u/hoandang

Just wrapped up 3 weeks across Myanmar and it was one of the most underrated trips I've done. Almost zero crowds, especially in Bagan. Sharing the full breakdown in case anyone's planning a run.

Logistics: Booked all accommodation through Booking.com, used Oway Travel for the long-distance bus tickets. Easy enough to sort once you're there.

Money & payments (read this first)

Sort your cash before anything else. Bring clean, crisp USD — note condition directly affects your rate.

Exchange: Most of local money changer shops would give you a rate around 4k to 4k1 kyat per USD, depending on how clean your notes are.
Local SIM/number: SK Mobile. Google address if you need the precise spot: No.145, Anawrahta Street, Ground Floor, 14/2 Ward, Kyauktada Tsp, Yangon.

The KBZ Pay trick: once you've got a local number, you can unlock the KBZ Pay app and upgrade to Level 2, which lets you top up with your international card. KBZ is accepted basically everywhere — even small food stalls — so it's super convenient if you'd rather not carry cash around. Highly recommend setting this up early.

> Note on the Level 2 upgrade: it asks for a permanent Myanmar address, but don't overthink it — just put in your current hotel address and they'll approve it regardless. They seem pretty desperate for tourist money right now, so it sails through.

Worst-case fallbacks if you run out:

ATM: CB Bank ATMs surprisingly worked for me with my Aussie CommBank debit card. Rate is worse than cash exchange though — around 3,500 kyat per USD.
Cash delivery: if the ATM won't play ball, you can request a cash delivery through Remitly. Works, but the rate is the worst of the lot — only around 2,600 kyat per USD, so treat it as a last resort.

Yangon

From the airport I just took the public bus to Sule Square, which puts you dead centre of everything.

Main stuff worth your time:

Sule Pagoda — right in the middle of the city
Shwedagon Pagoda — the big one. For sunset, the lake view or the park nearby is a free spot. If you're happy to drop ~$20, there's a rooftop bar close by with hands-down the best view of it
Circle train loop — slow, local, great way to see the city
Chinatown — near Sule, and honestly a highlight. Loads of local food, and there's a bar street where crowds gather in the evening for drinks and a good buzz. Great spot to eat and people-watch
Plenty of other pagodas and temples scattered around

I also booked a bus out to Kyaiktiyo (the Golden Rock). Stay overnight if you want to catch the sunrise up there — worth it.

Bagan

Took the overnight bus (~12 hours) from Yangon. Multiple military checkpoints along the way, but as a foreigner they don't bother you at all.

Stayed in Old Bagan, rented an e-bike and just explored the whole zone. This is where it hit me how few tourists there are — minimal to literally zero most of the time. It's stunning.

Top spots:

Bagan Viewing Tower (Bagan Nan Myint Tower) — နန်းမြင့်မျှော်စင်ပုဂံ — ~18k kyat entry for a full 360° view of the zone
Sunrise Hill — ဆွေတော်မျိုးတော် — head here for sunrise around 5am
Bupaya Pagoda — ဗူးဘုရား — my pick for sunset. The sun drops directly behind the stupa, perfect framing

Food/evening:

Night market on Thiri Pyitsaya 4th St — tons of local food stalls. Heads up, they shut down after 9pm
Lanmadaw 3rd St — plenty of restaurants and cafes if you miss the market

Mandalay

5-hour bus from Bagan. Full honesty — I mostly chilled at the hotel here and didn't explore much.

Main thing:

The palace and surrounds, where you get that iconic shot of the hill and river blending together
Climb the hill for an elevated view down over the palace

One note: after the recent earthquakes they no longer light up the palace moat at night, so don't expect that.

That's the lot. Happy to answer questions if anyone's heading over.

Why is my Wise Visa card failing at ATMs in Ulaanbaatar?

3 weeks solo in Myanmar (Yangon → Bagan → Mandalay) — barely saw another tourist, here's everything I figured out

Money & payments (read this first)

Yangon

Bagan

Mandalay