Bagan is an amazing city of thousands of temples. Bagan - the greatness of the ancient era, Myanmar Bagan city which country

In ancient times, the kingdom of Pagan was located on the territory of modern Myanmar. The capital also had the same name. Location - dry plateau on west bank, which stretches along coastline Irivadi river. The plateau is easy to find on the map - it is near the city of Chauk (Magway district), southwest of Mandalay (145 kilometers from it). In 2019, the entire complex is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.

Today, the city of Bagan is a striking landmark and an archaeological area still being developed, which includes thousands of temples, monasteries, pagodas, and stupas.

By the way, the city of Pagan does not officially exist. There is only a handful of villages - Old Bagan, Myankaba, We-chi Ying and Nyaung. Planes land at the local airport of Bagan. Thousands of pagodas and stupas of various sizes are scattered around the area. Not only foreign tourists come here, but also a lot of Buddhist pilgrims from all eastern countries.

Of these, the most significant are those that contain a unique relic, known as the "golden teeth of the Buddha" - we are talking about the Lokananda Chaun and Shwezigon stupas (not to be confused with the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon). For the convenience of tourists, numerous pavilions have been built, paved paths have been laid. As for the vegetation between the temples, these are green thickets in places, lonely palm trees in places, and a scorched desert in places.

Most of the pagodas are built with white stone or red brick, there is no gold coating. Today, some pagodas are undergoing restoration work, and some are heavily visited by tourists. At the entrances, merchants offer various souvenirs, nosy local children illuminate the corridors for tourists with flashlights, help tourists get to the upper tiers along the old stairs (naturally, not for free).

There was such a case: in one of the pagodas, an attempt by a certain professor from Germany to steal frescoes from the wall was suppressed. Vigilant police officers arrested the intruder, and now a memorial plaque with relevant information hangs at the site of the failed robbery, reminding of the incident.

One of the varieties of local temples is symmetrical structures. There are 4 altars in the temples in the direction of all parts of the world. Be sure to have Buddha statues. Another variety is called "gubyauzhi" - temples full of intricate corridors and labyrinths. There are many frescoes on the walls everywhere. The older ones are made in two colors, the earlier ones are pleasing to the eye with multicolor.

It is easy for tourists to get confused among the temples without the help of a competent guide. Among the temples there is one where once high-ranking army officials prayed for the fulfillment of their desires. No less remarkable is another temple - it was built by Manukh, the king of the Mons, who was taken prisoner. An outstanding leader during the time of captivity left behind many statues of the Buddha, which are compressed and squeezed from all sides. In this way, Manukh conveyed to his descendants his feelings about captivity.

It should be noted That Binh Yu, from which the other temples offer a beautiful view. The idea of construction belongs to the third king of Pagan, whose name is Alaunsithu. In one of the many niches conceived according to his design, the king was killed by his own son while meditating. So the heir took the throne from his father.

The ruins of Pagan are spread over about 40 square kilometers. Archaeologists managed to find out that the lion's share of the structure was built during the period when Bagan was the capital of a kingdom ruled by a dynasty (from the 11th to the 13th centuries). In general, Burmese history has repeatedly shown the world the facts of the transfer of the capital from one city to another. It is believed that Pagan became the cultural center as a result of the actions of King Anorath (approximately in 1057).

On his initiative, the best artisans and artists, as well as many Buddhist monks, were concentrated in Pagan. With the help of confessors invited from Sri Lanka, the king converted the entire population of the country to Therevada Buddhism, making this teaching the state religion.

At the end of the 13th century (1287), Pagan was captured by the Mongols, who refused to pay tribute to the king. The city was plundered, an innumerable number of religious shrines were stolen, gold and other valuables were stolen from temples.

From Mandalay I went to Bagan (Pagan, Bagan) - ancient capital Burmese Empire, which is sometimes called the city of a thousand stupas. During its heyday, there were over 5,000 stupas in Bagan, most of which were built between the 11th and 13th centuries, but an earthquake in 1975 destroyed most of the stupas.

