Bagan

A fusion of Burmese and Indian styles, this temple has a beautiful courtyard with a medium-sized stupa and interesting bell hangers. It is a symbol of modern Bagan architecture, and possibly the second tallest temple in Bagan. The temple is similar in layout to Thatbyinnyu Temple. The temple was heavily damaged during the earthquake in 1975, but has been reconstructed.

Myazedi pagoda contains the Myazedi inscription, inscribed in 1113, which is the oldest surviving stone inscription of the Burmese as recognized by UNESCO at this site. "Myazedi" means "emerald stupa". The inscriptions were made in four languages: Burmese, Pyu, Mon, and Pali, which all tell the story of Prince Yazakumar and King Kyansittha. The primary importance of the Myazedi inscription is that the inscriptions allowed for the deciphering of the written Pyu language, thus acting as the 'Rosetta stone' of Pyu language.
The nearby Gu Byauk Gyi temple is well-worth a visit for its enormous frescoes covering every inch of its inner walls. There is scarce lighting inside, but thoughtfully two large torches are provided which allow you to appreciate the artwork.

Great for sunrise at 05:00 and far less crowded than Shwesandaw, but it has become more popular in the last years. The second and third terraces lie beyond the tree line and you can easily spot Shwesandaw with its masses. If it is closed for sunrise try the pagoda and temple 100 m away.

One of the few temples with an outdoor Buddha. Allows for great pictures from the opposite field. The nearby Sinmyashin Temple with its golden top is equally appealing.

Unusually-shaped five corner, circular pagoda made of bricks. Built in 1196 when King Narapatisithu ruled.

This lone golden gourd-shaped structure sits on a complex temple by the river.

A beautiful temple built in 1183 by King Narapatisithu, and very popular in dry season due to the road being more accessible. It has many frescoes and murals which are fairly well-preserved and worth taking a look. Observe the monks drawn on the walls on either side of the Buddha praying in obeisance pointing towards the Buddha. There is also a block with Myanmarese inscriptions inside the temple. In wet season, the access road is muddy and poor, meaning there are fewer tourists and hawkers here compared to other temples. Sulamani means 'the gem'.

Ama, a temple, was built in the 12th century, typically squared with entrances to all four directions. Nyima, a stupa, has guardian lions on its corners.

Large hallways and a beautiful large terrace. The Buddha can be seen from the top of the terrace through the outer access hallway also. In wet season, the road can be very bad, meaning that tour groups are generally absent and the temple can be quite peaceful. If you get here in the morning hours, the terrace view is very much worth the mud-trail ride. Offers quite a view of Old Bagan overall. If you come in the pre-rainy season (May–June), you can also watch the beautiful sight of farmers tilling the untilled land in preparation for sowing, with a flock of crows following. This temple is being restored with the help of Singapore.

A smaller temple largely forgotten by tourists and hawkers, and often used as a lovers' lane by locals. If you can make it through the terrible road, its terrace offers very peaceful views. Myauk Guni is north of its sibling Taung Guni.

A well-signposted and easily accessed temple. A good place for quiet and unobstructed views of the surrounding farms and temples.

This durian-shaped stupaed temple was modelled after Bodh Gaya in India. It has also murals depicting scenes from the Jataka tales. Its less visited sibling Gu Byauk Nge is just west. However, access is not granted by the caretaker anymore. Therefore, try the squared Shin Bo Me Ok Kyaung (also mentioned below for a sleeping option under the stars), 450 m down the road southwest.

Named after a well-known monk and built in the middle of the 13th century, this rectangular hall has roof instalments imitative of Burmese wood architecture and a tiny central spire going up from the roof. Many other similar buildings have been long gone due to its wooden construction.

A notable feature of the temple is the blue-tiles set on the walls of the top-tiers, depicting Jataka tiles made of glazed terracotta. Though there used to be 1061 of them, even now, several hundred of the tiles are still intact. If you are aware of Jataka, you can spend quite some time here making out some of the stories.

Another unremarkable temple.

Said to be built by King Uzana's wife Thambula. Well illuminated, the Chinese influence is clearly visible: Chinese eyes, hair and yellow.

The word means "three pagodas", which it is. Built during the 13th century with visible Mahayana influences it was never finished, potentially due to the invasion of the Mongols.

