Bagan, Myanmar: 3,500 Temples and the Problem of Too Many Choices

At sunrise on the Bagan plain, you might be watching from the top of an 11th-century pagoda as hot air balloons drift above a landscape of several thousand temples in every direction – and there will be thirty other people next to you on the same pagoda doing the same thing. Bagan receives enough visitors now that the ruins-to-yourself experience requires planning. The temples closest to the hotel clusters (Old Bagan and Nyaung Oo) are typically busy from 6am until 4pm in high season. The ones 8 kilometres out on dirt tracks are usually empty.

Travel advisory for 2025-2026: Myanmar’s military coup in February 2021 has created ongoing instability across the country. Check current government travel advisories before planning a trip. Several Western governments have “do not travel” or “reconsider” advisories in effect for parts of the country, though Bagan itself has been relatively insulated from the main conflict zones. Support locally-owned guesthouses and independent guides wherever possible.

Temples Worth Finding

Ananda Temple, built in 1105, is the most revered temple in Bagan. The cruciform plan houses four 9-metre gilded standing Buddhas facing the cardinal directions, each made from different materials and with slightly different expressions. The teak-vaulted corridors are dark and cool; the light at the Buddha figures is indirect and deliberate. This is architecture made to be experienced in the body, not just photographed.

Shwezigon Pagoda is the most sacred stupa in Bagan – a gilded bell-shaped dome begun by King Anawrahta and completed under his son around 1102 CE. It remains an active place of pilgrimage and the atmosphere around sunrise, when monks and local worshippers circle the outer walkways, is different from the temple-tourist experience elsewhere on the plain.

Dhammayangyi Temple is the largest temple in Bagan, built by King Narathu in the late 12th century. Its inner corridors were bricked up – for reasons still debated by historians – making it a labyrinth rather than a navigable building. The scale from outside is arresting; some have argued the massive outer walls were built in fear, not just piety.

Thatbyinnyu Temple at 61 metres is one of the tallest structures in Bagan and represents the maturation of Burmese temple architecture away from Mon influence toward a distinctly local style. Climb the terraces for a view across the plain.

Getting Around

Electric bicycles (e-bikes) rented in Nyaung Oo or Old Bagan give you the right combination of range and slow enough speed to spot temples off dirt tracks. Conventional bicycles work in dry season if you are fit and the distances do not discourage you. Horse carts are the traditional option and still operate; they are comfortable for older visitors but slower and more expensive than e-bikes.

The Archaeological Zone access pass costs USD 25 and is valid for five days. It is checked at the main entry points.

Hot Air Balloons

Ballooning over Bagan at sunrise is genuinely extraordinary – the balloons are part of what makes the dawn landscape what it is. Operators including Balloons Over Bagan run from November to February during the cool season. A shared basket flight costs around USD 280 to 320 per person and books out weeks in advance during peak season. If you can justify the cost, it is the single most impressive way to see Bagan’s scale.

Where to Eat and Stay

Most good accommodation is in Old Bagan, New Bagan, or Nyaung Oo. Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort has a good position near the river and the southern temple cluster. Budget guesthouses cluster around Nyaung Oo market.

For food, the restaurants around Nyaung Oo market serve mohinga (fish noodle soup), shan noodles, and laphet thoke (fermented tea leaf salad) at local prices. The tourist restaurants in Old Bagan are functional but not the reason to eat in Bagan.

November to February is the right time: cool enough to explore temples in the middle of the day, clear enough for the balloon flights.