Must-see attractions in Myanmar (Burma)
Yangon
This 1910 heritage building was once Rowe & Co department store, dubbed the 'Harrods of the East'. After independence it was used to house the Ministry of…
Armenian Apostolic Church of St John the Baptist
Yangon
Yangon's oldest church, built in 1862 and consecrated a year later, served Yangon's Armenian trading community, who have been in Myanmar since the 17th…
Myanmar (Burma)
From the far southern end of Chaung Tha Beach you can take a boat (K1000 return) to this nearby island, where there's a small fishing village and the Aung…
Mandalay
Within the palace complex, this small, neglected museum holds poorly displayed relics gleaned from the old Burmese royal family. The most intriguing…
Myanmar (Burma)
You can see giant woks being cast at this fascinating little foundry, located near Bagaya Kyaung. There are no real hours – these guys seem to work…
Mandalay
Founded in the 19th century, this is Mandalay's main Catholic church. It has some historical charm from the colonial period, and is a good place to meet…
Myanmar (Burma)
These crumbling ruins are ill-tended (though they're popular as a play spot for local kids). The brickwork suggests Bagan-period origins, but we were…
Yangon
When she's not in Nay Pyi Taw, Aung San Suu Kyi lives in this lakeside house, the former home of her mother and where she spent 15 years under house…
Myanmar (Burma)
This attractive 19th-century square-based stupa has a gold spire and white/ice-blue lower sections from a 2006 makeover. It's set in a nursery of…
Myanmar (Burma)
If you have time to kill in Monywa, it's worth taking a stroll around this eye-catching pagoda, a 15-minute walk southwest of the clock tower.
Myanmar (Burma)
A minor attraction in A Myint is the British-era house of the former village chief. It's private and still owned by the original family, who might show…
Mandalay
This temple's colourful, sculpture-crusted gopuram (monumental tower) will excite you if you’ve never been to southern India or Singapore.
Myanmar (Burma)
Monywa's most impressive temple is a gilded work one block west of the clock tower in the centre of town.
Myanmar (Burma)
This large, gilded stupa is in Hantharwady village, opposite the crumbling remains of Le-htat-gyi Paya.
Mandalay
This pagoda's claim to fame – besides its gold stupa – is a Buddha image that supposedly dates to the reign of Indian emperor Ashoka.
Chin State
Built in 1908, this temple is noteworthy for the strange teak pillar with 1000 small sitting Buddha images carved by a well-known monk.
Myanmar (Burma)
Cross the road bridge to reach the wooden pier leading to pretty Antaka Yele Paya, a small pagoda perched on an island in the lake.
Myanmar (Burma)
About 2 miles south of central Pathein stands this temple patterned after the Mahabodhi stupa in Bodhgaya, India.
Myanmar (Burma)
This whitewashed pagoda complex, topped with the occasional gold-leafed stupa, dates back to the Bagan period.
Myanmar (Burma)
One of the biggest stupas in the Inwa area, gold-topped Nogatataphu dominates the village 'skyline'.
Myanmar (Burma)
This gilded statue of Aung San on horseback is a handy landmark when navigating the centre of town.
Myanmar (Burma)
This pretty pagoda is located on an artificial rock about two-thirds of the way along the beach.
Myanmar (Burma)
Get up early if you want to browse the village market, located behind Chaung Tha's bus station.
Myanmar (Burma)
When Inwa-based King Hsinbyushin sacked Ayuthaya in today's Thailand in 1765, he reputedly returned with thousands of prisoners, including the Ayuthayan…
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…
British Colonial Diplomat House
Myanmar (Burma)
A few hundred yards southwest of the bridge is a building that was once a British colonial diplomat house. The building was used as an interrogation…
Mandalay
This dusty, dowdy and poorly lit collection displays archaeological finds, buddhas and a bullock cart. As is the case in many local archaeology museums,…
Mandalay
This octagonal library tower houses religious scripts and manuscripts (but not the old, dusty, ancient kind, or at least, not any on show to the public)…
Myanmar (Burma)
Surrounded by a moat and undergoing extensive restoration at the time of writing, this is Bago's principal Hindu temple.
Mandalay
This mosque is not a tourist attraction per se, but it has been the site of tense confrontation when anti-Muslim anger has been stoked in the past. The…
Myanmar (Burma)
To see what Mingun Paya would have looked like had it ever been completed, have a quick look at diminutive Pondaw Paya, 200yd south at the end of the…
Myanmar (Burma)
Built in 1996, this enormous pagoda looks particularly impressive at night when it's illuminated by bright lights. During the day, it comes off as large,…
Mandalay
Located on Mandalay Hill, these are the windowless ruins of a three-storey stone fortress retaken from the Japanese by Britain’s Royal Berkshire Regiment…
Mandalay Hill Chinthe Entrance
Mandalay
The stairway leading to the summit of Mandalay Hill is flanked by two enormous chinthe (mythical lion-like creatures).
Myanmar (Burma)
There's not much to see at these ruins beyond crumbling foundations and kids playing, but they do make for an atmospheric detour. They're just east of…
Myatsawnyinaung Ordination Hall
Mandalay
This small ordination hall is a good landmark for finding your bearings on Mandalay Hill, but is otherwise unremarkable.
Yangon
On the north side of Kandawgyi Lake, this giant pile of artificial rocks houses bars, karaoke, a massage parlour and, on the 5th floor, a viewing deck.