What to see in Yangon in 1 day

Yangon preserves in its most celebrated pagoda a stupa entirely covered in gold, visible from much of the city and considered by many Buddhists the most sacred place in all of Myanmar.

Burma's former capital and still its most populous city, it preserves one of Southeast Asia's best-preserved British colonial historic centres, today flanked by gilded temples and bustling markets.

The Shwedagon Pagoda starts the journey: this golden stupa over ninety meters high, covered in hundreds of kilos of gold and studded with gems at its apex, remains the most important religious symbol of the country, visited by monks and devotees at all hours of the day.

Descending toward the center, you reach the Sule Pagoda, smaller but positioned right in the city center, around which the colonial urban fabric of Yangon develops.

Strolling through the downtown streets, you observe British colonial buildings, from the City Hall to the former Supreme Court building, today largely restored after decades of abandonment.

For lunch, restaurants around the Bogyoke Aung San Market, the large covered market in colonial style, offer a first taste of Burmese cuisine, halfway between Indian and Southeast Asian influences.

The market itself, among jade stalls, lacquerware, and traditional textiles, is one of the country's most celebrated.

The Kandawgyi Lake, with its wooden boardwalk and replica of the royal Karaweik boat, instead offers a view of the Shwedagon Pagoda reflected in the water.

By evening, returning to the Shwedagon, seeing it illuminated at sunset remains the most direct way to close the day before dinner in downtown restaurants.

Shwedagon Pagoda, Sule Pagoda, and the colonial center design Yangon's religious and historical soul, while an afternoon choice between Bogyoke Aung San Market and Kandawgyi Lake adds either commercial or panoramic dimension.

The Circular Train, which circles the city through outlying neighborhoods, and a trip to Bagan, with its thousands of ancient temples, remain chapters for a second visit. Seeing Shwedagon Pagoda's golden reflection in Kandawgyi Lake is what you remember longest about Yangon.