Where to Go and What to Eat
This travel guide doesn’t just tell you where to go—it tells you what to eat while you’re there. From vibrant street food to locally treasured dishes, every stop along this route blends sightseeing with culinary adventure.
Expect a mix of serene landscapes, historical wonders, and bite-sized delights. Think crispy samosas in bustling markets, silky tamarind soup near thousand-year-old temples, and sweet palm sugar candies straight from village farms. Each day brings a new city, a new sight, and a new flavor to fall in love with.
So, grab your backpack and a hearty appetite—this is Myanmar in seven days, one delicious stop at a time.
1. Yangon’s Colonial Streets and Curry Houses
Start your day at the Shwedagon Pagoda, one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in the country. Its golden spire glows in the morning light, and the peaceful atmosphere is the perfect counterbalance to the city's energy.
After sightseeing, stroll through the Bogyoke Aung San Market. You’ll find longyi (traditional skirts), handmade crafts, and plenty of food stalls. Grab a mohinga, Myanmar’s national breakfast dish—a flavorful fish broth with rice noodles and crispy fritters on top.
For lunch or dinner, head to a traditional Burmese curry house. You’ll be served an entire table of small side dishes—fermented tea leaf salad (lahpet thoke), pickled vegetables, soups, and chutneys—all to accompany your chosen curry. Try the chicken curry or the more adventurous fish head curry. Don’t forget to finish with a glass of sweet, milky Burmese tea.
At sunset, the Colonial District comes alive. Walk down Pansodan Street to admire old British-era architecture, and stop by 19th Street in Chinatown for grilled skewers, cold beer, and people-watching.
2. Bagan’s Temples and Tamarind Delights
Start your day with a climb up a sunrise viewpoint pagoda (some are still accessible) and watch the mists lift off the horizon. After exploring iconic temples like Ananda, Dhammayangyi, and Shwesandaw, it’s time to refuel.
Bagan’s cuisine reflects its dry central climate. Local specialties include tamarind leaf salad, lentil soups, and grilled river fish. One sweet highlight you won’t forget is the tamarind flakes—a tangy, chewy treat sold by local vendors and packed in little plastic bags.
Visit the Nyaung U Market for a taste of daily life and some homemade snacks. Try mont lin ma yar (husband-and-wife snacks), crispy pancake-like bites filled with spring onions and quail eggs.
In the evening, dine at a family-run garden restaurant offering pumpkin curry, coconut rice, and the ever-popular Shan tofu salad. These dishes are usually made fresh with ingredients from surrounding villages.
3. Mount Popa and Local Palm Sugar Treats
The area around Mount Popa is rich with palm trees, and locals use every part of the plant. You’ll find small roadside stalls selling palm sugar candies, fermented toddy drinks, and jaggery sweets. These are great to sample and even better to bring home as souvenirs.
Lunch in this region is often village-style Burmese food, cooked in clay pots and eaten with your hands. Expect lentil-based curries, wild greens, and sticky rice. The flavor is rustic, with minimal oil and maximum freshness.
Many visitors stop by a palm sugar workshop where you can watch farmers climb tall palm trees to collect sap, boil it over open fires, and shape it into golden discs.
Back in Bagan by nightfall, consider a quiet rooftop dinner and reflect on the connection between Myanmar’s landscapes and its food—both shaped by tradition, resilience, and nature.
4. Inle Lake’s Floating Cuisine
Explore the lake by boat. You’ll pass tomato farms growing atop floating mats, local weavers crafting lotus silk, and open-air markets rotating among lakeside towns.
For foodies, Inle offers a range of local specialties, especially Shan cuisine. One must-try dish is Shan noodles—thin rice noodles served with a savory tomato-meat sauce, fresh herbs, and crunchy garlic. Another local favorite is Nga Htamin (fish rice), which pairs spiced fish with sticky turmeric rice.
Floating restaurants serve up piping hot vegetable curries, steamed fish wrapped in banana leaves, and unique lake-grown ingredients. You might even sample fried tofu crackers made from ground yellow peas—a staple snack in this region.
Visit the market at Nyaung Shwe, a town at the northern tip of the lake, for fresh produce and Shan sweets made from sticky rice, coconut, and jaggery.
In the evening, relax at a lakeside guesthouse with a bowl of Shan-style soup and the sound of water gently lapping below.
5. Souvenir Markets and Final Feast
Myanmar’s markets are treasure troves for souvenirs—look for handwoven scarves, lacquerware from Bagan, wood carvings, and of course, food souvenirs like tamarind flakes, jaggery candies, and dried tea leaves for making lahpet thoke at home.
If you're in Yangon, revisit Bogyoke Market or explore the bustling Thiri Mingalar Market, known for its sheer variety and authenticity.
Cap off your journey with a final Burmese feast. Choose a restaurant that offers a tasting menu of regional dishes. Sample the best from your week: a bit of Shan tofu, a spoonful of tamarind soup, a bite of crispy fried insects if you’re feeling brave.
Finish with Mont Lone Yay Paw, sticky rice balls filled with palm sugar and served during Thingyan (water festival). They're a sweet sendoff from a country that has fed both your stomach and your soul.
As you sip your last cup of Burmese tea, reflect on a week filled with ancient temples, golden sunsets, and flavors you’ll never forget.