I flew on the same Air Mandalay plane, and the already familiar technician and stewardess, recognizing me, smiled pleasantly and greeted me.

The views of Bagan are mesmerizing. Many temples and stupas are open to the public and you can climb to their top. One of the highest pagodas you can climb is the Shwesandaw Pagoda, built in 1070.

1) View from Shwesandaw Pagoda

Shwesandaw Pagoda is great for sunrise and sunset, but it can get quite crowded at times.

4) Stairway to Shwesandaw Pagoda

In fact, there are many pagodas and temples where you can watch the sunset alone, one of them is Dhammayazika Pagoda, which is located on the road from the city to the airport.

6) View from the top of Dhammayazika Pagoda

7) Buddhist monk on top of Dhammayazika Pagoda

I stayed in New Bagan in a great hotel with a swimming pool (in such heat, the pool was very appropriate) for $25 per day.
For sightseeing in Bagan and general travel, tourists usually use two modes of transport: bicycles and horse-drawn carts. Of course, I chose a bike that I rented at the same hotel. The distances there are not very large, but to get, for example, to the city of Nyaung U (where I went a couple of times to buy an air ticket), you need to pedal a lot. The main disadvantage of a bicycle is that it is very uncomfortable to ride during the day because of the heat, but you have complete freedom, you can ride whenever and wherever you want. Therefore, I spent a hot day in the pool, and went to see the temples in the morning and in the evening.

9) Ananda Temple in Bagan

10) Standing Buddha Gautama in the western part of the Ananda Temple (Ananda Temple)

11) Dhammayangyi Temple - one of the largest Buddhist temples in Bagan

There are a lot of souvenir merchants in Bagan, who are sometimes very intrusive, and sometimes interesting interlocutors. At the top of Shwesandaw Pagoda, I talked for almost an hour with two boys who were trying to sell me their paintings. They asked what phone I had and how they explained that they had a problem with cheap phones and, having bought a phone for 500 rubles in Thailand, it could be sold much more profitably in Myanmar. They also taught me a little Burmese, though from these lessons I learned only the Burmese name for Russia - "Shchusha" (the first letter is something between Shch and Sh).

In the evening I went to dinner at an excellent restaurant on the banks of the Ayeyarwaddy River and almost every time I ordered my favorite Burmese dish - potato and meat curry (this dish cost 5000 chat). The restaurant is located on the high bank of Burmese's main Ayeyarwady River and offers great views. Almost every day I dined at the restaurant alone, there were no tourists, and the locals apparently don’t go there. On my last day in Bagan, after I had finished dinner, the waiter himself invited me to stay and watch the show of the national puppet theater. At first I suspected some kind of trick that it would be expensive and so on, but as it turned out, it was completely free for me, since the show was prepared for a group of German tourists, and a separate table was set up for me. While waiting for the start of the show, I managed to drink 5 large (5 mugs each) teapots of Chinese tea. In Myanmar, there is such a feature that they always bring peanuts at the beginning and you can order Chinese tea for free in any quantity.

12) National Burmese Puppet Theater

13)

14)

And the next morning I was waiting for a plane to Yangon, where I had to spend one more day and fly back to Bangkok. Thus ended my two-week trip to Myanmar, which completely turned my ideas about this country upside down. The main thing that struck me was, of course, the people. Myanmar is unique in that it has been little affected by Western civilization and has managed to preserve its unique character and culture. I had thoughts that Thailand must have been the same, some 30-40 years ago, until it was affected by an unprecedented tourist boom. Now very few foreign tourists go to Burma and the local population is certainly interested in increasing the tourist flow, but looking at the tourist areas in Thailand, in my heart, I do not want the same to happen with Myanmar.

For two weeks in Myanmar, I was not able to see even a small part of what this country might be interested in, but it seems to me that I managed to feel it and decide that I would come back here.

previous parts.

