Travel advisory: The US advises against all travel to Myanmar. The UK advises against all but essential travel to Mandalay, and against all travel to Sagaing and the districts north of the city. Conflict, drone attacks, curfews and internet cuts are continuing, and the March 2025 earthquake left many monuments damaged. Consult the US State Department and UK FCDO before making any decisions.

Activities in Mandalay, Myanmar

Mandalay is Myanmar’s second-largest city and was its last royal capital. Visitors historically came for its monasteries, its craft workshops and its position on the Irrawaddy. No attraction below can be confirmed open, and the condition of several is known to be poor.

What the city is known for

• Mandalay Hill: a pilgrimage hill with covered stairways of more than 1,700 steps and sunset views over the city. Current access is unconfirmed.
• Shwenandaw Monastery: a teak monastery carved with detailed reliefs, moved from the royal palace in the 1870s. Its condition is unreported since the quake.
• Kuthodaw Pagoda: home to 729 marble slabs inscribed with Buddhist scripture. Surveyors recorded serious structural damage after the March 2025 earthquake.
• U Bein Bridge: a teak footbridge of roughly 1.2 kilometres across Taungthaman Lake near Amarapura. Its current state is unconfirmed.
• Mingun: an unfinished giant stupa and a very large bell on the Sagaing Region side of the river. The Hsinbyume Pagoda there is largely destroyed, and access to the area is covered by the strictest official warnings.

Dress codes at religious sites have always required covered shoulders and knees and no shoes or socks.