Bagan

Getting to Bagan

Most incoming travel for Bagan, except for some ferries, is through Nyaung U.

Worth seeing

Nobody can be expected to visit more than 20 of these structures, let alone all 2,000. One day in Bagan is enough (even with a bicycle) to see all desired temples and sights if started at sunrise and finishes at sunset. A second day can be used to concentrate on specific sights or dos, like Mount Popa, a cruise across the river or just a relaxed hang-around somewhere in Old Bagan.

Things to do

Balloons over Bagan. 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. US$299-320 per person. Rent a chauffeured car. This is the most convenient option for doing the comprehensive tour.

1. 01
   Bagan Nan Myint Tower
2. 02
   Lacquer-ware

   Mon-style lacquerware is a traditional art and small-scale industry in Myanmar, and nowhere is it better to see this than Bagan.

3. 03
   Tant Kyi Taung Pagoda

   A hilltop pagoda offering views of the entire city of Bagan from the other side if the river.

4. 04
   Mount Popa

   This is a day trip or a stopover to and from Bagan, depending on where you come from or go.

Where to eat

There are many places to eat in Old Bagan serving the traditional Burmese dishes, especially noodle soup. Some of the buffets are excellent; for about 1,500-2,000 kyat you can eat to your heart's content from dozens of different traditional dishes.

Getting around Bagan the local way

Bagan is still open and receiving visitors, but almost every pre-2021 fact about getting there has changed: the airport now shows only a handful of Myanmar Airways International flights a week, Myanmar National Airlines' own departure board lists nothing at all for Nyaung U, the Yangon direct train is not running and trains are reported not to be sold to foreigners, the Irrawaddy tourist ferry operator's website no longer resolves, and the highway buses run through military checkpoints on roads the UK advises against using. Inside the zone nothing has changed: an e-bike, a horse cart, or a shared pickup between Nyaung-U, Old Bagan and New Bagan.

1. 01
   Bagan Archaeological Zone ticketpermit

   Collected at the airport on arrival, at a booth on the road between the highway bus terminal and the airport junction, and at the toll station just outside Nyaung U jetty

   Where

   You cannot avoid this and should not try. Arriving by bus you are taken straight to a ticket booth about 1 km from the Bagan Shwe Pyi highway terminal, on the road towards the airport junction; arriving by air you buy it in the terminal; arriving by boat there is a toll station immediately outside the Nyaung U jetty. You present your passport. The ticket covers the whole archaeological site and is valid five days from purchase. In practice it is checked at only a few places – Htilominlo and Shwesandaw are the usual ones – but a driver who bypasses the booth late at night has not saved you anything, because the checks are inside the zone. There are no ATMs or money changers at Nyaung U airport, so carry kyat or clean US dollars before you land.

   When

   Once per visit, valid five days

   Fare (2025)

   25,000 kyat, quoted by a Myanmar tour operator in 2025 as about US$22. Wikivoyage's older figure was US$20 or 25,000 kyat, your choice of currency, as of June 2019.

   Takes

   A few minutes at the booth

   Season

   Year-round

   Booking

   None – pay in cash at the booth

   Sources: gomyanmartours.com (2025-10) · gomyanmartours.com (2025-10) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

2. 02
   Nyaung U Airport (NYU)scheduled flight

   Nyaung U Airport, about 21.1751, 94.9285, roughly 4 km south of Nyaung U town

   Where

   The airport is close in – 10 to 15 minutes from Nyaung U, about 30 minutes from Old Bagan – and most mid-range and top-end hotels will collect you free. A taxi is around US$5 to Nyaung U and US$10 to Old Bagan; older Wikivoyage figures for New Bagan are 7,000–10,000 kyat. What has changed is what actually flies. On the public departure and arrival boards for September 2026 every movement at NYU is a Myanmar Airways International (8M) flight: 8M211 arriving from Yangon about 07:05 and continuing to Heho at 07:20, and 8M8214/8215 arriving from Heho about 12:10–14:20 and going on to Yangon – a Friday inbound and a Sunday outbound pattern, roughly two flights a week each way, not a daily service. Myanmar National Airlines' own live flight-status board returns no departures and no arrivals at all for NYU over a two-week forward window, while it lists eight movements for Heho over the same period. Mann Yadanarpon says its current winter destinations are Yangon, Mandalay, Heho, Dawei, Tachileik, Myitkyina, Lashio, Thandwe and Sittwe – Bagan is not among them. Foreigners can fly domestically: the published bans cover Tachileik, Kengtung and Yangon–Lashio, not Bagan. The airport was damaged in the 28 March 2025 earthquake and was being rebuilt through to mid-2026, with the runway widened by 25 feet each side, resurfaced and the apron extended.

