As such, the city of Bagan does not exist. The Bagan district includes several small villages, an airport and a huge archaeological area with numerous Buddhist pagodas and stupas. Their number in this area exceeds 5000.
Bagan, or, as this area is often called here, Pagan was founded in the 9th century AD in the very center of ancient Burma. In 1287 the city was destroyed by the Mongols.
The archaeological zone of Bagan has preserved unique exhibits of the history of Buddhism.
Climate
The famous Myanmar district of Bagan is located in the tropical subequatorial climatic zone. The most favorable time to visit this city is from January to May. It is at this time that the dry season lasts in Myanmar. The air humidity in the region is minimal, precipitation practically does not fall. The air temperature sometimes reaches +40 °С day and almost +27 °С at night.
From the very first days of June, the rainy season comes to Bagan. From October to the last days of December, the “cold” season lasts here. At this time, precipitation stops, and the average daily air temperature rarely exceeds +27 °С.
Nature
Bagan is located in the incredibly beautiful valley of Myanmar's largest river, the Ayeyarwaddy, which played a huge role in the history of the ancient settlement. The nature of the city is rather scarce, most often the local landscape consists of scorched deserts and lonely palm trees. There is not much greenery here.
Attractions
The territory of Bagan district is rich in sights. Thanks to numerous Buddhist relics, this city has become one of the places of pilgrimage in Southeast Asia.
The most famous building in Bagan is shwezigon pagoda, which hides a copy of the sacred tooth of the Buddha. The place to store this relic was chosen in a rather interesting way. King Anuratha of Pagan laid a copy of the sacred tooth of the Buddha on the back of a white elephant and said that this shrine would be kept in the place where this elephant would kneel. The work on the construction of the Shwezigon pagoda lasted 7 months and 7 days.
In Myanmar, it is considered that every real Burmese should definitely visit anand temple. Its walls are covered with the life stories of the Buddha. Inside the temple there are four statues of him, each 9.5 meters high. The statues of the founder of this structure, Anand, also rise in the room. In the western portal of the temple, the footprints of the Buddha are visible on the pedestal.
There are many pagodas in Bagan, but very few monasteries have survived here. Such buildings were built mainly of wood, which made them completely short-lived. Visitors are only allowed to enter one well-preserved monastery - have fallen.
In addition to numerous religious buildings in Bagan, there is a unique Archaeological Museum, which contains a huge collection of artifacts dating back to the Middle Ages.
Nutrition
Bagan's restaurants, which are located in the new and old parts of the city, offer their customers a wide variety of dishes from local and other Asian cuisines.
Known for its unique puppet shows restaurantNanda prepares various national delicacies, for example letok dream, hin, vek-tha etc. Indian cuisine can be appreciated in Aroma Indian. Adherents of traditional Western cuisine can dine at Eden BBB or Pwint Mar Lar.
The Burmese say that rice is the master and his servants are the people. In this country, rice is used in almost all dishes, even in desserts.
The most popular drinks in this area are black and green tea, which are always added with milk and spicy spices. Some prefer to drink tea with the addition of condensed milk. Coffee in Bagan is completely unpopular, and its quality here leaves much to be desired.
Accommodation
Bagan has several five-star hotels and simpler hotels, as well as many inexpensive guesthouses. Most of them are located in New Bagan. The average price for a decent room in a good hotel will build around $40.
Compared to guesthouses in the rest of Myanmar, local hotels in this category are much more comfortable and cleaner. The cost of such rooms is the same throughout the country and ranges from $10 to $15.
Many tourists visiting Bagan choose hotels for their vacation. Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sakura Hotel And The Hotel At Tharabar gate Bagan.
Entertainment and recreation
Most tourists, being in Bagan, are limited only to a trip to famous Buddhist shrines. However, it is definitely worth visiting Museum of Archeology and also climb the mystical Mount Popu, which is so reverently treated by local residents.
For lovers of outdoor activities, Bagan offers the services of its beautiful golf clubNyaung Oh which is located near the airport. Its magnificent 18-hole course will be highly appreciated by fans of this sport.
It is worth noting that in Bagan you can purchase a single ticket that allows entry to all temples throughout the day (Local pagodas and monasteries close to the public at about 20:00). The cost of such an entrance ticket is $10.
Purchases
You can shop in Bagan near almost every temple, as well as at the local bazaar. A large number of shops and shops will offer you a wide range of souvenirs.
Lacquer products, which are made in numerous workshops of Bagan, are in great demand in this city. When visiting one of them, you can watch the fascinating process of creating another masterpiece of lacquerware.
Transport
The villages that make up the Bagan district are only a few kilometers apart. Therefore, you can travel such short distances on a bicycle, which is offered by hotels and even restaurants. The cost of such a lease will cost 1,500 kyat, which is about $ 2. The roads in this area are mostly paved, but there are also dirt paths.
