This is the Mandalay & Around chapter from Lonely Planet’s Myanmar (Burma) guidebook.

Quarters full of craftsmen and tree-shaded monasteries provide an escape from Mandalay’s urban bustle. Temple-topped Mandalay Hill looms over the city’s otherwise pan-flat topography, and several mini-theatres showcase traditional performing arts. From Mandalay take day-trips to nearby attractions.

• join the dawn monk parade crossing the world’s longest teak bridge, Amarapura’s iconic U Bein’s Bridge
• maps
• gaze over hundreds of pagodas and the Ayeyarwady River from atop Sagaing Hill, one of Myanmar’s more important religious sites
• transport
• restaurants & accommodation
• climb Mingun Paya, a king-sized unfinished stupa reached by a boat ride from Mandalay

Coverage includes: Mandalay & around, Amarapura, Ayeyarwady Bridges, Inwa (Ava), Sagaing, Mingun, Paleik, Yankin Hill.