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 Country information

Should you go?

Burma is not noted for the attractiveness of its regime - to put it mildly.  There are arguments for and against visiting Burma which will not be repeated here, but they are well explained in the Lonely Planet Guide to Myanmar (see this link) and you should consider them carefully before deciding whether to go.  You might also want to see www.burmacampaign.org.uk, which tells tourists not to go.  However, if you do decide to go, you'll find a fascinating country which is easy and safe to visit, with friendly and honest people.  Paradoxically, the lack of mass tourism due to the boycott of the regime has preserved Burma from the westernisation affecting some other Asian countries, making it one of the most interesting places to visit now, before it's too late.

'Myanmar' or 'Burma'?

'Myanmar' is the Burmese-language name for Burma, and always was, even in colonial times.  'Burma' is the English-language name for Myanmar, and still is.  The Burmese government switched to using the Burmese-language name for the country in 1948, and in 1989 also switched to using the Burmese-language names for a number of places around the country.  On this webpage, the Burmese names are used first, with the familiar English-language name in brackets, for example 'Yangon (Rangoon)' or 'Mawlamyine (Moulmein)'.

Train schedules, train fares & travel information... Yangon - Bago - Pyinmana - Thazi - Mandalay Yangon - Bagan Yangon - Thazi - Kalaw - Shwenyaung (for Inle lake) Yangon - Bago - Kyaikto - Mawlamyine (Moulmein) Yangon - Pyay Mandalay - Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo) - Hsipaw - Lashio Mandalay - Kawlin - Myitkyina Mandalay - Bagan Mandalay - Kalaw - Shwenyaung (for Inle lake) River steamers, Mandalay-Bagan-Pyay-Yangon:  Irrawaddy steamers. How to buy tickets What are Burmese trains like? Map of train routes in Southeast Asia Hotels in Burma

Above:  A train from Lashio to Mandalay crosses the famous Gokteik Viaduct in Shan state, northern Burma.  Photo courtesy of Bernhard Heiser of www.asiaphoto.de, which has excellent pictures of what to see in Burma...

There are NO international trains from Burma, and it can be difficult to enter Burma overland from either India or Thailand because the borders are closed to foreigners and foreigners are not permitted in most border areas. 

Sponsored links...

The Rangoon to Mandalay express trains are a comfortable and (in fact) relatively fast and punctual option for travel between these cities.  A bit bumpy in places, perhaps, but much more comfortable than cramped buses and far more of a real Burmese travel experience than a flight.  In fact, the train ride is a highly recommended experience, over the old British-built colonial railway!   Most Rangoon-Mandalay trains were rescheduled to run by day rather than overnight in 2006 when the government moved the capital to Pyinmana, but have been switched back to mostly overnight from January 2012.

Yangon ► Mandalay
Train number:	1	11	5	29 *	3	7
Classes:	U,1,O	U, O	S, U,1,O,R	SS, S, U, O	S, U,1, O	U, O
Yangon (Rangoon) depart:	04:00	06:00	15:00	17:00	19:00	20:30
Bago (Pegu)	06:11	07:59	16:54	|	20:59	22:29
Taungoo	??:??	12:38	21:30?	23:30?	01:30?	??:??
Pyinmana  (Naypyitaw)	??:??	15:13	23:50?	02:00?	04:00?	??:??
Thazi	??:??	18:35	03:00	05:20?	07:00	-
Mandalay arrive:	03:00	22:30	06:30	08:15	11:15	-

* IMPORTANT:  It's reported that train 29 & 30 stopped running on 8 January 2012.  It's not clear if this is a temporary cancellation or permanent.

? = Guestimated time.  ??:?? = intermediate times not known, but will be added as information becomes available.  Feedback appreciated!

S = standard sleeping-car   SS = special sleeping-car   U = upper class seats  1 = first class seats  O = ordinary class seats  R = restaurant car

The timetable shown here applies from January 2012, be aware that a number of Burmese travel agency sites still show 2011 times, and one possibly pre-2006 information.

Rangoon to Mandalay is 622 km (388 miles).  All the trains shown here run daily.  Trains 29 & 30 are known as the 'Chinese train', using the newest Chinese coaches, better than other trains.

Mandalay ► Yangon
Train number:	8	12	2	6	30 *	4
Classes:	U, O	U,1,O	U,1,O	S, U,1,O,R	SS, S, U, O	S, U, 1, O
Mandalay depart:	-	06:00	08:30	15:00	17:30	19:00
Thazi	-	09:33	??:??	17:50?	20:20?	21:50?
Pyinmana	??:??	12:47	??:??	21:00?	23:30?	01:00?
Taungoo	??:??	15:03	??:??	23:20?	02:00?	03:20?
Bago (Pegu)	20:13	20:22	06:54	04:28	|	09:13
Yangon (Rangoon) arrive:	22:15	22:30	09:??	06:30	08:45	11:15

Foreigners must pay fares in US dollars.  Children under 3 years old travel free, children under 10 pay half fare. 