The locals prefer to travel by carts pulled by horses or oxen.
A taxi in Bagan costs $4. It is best to use this mode of transport if you have planned your visit to Bagan for just one day.
This city is connected with other cities by river and air traffic.
Connection
Communication in Bagan, as in other cities of Myanmar, is completely undeveloped. Fortunately, large hotels are ready to provide you with a telephone line for making international calls. But in such institutions the cost of these services is very high - about $ 3. Internet is only available in a few hotels, and the connection speed is very low.
Of the local villages, only New Bagan is equipped with long-distance telephone communication, while the rest of the villages are deprived of such charms of civilization.
Safety
The safety of tourists in Bagan is not in danger. The military dictatorship that has ruled the state for more than 20 years has ensured a low crime rate, both in this city and throughout Myanmar.
It is worth being extremely careful when staying in places with a large crowd of people, sometimes pickpockets can work here.
Also, more careful approach should be taken to the choice of food and the use of drinking water from local sources.
When visiting Bagan, you must show special respect for the locals. There are a large number of Buddhist temples and monasteries in the city, in which one must strictly adhere to the accepted rules of conduct. So, here you can’t talk loudly, laugh, take photos and videos. It is worth noting that women are not allowed to enter some buildings. Your guide must be aware of this.
If you are going to fly to amazing Bagan, you must definitely do all the necessary vaccinations.
There are many ancient monuments in Myanmar, but the largest concentration of them, of course, is in Old Bagan. One of the temples that you can see there is called Myau Guni. This beautiful and refined building was built during the reign of King Narathihapate, not by his order, but by the command of his wife Pwasau. There are two theories explaining her intentions. According to the first, the queen wanted to appease the gods and bring nirvana closer, according to the second, Pvasau wanted to leave a mark on history by building a temple to the glory of Buddha.
A stone tablet is laid under the foundation of the temple, the inscriptions on which tell us how much money, land and slaves the queen donated in favor of building the temple. Sophisticated curses are written on it against those who destroy this temple.
One of the features of the temple is that from its terrace at sunset the city of Bagan looks simply magical.
nanpaya temple
Nanpaya is one of the four sandstone temples in Bagan. The architecture of this temple is unique: its inner walls are built of baked bricks, while the outer walls are built of sandstone. The time of the appearance of the Nanpaya temple is not exactly known. Presumably, it was built at the end of the 11th or the beginning of the 12th century.
A distinctive feature of the Nanpaya Temple is the decorative stone carvings that adorn the four pillars in one of the interior spaces. These stone paintings depict Brahma and terrible cannibal giants, whose mouths are filled with flowers.
In the central hall of the temple, a brick altar, made in the Indian style, has been preserved. This style, as well as the images of Brahma on the walls, allow researchers to assume that Nanpaya was originally not a Buddhist, but a Hindu temple.
Thaiok Pai Temple
The large temple of Tayok Pai was built in Bagan in the 13th century. The temple is richly decorated, of particular interest are tablets with carved commandments, which are kept in one of the sanctuaries of Tayok Pai. Another relic of the temple is a small 50-cm statue of a seated Buddha in one of the niches.
The temple is made in the traditional Bagan architectural style, has two tiers, topped with a small stupa. The entrance to the temple is decorated with graceful arched gates. Each corner of the temple is decorated with a carved tower. On the second tier, there is an observation deck from which you can see the Bagan Valley and the surrounding sights.
Khtilominlo Temple in Bagan
The Khtilominlo cave temple was built in Bagan in 1218. This is the last grand building of the Bagan era and at the same time the culmination of the architectural art of ancient Burma. The temple is also known for its unique plaster carvings. These are eight images of the Buddha, four of which are located on the lower tier of the temple, and four more on the upper.
Htilominlo is a large room, surrounded on all sides by vaulted corridors. These corridors lead to one staircase, which leads to the second tier and to the stupa that crowns the temple.
The second tier of the temple is a large observation platform, which offers a magnificent view of the nearby temples and stupas.
Phaya Thone Zu Temple in Bagan
The unusual and intriguing temple of Phaya Thone Zu is a triad of temples connected by narrow, arched passageways. All three temples have the same shape: a square in plan, tapering upward and turning into a stupa spire. Along the perimeters of the temples there are small terraces, decorated with turrets in the corners.
The exact date of construction of Phaya Thone Zu is unknown. Presumably, it was erected at the end of the 13th century. The architecture of each of the three temples is typical of Bagan, but grouping them into a triad is unusual for the area.
Interestingly, the walls, pilasters and vaulted ceilings of the eastern temple and part of the central temple are covered with paintings, while the walls of the western temple are completely bare. This suggests that Phaya Thone Zu was never completed.
Nandamanya temple
The Nandamanya Temple is a small vaulted temple in the Bagan Valley built in 1248 by King Kyazwa. The entrance to the temple is located in the east, in front of it there is a small terrace and a stupa. The temple does not look particularly impressive, although it has numerous decorative elements on the outer walls. The Buddha image inside is also very damaged.
