Yangon

Aung San Suu Kyi's House

The house is guarded by a high wall, and visitors are not allowed to enter. The most you can hope to do is to take a picture of the gate. Approximate taxi fares from the city is 3,000 kyat.

Bahadur Shah Zafar Grave

The grave of the last of the Mughal emperors in India, as well as the last ruler of the Timurid Dynasty. After the Indian rebellion of 1857, he was exiled to Rangoon together with his wife, Zeenat Mahal, and some of the remaining members of the family. Bahadur Shah died in Nov 1862. Today you can see his tomb, and if you are lucky, a guide may be there to give you a lot of information about this Sufi saint. There is no entrance fee, but you can give donations to local Sufis.

Free

Bogyoke Aung San Museum

This is the house where Aung San lived with his wife and three children until his assassination. The house is still in original condition and houses a museum with many interesting items on display, e.g., Aung San's car, his library and his suits. Outside is the pond where his son, Aung San Lin, drowned. The accident was one of the reasons why the family moved.

Tue-Sun 09:30-16:30; closed Mon·US$3

Botataung Paya

The original pagoda was destroyed by allied bombing during the Second World War but the site has a legendary history as long as that of the Shwedagon or the Sule Paya, and it is supposed to house more strands of the Buddha's hair brought to the site by a thousand soldiers (hence the name which means "1,000 officers"). The rebuilt stupa is hollow inside, and many relics (though not the hair) are on display. While not spectacular like the Shwedagon, the river-front setting and the hollow stupa make it worth visiting. Entrance fee: 6,000 kyat

Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda

Reclining Buddha

A temple that is home to an impressive reclining Buddha that is 65 m long and 6 storeys high.

Closed · opens 6 am·US$5 for foreigners

Chinatown and Little India

Home to the descendants of migrants who came from China and India during the colonial era. You can still see reminders of that heritage, with Chinese clan temples, as well as Hindu temples, still to be found in these districts, as well as ethnic food.

City Hall

The seat of the city's administrative body, Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC). Construction began in 1926 and ended in 1936. The city hall has been the focal point of major political demonstrations and the site of several bombings, including one in 2000, 2008 and 2009.

Drug Elimination Museum

A huge four-story building dedicated to fighting narcotics (mainly opium), displaying the effects of drug use and efforts to find alternative crops. The exhibits are quite outdated and dusty. The main reason for a foreigner to visit is to experience a bizarre remnant of the previous regime. Be prepared that you may be the only visitor at the museum, but there is plenty of staff. Camera fee for foreigners US$5.

foreigner: 4,000 kyat, Burmese national: 100 kyat

High Court Building

Until 2006, the Supreme Court of Myanmar was located at this complex. The building is listed on the Yangon City Heritage List.

Holy Trinity Cathedral

The Anglican cathedral built by the British. It is one of two cathedrals in Yangon, and has a beautiful interior.

Inya Lake

The largest lake in the city. Some parts of Inya Lake's shoreline are accessible on foot, and are known for their gardens. Along Inya Lake's shore is the famous Inya Lake Hotel, now owned by Dusit and Yangon University (in a beautiful park-like setting). Surrounding the lake are villas owned by military leaders.

Kandawgyi Lake

Formerly Victoria Lakes

A renovated park that makes for a nice stroll. Lots of small restaurants, food stalls and a playgarden inside. The lake is best known for its karaweik (at its southeastern tip), a replica of a traditional Burmese royal boat. There is also a board walk around the south edge of the lake, affording a better view than that from the gardens. At its northwestern tip is Bogyoke Aung San Park, which is on Natmauk Rd. Main entrance is from the southeast corner. Foreigners pay 300 kyat, and there's a sign indicating there's also a 500 kyat camera charge and a 1,000 kyat video camera fee, but those don't seem to be enforced. Not all parts of the park are accessible from the southeast entrance, so you might have to walk around a bit on the street as well to see the park completely.

300 kyat (plus possible 500 kyat camera fee, and possible 1,000 kyat video camera fee)

Kandawgyi Nature Park

This is a peninsula that provides good views around the lake and is the access to the Karaweik. There are restaurants (some cheap, some expensive) dotted around the lakefront and an amphitheatre that often has free concerts. Very popular with locals on Friday and Saturday nights.

300 kyat

Maha Bandula Park

Known for its rose gardens. Inside the park is the Independence Monument, built to signify Myanmar's independence. The park offers a great view of the City Hall and colonial buildings.

Martyrs' Mausoleum

A memorial built to honour Aung San and six cabinet members who were assassinated. The mausoleum is on a hill, and is adjacent to Shwedagon Paya. It offers a beautiful panoramic view of Yangon.

Ministers' Building

The Secretariat

It was the home and administrative seat of British Burma. In February 2012, 7 local companies and 3 foreign companies submitted a proposal to the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) to convert the Ministers' Building into a hotel and museum.

Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue

The only synagogue in Yangon. It is a colonial relic, built in 1893. Its interior is beautifully maintained.