   When

   Roughly two Myanmar Airways International rotations a week on the boards for September 2026. A Myanmar agency still advertises Bagan–Mandalay departures at 07:00, 08:00 and 16:00 and five airlines on the Yangon route; that does not match the live boards and should be checked before it is relied on.

   Fare (2026)

   Agency quotes for 2025–2026: from about US$80 one way Yangon–Bagan, US$60–85 Bagan–Mandalay, US$80–100 Bagan–Heho. No fare could be confirmed from an airline's own site.

   Takes

   About 1h 20m from Yangon, 30 minutes to Mandalay, 40 minutes to Heho for Inle Lake

   Season

   Frequency drops in the April–September low season. Book and reconfirm one or two days ahead – Myanmar carriers change routings at short notice and sometimes depart 10–20 minutes early.

   Booking

   maiair.com, or a Myanmar travel agent. Nyaung U appears as a bookable port in MAI's own reservation system.

   Sources: avionio.com (2026-09) · avionio.com (2026-09) · secure.flymna.com (2026-09) · confidence medium

3. 03
   Mandalay highway busesbus

   Bagan Shwe Pyi Highway Bus Terminal, about 21.1574, 94.9316, southeast of Nyaung U, to Mandalay's Kwe Se Kan highway station

   Where

   The terminal is out of town and the transfer in is the first scam: the local monopoly quotes foreigners 8,000 kyat a head for the 5 km into Nyaung U when the normal price is 1,000–1,500 kyat, so either bargain hard or walk out to the highway and flag something. Avoid that by choosing an operator that runs its own door-to-door service – OK Express has long been the one travellers use for exactly this reason, collecting from and dropping at hotels in both Bagan and central Mandalay. JJ Express and Elite Express also work the route. JJ Express lists a Bagan gate number, 09 421 152 860, and still shows Bagan in its city list. Buy at the terminal or at the travel agents south of Nyaung U market rather than through a hotel, and confirm whether you are getting a coach or a minibus.

   When

   Departures spread through the day, roughly 04:30 to 17:30, morning and afternoon. Night buses exist on this route but are pointless over five hours – you arrive before hotels will check you in – and night road travel in central Myanmar carries its own risk.

   Fare (2026)

   US$7–14 quoted by a Myanmar agency for 2025–2026. Pre-coup Wikivoyage figures were 7,000–8,000 kyat, with OK Bus at 8,000–9,000 kyat including hotel pickup. A private car is US$95–300 depending on vehicle and group.

   Takes

   5 to 6 hours over about 178 km; older sources say 5 to 8

   Season

   Year-round, but roads are worst in the May–October rains and some infrastructure on this corridor was damaged in the March 2025 earthquake

   Booking

   At the Bagan Shwe Pyi terminal, at agents near Nyaung U market, or through your hotel. JJ Express sells online at jjexpress.net but the booking flow requires an account.

   Sources: gomyanmartours.com (2026-05) · gomyanmartours.com (2026-05) · jjexpress.net (2026-09) · confidence medium

4. 04
   Yangon night and day busesbus

   Aung Mingalar Highway Bus Station in northern Yangon to Bagan Shwe Pyi Highway Bus Terminal

   Where

   Aung Mingalar is about an hour from central Yangon in good traffic and longer in bad, so leave two hours; city bus 36 runs there from Sule Paya. Night departures are still the standard way to do this route and are still sold – JJ Express and Bagan Min Tha are the names travellers use, JJ lists Yangon–Bagan among its popular routes, and VIP coaches with reclining seats, blankets and a toilet cost about US$20. Understand what you are choosing, though: the road runs on the Yangon–Mandalay Expressway and National Highway 1 corridor, where the UK Foreign Office reports landmine and IED attacks, an increased risk after dark and an unofficial curfew. That is the honest state of the night bus. Arriving at Nyaung U bus station, a taxi or tuk-tuk to a hotel is about US$5–10.

