Must-see attractions in Yangon

  • The reflection of Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar

    Shwedagon Paya

    Yangon

    One of Buddhism's most sacred sites, the 326ft zedi (stupa) here is adorned with 27 metric tons of gold leaf, along with thousands of diamonds and other…

  • Myanmar, Burma, Yangon, Rangoon, Kandawgyi Lake, Shwedagon Pagoda

    Kandawgyi Lake

    Yangon

    Also known as Royal Lake, this artificial lake built by the British as a reservoir is most attractive at sunset, when the glittering Shwedagon Paya is…

  • The statue of Statue of King Anawratha and the exterior of National Museum of Myanmar.

    National Museum (Yangon)

    Yangon

    Even though the museum's collection is poorly labelled and often badly lit, the treasures that lie within this cavernous building deserve a viewing. The…

  • Chaukhtatgyi Paya, reclining Buddha in Yangon, Myanmar.

    Chaukhtatgyi Paya

    Yangon

    Housed in a large metal-roofed shed, this beautiful 215ft-long reclining buddha is larger than a similar and better-known image in Bago. The statue's…

  • Secretariat

    Yangon

    After many years of being off limits, this spectacular red-brick complex, which takes up a 16-acre block and was once the British seat of government for…

  • The Budda sculpture in Ngahtatgyi Paya, Yangon, Myanmar.

    Ngahtatgyi Paya

    Yangon

    One of Yangon's, if not Myanmar's, most gorgeous buddha images is this 46ft-tall one at the Ngahtatgyi Paya, sitting in calm gold-and-white repose and…

  • Meilamu Paya

    Yangon

    Situated next to the Nga Moe Yeik creek, this Disneyland-ish pagoda is a hoot. Larger-than-life 3D stucco depictions of the Buddha's life and practice…

  • Stupa at Botataung Paya.

    Botataung Paya

    Yangon

    Botataung’s spacious riverfront location and lack of crowds give it a more down-to-earth spiritual feeling than Shwedagon. Its most original feature is…

  • Sule pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar.

    Sule Paya

    Yangon

    Not many cities have a primary traffic circle occupied by a 2200-year-old golden temple. This 46m zedi (stupa), said to be older than Shwedagon Paya, is…

  • View of Mahabandoola Gardens

    Mahabandoola Garden

    Yangon

    A green breathing space in the heart of downtown Yangon, this park provides lovely views of surrounding heritage buildings, including City Hall, the High…

  • Elephant fountain, People's Park, Yangon, Myanmar

    People's Park

    Yangon

    Notable for its splendid views of the western side of Shwedagon Paya, this well-tended park offers plenty of pleasant features, such as flower gardens and…

  • Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue in Yangon.

    Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue

    Yangon

    All the traditional features of a synagogue are present in this superbly maintained 1896 building: the bimah (platform holding the reading table for the…

  • Myanmar Treasure Hotel

    Inya Lake

    Yangon

    Inya Lake, created by the British as a reservoir in 1883, is Yangon's largest artificial body of water. The best spots from which to view the lake are the…

  • U Thant House, former residence of U Thant, Secretary General of the United Nations (1961-1971), now a museum in memory of the world-renowned diplomat.

    U Thant House

    Yangon

    One of Myanmar's most respected international politicians, U Thant was UN Secretary General from 1961 to 1971. When his grandson, Thant Myint-U,…

  • An alley of San Pya Wholesale Fish Market of Yangon, Myanmar.

    San Pya Fish Market

    Yangon

    The raw hustle and bustle of Yangon's wholesale fish market is compulsively fascinating. It's a heady assault on the senses – especially that of smell –…

  • Dargah of Bahadur Shah Zafar

    Yangon

    Covered in silks and strewn with sweet-smelling petals, the mausoleum of India's last Mughal emperor is a place of pilgrimage for Indians, Muslims and…

  • Old Tourist Burma Building

    Yangon

    In late 2019, following a major heritage-restoration project overseen by the nonprofit Turquoise Mountain, this stately colonial building reopened. Much…

  • Martyrs' Mausoleum

    Yangon

    This striking mausoleum houses the remains of General Aung San and the six comrades who were assassinated on 19 July 1947. The Soviet-style, red-painted…

