Yangon Rangoon Video Travel Guides

Myanmar Burma


Great Videos and Photos of the Best Places and Things to see in Yangon Rangoon Myanmar Burma. For the independent traveller who is interested in seeing places while planning their next trip. Or for anyone who likes to be close to nature and see the quieter parts of the country or city

Yangon ( Rangoon ) formerly the capital of Myanmar, has many memories of it's former colonial past. Take a tour or walk through the city, visit the largest Pagoda in Myanmar, enjoy a beer along the Strand or relax in one of the many parks.





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Yangon City Walk

A good way to see the city is to take the rectangular walk that takes in many of the main sights. A good place to start is by the Strand Hotel.

The Strand

The Strand

Yangon City Walk

The Strand runs as one might expect close to the river. In British colonial times many colonial cities had streets close to rivers such as London or close to the sea called the Strand. In Yangon this tradition contines and one of the finest colonial streets is close to the river. The main feature along the strand is the hotel with te same name.

This grandiose hotel is reminiscent of the country’s colonial experience. Its style is very much inspired by Victorian architecture which provides the elegant ambiance of the place. It is composed of three storeys, adorned with marble flooring and rattan furniture. The Strand is the most well-known hotel in Yangon.

In fact, it was even considered as one of the most luxurious ones in the world back in the period of the British Empire. If luxury and elegance is what you are looking for, this is definitely the place for you but of course it also comes with a price.

The Strand is far more pricy compared to the other hotels in Yangon. This is quite unsurprising if the suites come in very large sizes with spacious rooms, high ceiling, and even very posh bathrooms. They even provide personal butler services, day spa, and fitness facilities. This is one of Yangon’s national landmarks.

Ferry to Twante

Ferry to Twante

Yangon City Walk

Twante is a delta near Yangon. It could a nice side trip for people to touring in Yangon. A good way to get there is to ride the Dallah ferry from Pansodan Jetty.

Pansodan Jetty is just along Strand Road right in front of the well-known luxurious Strand Hotel. . It would be interesting to observe the coming and going of people especially merchants from Twante here as well. The trip is quick, just a ten minute ride, so it is convenient enough to visit.

Upon arrival to Twante, visitors can ride a pick-up and enjoy a forty minute trip while appreciating the delta life.The ride is also affordable. The ferry only costs 1 USD while the pick-up only costs 300 Kyat.

Maha Bandoola Garden

Maha Bandoola Garden

Yangon City Walk

Located at the center of downtown Yangon, Mahabandoola Garden is a nice place to spend the day strolling and relaxing in the midst of the busiest city in Myanmar.

Here you can enjoy not just the presence of the charming garden but also the view of the different heritage buildings nearby like Yangon’s City Hall, and the colonial building of Yangon’s High Court and the Rowe & Co department store.

The High Court or Supreme Court of Yangon was built in 1905 that is why the style is colonial, Queen Anne Style to be specific. It was designed by architect James Ransome. The garden is also just south of Sule Pagoda.

In the center of the garden stands the famous Independence Monument, an obelisk, which serves to commemorate the end of Britain’s colonization of Burma in 1948. Mahabandoola Garden was actually named after General Maha Bandula who fought in the first Anglo-Burmese War to overthrow the Brits. It was first named as Fytche Square in honour of the Chief Commissioner of British Burma.

Sule Pagoda

Sule Pagoda

Yangon City Walk

An astounding 2,000 year old golden pagoda at the heart of Yangon, this is the Sule Pagoda.

It rises for about 46 meters high. It is uniquely octagonal in shape from the ground to its top terrace. It shelters the significant hair relics of Buddha, given by Buddha himself to two merchants.

This is what catches the interest of visitors aside from the wonderful structure and the amazing scenery. The inside of the pagoda is just as breathtaking as the outside. The details of the architectural design, statues, and installations are very impressive.

Visitors will also find inside the marble foot prints of Buddha which is adorned with gold foils. Here you will also see the interesting culture of the Burmese people. During night time, Sule Pagoda is an amazing scene of elegance and authority.

City Hall

City Hall

Yangon City Walk

Yangon’s City Hall and Immanuel Baptist Church are located near the Mahabandoola Garden Park and near the Sule Pagoda. The city hall is and impressive structure patterned after the traditional Burmese style architecture.

It was designed by architect U Tin. The tiered roof and the iconic Burmese details are present in the building. It is also one of Yangon’s heritage buildings. The construction of the city hall was finished in 1936.

Just opposite the city hall, also along Maha Bandoola Street, stands Immanuel Baptist Church. The church was built by an American missionary in 1885. Sunday service is 8:30 am. For people

Mahabandoola Street West

Mahabandoola Street West

Yangon City Walk

Mahabandoola Street continues west of Sue Pagoda. It is a busy street with many sidewalk food stalls.


