Myanmar's largest city and former capital: the golden Shwedagon Pagoda, a colonial-era downtown, Bogyoke Market and street food. A remarkable place for Buddhist culture, but military rule and armed conflict have continued since 2021, and many governments advise against travel. No direct flights — connect via Bangkok or Seoul. Mongolian citizens need an e-visa ($50, 28 days).
🛂 Visa: e-Visa · 28 days✈ Flight: 10h☀ Best months: November, December, January, February
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: November, December, January, February.
Things to see (12)
🧸 for kids
Shwedagon Pagoda★ 4.8 (30,000)
Culture10,000 Ks (foreigners)4:00–22:00
A 99-metre gilded stupa, said to be 2,500 years old — Myanmar's holiest site. Come at sunset and walk around it clockwise. Shoes and socks off; clothing must cover shoulders and knees.
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goMyanmar is not an ordinary holiday destination: read the safety advisories first, then sort out your visa and insurance.+
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Read the safety advisories
Military rule and armed conflict have continued since 2021. Australia's Smartraveller advises 'Do not travel' to Myanmar; the UK FCDO advises against all travel to many states and regions and against all but essential travel elsewhere. Yangon city is relatively accessible, but the situation can deteriorate suddenly. Check that your travel insurance covers Myanmar — many policies exclude 'do not travel' countries.
Tip: Re-check the advisories the day before you leave; Mongolia's embassy in Bangkok covers Myanmar.
Mongolian citizens with an ordinary passport need a visa (the visa-free arrangement covers only diplomatic and official passports). Get the tourist e-visa at evisa.moip.gov.mm: $50, about 3 working days, enter within 90 days of issue and stay 28 days. There is no visa on arrival. You need a passport valid for 6+ months, a photo and a hotel booking.
Tip: The 'Myanmar e-visa' agent sites at the top of Google charge two to three times more — check that the address ends in .gov.mm.
Myanmar runs almost entirely on cash and foreign cards usually fail at ATMs. Bring new dollar notes with no folds, marks or tears; damaged notes are refused. Declare amounts over $10,000 to customs.
🛬Landing and getting to the cityYangon airport is in the north of the city; downtown takes half an hour to two hours depending on traffic.+
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Immigration and customs
Keep the printed e-visa approval letter, your hotel address and return ticket at hand. The officer checks your passport and visa and takes fingerprints and a photo. Foreigners must stay in registered hotels.
Grab is the easiest: you see the price up front. A taxi from the airport counter to downtown costs about 20,000–25,000 Ks. With unmetered taxis agree the fare before you get in. Afternoon traffic can stretch the ride to 1.5–2 hours.
Arriving late at night or with children, a hotel pick-up is the calmest option. City buses do not suit travellers with luggage, and the airport shuttle service is unreliable.
Tip: If you have no kyat, change a small amount at the bank counter in the airport and the rest in town.
📶Phone and internet+
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Buy a SIM at the airport
MPT, ATOM and Mytel have counters in the baggage hall; registration uses your passport. MPT Tourist SIM: 2 GB 29,999 Ks, 7 GB 49,999 Ks, 20 GB 99,999 Ks, all for 30 days, plus a one-time activation tax of 20,000 Ks.
Facebook, WhatsApp and X are blocked; Viber, Telegram and Gmail work. Mobile internet has been cut in some townships. VPNs became illegal in 2025 and police check phones on the street, so it is safer not to keep VPN apps or political content on your phone.
Tip: Download maps and the translation language offline, and leave your hotel address and phone number with family.
🚇Getting aroundYangon has no metro and motorbikes are banned downtown. Grab, taxis and walking.+
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Grab and taxis
Grab is the most reliable: prices are shown up front and are mostly paid in cash. Street taxis have no meters — agree the fare before you get in. Downtown to Shwedagon is a short ride.
A city YBS bus ride costs about 400 Ks — very cheap, but route numbers and signs are mostly in Burmese and buses are packed at rush hour. Worth a try without luggage if you want an adventure.
The Circular Railway loops the city in about 3 hours over 46 km and 39 stations — buy your ticket at Central Station with your passport. The ferry from Pansodan jetty to Dala takes 10–15 minutes, about 3,000 Ks return for foreigners.
The central bank's reference rate is $1 = 2,100 Ks, while the market trading rate is $1 = 3,660 Ks (2 Oct 2026). Real purchases and exchange happen at the market rate; prices converted at the official rate look twice as expensive. Change money at bank branches or licensed counters — avoid street changers.
Foreign cards fail at many ATMs, and when they work there are limits and fees. Visa is accepted more than Mastercard, but only at big hotels and supermarkets. Budget the whole trip in US dollar cash.
Food and transport are very cheap; pagodas, museums and the ferry have special foreigner prices. The Shwedagon ticket is 10,000 Ks. Tipping is not required, but small tips for hotel staff and guides are appreciated.