   When

   Morning and evening departures daily from Aung Mingalar; night buses leave Yangon in the afternoon or evening and arrive early morning. One day bus leaves Bagan for Yangon around 09:00.

   Fare (2025)

   About US$20 for a VIP seat in 2025. Pre-coup Wikivoyage figures were 13,000–18,000 kyat standard and 20,000–33,000 kyat for a 2+1 VIP. Private car US$150–200 one way.

   Takes

   About 10 hours, historically quoted at 9 to 13; a private car over the 620 km takes about 8 hours

   Season

   Year-round. Popular route, so book ahead in the November–February high season.

   Booking

   At the bus station, through a Yangon hotel or agent, or at jjexpress.net

   Sources: gomyanmartours.com (2025-10) · gov.uk (2026-08) · gov.uk (2026-08) · confidence medium

5. 05
   Bagan railway station and the Mandalay linetrain

   Bagan railway station, about 21.1545, 94.9352, roughly 1.2 km south of the highway bus terminal and 9 km from Old Bagan

   Where

   A pagoda-styled station in the middle of nowhere, further from the town it serves than the airport is, with a spartan tourist lounge to wait in. Tickets must be bought at the station in person and a passport is required; travel agents will do it for a fee. Two things have to be said plainly. First, the direct Yangon–Bagan overnight train is reported not to be running, and there are reports that rail tickets are not being sold to foreigners at all for stated security reasons – seat61 stopped maintaining its Burma page for that reason. Second, the UK Foreign Office says only that some rail routes are still operating with unreliable timetables and that you should ask at the nearest station. A Myanmar agency was still advertising two daily Bagan–Mandalay trains in 2026, at 04:00 and 21:00, about 12 hours for 179 km. Treat all of this as something to confirm at the ticket window, not to plan around.

   When

   Historically two a day each way on the Mandalay line, one overnight to Yangon. Current operation is unconfirmed.

   Fare (2026)

   Locals' fares are tiny – 1,450 kyat ordinary, 2,900 upper class seat, 4,000 sleeper for Mandalay–Bagan on the last published tariff, and a Myanmar agency still lists US$1–4. Yangon–Bagan was 4,500 kyat ordinary up to 16,500 kyat for an upper-class sleeper. Foreigners no longer pay a separate dollar fare.

   Takes

   About 12 hours Bagan to Mandalay over 179 km; about 17 hours to Yangon when that train ran

   Season

   The Mandalay–Bagan night train, the only one with first class, may not run in the low season

   Booking

   At Bagan railway station with your passport, or through an agent. Tickets go on sale three days ahead.

   Sources: seat61.com (2026-09) · seat61.com (2026-09) · gov.uk (2026-08) · confidence low

6. 06
   Irrawaddy river boats to Mandalayboat

   Nyaung U jetty, about 21.2083, 94.9163, 1.5 km northeast of Nyaung U market; some craft also use the Old Bagan pier near Bu Paya

   Where

   Whether the tourist ferries are still running is the single biggest unknown in Bagan. What can be established: MGRG Express, the main tourist boat, no longer has a working website – mgrgexpress.net does not resolve at all – and seat61 noted the Shwe Keinnery site had already stopped working before that. A Myanmar agency updated in May 2026 still sells the upstream day boat from Nyaung U jetty at 05:30 for US$32, 11 to 12 hours to Mandalay, breakfast and lunch included, and names MGRG as the operator; it also lists multi-day cruises from US$200 upwards with Pandaw and Irrawaddy Explorer. If you want this, go to the jetty or a Nyaung U agent and ask, and accept that you may be told no. The local Inland Water Transport slow ferry ran two days a week for 18,000 kyat and took 14 to 22 hours; there is no current confirmation it is carrying passengers. Life jackets are worth checking for – river craft here do not meet international safety standards and search and rescue is limited.

