ResortMandalay Hill Resort
Foot of Mandalay Hill
At the foot of Mandalay Hill, with a pool, gardens and views across the city to the royal moat.
The last royal city
Mandalay
Craftsmen, monasteries and the teak bridge
The last royal capital and the cultural heart of Myanmar, Mandalay is a city of craftsmen and monasteries spread beneath its namesake hill. Gold leaf is still beaten by hand here, marble Buddhas are carved by the roadside, and the monasteries brim with novices.
The real magic lies around the city: the ancient capitals of Ava, Sagaing and Amarapura, the great bronze bell and unfinished pagoda at Mingun, and the famous U Bein bridge — said to be the longest teak footbridge in the world — glowing at dusk.
It’s also a gateway: to the Irrawaddy by cruise, to the cool hill station of Pyin Oo Lwin, and to the spectacular train ride across the Goteik Viaduct.
Good to know
- Best time
- November–February; Mandalay is hot, so avoid the peak April heat
- Ideal stay
- 2 nights
- Getting there
- Direct flights and river cruises; rail and road on to the Shan hills
What to do
Highlights of Mandalay.
01
U Bein bridge at dusk
The world's longest teak footbridge, silhouetted against a Mandalay sunset.
02
Gold-leaf & craft workshops
Watch gold beaten to wafer-thinness, plus weaving and marble carving.
03
Mingun & Sagaing
By river to the great bell and unfinished pagoda, and the monastery hills of Sagaing.
04
Royal Ava (Inwa)
A horse-cart tour of the ruined former capital, its teak monastery and leaning tower.
Where you’ll stay
Our favourite stays in Mandalay.
Resort
BoutiqueHotel by the Red Canal
Central Mandalay
An intimate boutique hotel with rooms themed around Myanmar's ethnic cultures — warm, personal, characterful.
From the Journal
Read more about Mandalay.
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