But Nandamanya is worthy of attention because of the paintings that adorn its walls. They depict the main stages of the earthly life of the Buddha. His birth and death of his mother, then the cutting of his hair as a sign of leaving worldly life, the seduction of the Buddha by the voluptuous daughters of Mara and others.
Manuha Temple in Bagan
The Manuha Temple is located in the village of Minkaba, located 2 kilometers south of the walls of Old Bagan. This is one of the oldest temples in Bagan. It was built in 1059 with the money of the Mon king Manuha, who was captured two years earlier by the Bagan ruler Anoratha. The prisoner wanted to build a temple that would remind him of his native country.
The temple has a rather unusual for Bagan, but not a unique layout: a massive structure of three cubes (a larger one in the middle, two smaller ones at the edges) and a long, low parallelepiped adjacent to the back of the structure along its entire length. The whole structure has practically no external decor. On the roof of the temple there is a small terrace with a crowning stupa and many small stupas evenly spaced over all corners.
Inside the temple are four giant Buddha statues: three sitting in each of the cubes of the central building and lying - in the back annex. The images are made of brick, plastered, painted and gilded.
Temple That Binh Yu
Above many other monuments of the city of Bagan in Myanmar rises a majestic white building - the temple of That Binh Yu. It was built by King Alaungsithu and for its time was a kind of experiment, because it consists of two floors and is not symmetrical.
From the terraces of this temple, there is a good view of the city of Bagan, its countless monuments, the wide Ayeyarwaddy River, and the distant hills to the east and west. The temple's stupa is 201 feet high, and in general, the whole decoration of That Binh Yu seems to be aimed at emphasizing its vertical lines: high arches, pediments, pillars and massive stairs, all this rushes up. And two rows of windows make the interior bright and spacious.
The floral ornament on the walls, located in some places, looks elegant and sophisticated. It goes well with the massive statue of Buddha sitting at the end of the lift to the second floor.
Khaiming Temple
Khaminga is a group of several temples with small stupas. The complex is located south of Bagan. On the territory of the temple there is a unique observation deck, which offers a magnificent view of the entire Bagan Valley, the surrounding temples and stupas. Experienced tourists are advised to climb the site at sunrise or sunset, then the landscape will be especially impressive.
Khaiming Temple was built in the 12th century by the royal family. It is one of the finest and oldest examples of Myanmar architecture. In the upper part of the temple there is a statue of Buddha, and from the inside the temple is painted with beautiful frescoes.
This temple is often referred to as the "Temple of Bad Luck". Difficulties began from the very beginning of construction - for various reasons, work was constantly postponed. Later, when the temple was ready, it often suffered from natural disasters. One of the temple's stupas is now at an angle, it tilted as a result of a strong earthquake.
Myawk Guni Temple
Myauk Gunen Temple - in the central part of Old Bagan. It was built in the XI century. The architecture of the temple is traditional for the buildings of Bagan. This is a two-tiered temple topped with a small stupa. On the second tier there is an observation deck with a view of the surrounding sights.
The main relic of the temple is a small statue of a seated Buddha. The statue is kept in a small niche near the entrance on the first floor of Myauk Guni.
Another attraction is a white stone tablet installed at the temple at the time of its construction. A curse is carved on it to anyone who tries to destroy the temple.
Damayangji Temple
Damayanji Temple - one of the largest Buddhist temples in Burma, the largest temple of Pagan, built in the second half of the XII century.
The largest of all temples in Bagan, Damayanji is popularly known to have been built during the reign of King Naratu (1167-1170). Naratu, who came to the throne by killing his father Alaunsita, and his older brother apparently built this large temple to atone for their sins.
Burmese chronicles state that while the construction of the temple was in progress, the king was killed by some Indians and thus the Temple was not completed, however sources indicate that the king was killed by the Sinhalese invaders. The interior of the temple will be walled up for unknown reasons, so that only four entrances from the outer corridor remain accessible.
Kubyaukji Temple
Nanbaya Temple
Located in Bagan (Burma), the Nanbai temple is unique, if only because, according to legend, it was once the palace of King Manuha and is now sometimes called the Manuha Pagoda. It was built in 1059 from sandstone and is famous for its wall paintings depicting previous incarnations of the Buddha.
In general, this temple is surrounded by many legends, for example, that it was originally Hindu or that it was built by the great-nephew of Manuha himself, known as Prince Naga Taman at the end of the 11th century.
However, let's return to the well-known facts that attract tourists no less than legends. The temple is made of sandstone, which did not allow it to suffer particularly badly in any of the earthquakes. In the central sanctuary there are four stone pillars made of the same sandstone, decorated with fine carvings and bas-reliefs with the four faces of Brahma. On them the Creator holds lotus flowers.
