How to get to the hotel from Mandalay Airport?
There are 2 methods:
- Take a taxi, about 40 minutes, the price is 12000K-15000K
- For the airport bus, you can buy tickets at the airport arrival gate.
How is the overall traffic situation in Mandalay?
Traffic in the city:
Urban public transportation is very underdeveloped, and travel is relatively inconvenient. There are 6 types of transportation that you can choose from, and the prices increase in order:
- Bus: Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar, the bus can be said to be equivalent to no, because you basically can't wait for it... and there are no doors, very casual~
- Local bus: This kind of local bus is the one that most locals take when they go out. There is no stop sign, and the price is about the same as that of the bus. The cheapest is RMB 50. The local bus route is fixed. Most of them are in the urban area. It runs, and most of the conductors and drivers do not speak English. It is relatively difficult for foreigners to take the local bus to reach a certain destination. If it is not in a hurry, you can take the local bus when you go to Area B to experience ~ other locals on the car Passengers usually smile at you~ [It should be noted that sometimes they tell you that you can get there, but in fact they only take you to a place where you can transfer. In this case, you can only be patient and look for it again. After all, there is a problem with language barriers. Difficulties are also normal...]
- Motorcycle: There are still a lot of motorbikes. Before getting on the bus, negotiate the price and whether it is one way or two way. ps Mandalay has a lot of motorcycles and they are fast.
- Three-wheel taxi: There are a lot of Indians in Myanmar. Generally, the three-wheel taxi drivers are Indians, so remember to bargain~
- Four-wheel taxi: There are a lot of local cars that are similar to this type of local bus, but they are not local buses. The way to distinguish them is to see if there is a conductor behind the car;
- Regular taxi: very few, the most important is expensive, so it is not recommended;
- Rent a motorcycle: If you can ride a motorcycle, it is also very convenient to rent a motorcycle to visit various attractions. The price is not clear, and the hotel usually rents it~
Ps Mandalay’s cars are fast, so you must pay more attention to safety when renting a car~
How to arrange the itinerary of each attraction?
First of all, after staying in Mandalay Hotel, the front desk will usually provide a map of Mandalay, it is very convenient to take a copy with you.
The several major attractions in Mandalay are relatively scattered, and in different directions in the city. If you have enough time, it is definitely worth your time to spend a few days to experience it. It can be divided into four major areas:
Area A: Mandalay Palace, Mandalay Hill, Golden Palace
Area B: vegetable market, jade market, pagoda, temple
Area C: A Thousand Monks Rice, U Bein Bridge, Inwa Ancient City, Sagaing Ancient City, Sagaing Mountain
Area D: Mingun Ancient City
Let’s break it down now and let’s talk about the tourist attractions in the 4 regions~ All the tickets for Mandalay’s attractions are included in a pass, about 10,000K, which can be bought at the Mandalay Palace. Remember to bring it when you go out.
Area A
Route planning suggestion: Mandalay Palace-Golden Palace-Gududao Pagoda-Mandalay Hill (sunset)
Transportation suggestion: ride the whole journey~
Mandalay Palace
Suggested play time: 2 hours
Opening hours: 7:30-16:30
The palace is very large, but the area that foreigners can visit is relatively limited, so you can just walk around to see it. Residents are already living in the palace, and there are soldiers training in the playground. Near the right side of the palace, there is an inconspicuous wooden house surrounded by iron fences. There are many tombstones in it, which are said to belong to the Burmese royal family. Further down there is a watchtower that can be climbed up to overlook the city.
Mandalay Palace
The Mandalay Palace was originally the palace of the Gongbang dynasty, the last dynasty of Myanmar, and was built in 1859. The entire palace is square in shape and is a wooden structure. There are 104 temples of various sizes in the palace. The buildings are mainly red and gold. They are dazzling and magnificent from a distance, and the carved gallery and painting columns are exquisitely exquisite. Unfortunately, such a magnificent palace was destroyed in World War II. The Burmese government rebuilt it in 1989, and now it has partially restored its historical scenery.
Golden Palace (Shwenandaw Kyaung)
Suggested play time: 2 hours
Opening hours: 7:30-19:00
From the outside, you can feel the solemn atmosphere inside the teak palace. Stepping on the teak wood that has gone through hundreds of years, it feels very solid, because what you have under your feet is not just a piece of teak, but also the historical weight. You can find a corner in the temple to sit quietly and watch people come and go while the Buddha stays still.
It must be noted that you must take off your shoes when entering any temple in Myanmar! ! !
The following 2 pictures are very interesting Buddha sculptures on the wooden door of the temple~
Golden Palace Monastery
The Golden Palace Monastery is one of the rare pure teak monasteries in Mandalay. It is located not far from the south of the Gudu Tao Pagoda. This building is not only an example of traditional Burmese wooden architecture, it has also witnessed a royal story. At first, this building was located in the palace. It was the bedroom of King Mindong and the queen. King Mindong died here. His successor, King Thibaw, took a taboo and demolished the entire building to the current place outside the palace and turned it into a monastery. Later, the king often went to the monastery to sit alone and meditate, so until now there is still a lion throne, a royal meditation couch and a portrait of the Buddha. The building has a square roof and double eaves structure. The interior and exterior doors, windows and walls are carved with teak wood. The entire temple is located on hundreds of thick teak pillars. The periphery is also guarded by teak pillars, which is a typical style of the Mindong King period.
Kuthodaw Pagoda
Suggested play time: 30 minutes
Opening hours: 7:30-19:00
It is very close to the Golden Palace, 5 minutes walk, and there are rows of pure white pagodas. It is a small new style among the many pagodas.
We have seen the whole process of making natural handmade "sunscreen cream" by Burmese people here~ Walking on the street, you will see many women, children and even men applying a kind of light yellow lotion on their faces. It is obtained from the bark of “Naka (Thanakha citronella)” wood. Take a piece of wood and add water to the stone and rub it in circles, and then apply the yellow lotion directly on the face. We wiped it a little bit, it's really cool and comfortable~
There are many stalls next to these temples with Buddha statues, which is very interesting
Gudu Tao Pagoda
Gudutao Pagoda is located at the foot of Mandalay Mountain and was built by King Mindong of Myanmar in 1857. Gudutao Pagoda means the greatest merit pagoda in the world. Its full name is Mahalokama Ruosheng Pagoda, and Ma Ruosheng is the title of Buddha. The pagoda was completed in 1857. At that time, more than 2,400 eminent monks from all over Burma and Southeast Asia were gathered. The fifth revision of the Buddhist scriptures assembly was held. Finally, the collected Tripitaka and others were carved on the 729 square cloud stone tablet and built into a treasure The stupa where the Tripitaka is kept. These steles are known as "the greatest books in the world", and their scale is unique in the Buddhist world. It is said that if a person reads 8 hours a day, it takes 450 days to finish reading these "books". At each entrance of the inner wall of the stupa, there are teak doors carved with stories of Buddha's life and guardian gods. The four promenades of the pagoda are also majestic and magnificent, which is amazing.
Mandalay Hill
Suggested play time: 3 hours
Opening hours: Open all day, the best time is 17:00 to arrive before sunset
Mandalay Mountain is a place to watch the sunset. If you go up the mountain, you need to walk more than 1,000 steps barefoot. If you have no energy, there will be a motorcycle at the foot of the mountain at 1500K to send you up. The sunset scenery is still good.