Bagan is the capital of the first state in Myanmar. During its heyday, more than 10 thousand religious buildings were built on the local plains, today in an abandoned temple complex there are more than 2 thousand ancient Buddhist temples. 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 architecture and culture. 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 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 List of World Heritage Sites.

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 via land border tourists are limited in their movements around the country, so you will have to apply for short-term visas for 2-14 days with the right to stay in the border area. Departure from Yangon and Mandalay to Bagan tourist buses. 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. Most a budget option- 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 in evening entertainment there is no need, pay attention to Old Bagan, from here it is most convenient to get to the shrines. If without nightlife and visiting restaurants you can’t imagine your vacation, your choice is New Bagan. 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.

Life is like an Amazing Journey.

In the valley of the Ayeyarwady River, ancient pagodas, temples, sacred caves and stupas keep the memory of the former capital of the Burmese empire. Today Bagan (Bagan) is called a ghost town. In 849 it was founded by King Anorakhta, and already in 1287 it was destroyed by the troops of the Mughal Khan Kublai. Since then, no attempt has been made to restore it. The inhabitants, who spent so much effort on the construction of numerous temples and pagodas, left their city, and for hundreds of years it stood in majestic silence.

Today Bagan is a kind of Buddhist mecca. Pilgrims from all over the country flock here, as well as tourists who are interested in the architecture and culture of ancient Myanmar.

There are over 5,000 pagodas in Bagan. Most of them are made of red and white stone, but the most significant, Shwe Zigon and Lokanda Kyaung, are covered with gold. They are very popular among pilgrims. The approaches to them are paved, and many trade pavilions are scattered around.

The history of the creation of the Shwe Zigon pagoda is very interesting. The Ceylon king brought from Kandy a gift of the sacred tooth of the Buddha to the Bagan king Anuratha. The pagoda was built specifically to store the relic, and a white elephant indicated the place for construction. Anuratha placed a copy of the precious gift on the back of the elephant and said that this shrine would be kept in the place where the elephant would kneel. The king kept his word, and at the place where the elephant knelt, the construction of the Shwe-Zigon pagoda was started. But Anuratha's days were numbered, and he managed to build only three terraces of this pagoda. Kyansitha, the king's heir, completed the construction, which, in general, lasted only 7 months and 7 days. The material for the construction of the pagoda was stone from Mount Tiyun. At the behest of the master, dozens of subjects were engaged in his prey. After the erection, the pagoda was covered with gold and to this day is an unusually beautiful structure. “Shwe-Zigon is famous in the world of people, in the world of spirits and in the world of Brahma” - this was how the completion of the construction of the great pagoda was announced.

Shwe San Da Pagoda is especially popular among tourists. In the evening, climbing to its top, you can watch magnificent sunsets.

In addition to a large number of pagodas, Bagan is also famous for its temples. These buildings, as a rule, have a symmetrical shape and four altars with statues of the Buddha, which are directed to each side of the world. The temple caves of gubyaukzha are known for their labyrinths, the walls of which were decorated by the ancient Bagans with frescoes with often absolutely fantastic scenes.

The temples of Bagan still remember its former rulers. The third king of Bagan, Alaungsitu, built a magnificent temple, the meditation niches of which had a wonderful view of the city. The king spent a lot of time here and was killed just during meditation by his own son, who wished to seize the throne of his father.

The amazing temple was built by the Mon king Manuha, who was taken prisoner by the king Aniruda. The architecture of the Manuha temple is three cubes of different sizes. From the inside, the entire square space of the hall is occupied by a ten-meter statue of a seated Buddha. His head rests on the ceiling, his back, elbows and knees prop up the walls on all sides. The masters involved in the construction were able to convey how close the Buddha was in this conclusion. In the side rooms - the same image of bondage with the help of the Buddha squeezed from all sides, and in the fourth, the Buddha is depicted in a state of nirvana, lying in a coffin. But even the coffin is too small for him, and its lid is only a few centimeters from the head of the Buddha. King Manuha, who lost his freedom and spent the rest of his life in captivity in a foreign country, wanted to convey all the bitterness of bondage with the help of this building. The chronicles say that in order to build such an amazing temple, Manuha sold his royal ruby.