🍜FoodBurmese food sits between India, China and Thailand: curries, noodles, sour salads. Cheap and tasty.+
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Mohinga and teashops
Mohinga — rice noodles in fish broth — is Myanmar's national breakfast. Sweet milky tea, samosas and pastries at a local teashop while watching the street go by is part of Yangon's culture.
Tip: Snacks are placed on the table; you pay only for what you eat.
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What to eat
Lahpet thoke — fermented tea-leaf salad; Shan noodles; Burmese curry (served with many small side dishes); biryani in the Indian quarter. With children, fried rice, noodles and fried chicken are everywhere.
Don't drink tap water — bottled water and drinks without ice. Choose hot, freshly cooked food; for street food, busy stalls are the safest bet. Carry something for upset stomachs in the hot season.
🛡️Safety and health+
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Emergency numbers
Police 199, ambulance 192, fire 191. English speakers on these lines are rare, so ask hotel staff or a local for help. Save the number of Mongolia's embassy in Bangkok in advance.
Some Yangon townships are under martial law, curfews and internet cuts, and military checkpoints are common. Always carry your passport and visa, and never photograph soldiers, police, military sites or protests. Businesses and hotels linked to the military and crowded places can be targets. Don't travel outside the city, especially to Rakhine, Shan, Kachin, Sagaing or Mandalay.
Mongolia's General Intelligence Agency has warned that Mongolian citizens became trafficking victims in scam compounds such as Myanmar's 'KP Park' — do not trust offers of 'high-paying jobs' or free tickets. Medical care is limited and paid in cash up front; serious cases are moved to Bangkok, so insurance with evacuation cover is a must. Use mosquito repellent against dengue and malaria.
Take off shoes and socks on pagoda grounds. Cover shoulders and knees — longyi can be rented at the entrance if needed. Walk around stupas clockwise and never sit with your feet pointing at a Buddha image. Women do not touch monks.
The head is sacred and the feet are unclean: don't touch anyone's head or point at things with your feet. Hand over money and objects with your right hand (or both hands). Ask before photographing people.
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Politics
Don't discuss politics or the military government in public or with locals — it can put them at risk. Don't carry clothing or stickers with symbols of the military leadership or the resistance.
📱Useful apps+
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Transport and maps
Grab is the main app for taxis. Download Yangon in Google Maps for offline use so you can still navigate when the internet is cut.
Viber is the most used app in Myanmar — hotels, guides and drivers use it. Download Burmese in Google Translate for offline use, and have your address written in Burmese script.
Yangon traffic is unpredictable, so set off for the airport very early and leave plenty of time before an international flight. Security checks have several stages. If there is a curfew, plan in advance how you will reach the airport for a night flight.
Spend your remaining kyat before leaving — it is almost impossible to exchange outside Myanmar. Antiques, Buddha images and gemstones may not be exported without receipts or permits; keep official receipts for any gems you buy.
AI answer: double-check anything beyond our researched facts with an official source.
A 2,000-year-old octagonal pagoda in the middle of a downtown roundabout, next to the colonial City Hall and Maha Bandula Park. The area has seen political gatherings, so stay alert.
A big colonial-era market built in 1926: longyi (traditional sarongs), handicrafts, jade, lacquerware, thanaka. Buy gemstones only from shops that give receipts.
A lakeside park with a wooden boardwalk; on the water floats Karaweik, a palace shaped like two golden birds (dinner buffet and dance show). Great views of Shwedagon; best for morning and evening walks.
CityFull loop ≈1,000 Ks≈6:00–17:00 (trains every 30–60 min)
An old train looping 46 km and 39 stations from Central Station in about 3 hours: villages, vegetable markets and local life through the window. You need your passport to buy a ticket.
Every evening the street fills with plastic stools and skewer racks: pick, they grill, with a Myanmar beer. Chinatown's night market runs along nearby Mahabandula Road.
Colonial downtown and the Strand Hotel★ 4.4 (2,500)
CityFree (from outside)24 hours (walk by day)
Asia's most intact colonial streetscape: the 1901 Strand Hotel, the old High Court, the booksellers of Pansodan Street. You can take English-style afternoon tea at the Strand.
The Lion Throne of the last Burmese king, royal regalia, scripts, musical instruments and the dress of the country's ethnic groups. A hot- or rainy-day option.
A riverside pagoda that is hollow inside: walk through narrow gilded corridors to see a Buddha hair relic. Outside is a pond with fish and turtles that children enjoy.
City≈3,000 Ks (foreigners, return)≈5:30–19:00, every 10 min
The local ferry from Pansodan jetty crosses the Yangon River in 10–15 minutes, with village life on the far bank. Self-appointed 'guides' hang around the jetty — politely decline.