Further Reading on Wikipedia : Yangon

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Yangon City Walk North

Continue on the walk to the Holy Trinity Church, the market and back down Sule Pagoda Street to City Hall, Pansodan Street and back to the Strand.

Holy Trinity Church

Holy Trinity Church

Yangon City Walk North

Located along Bogyoke Aung San Road, Trinity Church is the main Anglican cathedral in Myanmar.

The cathedral was designed based on an Indo-Saracenic style. This was the choice of Robert Chisholm, the architect of Trinity Church, for the purpose of making it fit to adapt to weather conditions in Myanmar. The construction of the church started way back in 1886 during the colonial period. The viceroy of India, Lord Dufferin, was even the one placed the foundation stone.

The church was completed in 1894. It is one of Yangon’s national heritages. The most unique feature of the cathedral is the baptistery window which commemorates a schoolmistress who saved a pupil in 1898.

Bogyoke Aung San Market

Bogyoke Aung San Market

Yangon City Walk North

The market is located along Bogyoke Aung San Road. This is the most famous market in Yangon which is also why it is usually included in the list of destinations among tourists.

Here you will have a glimpse of the common Burmese delicacies, food, and products. The construction of the market finished in 1926 wherein it was first named as Scott Market after the municipal commissioner in that time. It is even considered as one of the valued colonial buildings in Yangon. The name was changed to Bogyoke Aung San Market in commemoration of Myanmar’s national leader, General Aung San.

The market is and enormous one housing around 2,000 shops which sells a variety of items like handicrafts, food, clothing, jewellery, goods, and even some luxury items. Tradition Burmese and Chines restaurants also reside inside the market.

It would be a bonus if you visit there during the popular waster festival called Zay Thingyan which is held on the 11th or 12th of April. The market is opened from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm every day. This would be a very good place to buy some souvenirs before leaving Yangon.

Sule Pagoda Street North

Sule Pagoda Street North

Yangon City Walk North

Turning right onto the main road, about 200 metres beyond the market onto Sule Pagoda Street will bring you ack to the Sule Pagoda.

Pansodan Street

Pansodan Street

Yangon City Walk North

Pansoda n Street offers a lot of old colonial buildings in the style of Victorian, Queen Anne, Neoclassical, Art Deco, and of course the British-Burmese.

Pansoda n Street offers a lot of old colonial buildings in the style of Victorian, Queen Anne, Neoclassical, Art Deco, and of course the British-Burmese.The street is just next to Strand Street road. It is almost as if you cannot find anything from this age along the street. Some of the most popular establishments are the Accountant General’s Office and Currency Department. At one glance, you will definitely get the idea that it is from way back then. There is also the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China which is now named Standard Chartered. The building was built during the time of Japanese Invasion of Yangon. Another interesting building is Sofaer’s Building just around the corner of Merchant Road. It is yellowish in colour and has the style is mixed up.

There is a slight hint of Italian style but most is inspired by British architecture. The building used to be an emporium in 1910. For art lovers, Lokanat Gallery is also found in Pansodan Street. It houses some works by contemporary Burmese artists.

A stroll along this road could really be an interesting experience.


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Shwedagon Pagoda

The Shwedagon Pagoda which has relics of four past Buddha is he most sacred pagoda in Burma.

Shwedagon  Pagoda

Shwedagon Pagoda

Shwedagon Pagoda

This precious pagoda started as an 8.2 meter high structure. Now, it is already 110 meters high.

This impressive structure cradles 2,500 years’ worth of history. However, some experts claim that the date time is debatable. They believe that it was built around 6th to 10th century.

It is considered to be the most sacred and most well-known Buddhist site in Yangon and even in Myanmar at large. No wonder why, for the Shwedagon Pagoda houses very prestigious pieces of Myanmar’s treasures like Buddha’s hair strands, towering sculptures, the diamond filled stupa, Maha Ganda Bell, and many more. Living these aside, even the very structure itself is a masterpiece.

The Shwedagon Pagoda is full of gold plates and has a stupa adorned with about 4531 diamonds. The largest among the diamonds is an astounding 72 carat diamond. Its design truly represents the priceless beauty of Burmese temple architecture.

Around the Pagoda

Around the Pagoda

Shwedagon Pagoda

Visitors would be left awestruck with how the Shwedagon Pagoda is designed. Around the pagoda, 64 smaller pagodas and 4 larger ones stand.

The area occupied by Shwedagon Pagoda is just that enormous. Four sphinxes stand on each corner as well with six hieroglyphs around them. There are also Tazaungs which bears the image of Buddha. Here, offerings are made by devotees.

There are also lots of fiures and images to be found inside like elephants, man kneeling, lion, serpents, spirits, Wathundari, and many more. There are also embossed figures in the southwest and northwest part.

