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Bagan Travel

Bagan preeminent ancient religious cities in Southeast Asia. The ruins of Bagan city cover an area of 42 sq. km embracing over 2000 ancient pagodas and temples. The enchanting city is located in the tropical zone of the country, on the eastern bank of the Irrawaddy River about 193 kilometers south east of Mandalay. Bagan shows Myanmar architectural heritages from the 11th to mid 14th centuries. For many visitors Bagan is the more extraordinary of the two cities and this because of the view. The ruins of the more than one hundred Angkor temples stand alone and isolated in thick jungles, and only from the top of the tallest temples it is not possible to see others in the distance. Sprawling across a vast dusty plain, the ruins of Bagan are unhidden. There being no trees to obstruct the view, one may gaze over forty square miles of countryside, upon literally thousands of temples.

Bagan dates back almost to the beginning of the Christian Era. It lies on the bend of the Ayeyarwaddy River. Bagan can be marked to have started with King Anawrahta. He ascended the throne of Bagan in 1044. At that time, the kingdom was under the Mahayana religion. After Shin Arahan's arrival to Bagan, it converted to Theravada Buddhism. It was said to be that each and every household was able to donate an enshrined Pagoda, because of their faith in Buddhism believe and also because of their wealth.

Bagan Plains

Bagan Attractions

Pyathadar (Pyathatgyi) Temple

Payathonzu Temple

More Attractions

Other Information About Bagan

Getting Around

Horse carts are popular ways travelling around Bagan. Visitors can also hire bicycles at some hotels and guest houses to roam around. The charges are taken per hour service. Ferry boats can also be hired to flow in the Ayeyarwaddy. The ferry stand is near the Bu Pagoda. The views from the Ayeyarwaddy is also an interesting way to explore Bagan.

History Bagan, formerly spelled as Pagan, dates back almost to the beginning of the Christian Era. It lies on the bend of the Ayeyarwaddy River. Bagan can be marked to have started with King Anawrahta. He ascended the throne of Bagan in 1044. At that time, the kingdom was under the Mahayana religion. After Shin Arahan's arrival to Bagan, it converted to Theravada Buddhism. It was said to be that each and every household was able to donate an enshrined Pagoda, because of their faith in Buddhism believe and also because of their wealth. The great Shwezigon was one of King Anawrahta's donation during his time.

Bus and Express There are Daily Expresses from Yangon and other major cities. Night buses from Yangon leave in the afternoon and arrive early in the morning.

Car One can hire a car from a car rental agency or from a travel agent. Different types of cars, coach seaters are available.

Train Overnight trains run daily from Yangon, departing at about 4:00 pm and arriving in Bagan at about 9:00 am the following day. There is a direct train service running from Mandalay to Bagan with two departures daily. Tickets are available directly at the railway station. The journey takes about seven hours.

Air There are daily flights from Air Bagan, Yangon Airways, Air Mandalay and Myanmar Airways to Nyaung U Airport, Bagan. The flight schedules may change from time to time depending on the weather. But this is the fastest way to explore Bagan. From the airport to New Bagan, it takes about 15-20 minutes by car.

Boat A daily "express" ferry service runs down the Ayeyarwaddy from Mandalay to Bagan taking about 9 hours.

Shopping in Bagan

Bagan lacquer ware is the famous things to buy. Cloth paintings, T-shirts and other handicrafts are also available at shops near pagodas.

Food in Bagan

There are many places to eat in Bagan serving the traditional Myanmar dishes. Some of the buffets are excellent and you will get dozens of different traditional dishes.