  • Sofaer's Building

    Yangon

    In desperate need of love and attention, this crumbling Italianate building, constructed by the Jewish-Baghdadi trader Isaac A Sofaer, still has original…

  • Kaba Aye Paya

    Yangon

    This overly glitzy ‘world peace’ zedi (stupa), about 5 miles north of the city centre, was built for the 1954–56 Sixth Buddhist Synod which coincided with…

  • Drug Elimination Museum

    Yangon

    This gigantic time capsule of junta-era propaganda is a mind-bending experience. It vilifies the effects of class A drugs on Myanmar's society while…

  • Kheng Hock Keong

    Yangon

    Supported by a Hokkien association, this is Yangon’s largest and most attractive Chinese (Taoist) temple. The ornate dragon- and lantern-festooned…

  • Holy Trinity Cathedral

    Yangon

    Yangon's principal Anglican church was designed by India-based architect Robert Fellowes Chisholm. The red-brick-painted neo-Gothic structure took nine…

  • Taukkyan War Cemetery

    Yangon

    Twelve miles north of Yangon’s airport is this beautifully maintained cemetery, containing the graves of 6374 Allied soldiers who died in the Burma and…

  • Thaketa Crocodile Farm

    Yangon

    Off the main road from Yangon to Thanlyin, at the end of a bumpy road leading into the Thaketa Industrial Estate, is this government-run farm that breeds…

  • Maha Wizaya Zedi

    Yangon

    This well-proportioned zedi (stupa), built on General Ne Win's orders in the early 1980s to commemorate the unification of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar,…

  • Pegu Club

    Yangon

    It's a happy ending, sort of, for the long-forlorn Pegu Club. Dating from 1882, this regal teak building was once the most exclusive British club in Burma…

  • Bogyoke Aung San Museum

    Yangon

    You'll have to work hard to imagine what life was like inside this colonial-era mansion, where Aung San lived with his family for just over two years…

  • 491-501 Merchant St

    Yangon

    Around 250 workers were trained in new skills for the sensitive restoration in 2016 of this two-storey colonial-era building, home to 80 residents from 12…

  • Thakin Kodaw Hmaing Mausoleum

    Yangon

    The tomb of one of Myanmar's most celebrated poets and public intellectuals is the furthest away from Shwedagon Paya in the quartet of mausoleums here…

  • Yangon Heritage Trust

    Yangon

    The small gallery of historic photographs here gives an idea of how downtown Yangon used to look. There's a great view of lower Pansodan St's grand…

  • State Fine Arts School

    Yangon

    Built in the early 20th century as the grand home of shipping-and-rubber magnate Lim Chin Tsong, this is another decaying but highly evocative slice of…

  • Daw Khin Kyi Mausoleum

    Yangon

    Here lies Aung San’s widow and Aung San Suu Kyi's mother Daw Khin Kyi. Her funeral in 1989 was attended by more than 100,000 and was a galvanising moment…

  • Sri Kali

    Yangon

    Devoted to the Hindu goddess Kali, this temple was built in 1871 before the flood of Indian migrants came to the city during British colonial rule. It…

  • Basic Education High School 2 Dagon

    Yangon

    On the Yangon City Heritage list, this is Burma's first nationalist school founded in 1920 for ordinary citizens as a counter to the restrictive British…

  • U Thant Mausoleum

    Yangon

    U Thant, the former UN Secretary General and one of the most respected 20th-century Burmese statesmen, is buried here. A chapter in The River of Lost…

  • AAPP Museum

    Yangon

    More of a one-room exhibition, this compact museum attached to the offices of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) focuses on the…

  • National Races Village

    Yangon

    Traditional houses of the Kachin, Kayah, Kayin (Karen), Chin, Bamar, Mon, Rakhine and Shan peoples are dotted around this lush, landscaped compound…

  • Yoma Central

    Yangon

    This 22.66-hectare development at the heart of Yangon is taking shape with a scheduled completion date by the end of 2021. At its heart will be the former…

  • Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank

    Yangon

    This 1930s building designed by Thomas Oliphant Forster and Basil Ward is one of Pansodan St's grandest buildings. It originally housed the National Bank…

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