Located on the eastern bank of the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) River, the ancient city of Bagan (formerly known as Pagan) was once home to over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas, and stupas. While only a little over 2,000 of these monuments remain today, their sheer brilliance still attracts travelers from all over the globe.
Once you're in Bagan there is a lot to see. The "Temple Town" and its larger area – known formally as the Bagan Archaeological Zone – includes temples from the city and four other settlements: Nyaung U, Old Bagan, Myinkaba, and New Bagan.
This brief guide indicates the best ways of getting around Bagan so guests can make the most of their time in the city, by visiting as many different sites in as comfortable a manner as possible.
Private Car with Guide
Renting a car-with-driver is, without doubt, the most convenient and comfortable way for guests to explore Bagan and its surrounding settlements. All cars are imported, well maintained, and air-conditioned, and their drivers are courteous and dependable.
Bagan sits on a vast plain stretching over an area of 50 square kilometers, and along with its latitude, this makes the city almost always warm.
The average temperature during the months of May, June, and July is around 99°F (37°C) and temperatures can reach highs of around 93°F (34°C) even during winter. This makes it all the more important for guests to travel in comfortable, air-conditioned, cars.
Guides will be enthusiastic about sharing their culture and way of life with you and will be provided with your itinerary beforehand so they can plan your day for you. They will know when you need to be driven back to your hotel for lunch and rest.
The guides speak English and are well informed, friendly, and at your service. You can spend as much – or as little – time as you want at any given attraction and you have the opportunity to explore the city at your own pace.
It is important to bear in mind that the quality of infrastructure in Myanmar is low, comparing poorly with that of other countries. The roads in Bagan may be bumpy, dusty, and poorly maintained.
This all makes traveling by private car, with reliable drivers who know the area well, the most desirable option. All you have to do is enjoy Bagan, without worrying about a single thing!
You can get a clearer picture of the weather in Bagan and better plan your trip by reading the following in-depth article.
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Excellent planned and executed Myanmar excursion
Asia Highlights and their local Myanmar partner "mAsia" did an excellent job in planning and execution of a one week trip to Myanmar.The various tour guides and drivers had good knowledge and good command over English. More
Gerd,
Jan 2018
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Planning our trip
We have spend that last eight months planning a trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Alisa Lia was creative & patient helping us customize our tour to include the sites and adventures we were excited to see. Hard waiting for the trip to start. More
Jamie Danner,
Oct 2023
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My experience in Thai
All of this was well organized by the local office. The holiday was wonderful. Our guide, Mr. Longdy( Siem Reap)were exceptional. He shared his extensive knowledge of the many wonderful places we visited, and were flexible to take us to additional places along the way based on discussions. Thank you so much .shared their extensive knowledge of the many wonderful places we visited, and were flexible to take us to additional places along the way based on discussions. More
kelli,
Jul 2023
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Seamless Planning
From the day I submitted an inquiry request, I instantly received a response from Monica asking my preferences for my trip. She has been attentive and responsive to our every needs and we very much appreciate it. Looking forward to our trip in November but many thanks to Monica for making this experience to seamless thus far. More
Sana Samhouri,
Jul 2023
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Very professional agency for a memorable trip to Asia
A special thanks to Albee who worked with us and helped to tailor the itinerary to our taste, she was amazing and always available for whatever we needed. The trip would not have been the same without her and her team. Thank you! More
Daniela,
Jul 2023
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It was our first time in Cambodia and …
It was our first time in Cambodia and we had a wonderful time. The accommodations, food, and sites were really beautiful. We ended our trip with a relaxing massage. Sam was very accommodating to our needs and knowledgeable. Thank you for the laughter and for being so kind. More
Amy Oakes Moon,
Jun 2023
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Our guide Borin - never boring!
Our guide Borin, in Cambodia, was knowledgeable, understanding and thoughtful in every aspect of the plan he put together for our trip to Siem Reap and in its execution. He can read the room, and knew exactly how to pace the tour, when to pause, when to break, and how to prepare us for the maximum benefit. He is extremely kind and caring, and it showed at every turn. He also is a dab hand with the camera, and we have a lot of great pictures to show for it. Kudos to my Asia Highlights coordinator - Cathy Chen, for picking Borin. Borin works with a driver (007) who was also very kind and caring. Whenever we returned to the car, he would have cold towel rolls and chilled water to refresh us. So amazingly considerate. It was an unforgettable experience More
David Muliyil,
Jun 2023
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Great visit!
Our guide, Anna, was fantastic! She was highly informative and a delight to spend our days with. Would request her again if we were to return! More
Alejandra M Almonte,
Jun 2023
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We've had such a great experience…
We've had such a great experience planning our honeymoon with Alisa at Asia Highlights! We gave her our dream itinerary, thinking that it might be impossible to do all the things we wanted, but Alisa made our dreams a reality! She's gone so far above and beyond to answer ALL of our questions and make little adjustments that will make a huge impact on our experience. More
Lauren,
Jun 2023
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Alisa knows how to work fast and please a customer.
