Mandalay & Ancient Capitals

Myanmar's last royal capital: Mandalay Hill, Mahamuni Pagoda and sunset at U Bein Bridge, ringed by the ancient capitals of Inwa, Sagaing and Mingun, with the cool hill town of Pyin Oo Lwin to the east.

Mandalay lies on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River in central Myanmar. It was the last royal capital of the Konbaung dynasty (built by King Mindon and in use from 1857 to 1885), and today it is Myanmar's second-largest city and the center of Buddhism and traditional crafts in Upper Myanmar. The city is laid out on a grid around Mandalay Palace and its square moat. Mandalay Hill in the northeast offers views over the whole city and sunsets over the river; at its foot are teak and stupa landmarks such as Kuthodaw Pagoda (home to the stone inscriptions known as 'the world's largest book') and Shwenandaw Monastery, and to the south are Mahamuni Pagoda, which enshrines the Mahamuni Buddha, along with jade, woodcarving and gold-leaf workshops. Four former capitals surround the city: to the south, U Bein Bridge in Amarapura is the world's longest teak bridge and the classic place to watch the sunset; in Inwa (Ava) you can tour the ruins by horse cart; across the Irrawaddy, Sagaing Hill is studded with pagodas; and about an hour upriver by boat is Mingun, with its unfinished giant pagoda and great bell. About 65 km east, the British-era hill town of Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo) has a cool climate and makes an easy day trip. The best time to visit is the cool season from November to February; March–May temperatures can reach 40°C, and the rainy season runs June–October. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck central Myanmar on 28 March 2025 damaged many historic sites in Mandalay, Sagaing and Inwa, and some are closed or under restoration — check what's open before you go and follow safety advisories from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and your embassy. Getting there: Mandalay International Airport is about 45 km from the city; Chinese visitors need to obtain a Myanmar visa in advance. Plan on 3–4 days, and hire a car or motorbike taxi for trips outside the city.

Top sights

• Mandalay Hill – A sacred hill about 240 meters high. A covered stairway leads up to the summit, where the Sutaungpyei Pagoda offers views of the palace moa…
• Mahamuni Pagoda – One of Myanmar's most sacred Buddhist temples. The 3.8-meter Mahamuni Buddha statue is covered in gold leaf applied by devotees, and the da…
• Kuthodaw Pagoda – Each of 729 white stupas houses a marble slab inscribed with Buddhist scriptures. Known as “the world's largest book,” the stone scriptures…
• U Bein Bridge – A teak bridge spanning about 1.2 km across Taungthaman Lake, built around 1850. It is said to be the world's longest teak bridge, and its s…
• Mingun Pahtodawgyi – The unfinished base of a giant pagoda built by King Bodawpaya, about 50 meters tall. Had it been completed, it would have reached 150 meter…
• Shwenandaw Monastery – A teak building that was once King Mindon's residential chamber in the palace. It was later moved outside the palace and converted into a m…
• Mandalay Palace – The palace city of Burma’s last dynasty, surrounded by a square wall about 2 kilometers per side and a moat. Reconstructed red-and-gold hal…
• Mingun Bell – A bronze bell cast in 1808 and weighing about 90 tons, once the largest intact bell in the world that could still ring. Visitors can crawl…
• Hsinbyume Pagoda – A pure-white, wave-shaped pagoda modeled on Mount Meru, with seven ring-shaped terraces rising in tiers and nicknamed the “White Taj Mahal…
• Sagaing Hill – A sacred hill on the western bank of the Irrawaddy, layered with pagodas and monasteries, with hundreds of white and gold stupas dotting it…
• U Min Thonze Pagoda – A “Thirty Caves” temple on Sagaing Hill, with 45 golden seated Buddhas in a crescent-shaped gallery. It is the most photogenic spot in Saga…
• Kaunghmudaw Pagoda – A huge golden hemispherical pagoda outside Sagaing city, about 46 meters tall. It is said to follow the style of Sri Lankan stupas and has…
• Inwa (Ava) – Burma’s royal capital for nearly four centuries. Cross the river and tour the rice fields and ruins by horse cart, with teak monasteries, a…
• Bagaya Monastery – A teak monastery completed in 1834, held up by 267 huge teak pillars. Its interior is dim and quiet, and young novice monks still study her…
• Maha Aungmye Bonzan Monastery – A yellow brick monastery built in 1822 with multi-tiered roofs imitating wooden architecture, a rare form among Burmese monasteries.
• Yadana Hsemee Pagoda Complex – Moss-covered brick pagoda ruins in the old town of Inwa, where weathered Buddha statues sit among shade trees and rice fields with a timele…
• Atumashi Monastery – Its name means “Incomparable Monastery.” This grey-white building with five tiers of stepped roofs was built in 1857, burned in 1890 and re…
• Sandamuni Pagoda – Rows of 1,774 inscribed marble slabs are set among white stupas around a 1802 iron Buddha at the foot of Mandalay Hill.
• Kyauktawgyi Pagoda (Mandalay) – Houses a giant seated Buddha carved from a single block of marble. Legend says 10,000 people spent 13 days hauling it up the canal. It stan…
• Mahagandayon Monastery – A large Buddhist monastic college in Amarapura, where more than a thousand monks line up each morning with their bowls for the procession a…
• Shwe In Bin Monastery – A teak monastery funded in 1895 by two Chinese jade merchants, with intricate wood carvings on its exterior that feel quieter than the Gold…
• Zegyo Market – A traditional large market in central Mandalay, where fabrics, longyi, spices, jade and snacks come together, offering a taste of everyday…
• Eindawya Pagoda – A golden pagoda built in 1847 on the site of King Pagan’s former residence before his accession. Its bell-shaped body is gilded all over, t…
• Pahtodawgyi (Amarapura) – A white bell-shaped great pagoda built in 1820 by King Bagyidaw. You can climb its base for views over the fields, Taungthaman Lake and U B…
• Snake Pagoda (Paleik) – A temple about 20 kilometers south of Mandalay where several large pythons coil around the Buddha statue and are revered as deities. Each m…
• Mandalay Marionettes Theatre – A small theater keeping alive Burma’s traditional marionette puppetry, staging Jataka tales and court dance excerpts every evening, with En…
• National Kandawgyi Gardens – A large botanical garden in Pyin Oo Lwin, the colonial-era hill station, with a lake, orchid garden, butterfly house and viewing tower in a…
• Pyin Oo Lwin Town – An English-style hill town at an elevation of about 1,000 meters. Colonial villas, the Purcell Clock Tower and colorful horse carriages giv…
• Dat Taw Gyaint Waterfall – A multi-tiered waterfall near Anisakan village, about 10 kilometers southwest of Pyin Oo Lwin. A 30-minute walk down a forest path leads to…

Where to eat

• Mingalabar Myanmar Restaurant – One of the highest-rated Myanmar restaurants in Mandalay, where ordering a main dish comes with a table full of side di…
• Unique Mandalay Tea Room – A top-rated breakfast tea room in Mandalay, spacious and constantly packed, making it an excellent choice to experience…
• Shwe Pyi Moe Cafe (75th Street) – One of Mandalay's most famous tea shops, where milk tea paired with naan or paratha is a popular way to experience loca…
• Aye Myit Tar – A popular local Myanmar curry restaurant where ordering a single curry comes with a table full of constantly refilled s…
• Shan Ma Ma – An affordable Shan restaurant on 81st Street, offering a self-selection of dishes served with rice and soup, with gener…
• Super 81 – A multi-story Chinese restaurant popular with locals, featuring Cantonese and Yunnan flavors alongside BBQ and draft be…