   When

   Historically a daily tourist express at 05:30–07:00 in season and an IWT local boat about twice a week. Current operation unconfirmed.

   Fare (2026)

   US$32 quoted for the day boat in 2026; MGRG was US$45 and Shwe Keinnery US$35–40 before the coup; the IWT local ferry was 18,000 kyat. Multi-day cruises US$200 and up.

   Takes

   11 to 12 hours upstream Bagan to Mandalay, about 9 to 10 downstream; 14 to 22 hours on the local ferry

   Season

   Boats do not run April to September – low water on the Irrawaddy, not just low demand. October to March is the season.

   Booking

   Through a hotel or a Nyaung U travel agent; the operator's own website is gone

   Sources: gomyanmartours.com (2026-05) · gomyanmartours.com (2026-05) · seat61.com (2026-09) · confidence low

7. 07
   E-bikes, the standard way around the templesvehicle hire

   Nyaung-U, Old Bagan, New Bagan and every track between them

   Where

   Foreigners may not ride petrol motorbikes here, so the electric bike is the default and every guesthouse, hotel and half the shops in Nyaung-U rent them. Two kinds: the older single-seat machines whose batteries genuinely last about half a day whatever you are told, and newer two-seaters with a speed display, a full-day battery and a top speed that has no business on these tracks. Ask to see the charge level before you take one and agree what happens if it dies out among the temples – you will be a long walk from anywhere. The rules that matter are about where you ride, not how: climbing the pagodas is prohibited, so the sunrise and sunset crowd is funnelled onto purpose-built dirt viewing mounds and a viewing tower, and riding a vehicle up onto a mound or terrace is treated as damage to a protected monument. The sand is the other hazard – the connecting tracks between the outlying temples are loose dry sand and you will hydroplane and drop the bike if you go fast. Carry a headlamp for a pre-dawn start, and expect dust: the air is full of it.

   When

   All day, every day

   Fare (2024)

   4,000–6,000 kyat a day for the older single-seaters, 5,000 kyat for one person or 8,000 kyat for two on the newer machines. A bicycle is about 1,000–1,500 kyat a day if you would rather pedal.

   Takes

   A full day covers most of what you would want to see; Nyaung-U to Old Bagan is about 4 km, Old Bagan to New Bagan about 5 km

   Season

   Year-round, but the middle of the day in the hot season (March to May) is punishing and the sandy tracks are worst when bone dry

   Booking

   Walk in, or ask at your guesthouse

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

8. 08
   Horse and carriagehorse cart

   The temple circuit, from Nyaung-U or your hotel

   Where

   The classic Bagan hire, a pony trap seating up to four. The easiest way to find a driver is to walk around Nyaung-U after sunset – they will find you. Either name the temples you want or let the driver set the route, in which case expect a stop at a lacquerware workshop or a cafe where he takes a commission; that is the deal and it is not always a bad one. Book through the hotel and the price roughly doubles. The trade was reported to be in serious financial difficulty as far back as early 2021 and has had no easy years since, so the drivers you meet are working a thin season.

   When

   On demand, all day; drivers gather in Nyaung-U and at the main temples

   Fare (2024)

   10,000–15,000 kyat for the day for up to four people, or about 25,000 kyat if booked through a hotel

   Takes

   A full day around the main temple cluster

   Season

   Year-round; busiest November to February

   Booking

   None – arrange with a driver the evening before

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

9. 09
   Shared pickups and taxis between Nyaung-U, Old Bagan and New Baganshared pickup

   Nyaung-U market to Old Bagan, and New Bagan to Old Bagan

   Where

   Bagan is three settlements, not one, and knowing which you are staying in decides everything. Nyaung-U in the northeast has the market, the jetty, the bus terminal, the railway station, the airport and the cheap guesthouses; Old Bagan in the middle sits inside the walls among the main temples and has the upmarket hotels; New Bagan to the southwest is where the villagers displaced from Old Bagan in 1990 were resettled. Converted pickups with two benches in the back run between them from the market in Nyaung-U – 200 kyat to Old Bagan, 400 kyat New Bagan to Old Bagan. They will sometimes try 1,000 kyat on a foreigner; waiting for the next one settles it. This is point-to-point transport between the towns, not a way to tour the temples. For taxis, get a realistic price from your hotel before you arrive: drivers double or triple the first quote, especially between 22:00 and 05:00, and the "your guesthouse has closed down" line is a commission ploy. Airport to Nyaung-U is about US$5, to Old Bagan about US$10. Grab operates in Bagan, including an airport-transfer package.

