The Hotel at Tharabar Gate in Bagan has large, spacious rooms with hardwood floors and antique-looking furniture.

Rooms are located in separate small buildings scattered around the grounds.

Each building has two rooms, each with its own veranda.

The Hotel at Tharabar Gate boasts of beautiful, spacious architecture and a large swimming pool, and is located a short distance from many of the temples in OldBagan.

Bicycle rentals are available and the hotel will set up tours of the temple region upon request.

Standard rooms at the Hotel at Tharabar Gate in Bagan run from US$60-85 per night depending on the time of year.

The Thiripyitsaya Sakura Hotel in Bagan is situated on the banks of the Ayeyarwaddy River, just minutes away from the Nyaung Airport.

The hotel is surrounded by temples, the main tourist attraction in Bagan.

It is located a short walk away from several restaurants in Old Bagan (my favorite was the Be Kind to Animals, Don’t Eat Meat Restaurant…great vegetarian place!), and not far from the New Bagan area.

The hotel itself has a beautiful garden and pool and an open-air dining and bar area where guests can enjoy the cuisines of Myanmar, Japan, and Europe, as well as an outdoor deck where breakfast is served.

There is a spa with a large list of treatments available; guests can indulge in everything from traditional massage to paraffin body wraps.

The rooms are nice and clean, and the staff is very friendly.

Tours of the area can be arranged at the front desk, and bicycle rentals are also available.

Double rooms at the Thiripyitsaya Sakura run from US$55-500 per night depending on the time of year.

Boats from Bagan to Mandalay, Myanmar run regularly throughout the year.

However, the schedule varies according to the season and the water level on the river.

The general boat schedule from Bagan Mandalay is below.

Make sure to check an updated boat schedule when you arrive.

Boat from Bagan to Mandalay

Runs: Daily

Departs Mandalay 6:30am

Arrives Bagan 6:30pm

Cost of boat from Bagan Mandalay: USD$20

Boats from Mandalay to Bagan, Myanmar run all throughout the year.

The boat schedule varies according to the season and water levels on the river.

There are two different kinds of ferry boats from Mandalay to Bagan, the slow boat to Bagan and the speed boat to Bagan.

The ferry boat schedule from Mandalay to Bagan is listed below.

Be sure to check updated ferry boat schedules when you arrive in Mandalay.

Slow Boat from Mandalay to Bagan

Runs: Sunday and Wednesday

Departs Mandalay 5:30am

Arrives Bagan 4:30pm

Cost of boat from Mandalay to Bagan: USD$33

Speed Boat from Mandalay to Bagan

Runs: Daily

Departs Mandalay 7am

Arrives Bagan 4:30pm

Cost of boat from Mandalay to Bagan: USD$10

The Be Kind to Animals Restaurant in Bagan, Myanmar is located in Old Bagan near a small crop of shops and restaurants.

As the name implies, the Be Kind to Animals Restaurant is a vegetarian restaurant in Bagan.

The food is delicious, even for meat-loving types.

The owner and his wife run the Be Kind to Animals Restaurant in Bagan, and they are very friendly and welcoming to guests.

The owner will probably sit down with you and tell you about their family while you eat.

If you stop in, try the vegetable fried rice. It is the best I’ve ever tasted.

The best Bagan hotels are located in Old Bagan, the part of the city where most residents formerly resided.

Old Bagan has no shortage of hotels, from budget hotels in Bagan to luxury hotels in Bagan.

Below is information about what I consider to be the two best Bagan hotels.

Thiripyitsaya Sakura Bagan Hotel in Bagan, Myanmar
Address: Bagan Archeological Zone, Old Bagan, Myanmar

The Thiripyitsaya Sakura Hotel in Bagan is situated on the banks of the Ayeyarwaddy River, just minutes away from the Nyaung Airport.

Double rooms at the hotel run from US$55-500 per night depending on the time of year.

The Hotel at Tharabar Gate in Bagan, Myanmar
Address: Near Tharabar Gate, Old Bagan, Myanmar

The Hotel at Tharabar Gate in Bagan has large, spacious rooms with hardwood floors and antique-looking furniture.

Standard rooms run from US$60-85/night depending on the time of year.

With three thousand temples in a 42 square kilometer valley, Bagan is truly a sight to behold.

From small brick temples that dot the roadside to huge white stone temples with 50ft.

Buddha statues, Bagan has a stunning variety of places to explore.

Recently the New York Times magazine called Bagan the NEW Siem Reap and they’re pretty close to right.

Bagan is the highly undiscovered valley of temples in central Myanmar (Burma).

It’s not directly accessible by international flights and only served by a few domestic flights a day.

There some great Bagan hotels and it’s definitely off the beaten path.

Once you’re there, you will not be disappointed by Bagan.

The valley has over 3000 temples, some of them over 1000 years old.

Best of all, they’re spread out and mostly free to enter.

You can stake out your own private tour and visit many of them in the presence of MAYBE a single person, at best.

It’s wonderful and refreshing to see the beauty of Bagan by yourself, with very few touts and other unsavory characters.