"Second city but not second best." Top 5 Page for this destination Mandalay by planxty

Mandalay Travel Guide: 301 reviews and 836 photos

Gilding a Buddha image, Mandalay, Yangon. - Mandalay
Gilding a Buddha image, Mandalay, Yangon.
Big, bustling and brilliant.

There are some places whose names are just magical, names heard in childhood of exotic places that conjure up images of worlds barely conceivable to the young mind. Amongst these for me Kathmandu, Ulaan Batar and Mandalay were such names. When thinking about my trip and writing these pages, I was determined to avoid the slightly obvious Kipling references, but it's almost unavoidable. As I was walking round the city (the best way to see anywhere, I think) snatches of his work kept running, unbidden, through my mind.

The second city of Myanmar (Burma), I found it in many ways more vibrant that Yangon. I think perhaps this has something to do with the ban on motorcycles and car horns in Yangon, which is so untypical of Southeast Asian cities. Mandalay has motorcycles in profusion and the attendant noise and smell of two-stroke is something inextricably linked in my mind with my favourite region in the world.

Certainly, Mandalay has nothing to compare with Shwedagon in Yangon, but then again, where has? Despite this, it is still one of the "Big Four" on most travellers itineraries, along with Bagan and Inle Lake, but it never feels overrun with travellers. Apart from the main sites, you can walk for hours and not see another Westerner. For the lucky few of us that do get there, there is certainly plenty to keep you occupied for a few days, or even longer, food and accomodation options are good and I really enjoyed the ambience of the place.

Hopefully now, I've got everything written down ( a time-consuming business as VTer's will know) and I trust it will be of benefit to other travellers.

  • Last visit to Mandalay: Feb 2006
  • Intro Updated Jan 3, 2007
  • Add to Trip Planner (?)
  • Report Abuse

Reviews (20)

Moat, Mandalay Palace, Myanmar. - Mandalay Palace Complex. Things to Do (11)

It might seem odd posting a tip about this, as I didn't actually go inside the place. there are a number of resaons for... more travel advice

Super Light Beer Station, Mandalay, Myanmar. - Mandalay Free Beer! Things to Do (11)

There are many beer stations in Mandalay, indeed all over Myanmar, but I'd like to put in a word for this place. It is... more travel advice

Golden Buddha, Mahamuni Paya, Mandalay, Myanmar. - Mandalay Six inches deep in gold! Things to Do (11)

Arguably the biggest draw in Mandalay, Mahamuni Paya, also known as Payagyi (Big Paya), is a "must see" for anybody... more travel advice

Sandamani Paya, Mandalay, Myanmar. - Mandalay Sandamani Paya. Things to Do (11)

This place is not yet included in the 10USD "combo ticket" (see seperate tip), but judging by the new entrance arch... more travel advice

Comments (16)

  • Reply
    fleurann's Profile Photo
    Nov 21, 2010 at 6:05 AM

    Lovely photos and descriptions...I shall be visiting the magical land of Burma in January 2011 for the first time, and hope to create my own pages. Thanks for sharing yours...

  • Reply
    kokoryko's Profile Photo
    Nov 29, 2009 at 11:04 AM

    That’s a place I have to visit one day! The Mahamuni Paya is indeed a must see, but I like more the smaller temples and shrines, specially seen from the hill. You have very good restaurant tips, but sunset above the river with a cold beer. . . . . :))

  • Reply
    zumodemango's Profile Photo
    May 26, 2009 at 3:42 AM

    brilliant Mandalay,almost a perfect place!

  • Reply
    BillNJ's Profile Photo
    May 17, 2009 at 10:17 AM

    Great tips and photos about Mandalay. The prices certainly appear to be reasonable!

  • Reply
    Penelope4's Profile Photo
    Aug 21, 2008 at 8:33 PM

    What an extraordinary photograph! Thanks for sharing it. Greetings from Kabul.

  • Reply
    Mailo's Profile Photo
    Jun 15, 2007 at 7:11 PM

    Fergy.. be welcome, trips to exotic and interesting places start with e dream.. then .. an instant later you are there. Thank's for the nice comments, and as I said.. BE WELCOME.

  • Reply
    zlatiq's Profile Photo
    Jun 3, 2007 at 7:29 AM

    thanks for the tips...hope to be able to follow them soon!that street vendor seems to have a very dangerous job...carrying the hot oil and charcoal;pretty risky! thnx!

  • Reply
    into-thin-air's Profile Photo
    Apr 7, 2007 at 1:18 PM

    Awesome Sunset in the Strand pic Great Page Thanks Rob

  • Reply
    Jim_Eliason's Profile Photo
    Feb 18, 2007 at 9:11 AM

    great page!

  • Reply
    maysue's Profile Photo
    Feb 14, 2007 at 12:22 AM

    Lovely sunset! It's a priceless pic!

planxty's Related Pages

Mandalay Travel Guide

 
Explore the World
Travel Destinations
planxty's Profile Photo

planxty

“Where's the bar?”

Online Now

Male

Top 1,000 Travel Writer
Member Rank:
0 0 1 4 4
Forum Rank:
0 0 0 4 2

Badges & Stats in Mandalay

  • 20 Reviews
  • 48 Photos
  • 2 Forum posts
  • 16 Comments
  • 5,423PageViews
  • See All Stats
  • See All Badges (66)

Have you been to Mandalay?

  Share Your Travels  

Latest Activity in Mandalay

Photos in Mandalay

See All Photos (48)

Top 10 Pages

See All Travel Pages (214)

Friends

See All Friends (150)

Travel Interests

See All Travel Interests (5)

Latest Mandalay hotel reviews

Royal Guest House
50 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 14, 2013
Peacock Lodge
73 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 17, 2013
Royal City Hotel
61 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 27, 2013
Nadi Myanmar Hotel
12 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 14, 2013
Mandalay City Hotel
153 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 7, 2013
Mandalay Swan Hotel
30 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Mar 27, 2013
Mandalay Hill Resort
262 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 19, 2013
Treasure Hotel Mandalay
4 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Feb 25, 2013
Hotel By The Red Canal, Mandalay
323 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 19, 2013
Rupar Mandalar Resort
61 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 6, 2013