Bagan

The city of countless pagodas on the Irrawaddy, where more than 2,000 temples from the 11th–13th centuries rise from the misty plain – sunrise by hot-air balloon is one of Asia's classic sights. Check the security situation before you go.

Bagan lies on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River in Mandalay Region, central Myanmar, and was the capital of the Pagan Kingdom from the 11th to 13th centuries. More than 3,000 pagodas, temples and monastery ruins still stand across a plain of about 104 sq km, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. The area divides into three parts: the northern gateway town of Nyaung-U (accommodation, the airport, Shwezigon Pagoda and the morning market); the walled Old Bagan in the centre (Ananda Temple, Thatbyinnyu Temple, the Archaeological Museum and Bupaya Pagoda); and New Bagan and Myinkaba village in the south (around Sulamani and Dhammayangyi temples, plus lacquerware workshops).

The climate is hot and dry. November to February is the coolest time, with the most beautiful misty sunrises, and also hot-air balloon season (traditionally October to March/April). In April–May daytime temperatures often exceed 40°C, while the June–October rainy season has fewer visitors but some muddy roads. Allow 2–3 days, getting around the temples by e-bike or horse cart, plus half a day for Mount Popa. Entry to the archaeological zone requires a Bagan Archaeological Zone ticket (previously about 25,000 kyat and valid for several days; check on site).

Getting there: flights from Yangon and Mandalay serve Nyaung-U Airport; from Mandalay it's about 5 hours by road, or you can take an Irrawaddy river boat.

Safety: since 2021 Myanmar has been politically unstable, with armed conflict continuing in some areas. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and many other governments have issued travel advisories, and transport routes, flights and communications may be suddenly disrupted. Some temples were damaged in the strong earthquake that struck central Myanmar in March 2025; check on site which are open. Before you go, check the latest advisories from your foreign ministry and embassy in Myanmar, choose reliable accommodation and transfers, avoid conflict areas and land border crossings, and buy insurance that covers emergency evacuation. To protect the monuments, climbing most pagodas is forbidden; go barefoot in temples and wear clothing that covers the knees.

