What to do in Mandalay for a day
If you’re on your way to Bagan but want to make a stop in Mandalay for 24 hours, this is my recommendation for you:
Mingun – My favorite place in the Mandalay area
Start the day by taking the ferry from Mingun Jetty. Remember to bring your passport for this!
If you want to beat the tourist crowd and try to get the stunning Hsinbyume Pagoda all to yourself, hurry down and do the Mingun pagoda and the bell on your way back. The Hsinbyume Pagoda is truly majestic. My favorite pagoda in Mandalay!
U Bein Bridge
Arriving back in Mandalay, use Grab for transportation down to U Bein Bridge. We decided to get a Tuc Tuc, which is a bit more fun than a car. Our driver wanted to stop every minute because there was something that he wanted to show us, but we were on a schedule, so we had to decline over and over and over again. Persistent guy.
We arrived by lunchtime, so we had lunch before crossing the lake. They had great food for a decent price, so if you’ll be there at lunchtime I recommend eating there. We decided to cross and get transportation back to the city on the other side of the lake, but this was not that easy. It was not many taxies and we didn’t get a Grab right away either but we just started walking until we got a car on Grab. It allowed us to explore a bit more of the outreach of Mandalay.
U Bein Brigde is probably more special during sunset, so if you have more than a day, you can do U Bein one sunset and Mandalay Hill another sunset.
When getting back to Mandalay city, get a Grab to see the last three places (saves you a bit of time) before ending the day on Mandalay Hill for sunset.
Shwenandaw Monastry
The monastery is located close to the Mandalay Palace and stands out with its teak wooden structure. The monastery was originally a part of the Royal Palace in Amarapura but it was dismantled and moved when Mandalay became the capital city.
The Sandamuni Pagoda or the Kuthodaw Pagoda
These two pagodas are quite similar so if you only want to spend a day in Mandalay, choose one of the two. They are close to each other, so if you want to rush it, you might have time for both of them. The Sandamuni Pagoda is a bit less crowded but the Kuthodaw Pagoda holds the world’s largest book
Mandalay Palace
Japanese forces captured the palace during World War 2 and used it as a supply depot. The Allies bombed the palace leaving the royal mint, the watch tower and Shwenandaw monastery undestroyed. The rest of the palace was rebuilt in the 1990s.
Mandalay Hill
You can enjoy a panoramic view of Mandalay from Mandalay Hill. I recommend going up there just before sunset so you can experience the sunset there. We were on a tight schedule, so we got a car to take us up but it’s also possible to walk
