Mandalay is the second largest city in Myanmar. It is situated on the east bank of the Irrawaddy river, the life-stream of the country. It is also the economic centre of Northern Burma and considered the centre of Burmese culture. Before heading towards more north-east, I managed to make a stop in Mandalay as well. So what there is to do in Mandalay?

U Bein bridge

Situated in the south-western part of the city, U Bein bridge is a popular landmark and tourist attraction. The bridge crosses Taungthaman lake and is 1.2 km long. It is famous due to its structure. U Bein bridge is made from teakwood and is considered to be the oldest one in the world of that kind. It was built around 1850 for the local people to be used as a passageway across the lake. During these days, there are more tourists on the bridge taking photos than local people crossing it to get to the other side. There were not that many foreign tourists though on the day we were there. It was definitely the biggest amount of photographs and selfies requested by the locals during my trip that far. Photo. Group of monks requested a photo with us.

Mandalay Palace

The palace was constructed between 1857-1859 as part of founding the new royal capital. Mandalay Palace is situated in the heart of the city on a large territory and surrounded by a moat and walls. The Palace was a royal residence for the last two kings of the country but overtaken in 1885 when the British turned it into a fort. Even though most of the palace compound was destroyed in bombing during WW2, it has been restored and stands as a major tourist attraction these days.

Mandalay Hill

The hill is located in the north-east part of the city and rises as high as 240m. The city of Mandalay has actually taken its name from the hill itself. Mandalay  Hill is known for its large amount of pagodas and monasteries and has been a major pilgrimage site for Burmese Buddhists. There are several cases of stairways that lead to the top of the hill. Throughout the climb, there are many different pagodas present. From the top, it is possible to experience a panoramic view all over Mandalay.

Golden Palace Monastery

The Golden Palace Monastery (mainly known as Shwenandaw Monastery) is located in a close distance from Mandalay Hill. The Buddhist Monastery was built in 1878 as a part of the royal palace at Amarapura (former capital of Myanmar), which is situated 11 km south from the current location of the monastery. The Golden Palace was dismantled and relocated to its current location due to the belief of the new king that the palace is haunted by his passed away father.  The monastery served as the living quarters if the king. Photo. Shwenandaw Monastery.

Kuthodaw Pagoda and worlds’ largest book

Kuthodaw Pagoda is situated pretty much next to Shwenandaw Monastery which makes it easy to visit both. In the centre of the area is located a 57 m high Buddhist stupa but the main attraction is surrounding it. In the grounds of the pagoda are 730 stone-inscription caves, each containing a marble slab inside with inscriptions of Tripitaka (Buddhist texts) on both sides.  The unity of all the slabs makes it the largest book in the world. Photo. A small part of the stone-inscription caves. Photo. A marble slab inside of one of the stone-inscription caves. 

Amarapura, Sagaing and Inwa

Amarapura, Sagaing and Inwa have all been the ancient capitals of Myanmar. It is starting to seem that every city in Myanmar has been the capital at one point. All of them are located south of Mandalay in a relatively close distance to each other and can be visited in one day. To conclude, Mandalay is worth to visit for a day or two if new to this part of the world. If you have seen and experienced loads of Buddhist temples beforehand then (like I had) then they are not that impressive. At the same time, visiting these locations gives a good understanding and insight into the local culture and history. At least for me, one of the main purposes when visiting a new country is to get to know its whole story and being in Mandalay helped me to understand more about it. So if not too short on time, then it is worth to pay a visit to Mandalay as well.