MM · Yangon Region · 16.80°N 96.16°E

yangon

Shwedagon's gold stupa, old downtown streets and mohinga for breakfast.

Best time
November to February is cool and dry, the best time for walking. It heats up to a scorching April, and the monsoon runs from June to September, heaviest in July and August.
How long
2–3 days
Getting there
About 2 hours 45 minutes direct from KL on Malaysia Airlines or Myanmar Airways International. The airport is 30 minutes to an hour from downtown, depending on traffic. Malaysians can visit visa-free for up to 14 days. Myanmar is 1.5 hours behind KL.
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MM · Yangon Regionyangon16.80°N 96.16°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Shwedagon's gold stupa, old downtown streets and mohinga for breakfast.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingYangonMM, Yangon Region
KLyangon
≈ 1,635 km from KL, as the crow flies
The south-eastern side of Shwedagon Pagoda. A monk is walking on the facade, demonstrating the large scale of the stupa.

Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Myanmar's biggest city and old capital: the gold Shwedagon Pagoda on its hill, a downtown of grand, peeling colonial buildings, and tea shops busy from dawn. The country has been in civil war since the 2021 coup, but the fighting is far from Yangon, and the city goes about its business.

Makan

  1. MohingaRice noodles in a peppery fish and lemongrass broth, topped with fritters. The national breakfast.Map ↗
  2. Lahpet thokePickled tea-leaf salad with crunchy fried beans, peanuts, tomato and chilli.Map ↗
  3. DanbaukYangon's biryani, chicken or mutton rice from the downtown Muslim restaurants.Map ↗
  4. Tea shop breakfastSweet, milky tea with samosas, palata and fried snacks, on low plastic stools.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Shwedagon PagodaA gold stupa nearly 100 metres tall, ringed by shrines. Go at sunset, when the marble cools and the gold glows.Map ↗
  2. DowntownColonial courts, banks and offices around Sule Pagoda, with mosques, Hindu temples and churches a block apart.Map ↗
  3. Bogyoke Aung San MarketA covered colonial-era market of longyi cloth, lacquerware, jade and gems.Map ↗
  4. Kandawgyi LakeA lakeside boardwalk with the golden Karaweik barge and Shwedagon on the skyline.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Halal is easy downtown, where the streets around Sule Pagoda and the old mosques are full of Muslim-run biryani shops and tea shops.
  • Pagodas are barefoot, socks included, so wear sandals; cover shoulders and knees.
  • The UK lifted its warning against travel to Yangon in 2022 but still calls the risk heightened, and Singapore still tells its citizens to put off trips to Myanmar and not to leave Yangon. There's no citywide curfew.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.