Yangon

Myanmar's largest city, home to the gleaming Shwedagon Pagoda, colonial-era old town streets, the Circular Railway and a lively teahouse culture, with Bago an easy day trip away.

Yangon sits on the eastern edge of the Ayeyarwady Delta in southern Myanmar, where the Yangon and Bago rivers meet. It is Myanmar's largest city and economic hub, and it served as the capital until 2005. The Shwedagon Pagoda is its spiritual landmark, while the downtown core radiates from Sule Pagoda on a grid laid out under British colonial rule, preserving the densest collection of colonial architecture in Southeast Asia. The climate is tropical monsoon: November to February is cool and dry and the best time to visit; March–May is scorching, and April's Thingyan water festival is lively though some shops close; June–October is the rainy season, with frequent downpours. The city breaks down into three areas: the northern Buddhist quarter with Shwedagon Pagoda, the Chaukhtatgyi Reclining Buddha and Kandawgyi Lake; the old town around Sule Pagoda, Pansodan Street, The Strand Hotel and Chinatown; and outlying trips such as the Circular Railway, the Dala ferry, the Kyauktan Yele Paya water pagoda in Thanlyin and a day trip to Bago. Getting there: Yangon International Airport is about 15 km from the city center, with direct flights from several Chinese cities or connections via Bangkok or Kunming; in town, ride-hailing apps and taxis are the main way to get around. Plan on 2–3 days. Pagodas and monasteries must be entered barefoot, with shoulders and knees covered; bring new, clean US dollar notes to exchange for local currency. Myanmar's security situation and visa policies change frequently, so be sure to check the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' safety advisories and follow local news before you go.

Top sights

• Shwedagon Pagoda – The most sacred pagoda in Myanmar. Its golden main stupa, about 99 meters tall, is covered in gold leaf, and its crowning umbrella is studd…
• Chaukhtatgyi Buddha Temple – One of Myanmar's largest reclining Buddhas, about 65 meters long, with a gentle face, long curled eyelashes, and 108 auspicious symbols car…
• Bogyoke Aung San Market – An old colonial-era market with more than 2,000 stalls selling jade, gemstones, lacquerware, longyi sarongs, and handicrafts. It is the top…
• Sule Pagoda – A two-thousand-year-old pagoda on a traffic roundabout in the city center. Its octagonal golden stupa is the origin point of the colonial-e…
• Ngahtatgyi Buddha – A giant seated Buddha across the street from the Chauk Htat Gyi Reclining Buddha, about 14 meters tall, with an exquisitely carved teak hal…
• Kandawgyi Lake & Karaweik Palace – A man-made lake east of the Shwedagon Pagoda, ringed by wooden boardwalks. Karaweik Palace, shaped like a golden barge with a mythical bird…
• Yangon Circular Railway – A slow train that circles Yangon in about 3 hours, with vendors hawking goods and farmers loading produce in the carriages. It's a window i…
• Chinatown & 19th Street – Yangon's Chinatown night-food street, where barbecue stalls and beer tables line the road. Grilled skewers and Myanmar beer are the local e…
• Botataung Pagoda – A hollow pagoda on the Yangon River, destroyed in WWII and rebuilt. Visitors can walk through a golden, maze-like corridor inside to see th…
• Kaba Aye Pagoda – A Peace Pagoda built in 1954 for the Sixth Buddhist Council. The adjacent man-made cave, Maha Pasana Guha, can hold over 10,000 people.
• Maha Wizaya Pagoda – A modern pagoda across from the south gate of the Shwedagon. The blue ceiling inside is painted with a starry sky and bodhi trees, making i…
• Inya Lake – Yangon's largest lake, with tree-lined lakeside paths where locals and families stroll and watch the sunset. Aung San Suu Kyi's former home…
• National Museum of Myanmar – The highlight is the lion throne of Myanmar's last dynasty. Other displays include royal jewelry, musical instruments, puppets and ethnic c…
• The Secretariat – A red-brick Victorian colonial building that occupies an entire city block. General Aung San was assassinated here in 1947, a landmark of m…
• The Strand Hotel – A colonial-era grand hotel that opened in 1901. Kipling and Maugham once stayed here, and the lobby and bar still carry a strong old Englis…
• Maha Bandula Park & Independence Monument – A central park beside Sule Pagoda. The white Independence Monument is surrounded by colonial buildings including City Hall and the High Cou…
• Pansodan Street & Downtown Heritage – A colonial-era financial street lined with old bank and trading-house buildings. Secondhand book stalls and teahouses make it Yangon's most…
• Dala Ferry & Township – A 10-minute ferry from Pansodan Jetty across the Yangon River to Dala, for a taste of village life, with views of the Yangon skyline on the…
• People's Park – A large city park west of the Shwedagon Pagoda with lawns, fountains, a retired airplane display and a viewing tower. You can also see the…
• Yangon Zoological Gardens – Opened in 1906, one of Southeast Asia's oldest zoos. It is home to white elephants and Malayan sun bears, and sits next to Kandawgyi Lake.
• Martyrs' Mausoleum – A mausoleum beside the north gate of the Shwedagon where General Aung San and other martyrs assassinated in 1947 are buried. A modern red m…
• Bogyoke Aung San Museum – A colonial-era wooden house where General Aung San lived before his assassination. It preserves the original furniture, study and car, and…
• Kyauktan Ye Le Pagoda – A golden pagoda on a small island in the river. Visitors take a small boat to the island, and feeding catfish is a local custom for good fo…
• Taukkyan War Cemetery – Myanmar's largest WWII Allied cemetery, where more than 6,000 soldiers who fell in the Burma campaign are buried. The memorial wall bears t…
• Shwemawdaw Pagoda – The golden main stupa of Bago, about 114 meters tall and the tallest pagoda in Myanmar. An old spire toppled by an earthquake remains besid…
• Shwethalyaung Buddha – An ancient reclining Buddha about 55 meters long, said to date from 994 AD. Long hidden in jungle, its serene face and mosaic-studded pillo…
• Kyaik Pun Pagoda – Four giant seated Buddhas placed back to back on the outskirts of Bago, each about 27 meters tall and facing the four cardinal directions.
• Kanbawzathadi Palace – The palace ruins from the Toungoo Dynasty era under King Bayinnaung. A golden audience hall and royal chambers have been rebuilt based on a…

Where to eat

• 999 Shan Noodle Shop – A budget-friendly noodle shop behind City Hall, offering the most authentic everyday flavors of downtown Yangon in a si…
• Rangoon Tea House (Golden Valley) – A refined take on the traditional Myanmar tea house, serving mohinga and tea leaf salad in a space built from reclaimed…
• Feel Myanmar Food – A buffet-style Myanmar home-cooking eatery where you point to order, making it very accessible for first-time travelers.
• Shan Yoe Yar (Manawhari) – A Shan restaurant housed in a century-old historic building, offering a more refined dining experience than street stal…
• Lucky Seven Tea Shop (49th Street) – An established tea shop popular with locals for breakfast, offering a bowl of mohinga and sweet milk tea to experience…
• Aung Thukha – A traditional curry restaurant opened in 1987, located near Shwedagon Pagoda and packed with locals during lunch and di…

Itineraries

• Yangon Pagodas and Old Town Leisure Tour – Based in downtown Yangon, explore the Shwedagon Pagoda, the colonial old town, the circular train, and the Kyauktan Yel…