked if they would drive me back to the hotel and they did, which was quite the adventure. The hotel laughed when they saw me rock up.

Take a Sunset Cruise in Bagan

If the river is high enough — it was too low when I was there — you can take a sunset cruise along the Ayeyarwady River in Bagan! These traditional teak boats are available for shared or private cruises. Typically, you will be met with a welcome drink and then you will sail to Stone Cave Pagoda at at Kyauk Kuu Phaya. I think this must be one of the most beautiful things to do in Bagan. You know I am a sucker for a boat cruise, so I was sad this didn’t work out. (It’s how I ended up at the dinner and the show above.) Book a sunset cruise in Bagan.

Visit Mount Popa and Salay from Bagan

If you’re the sporty type and like stairs, one of the more active things to do in Bagan is take a day trip to Mount Papa and Salay, where you’ll visit ancient monasteries. Specifically, you can =limb the 777 stairs to the sacred monastery at the top of Mount Popa, an extinct volcano. It’s a long day but a beautiful one!

Summary of Fun Things to Do in Bagan

I wish I had spent more than just two days in Bagan! And while I loved Mr. Knee, it would have been cool to have a real guide for a few hours so I had more context for everything I was looking at.

Myanmar is changing rapidly so go now while you can still drive right up to the front of each temple!! That was pretty awesome.

Check Out My Other Posts about Myanmar

• What to Do in Yangon
• What to do in Mandalay

More Fun Things to Do in Bagan

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Things to do in Yangon: Check out the view from The Pan Pacific

Fun Things to Do in Yangon

Before I get to the best things to do in Yangon, let me address this part up front: What is happening to the Rohingya in Myanmar is terrible and unconscionable. Man’s inhumanity to man…when will it end??

I had been thinking about visiting Myanmar for over a year when the Rohingya crisis hit my radar. Should I still go? Did tourism indirectly (directly?) support something I could not possibly ever condone? My close friends weren’t really knowledgeable enough to advise, so I spent many a night searching the Internet for the answer. I wanted to go to Myanmar…but I didn’t want to go. But more than anything…I wanted to understand. So while many may not agree with my choice, I went. (This article from The UK’s Telegraph was helpful in making my final decision.)

To be very brutally honest, I’m not sure in the end that I really gained any greater understanding about what’s going on in Myanmar right now — not for lack of trying but perhaps more from a (seeming) lack of informed citizens, a lack of freedom of the press, and perhaps some fear thrown in there as well? (It’s been suggested before that I give off CIA vibes.) One tour guide made some vague references to “problems in the north” but everyone else seemed either completely unaware or unwilling to discuss it. (And in one strange interaction, I almost started to wonder if one tour guide was a government employee in disguise, sent to observe Americans with strange travel habits as they ate their way through Myanmar. So I changed the topic quickly. Do governments still do this sort of thing?)

In short, I have no answers. But I do have more awareness now of a terrible situation. Unfortunately, I have a lot more questions as well. I will leave it there for now.

Is Yangon Safe?

As a female traveler traveling alone, I felt Yangon was safe. Now that being said, I stayed in a five star hotel and was accompanied by tour guides and had my hotel pick me up and drop me off at the airport. (My hotel driver was from the Kachin ethnic minority. When I told that to one of my tour guides later, they admitted that they had never met a Kachin before.) I took two taxis on my own and was pleasantly surprised that one driver spoke perfect English. The other could only say “Bye bye.” (Taxis are plentiful and cheap in Yangon, btw.) I didn’t really walk around unaccompanied that much, except for one trip to Bogyoke Market and another trip to the um, modern glistening shopping mall attached to my hotel.

Where to Stay in Yangon

Stay at the lovely Pan Pacific Yangon

If you are wondering where to stay in Yangon, I stayed three nights at the Pan Pacific Yangon and loved it. It’s a brand new five star hotel with great views over the city. It’s also right across the street from Bogyoke Market which makes it perfect for SHOPPING. Everyone who worked at the hotel seemed so proud of it, which I loved. My room was gorgeous, the pool was gorgeous, the gym was gorgeous. And the breakfast buffet was a joy to behold. (Asian breakfasts FTW.) If this is your style, I recommend staying here. (And for those of you wondering why I did’t chose a more local option or a cheaper option, 1. I work hard for my money 2. I’m old and 3. When I travel by myself I must still at this age humor my parents.) Book the Pan Pacific Yangon.

Fun Things to Do in Yangon: Tours

I looked through Viator, wondering what things to do in Yangon. I wanted something comprehensive so I ended up booking a day tour of Yangon with Khiri Travel and it was fantastic. Dolly, my tour guide, was an absolute star and she and my driver whizzed me efficiently around town for eight hours straight. Some of the things we saw and did…

Visit St. Mary’s Cathedral in Yangon

St. Mary’s Cathedral in Yangon. About 1% of the population of Myanmar is Catholic which I did not know!