   When

   Through the day between the three towns; nothing useful at night

   Fare (2025)

   200 kyat Nyaung-U to Old Bagan, 400 kyat New Bagan to Old Bagan. Taxi from the bus station or airport to a hotel US$5–10.

   Takes

   10 to 15 minutes between any two of the three

   Season

   Year-round

   Booking

   None; Grab by app

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · gomyanmartours.com (2025-10) · confidence medium

10. 10
    Mount Popa and Salay day tripstour package

    Bagan southeast 50 km to Mount Popa and the Popa Taungkalat monastery; Bagan south along the river to Salay (Sale)

    Where

    Mount Popa is the standard half-day out of Bagan – an extinct volcano with a monastery on a rock plug reached by 777 barefoot steps, and a great many monkeys. The cheap way is a local pickup from the highway bus station heading southeast, about 1,000–1,500 kyat one way for the 50 km; a bus is faster than a pickup because a pickup stops constantly, and a taxi is faster again and dearer. It is also the natural stop on a private car transfer to Mandalay via Kyauk Padaung. Salay is a separate, quieter run south along the Irrawaddy to a colonial-era town of teak monasteries, usually sold combined with Popa as a full day by agencies in Nyaung-U. Both are inside government-held territory but both involve road travel with checkpoints.

    When

    Daily departures from Nyaung-U agencies; local pickups to Popa through the morning

    Fare (2024)

    1,000–1,500 kyat one way by local pickup or bus to Popa; a chartered car or agency day trip is priced per vehicle and was not confirmed for 2026

    Takes

    Half a day for Popa alone, a full day for Salay and Popa together

    Season

    Year-round; the climb is hot and better done early

    Booking

    At an agency south of Nyaung U market, or walk to the highway station for a pickup

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · gomyanmartours.com (2026-09) · gomyanmartours.com (2026-09) · confidence low

11. 11
    Balloons over the temple plainballoon

    Launch sites on the plain, reached by vintage converted bus from your hotel before dawn

    Where

    Still flying, and one of the few Bagan operations that will tell you so on its own website: Balloons Over Bagan says it is in its 26th season and keeps a sales office in Nyaung-U near Hotel Zfreeti, in Thiripyitsaya Block 5, open 09:00 to 20:00 daily on +95 6 1246 0713. You are collected before first light, driven out in a converted bus, given tea and a safety briefing, and fly about 45 minutes at up to 1,500 feet. Rates are quoted in US dollars; ask the sales office about kyat. Book more than three days ahead or phone the Bagan office directly.

    When

    Daily in season, one flight at dawn

    Fare (2026)

    US$335 for a package of two balloon tickets plus two nights at one of three Bagan hotels; a solo stay-and-fly package has been sold from US$175

    Takes

    About 45 minutes in the air, three hours door to door

    Season

    October to March only

    Booking

    balloonsoverbagan.com, or the Nyaung-U sales office for anything inside three days

    Sources: balloonsoverbagan.com (2026-09) · balloonsoverbagan.com (2026-09) · balloonsoverbagan.com (2026-09) · confidence medium

12. 12
    Checkpoints, the rainy season and the March 2025 earthquakeservice status