Alisa is very helpful and works very fast. I am a very difficult client because Inknow what I want in therm of hotels and comfort. She had a lot of patience with me, and moved a lot the plan of the trip, always following my requests. It was a pleasure organizing my trip with her. I recommend her a lot! Thanks Alisa. Malala from Argentina. More
maria laura artola,
Jun 2023
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Trip-of-a-lifetime
In addition, I want to specifically mention the guides provided in certain locations. Rum, in Siem Reap, made the most memorable experience possible. His positivity was contagious - even when it felt like 1000 degrees and we were tired. He brought it all to life, and created a couple days of Ankor Wat, etc. that we will never forget! He heard my daughter's request for specific Cambodian food, and changed our itinerary to go to a village and eat at a locally known shop. He brought the dessert she asked about to us in the car! Overall, he and his driver "Lucky" were a reason to go to Siem Reap. In addition, the other guides (minus one which was switched out immediately) were stupendous. Mon in Bangkok was friendly and provided a great day there; Eak in Chiang Mai gave us a world-class food-tour and day touring the city and its surrounding temples with lots of laughs; Tommy in Hanoi kept us from getting killed in the traffic and gave a stupendous food and architecture/history tour - so very friendly and funny; the fishing village tour in Hoi An, as well as the side-car tour in Saigon, were both unforgettable! Thank you Sharon, and Asia Highlights. Would definitely use again for future trips! More
Teri Simpson,
Apr 2023
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Cambodia and Vietnam adventure!
Our guide in Cambodia, Meas Darapolaith (Pol), was absolutely amazing. He was knowledgeable, friendly and so helpful. His English was excellent and he shared important insights about history and the magnificent sites we visited. We highly recommend him! More
Jennifer Roth Krieger,
Apr 2023
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My daughter and I wanted to discover SE…
My daughter and I wanted to discover SE Asia. Being the first in that region, we wanted to use a tour service company. We ended up using Asia Highlights. From the beginning we were impressed with their services. We left home with of mind because all the pre-travel arrangements were taking care and communicate to us efficiently. All our questions were answered promptly. Once in the countries, we were welcome by our excellent tour guides. Everything was taking care for us. We did not have one issue. They selected the right tours guides for us, they were highly knowledgeable and so much attentive to our needs. We had Dhat in Vietnam and Borin in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I highly recommend Asia Highlights. I came back home so much rested, and with plenty of wonderful pictures and memories. I will definitely use Asia Highlights again for my next trip to Asia. More
Isabelle Dessaux,
Apr 2023
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Fabulous tour and guide in Cambodia
We have been touring Cambodia, guided by Borin ( and driver 007) for the last 2 days. What a fabulous experience! Borin has been a wonderful guide, the best so far in Southeast Asia, explaining the history and culture of Cambodia through his tours of the temples in and around Angkor, as well as the Landmine museum. He has answered all our questions, made sure we were comfortable, and that we have had great food. 007 made sure we always had enough water and cool towels for our face/neck.We highly recommend Borin as a tour guide for Cambodia!! More
Monica,
Mar 2023
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Best Travel Service for Asia Travel
Alisa Liu was in charge of making the arrangements and she helped us from the start to make all of the arrangements and also helped us when we had questions and requested some adjustments. Her service is of the highest professional level. We are 100% confident that our trip will be perfect. We’re also 100% confident that, if anything comes up during our trip, that Alisa will be there to guide us through and take care of us. We won’t even consider using another agency for travel around Asia and we would like to have Alisa work for us again. More
Leo Pospichal,
Mar 2023
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Tour of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand
The tour guides and drivers were another high point. All were very good, friendly, knowledgeable and spoke English well. There were two that I want to call out for their excellence. Chan Sovannarith in Siem Reap was our guide in Cambodia. He really made the experience special. His knowledge, willingness to answer all my questions, helpfulness and general attitude made him fun to be around. In order to praise the second exceptional guide I have to explain about an unfortunate occurrence that I had. I'm normally a very active senior, but after leaving Cambodia for Laos I was suddenly struck by the most intense back pain I've ever experienced, couldn't even roll over in bed (turned out to be sciatica). The guide, Mr. Sonophet, really went the extra mile. He went with my traveling companion and bought a back brace and medications for me. When that didn't help much he took me to a clinic where I was seen by a doctor, given a shot and pain meds. He hand-made a walking stick for me that I'm still using! He made it possible for me to somewhat participate in the activities, i.e. a bed on the boat down the river. When it was time to move on to Bangkok he got me a wheelchair at the airport. I can't thank him enough for these kindnesses! This problem lasted for the remainder of the trip, through Bangkok and Phuket and these guides were also very helpful getting wheelchairs, etc. It was a terrible disappointment to have this wonderful trip disrupted, but it would have been SO much worse without the great help that I received from the guides and my poor travel companion! More