Built around 1200, this temple made of thousands of bricks is named after its owner. The structure is a distinct built up of cells around a patio in the middle.

A Buddha south of Somingyi Kyaung. Allows for a very nice picture.

A visually striking building, the size of which far exceeds what is needed for its contents. The majority of the items on display are miniature recreations of traditional village life, not-very-good paintings of the surrounding temples & stupas, and so many Buddha statues that even the most devote Buddhist would concede is excessive.

During school breaks, boys are inducted into monkhood with this ritual. This can be observed with the first signs of loud temple music blaring out a day before and on the day itself coming from the monastery. On the day itself, the boys are brought to the monastery by parents and relatives dressed in gowns, crowns, flowers, sequins, and glitter, stockings, and make-up. An audience gathers. The place itself is colourfully festooned. A small show consists of songs by hired singers accompanied by ensemble music, a pep talk by a layman and some rituals. After some photos with their parents, the boys are brought again to another monastery to be stripped, heads shaved and bathed. Finally, they are assembled in the hall in front of the abbot for prayer recitation, oath taking, and robe-blessing ceremonies, after which they are totally stripped and dressed in their new vestments by their parents. They will stay the rest of their school holiday in the monastery.

If you have not seen monks alms-gathering and bestowing blessings, get there at 07:00. and see the monks wearing their burgundy vests. There is even a herd of little monks as young as 3- or 5- to 10-year olds parading barefoot with the tallest down to the smallest toeing the line and with the eldest and the shepherd of them all brotherly escorting the last and the youngest (a heartwarming sight to see). By the way, the first in the parade is the announcer carrying his little bell and beater. Other spectacles are the also baldheaded nuns with their pink robes, orange skirts and beige-ochre shoulder-to-armpit wrapped towels. Their way of alms gathering is different: they use woven cane trays carried over their heads and receive only one spoonful of uncooked rice from each donor.

Some temples became elaborate and have murals, but it's a waste of time trying to see them as the majority have are in dark interiors. It is not worth taking off your shoes and socks to get in. The only exceptions are the Paya Thone Zu, the Gu Byauk Gyi Temple and the Upali Thein Ordination Hall where natural light can penetrate. It is better to go to the archeological museum to see scale reproductions, or buy the book on the subject sold at all souvenir bookshops.

For an unparalleled view of the Bagan plain, you can take a hot air balloon ride at sunrise. These balloons are British-made and have a perfect safety record. They do not operate during the summer. The flight departs around 05:00 every morning from October to April.

This is the most convenient option for doing the comprehensive tour. Cars are privately owned but they must be government accredited as indicated by a big sticker on the door of the car. The rental office is in the tourist information office at New Bagan.

This large tower has an elevator to the top for views of the surrounding plains. Alternatively, if you want to save the money, consider these other official viewing platforms (at): Ko Mauk Lake, Oh Htein Kone, Nyaung Lat Phat Kan or Sulamani Kone.

Mon-style lacquerware is a traditional art and small-scale industry in Myanmar, and nowhere is it better to see this than Bagan. It is said the Mon King Manuha brought his artisans with him into exile here. In Myinkaba village, several small setups produce lacquerware out of wood or bamboo. Many of these are family-based businesses, and they will give you free tours and detailed explanations of the intricate process for free in English, with no pressure to purchase.

A hilltop pagoda offering views of the entire city of Bagan from the other side if the river. To get there you have to get a boat from Bu Paya stupa in Old Bagan. On the other side, you can walk up a long path to the temple (not possible in wet season and looks like a hard slog even in the dry) or take a 4WD for another 20,000 kyat. Worthwhile a half-day trip, even if it costs almost as much as going to Mount Popa.

This is a day trip or a stopover to and from Bagan, depending on where you come from or go. This attraction is a temple on a cliff. You walk up the stairs from the underlying village (about 100 m), barefoot as the place is considered holy. The stairs are not very clean because of the presence of large numbers of monkeys. You can even climb the actual mountain when taking the road 1.3 km before the mountain village, by Popa Mountain Resort and up the track to the crater. The views from the temple are good and from the crater even better. Pick-up trucks can be organised at hotels or at the market in Nyaung U.