It has been said that to know Mandalay is to know Myanmar. Situated in the heart of upper Myanmar 688 km north of Yangon. The city lies at the hub of river routes from China and India and land routes from Shan massif and Siam beyond.  Mandalay was founded in 1857 by King Mindon. The King ordered the building of a vast palace-city as the capital of the Konboung, Myanmar’s last dynasty. The original moat and walls a mile and a half on each side still stand with splendid pyattat spires over each gate. The British captured Mandalay in 1885 following a campaign for control of the Ayeyarwady River and ended the capital of Myanmar Konboung dynasty. Today, it is the second largest city with a population of nearly a million, boasting its rich cultural heritages. Mandalay, the city of markets and monasteries is the economic and religious centre of upper Myanmar. Mandalay has excellent air, rail, road and river connections and is a great base from which to explore the rest of upper Myanmar.

Mandalay Hill : Mandalay Hill, 230 meters high. From the summit you can have a magnificent view of the city, the Royal Palace with its huge surrounding walls and notorious moat, and the spectacular sunset view over the plain a top the 1729 steps of Mandalay Hill.

Mandalay Palace : The original palace walls, the moat and the four gates still stand today as evidence of majestic palace city. Within lay the “forbidden city”, an elaborate arrangement of teak pavilions, throne rooms and halls. Tragically this was subsequently destroyed but is has now been reconstructed to give an impression of the awesome scale of the royal palace and its gold leaf and lacquer decorations.
 

Mahamuni Pagoda : It was built in 1784 by King Bodawpaya. The Mahamuni Buddha Image, originally brought from Rakhine State, a figure nearly 13 feet high and covered in layers of gold leaf 1 to 2 inches thick. Being the most revered pagoda in Mandalay, the early morning ritual of washing the face of the Buddha’s image, draws a daily crowd of devotees.

Kuthodaw Pagoda : Kuthodaw Pagoda was constructed by King Mindon in 1857. It also referred to as the “world’s largest book”, which consists of the complete Buddhist scriptures inscribed on 729 upright stone slabs surrounding the shrine.

Other Attractions in Mandalay

- Kyauktawgyi Pagoda (A huge image of Buddha sculpted from single Sagyin marble)
- Zegyo Market (Meeting point of the goods come from China, India, Thai and flow to the other part of the country.)
- Silk Weaving Cottage Industry.
- Stone Carving
- Shwe In Bin Monastery.

Mandalay's Surrounding

Amarapura

Situated about 11 km south of Mandalay, former capital of Konbaung Dynasty during the reign of King Bodawpaya when he moved its capital to Amarapura in 1783.

U Bein Bridge : Three quarter mile long completely teak wood bridge stands up on its 1086 columns was built by U Bein in 1784. It cross the Taungthaman Lake.

Places of interest in Amarapura are : Kyauktdawgyi Pagoda, Mahagandayon Monastery ,Cotton and silk weaving cottage industry.

In - Wa (Ava)

It lies to southwest of Amarapura. From 1364, Inwa was the capital of Inwa Kingdom for nearly 400 years during the second Myanmar empire.

Places of interest in Inwa are : Nanmyint watch Tower, Maha Aung Mye Bonzan Monastery, Bagaya Monastery, lacquer ware industry and In-wa bridge spanning the Ayeyarwaddy River.

Mingun

It is about 11km upstream from Mandalay on the western banks of the Ayeyarwaddy River. A huge unfinished pagoda and the world’s largest 90 tons ringing bell are worth seeing. A 45 minutes cruise to Mingun is virtually pleasing as plenty of river life can be observed along the trip.

Sagaing

It is situated on the west bank of Ayeyarwaddy River. Sagaing lies 21km south-west of Mandalay. Sagaing Hills are dotted with pagodas and there are over 500 monastries for monks and nuns are located for histic studies and meditation. Sagaing became a capital of an independent shan Kingdom around 1315 AD after the fall of Bagan.

Kaungmudaw Pagoda : About 10km from Sagaing and enormous dome shaped pagoda rises 46 metres high was built by King Thalun in 1636, on the model of the mahaceti pagoda of Srilanka.

Ywahtaung Village : A place, known for its silversmith is worth visiting.

Pyin Oo Lwin

Pyin Oo Lwin is located on the plateau at the elevation of over 1100 metres and it is situated at 69km away from Mandalay. It is well known for its colonial style houses with large compound and pinetrees, eucalyptus and silver-oak abound in town. It was cool and pleasant climate around the year.

Places of interest : The 175 hectare Botanial Garden, Chinese Buddhist Temple, Pwekauk waterfalls and Peik-Chin Myaung Cave.

Lashio

A city situated as a connecting point between Mandalay and Myanmar-China border. On the way to Lashio you can experice the magnificent Goteik Bridge lying on the railway built in 1903.