Sulamani Temple
The Sulamani Temple was built in 1181 by order of King Narapatisithu and is located in Myanmar, in the city of Bagan, and is a combination of two styles of Burmese architecture: early and medieval style. The first is characterized by horizontal and planar objects of the exterior, the second is opposite the vertical direction. This combination makes the temple very unusual and interesting for tourists.
The temple stands on a terrace and has two floors, which makes it look like a pyramid, its brickwork is considered one of the best in Bagan. The temple complex is surrounded by a high wall, once hundreds of monastic cells adjoined its inner side, but they have not survived to this day. Pagodas are located at the corners of the main terrace.
Inside, the Sulmani temple is an example of the decorative traditions of Bagan: carved cornices, pediments and painted walls. All this is today restored by masters in its original form.
Anand Temple
Ananda Temple Probably was built in 1091. The temple is a masterpiece of architectural art. According to legend, King Kyanzitta was so fascinated by its beauty that he personally killed the architect so that he would not reproduce such a beautiful creation again.
The interior of the Ananda temple was a replica of the legendary Nandamula cave in the Himalayas. Four almost 10-meter statues depict the last Buddha of our time
Ananda Temple is one of the finest and best preserved temples in Bagan. The temple symbolizes the infinite wisdom of the Buddha. Its square perimeter is surrounded by walls. Above them rise 17 stupas up to 51 m high. There are hundreds of Buddha statues in the inner galleries.
In the western sanctuary there is a statue of the founder of the temple. On the pedestal of the western portal, two footprints of the Buddha can be seen. On the territory of the temple complex is the monastery of Ananda Ok Kuong (Ananda Ok Kyaung) - the only brick monastery that has survived from those times. Every year on the full moon of the month of Piato, thousands of pilgrims gather here for a 3-day temple festival.
Kubyaukji Temple
The Kubyaukji Temple, located near the village of Minkaba, is an Indian-style temple that exemplifies the early architectural style of ancient Myanmar. Approximately the temple was erected at the beginning of the XI century.
On the inner walls of the temple and on the ceiling, unique paintings and frescoes of the 11th-13th centuries depicting Jataka (stories of previous births of the Buddha) have been preserved. This is the main attraction of Kubyaukji. From these wall paintings and frescoes one can learn about the lifestyle, customs and traditions of the inhabitants of Bagan at that time. They reflect the peculiarities of the life of the people, as well as their religious preferences.
(Pagan)- this is one of the symbols of Myanmar and, perhaps, the most recognizable place in the country where tourists come from all over the world! We went to find out what secrets the ancient city hides and see with our own eyes what we once saw only in pictures on the Internet and magazines.
On the boat:
Many tourists swim from Mandalay to Bagan (or vice versa - against the current) by boat on the Ayeyarwaddy River. Slow boats and high speed boats run along this route. Expressways cover the entire journey in 11 hours and cost $35 (every day during high season). Slow boats are more used by locals, they go twice a week, 2 days on the way (!), The cost is $15.
Accommodation and hotels in Bagan
The cheapest place to stay is in the town of Nyaung U, however, we advise you to book in advance if you are traveling in December-January. We first looked for an hour for a free place, and when we found it, another 3 hours - until people move out.
And although Old Bagan and New Bagan are located closer to the most important points, housing here is unreasonably expensive.
Hotels in Bagan on the map - choose the one that suits the price and book!
How to move around the territory?
Temples and pagodas are scattered over a fairly large area, and to get a good look at them, you will need transport. The easiest thing is to rent a bike at your guesthouse or at any other rental point for 1500-3000 chat and explore Bagan. Motorbikes and electric bikes are also available, there is such a miracle of technology!
Around Bagan by bike
You can hire a horse-drawn cart - it's exotic and fun at first, but you will move very slowly, besides, there is no suspension, and the roads leave much to be desired.
An option for those who have little time but a lot of money is to take a car with a driver.
Where to eat in Bagan?
There are a lot of European tourists in these places, and the cuisine is very different - for some reason, there is especially a lot of Italian, including pizza. There are several good cafes in Nyaung U with a pleasant environment and low prices. At first we bypassed them, we thought it would be expensive, and then we looked in and decided to stay.
In Old Bagan, not far from the walls of the old city and the Ananda pagoda, there are several good vegetarian cafes with all sorts of tasty treats.
Not far from the market in Nyaung U, there is a tea house - it does not have a very presentable appearance, but it opens at 5 in the morning and is very popular with locals. You can order hot Burmese black tea with milk and condensed milk for 300 chat, and delicious fried rice with beans costs only 600 chat - cheaper only for nothing!
lookout tower
Bagan Map
On the map, I marked only the most significant temples in Bagan, in general there are thousands of them.
