Before you choose
Travel conditions in Myanmar change quickly. Read your own government's travel advice for each region before you plan, and check whether your insurance will cover you. The places below are the ones most visitors still reach, but none of them is risk free.
The main city
Nearly every trip begins in Yangon, the former capital. Shwedagon Pagoda, colonial downtown streets, teahouses and the Circular Railway fill two or three days.
The temple plain
Bagan is the reason many people come: more than two thousand temples and stupas spread across a dry plain by the Ayeyarwady River. Give it three days.
The royal city
Mandalay was the last royal capital. Mandalay Hill, carved teak monasteries and U Bein Bridge are the highlights. The city was hit hard by the March 2025 earthquake, so check which sites are open.
The lake
Inle Lake in Shan State is a world of stilt villages, floating gardens and leg rowing fishermen, with the small town of Nyaungshwe as a base.
The coast
For a beach, Ngwe Saung on the Bay of Bengal is the most reachable from Yangon, with long, quiet sands.
How to link them
Most careful visitors fly between Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Heho for Inle Lake, because many roads cross areas affected by fighting. Use the free trip planner to shape a route, and see flights and stays to search options.