Top sights

• Shwezigon Pagoda – A golden stupa begun by King Anawrahta, the prototype of the Burmese bell-shaped gilded pagoda. It enshrines a replica of the Buddha's toot…
• Ananda Temple – A white cross-shaped temple built around 1105 by King Kyanzittha, with four 9-metre standing Buddhas facing the four directions. It is wide…
• Dhammayangyi Temple – Bagan's largest temple, a red-brick colossus shaped like a pyramid, famous for its flawlessly fitted brickwork and an inner gallery that wa…
• Sulamani Temple – A two-tiered red-brick temple built in 1183, known as the “Jewel of Bagan,” with extensive later murals preserved inside.
• Shwesandaw Pagoda & Sunrise Viewpoints – A stepped white pagoda built by King Anawrahta, surrounded by classic viewpoints for sunrise and sunset over the temple plain and for hot-a…
• Thatbyinnyu Temple – The tallest temple in Bagan, its spire rising about 61 metres, with a white exterior and tiered square terraces that stand out in Old Bagan.
• Htilominlo Temple – A three-storey red-brick temple completed in 1218, its exterior retaining fine stucco carvings; one of the last large temples of the Bagan…
• Bupaya Pagoda & Irrawaddy River – A gilded, gourd-shaped pagoda on the bank of the Irrawaddy, where you can take a boat out on the river and watch the sun sink behind the hi…
• Bagan Archaeological Museum – A large museum in Old Bagan displaying Bagan-era Buddha images, inscriptions and mural fragments, helping you understand the history of the…
• Mount Popa & Taung Kalat – An extinct volcanic area about 50 kilometres southeast of Bagan; the rock pillar of Taung Kalat, topped with golden temples, is a sacred si…
• Gawdawpalin Temple – The second-tallest temple in Old Bagan, its roughly 55-metre white two-storey body beside the Irrawaddy, a representative example of late B…
• Mahabodhi Temple, Bagan – A temple built in imitation of the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in India, in the Vajrasana style, its tall tower covered with hundreds of…
• Shwegugyi Temple – A temple built in 1131 by King Alaungsithu beside the royal palace; a transitional structure on a high platform whose inscription says it t…
• Pyathada Temple – A large 13th-century temple left unfinished, whose broad top terrace is one of the few sunset viewpoints in Bagan that visitors can still c…
• Manuha Temple – Said to have been built in 1067 by the captive Mon king Manuha, this temple crams colossal Buddha images into a cramped shrine, symbolizing…
• Nanpaya Temple – An 11th-century small stone temple beside Manuha Temple, whose interior pillars carry Brahma reliefs, rare masterpieces of sandstone carvin…
• Gubyaukgyi Temple & Myazedi Inscription (Myinkaba) – Built in 1113 by a prince to commemorate his father, King Kyanzittha, this temple preserves Bagan's finest early murals, and beside it stan…
• Mingalazedi Pagoda – Completed in 1274, this is the last major pagoda of the Bagan dynasty, and glazed tiles depicting Jataka tales were once set into its terra…
• Lawkananda Pagoda – A golden pagoda built by King Anawrahta on the bank of the Irrawaddy in 1059, housing a replica of the Buddha's tooth relic, with views ove…
• Tharabha Gate – The best-preserved gate in Old Bagan's city walls, with shrines on either side housing the guardian spirits Min Mahagiri and his sister, an…
• Upali Thein – A mid-13th-century ordination hall with a distinctive roofline that imitates timber architecture, and whose interior walls retain exquisite…
• Dhammayazika Pagoda – Completed in 1196, this rare pagoda has a pentagonal base, and its gilded bell-shaped stupa rises from three terraces, making it a striking…
• Pahtothamya Temple – An early Mon-style temple from around the 11th century with dim interiors, preserving some of Bagan's earliest murals and ink inscriptions.
• Nathlaung Kyaung Temple – The only surviving Hindu temple in Old Bagan, dedicated to Vishnu in the 10th and 11th centuries, reflecting the religious diversity of Bag…
• Payathonzu Temple – A 13th-century triple shrine in Minnanthu village, whose three interconnected halls contain murals with Mahayana and esoteric influences in…
• Lemyethna Temple – A four-faced temple built in 1222 in Minnanthu village, its exterior whitewashed and its compound walls intact, preserving the original lay…
• Mimalaung Kyaung – A small temple built on a raised platform in 1174, its name meaning the monastery that does not burn, reflecting its brick and stone constr…
• Bagan Golden Palace – A palace rebuilt around 2008 based on archaeological remains of the Bagan dynasty; it is splendidly gilded, though the accuracy of the reco…
• Nyaung-U Market – Nyaung-U's traditional morning market offers local produce, thanaka, lacquerware and textiles, a good glimpse of everyday life.
• Yoke Sone Kyaung, Salay – A 19th-century teak monastery in Salay, about 35 km south of Bagan, its exterior covered with finely carved wooden reliefs of Jataka tales.

Where to eat

• The Moon Vegetarian Restaurant (Animals Asia) – A long-established all-vegetarian restaurant on the north side of Ananda Temple in Old Bagan, best known for its tomato…
• Black Bamboo Restaurant – A garden restaurant run by a French-Burmese couple in a lane beside Nyaung U's restaurant street, known for its fish cu…
• Khaing Shwe Wah Vegetarian Restaurant – A family-run vegetarian eatery beside the north gate of Ananda Temple, highly rated and inexpensive, still listed as op…
• San Thi Dar Restaurant – A curry house run by an elderly couple in Myinkaba village, serving many complimentary side dishes and recommended by L…
• Bibo Restaurant – A popular small restaurant on Nyaung U's restaurant street, with well-regarded Thai fried noodles and Burmese beef curr…