If someone was traveling to Myanmar for just a couple of days, and asked me for advice on what you should definitely see, then I would definitely advise you to go to Bagan (Bagan). This is a valley with 2000+ ancient temples. An amazing place, we spent three days there, got a lot of impressions, took several thousand photos and gigabytes of video.
Marco Polo also called Bagan one of the most magnificent places in the world, and we completely agree with him :)
What is Bagan (Pagan)
Bagan (aka Pagan, in English Bagan, in Burmese ပုဂ) is the capital of the Myanmar kingdom of the same name, where more than 2,000 Buddhist temples are located (there were more than 4,000 during the heyday of the city). In the 11-13 centuries there was a large city (50-200 thousand people), the cultural center of Buddhism, where pilgrims from all over Asia flocked. Monks and students studied philosophy, law, grammar, astrology, medicine and religion here.
Interestingly, UNESCO refused to include Bagan in its heritage list, because since the 1990s, the Myanmar government has been actively investing in the restoration of temples, and some of them are not rebuilt as they were in the past.
Small trees grow between the temples, so the valley is clearly visible, and usually at least a dozen others can be seen from one temple.
Our trip to Bagan
We spent 3 days in Bagan and managed to visit all at least something interesting temples, stupas and pagodas, went to watch the sunset twice and once at dawn.
If you hurry, you can allocate two days. But every day we found some new interesting temples with almost no tourists.
Bagan is such a thing, it is for exploring, not for riding along a pre-designed route between points. Somewhere in the bushes there may be a temple with wonderful curlicues and no tourists at all, and on the highway you accidentally come across a cafe with delicious food.
Some of the temples are dilapidated small stupas, but there are quite a few beautiful pagodas that have been well preserved or smartly restored, and what turned out to be a surprise for us, they are quite different!
Here is an architectural reference from the Dorling Kindersley guidebook:
First watch the video, and then there will be a lot of photos and useful information.
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The temples of Bagan left a much stronger impression with us than the advertised one, and in Indonesia or.
I will not rewrite the history of each temple here from the Internet, it is still impossible to remember the Burmese names and names :)
Here are all the necessary points of Bagan on the map. You can move it, zoom in and out, and download points to your smartphone. Not all 2000 pagodas are marked there, but only the very best :) But if you have time, take a ride on the rest.
There will be a lot of photos here, because in Bagan not only the appearance of the stupas is cool and diverse, but also a lot of interesting interiors, frescoes, small details. All this is hidden in the carousel: who likes to look at the details - scroll :)
Also in Bagan, incredible sunrises and sunsets.
After the photo, there will be useful information: how to get there, what is the best way to ride around Bagan, where to eat, what souvenirs to buy, etc.
Individual temples and views of the valley
Sunrises and sunsets over Bagan
In Bagan, beautiful sunsets and sunrises are one of the coolest experiences from a trip here. We liked it so much that we went to sunset twice - to different stupas.
See for yourself :) There really are such colors: everything is blue at dawn, and orange at sunset.
Sunrise in Bagan:
Sunsets in Bagan:
The best place for sunsets and sunrises is Shwesandaw Phaya, or Shwe San Daw Pagoda.
There are some pretty steep steps upstairs.
This is absolutely not a secret place, so the top platform will look something like this :) During the day it is almost empty.
Life hacks:
1) if you go down a tier lower, then the view is not worse, and the crowd is smaller,
2) there are much fewer people at dawn than at sunset,
3) it’s terribly cold at dawn, dress as warmly as possible and take something to put under your feet (a board, a cardboard box, a newspaper, a book, a scarf or towel folded several times, etc.), because they require you to take off your shoes and take off your socks , and the stones are ice!
Frescoes, interiors and details from the temples of Bagan
In many Bagan temples there is something to see inside: old frescoes have been preserved there. But they are almost not illuminated, you need a flashlight. Who loves this - scroll through the photos in the carousel.
These temples can be viewed endlessly both outside and inside.
Outside, many pagodas also have interesting decorations.
People and animals
Boys playing football
This monk came on a pilgrimage and lived for a week in one of the little-visited temples. Backpackers, take note: you can spend the night in remote temples, no one drives you.
It's cool to sit on the temple in the morning and look at Bagan :)
Gold plates are stuck on the Buddha statue (usually only men, women are forbidden to even come close)
We are in Bagan.
Where without cats :)
Humpbacked cows.
How to get to Bagan
Flights to Bagan
The easiest way to travel around Myanmar is by plane. Flights take 30-70 minutes and there are plenty of them. Previously, you had to book flights through local travel agencies, but now you can easily buy a ticket online.
The nearest airport is called Nyaung-U (IATA code: NYU). Planes fly here from, and other cities in Burma.
Yangon - Bagan timetable:
How to find cheap flights
To find cheap flights, I usually compare prices using several aggregators. They all have the same principle - they look for tickets in the databases of hundreds of airlines, but their databases may differ, so the price will be better in one or the other - check everything at once.
