Yangon
ရန်ကုန်Myanmar's largest city and main gateway: a gilded hilltop pagoda, a grid of colonial streets and some of the country's best street food.
Yangon, also known as Rangoon, was Myanmar's capital until 2005, when the government moved it to Nay Pyi Taw. It is still the country's commercial centre, home to around six million people, and where most international flights land.
Start at Shwedagon Pagoda, ideally late in the afternoon so you are on the platform for sunset. The next morning, walk downtown: Bogyoke Market, Sule Pagoda and the colonial buildings along Pansodan Street are all within 20 minutes of each other on foot.
The city has two big lakes. Kandawgyi, with the Karaweik barge on its eastern shore, and Inya, lined with parks where locals walk in the evening. After dark, head to Chinatown's 19th Street for barbecue skewers and cold Myanmar beer.
Two or three days is enough to see the highlights and get used to the pace before travelling on.
Things to see
Seven sights, all reachable in one day by Grab.
Shwedagon Pagoda ရွှေတိဂုံဘုရား
The gilded stupa on Singuttara Hill, 112 m to the tip of its crown. Go at sunset.
Bogyoke Aung San Market ဗိုလ်ချုပ်ဈေး
A 1926 colonial market hall for gems, lacquerware, longyi and textiles. Closed Mondays.
Chinatown တရုတ်တန်း
19th Street's barbecue stalls and the Kheng Hock Keong temple after dark.
The Secretariat ဝန်ကြီးများရုံး
Red-brick seat of colonial government, where General Aung San was assassinated in 1947.
Downtown heritage walk
A self-guided route past Pansodan Street's colonial banks, courts and offices.
Sule Pagoda ဆူးလေဘုရား
An octagonal stupa at the centre of downtown's street grid.
Botahtaung Pagoda ဗိုလ်တထောင်ဘုရား
A hollow stupa on the riverfront: walk through its gilded inner maze.
Where to stay
Confirmed open in 2026. Prices are typical nightly rates for a double room.
The Strand
Governor's Residence
Pan Pacific Yangon
Melia Yangon
Lotte Hotel Yangon
Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake
Sedona Hotel Yangon
PARKROYAL Yangon
Novotel Yangon Max
Still being re-checked from the old guide: Savoy Hotel, Pullman Yangon Centrepoint, Mercure Yangon Kaba Aye, Reno Hotel, Hotel Shwe Yee, Winner Inn, Prestige Residences.
Where to eat
Confirmed open in 2026. $ is under US$5 a person, $$$$ is over US$40.
Feel Myanmar Food
999 Shan Noodle Shop
Burma Bistro
Rangoon Tea House
Seeds Restaurant & Lounge
Still being re-checked: Lucky Seven Tea Shop, Shan Kitchen, Minn Lan Seafood, Golden Duck, Danuphyu Daw Saw Yee, YKKO, Signature, Myaung Mya Daw Cho (mohinga).