National Museum

Displays many Burmese historical artifacts, including regalia of the last Konbaung Dynasty. This museum has one of the better quality collections in South East Asia, containing the best of Burma's artistic heritage and superior craftsmanship. The architecture of the museum is a pathetic and crude interpretation of modern architecture. The exhibitions have been improved during 2016 and most exhibits have signs in both Burmese and English. Some rooms are dimly lit. Photography is prohibited. Do not buy books in the museum shop. Buy them at Innwa Bookstore with its varied selections, and other stores along Pansodan Rd. A book that costs US$38 in the museum costs only US$22 at Innwa.

Wed-Sun 10:00-15:00, closed Mon Tue holidays

People's Park

Occupies 130 acres, between parliament and Shwedagon Paya and known for its large concrete water fountain. Inside the park is a museum. There are a lot of decrepit statues and relics (like ships and aircraft) as well as sterile squares in the Stalinist model, all of which gives an interesting insight to the government. Entrance fee for foreigners.

Closed · opens 7 am

Saint Mary's Cathedral

The cathedral's exterior is newly renovated, but it's still an ugly eyesore outside, but the superior Myanmarese dexterity of carving is shown in the interior's 14 Stations of the Cross. Images literally pop out of the screen in 3D fashion.

Strand Hotel

The oldest and most famous hotel in Myanmar, built by the Sarkies brothers in 1901 (who also built Penang's E&O and Singapore's Raffles). It is a national landmark and was renovated in the 1990s after years of neglect.

Sule Paya

Sule Pagoda

Incongruously serving as a traffic island in the middle of the busiest intersection in central Yangon, Sule Paya is a 46 m octagonal-shaped stupa that, according to the local story, was built 2,000 years ago to house a strand of the Buddha's hair. Whether or not it has a strand of the Buddha's hair, the galleries of the pagoda are an oasis of calm from the chaotic traffic that passes around it all day long. Shoes can be left at counters at any entrance, but carry a plastic bag.

US$3

Zoological Gardens

Opened by the British in 1906. There are 145 species of 1203 land animals. During public holidays, the Elephant Circus is performed for attractions.

Closed · opens 8 am·Entry fee is 1,000 kyat for each person

Day Shrines

There are eight shrines, one for each day of the week (in the Burmese calendar, Wednesday is divided into two parts), dotted around the eight corners of the stupa (the stupa is octagonal), and most Burmese pray at their day shrine when visiting a pagoda. If you can figure out the day of the week when you were born, light a candle, place some flowers, or pour water over the shrine corresponding to that day. Starting from the south entrance, and going clockwise, the eight planetary posts are: Mercury (Wednesday morning, before noon), Saturn (Saturday), Jupiter (Thursday), Rahu (no planet, Wednesday afternoon), Venus (Friday), Sun (Sunday), Moon (Monday), Mars (Tuesday). Each shrine also has a beast associated with it, the most interesting one being the Gahlon, a mythical half-bird half-beast said to guard Mount Meru (the shrine for Sunday).

Dhammazedi Inscription

A 1485 tablet that relates the story of the Shwedagon in Pali, Mon, and Burmese. One of the few verifiably antique objects in the pagoda complex.

Disabled visitors

A road on the south side leads halfway up the Singuttara Hill and an elevator can take you the rest of the way. Alternatively, if not in a wheelchair, head for the Western entrance from where escalators are available all the way to the top. The escalators are free for foreigners (or rather, included in the price of the ticket).

Dress code

Dress reasonably and keep your legs covered (long skirts, halfway between knee and ankle, are fine; shorts, on men or women, are not). Longyi are available at the ticket booth if you arrive overly uncovered.

Food

The closest restaurant is at the intersection of the Shwedagon Pagoda Rd and U Hlaung Bo St (at the bottom of the south walkway). There are some tea shops on a small roadway that describes a semicircle just below the top of the pagoda where you can get tea and biscuits. North of the pagoda, on Inya Rd and outside the Savoy, are many places to eat, fincluding a good fast food restaurant for pizza, coffee and sandwiches. Bring water; the heat of the sun can get to you if you visit during the daytime. No food or bottled water is available on the platform itself, but water is available from one of the many water dispenser. It's clean, cool and free.

Guides

Guides, official and unofficial are available for US$5 (extra US$1/1,000 kyat tip). The quality is variable, but most guides are friendly and helpful. The pagoda is vast and complex and, if you can afford the extra cost, the company and practical information on what's going on around you are worth the expense.

Maha Ganda Bell

Known locally as the Singu Min Bell (after King Singu, who donated it to Shwedagon), the Maha Ganda bell was cast between 1775 and 1779 and weighs 23 tonnes. Impressed by the size of the bell, the British attempted to take it as war booty after the First Burmese War (1825), but dropped it into the Yangon River instead. The story goes that the British tried everything to get the bell out of the water, but all their technology was of no avail. Giving up, they told the Burmese that they could have it back if they could get it out of the water. The Burmese, with some bamboo rafts, managed to retrieve the bell and it was returned to the pagoda. Pick up a mallet and bang on the bell for luck. Behind the bell, a small pavilion provides excellent views of the stupa (spectacular at night) and a panoramic view of the city.