- - unrealistically flexible search, and there is a guarantee of connection, even if you fly with low-cost airlines and the first flight is delayed!
- - the best prices for tickets from Russia and Kazakhstan, a convenient calendar of low prices.
- - there are good prices for tickets from Ukraine.
By the way, KIWI gives 20 euro coupons for airline tickets to new users, but they can only be received by email. Who needs - I can send an invitation.
Get 20€ on kiwi.com ➜Airfare low price calendar:
You can take a taxi from the airport to the city. If you do not want to deal with airport taxi drivers, order an individual transfer to KiwiTaxi or.
The driver will meet you at the airport with a sign at any time and will take you exactly to the address: there will be no need to wait for public transport or explain yourself in an unfamiliar language with a local taxi driver. The price is final, no haggling, no hidden fees for night fares, traffic jams or luggage. Upon request, the car will have a child car seat of the right size. And there are luxury cars and minibuses for a large company.
To Bagan by bus or train
Taking a bus or train is cheaper than flying, but the travel time from other interesting cities in Burma will be from 6 to 10 hours, and according to other tourists, these buses and trains are uncomfortable. Prices are 10-20 dollars depending on the place of departure and the class of service.
Minibuses get out faster than big buses.
Trains can also be very late - do not plan any important connections with them.
It doesn’t hurt to take some kind of blanket and warm clothes on trains and buses: it’s cold at night.
See schedules and ticket prices at. There are also reviews of tourists and ratings of carriers.
The bus station and railway station are located a bit out of the way, but some carriers include a transfer to the hotel in the ticket price.
Ferry Mandalay - Bagan
The IWT ferry goes to Bagan from Mandalay. Other tourists told us about it: the ride is long and boring (9 hours in the afternoon), there are no views along the road, it costs $ 50. And the flight lasts only 25 minutes and costs $64.
Hotels in Bagan: where to stay
There are three towns in the Bagan Archaeological Zone: New Bagan, Old Bagan and Nyaung-U, and pagodas and stupas are scattered throughout the valley.
Old Bagan has the largest concentration of pagodas, but housing prices are higher than New Bagan and Nyaung-u.
New Bagan and Nyaung have the most cafes and hotels, and housing prices are lower.
Nyaung-u is closest to the airport, but the price of a taxi is not much different. But there are fewer temples here.
In fact, it doesn't matter where you stay in Bagan, because everything is within 6 km from each other (the whole area is 67 sq. km).
Best 4-5* hotels in Bagan:
How to navigate and navigate between the temples of Bagan
In hotels you can buy a paper map, but it is rather stupid. It’s better to download OsmAnd or Maps.me maps to your smartphone and add points from my map (above in the post). There are even more temples marked in these maps, but those are not so interesting anymore.
Walking around Bagan is real, but far away, dusty and hot. If you settle in Old Bagan, then you can visit some of the temples on foot, and for the rest you can rent some kind of transport.
What can you ride in Bagan:
- bicycle - K2000-5000 (they are old and dead there),
- electric moped - K8000-12000 (the best way to get around Bagan is cheap, easy and cool, environmentally friendly, you can park everywhere),
- horse cart - K25000 (very slow),
- Taxi - K35000 (expensive, fast, but you won't get everywhere and it's not so exciting).
Car rental is everywhere, you do not need to book anything in advance. We rented at our hotel, and they did not ask us for anything as a deposit. By the way, when we rented bicycles to ride, they didn’t take any deposit from us either.
Motorcycles are not rented to foreigners :(
We also did not meet car rentals, and they simply do not exist on car booking sites. But it makes no sense to rent a car when a taxi with a driver for the day is already inexpensive compared to other countries.
We rented an electric bike, aka an electric moped :)
It's so small, we could barely fit on it together!
And slow (we got it to 27km/h downhill on a good road), but better than pedaling ourselves on a bad bike.
And there are roads and such, and cows run along them:
Be careful - there can be deep sand on the primers. We even fell once, but without consequences. Only the pedals bent on the bike, but they bent them back, and drove on :)
Even if the electric moped shows a full charge, it is still better to put it on charge overnight! We had a story when it ran out of power 6 km from the hotel. And pedaling on it is very inconvenient (especially for tall people), and pushing too (he's heavy). We decided to try hitchhiking, and literally five minutes later we stopped a pickup truck, in which there was already a tourist with an electric bike with a punctured wheel, and drove 5 km on it. The last kilometer barely finished this moped to the hotel!
Attention! For a bike, it's better to either pay right away and take a receipt, or have them write prices on their business card. He wrote us 8,000 kyats in a day, and then he wanted to take 12,000. I showed him his own inscription, and gave him 24,000 in three days without change, so he had no choice but to accept as much money as I gave.