The one on the southwest part represents King Okkalapa who was the founder of the pagoda while the image of Sakka and Melamu are on the other side.

Inside the Pagoda

Inside the Pagoda

Shwedagon Pagoda

Here are the ten parts of the well-known pagoda: Diamond Bud, The Vane, The Crown, The Plantain Bud-shaped Bulbous Spire, The Ornamental Lotus Flower, The Embossed Bands, The Inverted Bowl, The Bell, The Three Terraces, and The Base. Aside from the mentioned interesting features above and its ten official parts, Shwedagon Pagoda has also some mystery to keep that makes a lot of people get more allured to the place.

There are four entry points to the base of the pagoda. However, the tricky part is that no one is certain about what lies beneath. Some stories even say that there are traps below which guard the pagoda. There are even stories about secret passages leading to Bagan and Thailand.

Another interesting information about the place is that there is a tradition of exploring the stupas in a clockwise direction that is why visitors start enter to the left side upon arrival.

On the eastern part of the pagoda, there is what they call a wish-fulfilling place where devotees come to pray that their wishes would come true.

Maha Wizaya Pagoda

Maha Wizaya Pagoda

Shwedagon Pagoda

The Maha Wizaya Pagoda is just opposite Shwedagon Pagoda. It was originally built for the first assembly of the different sects of Theravada Buddhism.

It was constructed on a small hill called Dhammarhikata which means Guardian of the Law and was finished in 1980. Inside the pagoda, you can see an image of Buddha which was given as a gift by the king and queen of Nepal.

Just like the other iconic structures in Myanmar, Maha Wizaya is also gold all over and unbelievably stunning. The inside of the pagoda is just as breath-taking as the façade. There are lots of Buddhist relics inside and the prominent central dome is covered with murals.

The shrine in the center is very serenes and always filled with flower offerings. The most unique feature of Maha Wizaya Pagoda is its dome which is hollow and open unlike the usual structures in Burmese temples.

Pagoda Gyar Taw Ya Road

Pagoda Gyar Taw Ya Road

Shwedagon Pagoda


Further Reading on Wikipedia : Shwedagon Pagoda

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North City

North of the Railway station lies the Zoo, Kandawgi Park and Shwedagon Pagoda. A trip to the shady zoo and park is a good way top cool down.

Kandawgi Park

Kandawgi Park

North City

The park is located along Natmauk Road and Kandawgyi Kanpat Road. It is composed of 110 acres worth of graden and 150 acres of water. It is a majestic view in the middle of Yangon with the lake reflecting the abundance of light that touches the place and the dazzling structures around the place.

The lake that surrounds the area gives a relaxing mood and a hypnotizing beauty. Kandawgyi actually means “the great lake”. There is so much to expect from Kandawgyi Park.

People who fancy a nice stroll along the lake and just appreciate the beauty of nature and Yangon should definitely go here.

From here, you could view the amazing Shwedagon Pagoda and Karaweik Hall. There is also an orchid garden, playground, picnic area, mini zoo, souvenir shops, and restaurants inside. The park is open from 4:00 am to 10:00 pm daily with an admission fee of 1,000 Kyats.

Zoological Gardens

Zoological Gardens

North City

The zoo opened in 1906. Since then, it has collected and sheltered many species of animals and plants. Around 200 species of animals reside there. Visitors could interact with the animals here by feeding them.

There are also shows during holidays like snake dance and elephant circus. Visitors could also ride either an elephant or a horse and take a tour around the zoo. This zoo is not only popular among tourists but is also where zoological and botanical researchers go to study animals and plants.

Aside from the zoological and botanical gardens, the National History Museum and Zoological Garden Amusement Park are also located inside the area. The zoo is found near the Kandawgyi Garden on Kandawgyi Kanpat Road. The zoo is open from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Railway Station

Railway Station

North City

The central railway station in Yangon is the largest one in Myanmar. It was built by the British in 1877 but was destroyed during the Japanese invasion in Burma.

Today, the railway station is dominated by the traditional Burmese architectural style. This is exhibited by the use of the tiered roofs called pyatthat. The station is also designed by the famous Burmese architect U Tin. The routes available at the station are the: Yangon Circular Railway, Yangon-Mandalay, Yangon-Mawlamyaing, Yangon-Bagan, Yangon-Aunglan-Bagan, and Yangon-Pyay routes. The most popular among these is Yangon’s Circular Train. For people who really want to get hold of the life the locals in Yangon the circular train is a must try activity.

The trip takes an average of three hours and circumnavigates the outskirts of Yangon. Travellers can access a train every hour. The circular train just slows down at each station and does not completely stop just enough for people to climb over or get off.

Here, many vendors also climb to sell food and other things so you do not need to worry about getting hungry. The train ride is just cheap as well as the food sold there by the locals.



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