    Every overland approach to Bagan

    Where

    Bagan sits in Nyaung-U Township in Mandalay Region, and the UK advises against all but essential travel to Mandalay Region, against all travel to the north of it and against all travel to neighbouring Magway Region – which is the region the Pyay and Mrauk U road routes run through. The central tourist circuit of Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan and Inle Lake is under firm government control and largely away from the fighting, but overland travel between those cities means military checkpoints, and checkpoints are themselves targets for opposition attacks. Carry your passport. Road travel can be restricted at short notice by either side. The rains run May to October and roads become impassable and bridges are damaged; the Irrawaddy boats stop for low water from April to September, which is the opposite season, so there is no month when everything runs. The 7.7 magnitude earthquake of 28 March 2025 struck near Sagaing and Mandalay, damaged roads and hospitals across Mandalay Region, and damaged Nyaung U airport, which was still being rebuilt in mid-2026. Insurance is the practical barrier for many visitors: policies commonly exclude destinations under do-not-travel advisories and medical evacuation is hard to secure.

    When

    Wet season May to October; hot and dry March to May; cool and dry November to February

    Fare

    Not applicable

    Takes

    Allow extra hours on any overland leg in the rains and at checkpoints

    Season

    May to October rains; April to September low water on the river; November to February the practical season for everything

    Booking

    Not applicable

    Sources: gov.uk (2026-08) · gov.uk (2026-08) · gomyanmartours.com (2025-07) · confidence medium

Not yet confirmed: Which airlines actually serve Nyaung U cannot be fully settled. The live departure and arrival boards for NYU in September 2026 show only Myanmar Airways International (8M) flights, roughly two rotations a week, and Myanmar National Airlines' own flight-status endpoint returns nothing at all for NYU while returning eight movements for Heho. Mann Yadanarpon's own site excludes Bagan from its current winter network. Against that, a Myanmar tour agency updated in 2025–2026 lists five airlines on Yangon–Bagan and three on Bagan–Mandalay with daily departures. The agency page is almost certainly recycled pre-coup content. Confirm with MAI directly before planning.; No airline fare for any Nyaung U route could be confirmed from an airline's own site. MAI's search endpoint at book-myanmar.crane.aero is behind Cloudflare for availability queries, and its own IBESearchAPI.php is challenged too. Every fare in the flight entry is an agency quote.; Whether the Irrawaddy tourist ferries run at all is unresolved. mgrgexpress.net no longer resolves in DNS, the Shwe Keinnery site was already dead, and the only current-looking listing is an agency page. No 2024-or-later traveller account of a Bagan–Mandalay boat was found. Ask at the Nyaung U jetty.; Train operation is unresolved in the same way. seat61 states the direct Yangon–Bagan train is not running and reports tickets not being sold to foreigners, and stopped updating for that reason; the FCDO says only that some routes still run with unreliable timetables. The Mandalay–Bagan times given are from an agency page, not from Myanma Railways. Confirm at Bagan station.; No 2024-or-later figure for the Bagan Archaeological Zone fee could be found from a government source. 25,000 kyat comes from a 2025 tour-operator page; whether the dollar alternative is still offered, and at what rate, is unknown, and with the kyat's collapse 25,000 kyat is now far less than the US$20 it was in 2019. Carry both currencies.; E-bike prices are from Wikivoyage and predate the coup and the currency's fall. The relative shape is likely right; the kyat numbers are probably not. No Bagan rental shop with a live website could be found.; Nothing current was found on whether the e-bike rules themselves have changed since UNESCO inscription in 2019 – the climbing ban and viewing mounds are documented, but no 2024-or-later source confirms restrictions on where e-bikes may be ridden. Prosecutions for driving onto a viewing mound are documented only from 2020.; The Bagan–Mandalay online bus market could not be verified. myanmarbusticket.com, which shares a developer with JJ Express and does return real inventory and fares for Yangon–Mandalay, returns "no buses" for every Bagan pair on every date tested, in the wet season and in December. JJ Express still lists Bagan in its city list and publishes a Bagan gate phone number, so the route very likely runs but is not sold through that channel.; No source was found for the current price of a chartered car or agency day trip to Mount Popa or Salay, nor for whether the Salay road is being used. The 1,000–1,500 kyat pickup fare predates the coup.; The brief asks about the status of the zone fee collection at the jetty. That is documented only in pre-2021 sources, and depends on whether the boats run at all..

The field note on Bagan reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.