This is what the horse carriage looks like. It is considered to be romantic. We didn't think so :)
If there is no money for a flight, then you can take cool photos with balloons from below :)
Ticket price
Foreigners must pay an entrance fee to the archaeological area of Old Bagan $15 or 25,000 kyats. The ticket is valid for 5 days.
For three days, we checked him only once. But without this ticket, they don’t let you out of the airport into the city, so you have to pay.
How to get into Bagan for free? If you are arriving by bus or train, try to negotiate with the taxi driver (before you get in the car) that for a small fee, he will not stop at the booth where they collect the entrance fee to Bagan. Also, do not drive past this ticket office when you ride around the temples. I marked it on the map.
When to go to Bagan: climate and weather
The best time to visit the temples of Bagan is from November to February. During this period, not so hot (only up to 30 degrees), and the least rain. We were there in mid December. The air is dry, clean and transparent, the sky is blue-blue, the photos are excellent :) Only it is cool at night - you will need at least a jacket, fleece and pants if you are going to watch sunrises and sunsets.
And at this time there are most tourists - you need to book all flights and hotels as early as possible.
Also, when planning your trip, keep in mind that there will be crowds in Bagan between Catholic Christmas and New Year, on Chinese New Year and during the Ananda Pahto religious festival (its dates are different every year).
From March to May, the temperature is up to 40 degrees - it will be stressful to ride in open areas in the sun.
From June to October, tropical downpours turn the entire area into a swamp. At this time, everything is very green, but driving around Bagan in the rain is a dubious pleasure. And there will not be such views all over the valley at once.
Souvenirs: what to bring from Bagan
1. The main souvenir is fabric pictures, smeared with a mixture of sand and glue. They do not sink in fire and do not burn in water. Each temple claims that it is "a unique technology inherited from an artist grandfather, and nowhere else in Myanmar and in the world you will see this", although these pictures are the same in each temple. They skillfully vparivayut these pictures, the processing is such that hold on. For any excuse there is an offer, as it were, to buy it. Instead of training in sales and dealing with objections, you need to go to Bagan for an internship! :)
2. Also, clingy children run around with photo postcards, but only near the most visited temples. Postcards, by the way, are quite cheap - $ 1 for 10 pcs.
Tourists interact with local young postcard sellers:
- Uncle, buy postcards!
- Boys, do you go to school?
- Of course we go!
- Why not at school?
- We're on vacation!
- What class do you go to? And you, too, in the second? Do you like it? What subject do you like the most? And you? Where are these postcards printed?
(...the boys don't want to sell postcards any more and dream of running away as soon as possible...)
3. Dolls on strings
4. Products painted with lacquer
5. local money
6. Interesting idea for bottle openers!
7. Tanakha: This is a special Burmese cosmetic that women smear on their face to stay young. Tanakh is a tree, it is ground into powder on special stone tablets, a little water is added and smeared on oneself in the morning and evening. Everything is very natural, but it looks scary :)
Not far from the Shwezigon Pagoda there is even a Tanakhi Museum.
8. And of course, figurines, clothes, dishes, magnets etc. and so on.
Some children go and ask for banknotes from different countries. We read on the Internet that this is some kind of scam, but we did not understand what exactly. For example, if they were given a bill of 5 dollars or 5 euros, this is a lot of money by local standards (only who will give it!), But if you give them only 1 hryvnia or 5 rubles, or 1000 Vietnamese dongs? This is a very small amount, which they still cannot exchange anywhere ... Does anyone know what's funny here?
Helpful information
1. You must enter all Buddhist temples barefoot (and without socks). Therefore the best shoes These are easy-to-remove and washable rubber flip-flops. In sneakers or boots, it can be unrealistic to get sick of taking them off and putting them on. By the end of the day, my feet are covered in dust, no wet wipes and no patience is enough to wipe our feet after each temple, in the evening we just put up with dusty feet, then in the hotel we washed them in the shower along with slippers. In general, there is no such nasty dirt as in Mandalay, rather a lot of natural dust from the soil.
2. Cloth. It is also forbidden to enter the stupas in shorts and T-shirts.
Sunshine during the day: a cap, sunscreen, and goggles will come in handy. It's cold in the evenings: you need a jacket. and in Thailand.
Tell
How do you like Bagan? Would you like to visit here?
If you have already been here, write what you liked the most? Can you recommend any restaurants or hotels?
Bagan is the capital of the first state in Myanmar. During its heyday, more than 10,000 religious buildings were built on the local plains; today, there are more than 2,000 ancient Buddhist temples in the abandoned temple complex. Ancient pagodas, temples, sacred caves and stupas, located in the bend of the Irrawaddy River, keep the memory of the former capital of the Burmese Empire. Bagan is an amazing and eclectic sight: the temples are built of limestone, sandstone, marble, with tiles and underground galleries - and each is at least somewhat different from its neighbors. Nowadays, this place has become a kind of Buddhist Mecca and a popular tourist center. Pilgrims from all over Asia come here, as well as travelers interested in the architecture and culture of ancient Myanmar. Many are so imbued with the local culture that they stay in Bagan for several days or even weeks.