Deb M,
Mar 2023
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In good hands with Sam
Sam Ol took very good care of us - lots of information, listened to and answered all our questions, was passionate about the places we visited and about his people and country. He was kind, had a great sense of humor, and made sure we felt safe and comfortable at all times. He helped us to fall in love with Cambodia in 3 short days. More
Carol Jones,
Feb 2023
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Best tour guide in Cambodia
When we first arrived at the airport in Siem Riep it was so nice to be greeted by Mr Sam Ol. We instantly fell at home when we saw his friendly smile. We were impressed by his great English and knowledge of the temples. On the tour to the temples Sam took care of us every step of the way. He took awesome pictures of us. It felt like we were on a tour given by our brother who is also a professional photographer. Also, we appreciate his humor as well as the fact he had an answer for every question we had. I give Sam 5 stars, best tour guide ever :) More
Len S,
Feb 2023
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Mr. Sam
Mr. Sam our guide in Cambodia, he and the driver out standing service they went above and beyond touring, my wife so amazed beautiful country, we're planning back here near the futures. Thank Mr. Sam,We'll feedback the whole trip next week when we be home in US More
Pho Lover,
Feb 2023
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Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand
We are still in the middle of our trip, but we are just finishing up our time in Cambodia and our guide, Borin, has been AMAZING!!! He has truly made our time here unforgettable and I plan on referring all of my friends and family to come visit this beautiful country! Thank you, Borin, for everything you did to make our trip so fantastic! More
Danielle Blount,
Feb 2023
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E-Bikes and Bicycles
E-bikes, or electric bicycles, which operate much like motorbikes but are powered by electric batteries, can be rented from any rental agency. They're usually cheap to rent, but using one to travel from one place to another on a hot Bagan afternoon is extremely uncomfortable, to say the least.
Roads in Bagan are sandy and dusty and not ideal for e-bikes. There have been instances of visitors getting seriously injured traveling by e-bike on such poorly maintained, bumpy, roads.
Furthermore, if the battery dies, there's not much you can do except wait for someone from the rental agency to show up with a fresh battery. If the battery dies in the evening or late at night, however, you're well out of luck and will have to push the vehicle back.
When it comes to bicycles, while you don't have to worry about batteries dying, you do have to consider seriously whether you really want to travel by bike on dangerously gravelly roads in scorching weather conditions. If the answer is yes, we recommend you wear a helmet and carry a lot of water!
Taxi
Taxi service is available in Bagan, just like in most big cities in Myanmar. Taxis aren't necessarily cheap, however, and most are not air-conditioned. Since Bagan is extremely hot almost all year round, traveling in a car without air-conditioning doesn't exactly spell 'comfort'.
Do also bear in mind that many taxis in Bagan are shared and make multiple stops along the way. Moreover, most drivers speak little or no English.
If it's convenience you're after, do avoid traveling by taxi.
If you do, however, choose to travel by taxi, we recommend you negotiate a price with your driver beforehand so as to avoid any hassles upon completion of your journey.
Hot Air Balloon
Is there a better way to start your day than to take a hot air balloon over the vast Bagan plain at sunrise? We certainly don't think so! The sight of hot air balloons drifting over the ancient city has become an iconic image in Myanmar.
Hot air ballooning offers visitors unparalleled views of Bagan, of its innumerable temples and pagodas, its surrounding settlements and the Irrawaddy River at sunrise.
The balloons are safe and made by well-known manufacturers in the UK or Spain. Most pilots are from the UK, have valid licenses and years of flying experience, and observe the highest safety standards.
This is an experience you simply mustn't miss during your time in Bagan.
To learn more about this unique experience – including costs, schedules, and what to expect when flying – check this out: Balloon Flights Over Bagan.
Boat
An hour-long sunset cruise along the Irrawaddy River is just what you need after a long day of temple- or pagoda-hopping. Drink some hot tea and enjoy a light snack as you take in the beautiful view of the sun going down behind the mountains.
We recommend you leave an hour or so before sunset so you have plenty of time to relax.
Horse Cart
Riding among the temples in a horse cart is an unforgettable experience. While it may not be the fastest transport option, seeing the ruins from the shaded, padded bed of a horse cart is certainly an authentic way of getting around Bagan.
Most drivers speak decent English, know the area well, and may even take you to sites seldom visited by other travelers.
A cart works best for two people, but it's possible to accommodate a family of three or four (if the children are fairly young).
Visit Myanmar with Asia Highlights
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