In this blog post, you’ll find everything you need to know to plan a visit to Myanmar, including details on where to stay in Myanmar, where to eat and even things to do in the country. This free guide to Myanmar can be used to plan a trip for 5 days, 7 days or upto 20 days.

Day 1: Arrive in Myanmar

Due to most international flights arriving in Yangon, your one week itinerary for Myanmar typically starts here. Spend the remainder of the day exploring the Sule Pagoda and the grand Shwedagon Pagoda, and relax at the People’s Park just outisde the Temple. The Shwedagon Pagoda is one of the most holy temples in the country and the gold layers on the stupa will surely stun you!

Day 2: Visit The Floating Village On Inle Lake, Myanmar

The village of Inle in the Shan Hills of the country is a must visit! Inle Lake is one of the largest lakes in the country and is also home to a very unique community – the Kayans – whose women wear many rings around their neck to make it long and supposedly beautiful. Vist the monastery and the different houses in the floating village to see how rustic life on the lake survives.

Read more: Visit The Floating Village On Inle Lake, Myanmar

Day 3 and 4: Explore the cultural capital of Mandalay on a bike

Mandalay still remains as interesting as it was during the empirical times with its beautiful palace, legendary hill top temples and vibrant monasteries. Being on the banks of the Irrawaddy river, Mandalay is also a great place to start an expedition on the river!

The best way to explore Mandalay is on a scooter – we not only visited most of the temples and heritage sites, but also went out to Mingun, on the other side of the river to admire the most famous White Pagoda!

Read more: What to do in Mandalay, Myanmar

Day 5 and 6: Go on a mystery temple run in Bagan

The old city of Bagan is the most iconic place in Myanmar. Not one or ten or even a hundred, but over three thousand temples are scattered all over the plains of the Irrawaddy river in Bagan. The government has made every effort to accommodate tourism and restoration work of the old ruins. Although no one can climb the structures now, there are many pagodas where worship continues as it did in the emperical era.

The best way to explore Bagan is to rent an e-Bike and explore the temples at your own pace. Take rest indoor or in a café in the forest during the afternoon, as the heat is very intense!

Read more: A Guide To Visit Bagan, Myanmar

Optional add-on for two days: Relax on Asia’s Most Beautiful Beach

If you enjoy beaches, then Ngapali is going to score very high on your list of favourites. Its worth including it in your one week itinerary for Myanmar! Ngapali Beach (pronounced “Na-paa-lee”) is about seven kilometres long and is an ideal sunset beach. With the fringe of coconut palms all along the turquoise blue beach and white sand coastline, it’s indeed a treat to a tired traveller’s eyes.

There’s an incredible variety of hotels, resorts and hostels to chill at in the village along the coast. If you like seafood and spa experiences, Ngapali is a great place to try traditional burmese cuisine and therapeutic massages on the beach!

Read more: Visit Asia’s Most Beautiful Beach in Myanmar

Day 7: Explore more of Yangon

Yangon has a lot more to see and experience than the Shwedagon Pagoda and the Sule Pagoda. Take a ride on the Yangon Circuit Train through the corners of the former Burmese capital city. Take a walk down to the docks along the old Customs Office and the colonial buildings along the pier. Yangon is also a great place to try street food, like in the old alleys of Maha Bandula Road.

Read more: See all articles about Myanmar

How to travel to Myanmar

Myanmar is very well connected with South East Asia and India by both land and air

Air: Daily flights connect Yangon with Kolkata, Bangkok, Singapore amongst many other major airports around the region. One week itinerary for Myanmar is the most popularly priced flight ticket combo starting at INR 9,000 from Kolkata.

Bus: International bus routes do exist between Thailand and Myanmar. However, between India and Myanmar, the route is traversed by a combination of buses and taxis as the border crossing is not particularly efficient.

Tip: Regional flight and bus tickets can be purchased here

How to travel within Myanmar

Myanmar has excellent internal connectivity with bus, trains and domestic flights. All are reasonably priced. We used all modes of transport between the cities and used taxis, local buses and ferries to explore the cities, towns and villages. We’ve even used scooters and eBikes to explore Mandalay and Bagan and found it to be very cheap!

Tip: Regional flight, train and bus tickets can be purchased here. Rent scooters only from reputed companies like TT Bike Rentals so that insurance is also taken care of.

Travel costs and safety

These are two very common questions: Is it cheap to travel in Myanmar? Is Myanmar safe to travel in? Well, the answers to both questions is a solid YES! 

INR 3,000 (USD 43) can easily get you very good accommodation, food and local sightseeing and much more depending on where you are in the country. Flights are a little expensive but there are enough alternatives to choose from if you have sufficient time. 

Eating, err, Feasting in Myanmar

Food in Myanmar is as important as the temples, the cultural spots and the beaches! Our best experiences of tasting the local cuisine are from Mandalay and Ngapali – the vegetable rice and curry meals were absolutely mouth-watering. Its also extremely easy to find western food like Pizza, Pasta, Burgers just about everywhere. 

Tip: Don’t forget to visit Mingalabar in Mandalay for a sumptuous meal for two at just MYK 5,000 (INR 250 or USD 4)

How to get a Myanmar Tourist Visa

Myanmar provides visa-on-arrival and e-Visas to most nationalities. For Indians, the easiest way to enter Myanmar is to get an eVisa online – simple and fast. This makes it easy to plan a one week itinerary for Myanmar.

If you have more questions, or want to explore Myanmar with us, write to us!