Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon: A golden dream at sunset

Whatever else you do in Yangon, set aside one late afternoon for Shwedagon. As the sun sinks, the gold-covered stupa changes color, candles glow, and the temple suddenly feels like a completely different place.

Dress code

You enter the temple grounds barefoot; shoes and socks are left at the entrance. Your shoulders and knees need to be covered. If you arrive in shorts, you can get a longyi (local sarong) at the entrance.

Your day-of-birth corner

In Burmese astrology, each day of the week (Wednesday is split into morning and afternoon) is matched with a planetary corner. Visitors pour water over the Buddha statue in the corner of their birth day and make a wish. Find out which day you were born before you set off!

Other things to do in Yangon

Start the day with mohinga, the national breakfast: rice noodles in fish broth. The Yangon Circular Train, which loops around the city, is a great way to see local life, and walking among the colonial-era buildings is a delight in its own right.