Ananda Temple, named after one of the Buddha's favorite disciples, is one of the most visited temples in Bagan. It was built in 1091 and is very well preserved to this day. On the walls of the temple there are life stories of Buddha in letters, and in the center there are four nine-meter statues of a standing Buddha who has reached nirvana. Once, two of these statues were badly damaged by fire, and they had to be replaced with copies. The sculptures on the terraces of the temple depict scenes from the jatakas, narrations of the previous births of the Buddha. Legends say that the eight monks who were involved in the construction of the temple were killed after the work was completed so that a temple like this would not appear somewhere else.

The highest temple in Bagan is That Binh Yu. The name translates as "Omniscient", this is one of the incarnations of the Buddha. The temple was built by King Alaungsithu in the 12th century. From its terraces, magnificent views of ancient Bagan open up. The central staircase that leads to the temple is adorned with statues of guardians facing east, and inside there is an unusual effect of lightness of the structure, which occurs due to the play of sunlight penetrating through numerous window openings.

Since the kingdom of Bagan fell apart, a lot has changed in the city - reservoirs and ponds have dried up, the streets have become overgrown with thick grass. And only countless temples and pagodas keep the memory of the past.

But besides the architectural sights locals managed to keep up to this day and cultural heritage their ancestors. A characteristic feature of Bagan culture is the puppet theater. After all, the very first theaters in Burma appeared in the 11th century, and these were puppet theaters. Bagan artists, true virtuosos of their craft, still give interesting performances with beautiful richly dressed puppets.

Is in ancient city place for shopping. Local lacquerware factories offer a delightful selection of all kinds of lacquerware. This is one of the most ancient crafts in Bagan. At each factory there is an opportunity to watch the work of the masters - this is a very painstaking work. Each product is created manually, in several stages. The material is mainly bamboo. The finished products are so beautiful and unique that it is almost impossible to leave without a purchase.

An amazing landmark of the surroundings of Bagan is Mount Popa, located 60 km southeast of the city. Translated from the Burmese "Popa" - "blooming". The height of this mountain above sea level is 1518m. In clear weather, it can be seen from Bagan itself.

A half-hour climb up the mountain will pay off magnificent views to Bagan and a deep picturesque canyon, which open from above. A rather steep staircase to the top of the mountain was built by a Buddhist monk.

This mountain has been especially popular with pilgrims for over 700 years. Beliefs call it the dwelling place of spirits. In the Middle Ages, on the full moon festival, plentiful sacrifices were carried out on the top of the mountain.

In addition to being an important religious center, Blooming Mountain is also an interesting natural monument - dormant volcano. After all, a real oasis has formed on its top, which is fed from the inside by about two hundred underground sources.

And the Observation Tower with open and closed observation decks has become an island of civilization in Bagan. Tourists are offered high-speed elevators, air conditioners, a restaurant with a magnificent panoramic view and many souvenirs made by local artisans.

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.

Even Marco Polo called Bagan one of the most great places in the world, and we completely agree with him :)

What is Bagan (Pagan)

Bagan (aka Bagan, 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 11th-13th centuries there was Big city(50-200 thousand people), Cultural Center Buddhism, where pilgrims flocked from all over Asia. 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 appearance the stupas are cool and varied, and there are also many 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 will helpful information: how to get there, what is the best ride in 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 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 clearly to the address: there will be no need to wait public transport or speak in an unfamiliar language with a local taxi driver. The price is final, no need to bargain with anyone, no hidden fees for the night rate, 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 bottom :)

Ticket price

Foreigners must pay an entrance fee to the archaeological area of Old Bagan $15 or 25,000 kyat. 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, in Chinese New Year and during the Ananda Pahto religious festival (its dates vary from year to year).

From March to May, the temperature is up to 40 degrees - it will be stressful to ride in open areas in the sun.

June to October tropical showers, which turn the entire territory 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 bills 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.