Bagan is an amazing and eclectic sight: the temples are built of limestone, sandstone, marble, with tiles and underground galleries.
From the history of Bagan
Bagan played an important role in the cultural development of the Burmese kingdoms, and it was here that Burmese art was born. But it attracts the attention of historians not only as a cultural capital. The history of the emergence of the Bagan state is truly phenomenal: there were no usual long years of development and formation, Bagan appeared swiftly and immediately presented its amazing temples, full-fledged administrative and religious systems to the world.
The date of foundation of Bagan is taken to be 850 AD. e. Soon after, endless bloody battles for the throne and palace coups began. In 1044, Prince Aniruda ascended the throne, and this year is considered the date of the creation of the Bagan state. During the years of his reign, Aniruda significantly expanded the territory, adding neighboring lands to it, raised the cultural level of the inhabitants and strengthened foreign policy alliances. He strove for Bagan to surpass all states known at that time, brought here the most talented craftsmen who created incredible masterpieces.
By the way, from Aniruda among the Bagan kings, as well as nobles, ministers and other nobility, a tradition began to exalt their name by building temples.
After the death of Aniruda, Bagan was ruled by many kings; some were peace-loving and emphasized diplomatic relations, others waged bloody wars and gathered military campaigns, periods of peace were followed by years of violent uprisings. From the end of the 12th century for Bagan, the time of oblivion, defeats in wars, the collapse of statehood, and population decline began.
Formally, the Bagan throne existed for almost 9 centuries, during which time the destroyed and plundered Bagan gradually became depopulated, wooden buildings burned down in military fires, stone ones were destroyed by earthquakes. To this day, only stupas and temples have survived in the enchanted ghost town, keeping the memory of the greatness of Bagan.
In the summer of 1975, Burma, especially Bagan, was hit hard by a particularly severe earthquake. In the 90s. the military authorities of the country began to restore the city in order to create an attractive tourist site. Unfortunately, this inept "restoration" caused more damage to the monuments than good, so that, despite the obvious cultural and historical significance, UNESCO did not include Bagan in the World Heritage List.
Bagan - land of pagodas
How to get there
There are no direct flights from Russia to Myanmar; all the more, you cannot get to Bagan by plane without transfers. Several airlines offer flights to Myanmar, but they are very expensive and involve a couple of transfers (in Europe and Asia). The best way to get to Myanmar is to fly to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore by plane, then transfer to a plane to Yangon, and from there to Bagan is already within easy reach. Not far from Nyang-U there is an airport that accepts liners from Yangon.
You can also get to Bagan by land from Thailand (the borders of Myanmar with Bangladesh, India, Laos and China are closed). If you choose this option, please note that when entering Myanmar through the land border, tourists are limited in their movement around the country, so you will need to issue short-term visas for 2-14 days with the right to stay in the border area. Tourist buses depart from Yangon and Mandalay to Bagan. Another option is to take a tourist boat from Mandalay and get to Bagan along the Ayeyarwaddy River, the trip will take approximately 12 hours.
Search for flights to Yangon (nearest airport to Bagan)
3 things to do in Bagan:
- Ride in a hot air balloon. Flights are organized only in the early morning, the cost of a unique attraction is about 300-400 USD per person.
- In one of the temples, take pictures with locals dressed in colorful costumes. For a small fee, they will gladly show off their long neck, adorned with spirals that look like copper rings, for a photo.
- Meet the sunset by climbing to the top of Shwe San Da Pagoda.
What to ride
The temples of Bagan are randomly scattered over a fairly large area. Those located in the vicinity of villages and Old Bagan can still be reached on foot, but to get to remote temples, you have to drive.
There are several ways to get around Bagan. The most budget option is to rent a bike for 1.50 USD per day. A more expensive and more exotic option is to rent a horse-drawn carriage for 15 USD per day, however, keep in mind that local drivers are in no hurry, so you will move at a snail's pace. And finally, those who are limited in time and are not tempted by local exoticism can rent a car with a driver, the cost is from 25-35 USD per day. Prices on the page are for September 2018.
Where to stay
Choose where to stay: in Old Bagan, New Bagan or Nyang-U - you need based on your preferences in the rest. If the main goal is to visit temples, and there is no need for evening entertainment, pay attention to Old Bagan, from here it is most convenient to get to the shrines. If you cannot imagine your vacation without nightlife and visiting restaurants, New Bagan is your choice. Most of the cafes and other entertainment venues are concentrated here, as well as a decent selection of hotels. True, from New Bagan you will have to get to the temples by transport. The picture is about the same in Nyang-U: there are many inexpensive hotels, there are restaurants, besides this, there is a bus station and a market. Of the inconveniences: you also need to get to the temples by transport.
