Things to do in Mandalay: 16 must-sees

Plane: Since it's a big city, it has an airport with both international and domestic flights. As we keep telling you, flights in Myanmar aren't very cheap.

Bus: For us, the best value for getting around Myanmar. We recommend buying your tickets online from JJ Express.

• Bagan: It takes 4 hours and costs around US$6.
• Yangon: It takes 9-10 hours and costs between US$12 and US$19.
• Inle Lake (Nyaungshwe): It takes 6-7 hours and costs between US$6 and US$12.

We found the best way to get around is by tuk-tuk or taxi. As everywhere in Southeast Asia, you negotiate the price before the ride, so our advice is to download Grab (Asia's Uber) to your phone, either to order your taxi through it or to find out what a reasonable price for the trip would be, and then negotiate.

You can also book a private tour of Mandalay's pagodas.

1. Mingun Paya

One stop you have to make in Mandalay is the Mingun area, home to two incredible pagodas you can't miss.

Mingun Paya is one of them, a block of bricks that will make your jaw drop.

This pagoda was meant to be the largest in the world, but it was never finished. King Bodawpaya wanted it to stand 150 meters high and 210 meters wide, but the work was abandoned after his death, and today you can see it just as it was left. Even unfinished, it holds the record for the largest pile of bricks in the world. The pagoda has been through several earthquakes, and you can see the damage in its cracks.

There are two ways to get to Mingun:

• Ferry: for us, the easiest way. The boat leaves every day at 9 a.m. from Mingun Jetty on the Irrawaddy River and heads back at 12:30 p.m. You can buy your round-trip ticket right there, at 5,000 kyats (US$3.50) each way. The trip takes about 40 minutes. The 2.5 hours you get at the complex are enough to see everything in it.
• Tuk-tuk or motorbike: It takes about 1.5 hours from central Mandalay.

Once you get to Mingun, you pay an entrance fee of 5,000 kyats (US$3.50) to see the archaeological circuit.

2. Hsinbyume Pagoda

It's in Mingun, in the same complex as Mingun Paya, a 10-minute walk away, and entry is included in the same ticket.

It's an enormous circular pagoda, completely white, with different levels to explore. We loved it! Perfect for getting lost and taking thousands of photos.

It was built in memory of Princess Hsinbyume, who died giving birth to her son in 1816.

The Mingun complex is also home to the Mingun Bell, the second-largest working bell in the world. It stands 3.7 meters high and weighs 90 tons.

After seeing Mingun, we got back to Mandalay just in time for lunch and carried on exploring the city.

3. Mandalay Royal Palace

It sits in the middle of the citadel. Built in 1859, it was the last palace built by the Burmese kings. Honestly, there isn't much to see, but since it's included in the ticket, you can spend a little while walking around it.

The palace was bombed during World War II, but it was rebuilt in 1990 following the original design.

The ticket costs 10,000 kyats and is a combined ticket to Mandalay's archaeological zone. It includes:

• Royal Palace
• Shwenandaw Monastery
• Atumashi Monastery
• Maha Aungmye Bonzan Monastery (Inwa)
• Bagaya Monastery (Inwa)

4. Shwenandaw Monastery

A very old Buddhist monastery made entirely of teak, with tons of detail. It's truly incredible, and one of the best-preserved buildings in the imperial capital.

It's small, so you don't need much time to see it. Entry is included in the combined ticket.

5. Atumashi Kyaung

Behind Shwenandaw Monastery you'll find this other one. The Atumashi was a huge, grand structure surrounded by five graduated rectangular terraces, and it was considered one of the most magnificent buildings in Southeast Asia. The building and everything in it burned down in 1890.

The site was cleared in the 1990s and rebuilt to the original plans in 1996 by the Burmese archaeology department, using convict labor. Impressive as it is, it doesn't come close to recreating the magnificence of the original building.

6. Kuthodaw Pagoda

This incredible pagoda is known as the world's largest book, and it's an essential stop on your visit to Mandalay.

The 729 white stupas around Kuthodaw Pagoda make up the Tripitaka (the Buddhist scriptures). Inside each one is a marble slab inscribed with the Buddha's teachings. This whole formation of stupas takes up so much space that the Tripitaka is considered a giant book, which makes it the largest book ever written.

7. Sandamuni Pagoda

It's right next to Kuthodaw Pagoda. Inside, you can see the largest iron Buddha image in the country, which weighs about 20 tons and is covered in a layer of gold.

Sandamuni is known around the world for its endless white stupas (1,174 shrines, to be exact).

Entrance is free.

8. Mandalay Hill

This hill, 240 m (787 ft) above sea level, has an incredible view of Mandalay, especially at sunset. Getting up there is easier than you'd think, because they built an elevator and an escalator. You can also do it the hard way and climb the stairs for 45 minutes, completely barefoot. To get in, you have to pay an entrance fee of 1,000 kyats (US$0.70).

At the top there's a monastery covered in glass, very colorful and pretty. There are also lots of monks keen to practice their English with tourists and tell you a little about their lives.

9. Zay Cho Market

Myanmar's main market is one of the oldest in the country and isn't touristy at all. It's open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., so it's a good place to start your morning. You can find everything from fruit and spices to handicrafts.

10. U Bein Bridge

Great for watching the sunset or, if you like getting up early, the sunrise. It's a 25-minute drive from central Mandalay. Built in 1850, it's believed to be the oldest and longest wooden bridge in the world, at 1,200 meters long.

We went for the sunset and, truth be told, it was packed with tourists, locals and monks who come to say goodbye to the day. We didn't have the show to ourselves, but we didn't much mind, because it's beautiful.

11. Dee Doke Waterfall

If you have time to spare in Mandalay, don't miss this hidden spot an hour from the city. We really wanted to go, but we ran out of time. Dee Doke Waterfall is about 1 hour and 15 minutes by car southeast of Mandalay.

If you go by motorbike, you'll have to pay about 3,000 kyats for parking. Entrance to the falls is free.

It's an easy 20-minute walk from the parking lot to the main falls. At one point you'll reach a fork, with one path going left and the other going right. The left path is a 2-minute walk to the main swimming area. The other trail leads to the blue pools, which are amazing.

The water is a bit chilly until the sun reaches the mountains around 10 a.m.

There's a small café built into the mountainside that sells cold drinks and snacks.

12. Jade Pagoda

If you like jade, Mandalay has a pagoda made entirely of this mineral. It's near the airport, about 30 minutes from the city.

13. Sagaing

If you have time to spare, you can go to Sagaing, another spot on the outskirts of the city, west of the Irrawaddy River. You can negotiate with a driver to take you or rent a motorbike. It's 30 minutes from central Mandalay.

You can see several different pagodas here.

• Umin Thounzeh Paya: A very colorful complex with 45 golden Buddha images inside, all in different sizes and with different expressions.
• Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda: It has a large Buddha image inside and is one of the most important pagodas in the region.
• Sitagu International Buddhist Academy: Entrance is free. It's a pagoda with very distinctive architecture.

14. Inwa

The ancient imperial cities. After seeing Sagaing, you can head to Inwa. To get there, you can cross by boat from Sagaing for 1,400 kyats (US$1), and the trip takes 5 minutes.

What to see in Inwa

• Yadana Hsemee Pagoda: You can see the pagoda's ruins surrounded by nature.
• Teak monastery
• Maha Aungmye Bonzan Monastery
• The tower or the clock