Things to Do in Yangon: Check Out Karawiek Palace and Kandawgyi Lake

Karawiek Palace and Kandawgyi Lake. Karawiek Palace is a barge and buffet restaurant with a cultural show. (Also rumor has it the inspiration for the Wu Tang Clan logo???) I did not see the show. The building/barge is pretty though.  We also enjoyed a terrifying walk around Kandawagyi Lake. Terrifying because the lake is surrounded by a wooden boardwalk that has seen much better days and could benefit from updating and some sealant. This was a peaceful stop…except for the boardwalk!

Loved my visit to Chauk-htat-gyi Buddha Temple

Chauk-htat-gyi Buddha Temple. The longest reclining Buddha in Myanmar! This was cool and definitely one of the more fun things to do in Yangon. 65 meters long?

Things to Do in Yangon: Have Lunch at Pansuriya

Lunch at Pansuriya. Part art gallery, part restaurant. Enjoyable. I had the chicken and potato curry. The setting is really nice. This is where I saw the most Westerners in one place though.

Things to Do in Yangon: Drop by the bar at the Strand Hotel

We ended the tour with a drink at the colonial style Strand Hotel down by the river, which was perfect. This is one of the oldest and nicest hotels in Yangon and should definitely add it to your list of fun things to do in Yangon.

I’m neglecting a bunch of other things we did mainly because I didn’t take any photos, or if I did, they have disappeared somewhere. We walked through a great street food market, went down to the river and watched the ferries come in, saw all the big pagodas, wandered through Bogyoke Market, and most interestingly, WE RODE THE TRAIN. The train was awesome and you should definitely add to your list of things to do in Yangon. I loved watching the hawkers sell their stuff up and down the train car. I loved that this train was so old but still in operation. Fascinating. I highly recommend riding the train and adding this to your list of things to do in Yangon. It was probably one of the most fun things I did in Yangon and I am bummed I don’t have any photos of it. (I have a shaky video out the train window that’s not very exciting.)

In short, this was a wonderfully thorough tour of Yangon. My tour guide and driver were fun and interesting and most importantly, very efficient and kept me happily fed and watered all day. It’s a long day though so just be prepared for that. Normally, I limit myself to four hour tours but because I didn’t have much time in Yangon, I wanted to see as much as possible. In hindsight, if I had another day, I would have asked to divide this tour in half and do 3 to 4 hours one day and 3 to 4 hours the next day. In short though, I highly recommend this tour. Book this tour.

19th Street grilled everything in Yangon

Fun Things to Do in Yangon: Take a Yangon Food Tour

Because I did so much my first day in town, I took it easy on Day 2 and slept in, went to the gym, hung out at the mall (the Junction City Mall), did some shopping during a return visit to Bogyoke Market, and generally had more of a relaxed morning before meeting my Urban Adventures guide for an early evening food tour of Yangon. There were three main stops on this tour: The food market right next to the Independence Monument, the commuter food market down by the river, and then finally 19th Street in Chinatown. At the Independence Monument, we tried some crispy crepe-like bread which was great, and then by the river, my guide let me choose, which was fun. (But also perhaps questionable that my guide had not vetted some stands beforehand.) I chose some fantastic-looking fried quail eggs which were seriously one of the best things I ate in Myanmar. Later, on 19th Street, we stopped at a barbecue restaurant for local beer and a LOT of grilled joy. This was a compact street food tour and quite short in comparison to other food tours I’ve been on. That being said, it was still fun and interesting. I provided feedback at the end that some more structure and a 4th stop for dessert or something else would be great. Book this tour.

Shopping in Yangon: Yoyomay Shop

This was an excellent, excellent textiles shop in Bogyoke Market. As you are facing the entrance across from the Pan Pacific. Top floor, right side. I wanted to buy everything. It’s very small but if you are in the market already, it’s worth a visit.

Great Book about Myanmar

Before my trip, I read The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh. I got really lucky with this book because I honestly picked it out randomly after Google’ing “books about Burma.” Turns out, it’s quite well known and is sold at many of the tourist sites in Myanmar. I highly recommend it. It’s a enjoyable and interesting fictionalized account of the fall of the monarchy of Burma through to World War I and II. It was great to connect the dots between things my tour guides told me and what I learned from the novel. (And when I got to Mandalay, it was super cool to visit the actual Glass Palace.) Buy The Glass Palace.

The Verdict

After a week in Myanmar, I probably have more questions than answers but in short, I REALLY liked Yangon. As always, I feel like I only scratched the surface. I wish I had stayed at least one more night. There are plenty more fun things to do in Yangon and I can’t wait to return.

Check Out My Other Posts about Myanmar

• What to Do in Mandalay
• What to Do in Bagan

Looking for More Fun Things to Do in Yangon?

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