How to buy tickets      What are Burmese trains like?      Hotels & accommodation     Map of train routes in Southeast Asia

Upper class seats:  Upper class cars on a Rangoon to Mandalay express are actually quite comfortable.  There is no air-conditioning, which is almost an advantage because the windows open for a cool breeze and unrivalled views of the Burmese countryside.

Fares
One-way in either direction	Special sleeper	Standard sleeper	Upper class seat	First class seat	Ordinary seat
Rangoon - Mandalay (train 29 or 30)	$ 50	$ 40	$ 35	?	$ 15
Rangoon - Mandalay (all other trains)	-	$ 33	$ 30	?	$ 11
Rangoon - Thazi (train 29 or 30)	-	$ 40	$ 28	?	$ 12
Rangoon - Thazi (all other trains)	-	$ 33	$ 24	?	$ 9
Rangoon - Pyinmana	-	$ 27	$ 20	?	$ 7
Rangoon - Bago	-	-	$ 5	?	$ 2
Thazi - Mandalay (train 29 or 30)	-	-	$ 8	?	$ 4
Thazi - Mandalay (all other trains)	-	-	$ 7	?	$ 3

About the journey...

	Above:  Train 17 from Rangoon to Mandalay passes Bago.  The open windows and relatively slow speeds make train travel a great way to see Burma.

Contrary to what you might read in your guidebook, the Rangoon to Mandalay express trains are a comfortable, fairly fast and reasonably punctual way to travel between Rangoon and Mandalay.  Trains are available for boarding at Rangoon in good time (normally at the platform right in front of you when you enter the station), and they generally depart promptly with whistles blown, flags waved, and a long low hoot from the locomotive.

The train trundles out of Rangoon at just 15mph with the local children trying to hang on to the outside, accelerating to 40-45mph once clear of the city, clickety-clacking past small villages of palm-thatched cottages built on stilts, ox carts trundling slowly along dusty roads, and occasional white or gold stupas.  Burmese children love to wave at trains, especially if they see a western face at the window, and will smile broadly when you wave back.  You'll be travelling along a railway originally built by the British - look out for the old-fashioned semaphore signals and mock-Tudor signal boxes at Bago.

Even when night falls, you'll see the palm trees silhouetted in the moonlight, and the smell of the village cooking fires will drift into your sleeper compartment through the open window.  Make sure you have a jumper or fleece handy if you travel overnight, as it can get very cold a few hours after dark.  The track is not the best in the world and in places it will put your carriage suspension through its paces, but you stand a good chance of arriving at the other end within 5 or 10 minutes of the advertised time.  However, delays of 30 - 60 minutes or more are not uncommon, so make allowances.

Travellers' reports...

Traveller Roger Minns reports from January 2008:  "After a last shower we set off on the midday walk to the station and our rendezvous with our upper class seats of the ’Chinese 29 up train’ from Rangoon bound for Mandalay leaving at 12.30.  And there it was!  A spacious carriage with collapsed but still surprisingly comfortable seats (albeit in the permanently fully-reclined mode) some 40 years old but mercifully with windows which opened fully and a ceiling full of fans which worked!  The carriage was full with polite local people including a couple of monks.  We left on time through the outskirts of Rangoon and then through an arid farming area.  People working on the land with oxen but no tractors or farm equipment – unbelievably arduous work.  Occasionally our train slowed or stopped at a station when a multitude of vendors would get on – often emerging from the roof with a range of hot and cold food offerings – including, to Tom’s undisguised delight, a bloke with tins of coldish Myanmar beer.  There was also a restaurant service of sorts on board and Graham in particular took full advantage of the supply of noodles, curries and, inevitably, coffee.  After dark the lights didn’t really work so we tried to sleep in fairly uncomfortable circumstances.  It was chilly, but with the windows closed not excessively so, and we all managed to kip for a bit. Any urge Tom and I might have had to visit the loo rapidly evaporated when a rather shaken-looking Graham returned with a report that there was a loose turd rolling around on the lavatory floor!  Then, suddenly at 3am, our arrival on time at Mandalay Station!  We had worried about arriving at Mandalay at 3 in the morning expecting the place to be dead. Far from it! The station was humming with music, tea houses, people sleeping on the platform and, inevitably, taxi drivers! "

Rangoon's colonial railway station...		The train leaves Rangoon...

People walk the tracks...		...you can smell the village fires.

Mandalay here we come!		...there's even to odd golden stupa.

Bagan, where 800-year-old temples and stupas litter a huge plain as far as the eye can see, should not be missed.  There is a new daily direct train between from Rangoon to Bagan introduced in early 2010, complete with sleeping-car.  Alternatively, you can take an express train from Rangoon to Thazi then a bus or taxi to Bagan, or you could take an express train from Rangoon to Mandalay, visit Mandalay, then travel to Bagan using the express ferry, a wonderful journey.  Here are the details for the new direct train. 

Yangon ► Bagan			Bagan ► Yangon
Train number:	61		Train number:	62
Days of running:	Daily		Days of running:	Daily
Classes:	U,F,S		Classes:	U,F,S
Rangoon (Yangon) depart:	16:00 day 1		Bagan (Pagan) depart:	16:30 day 1
Bagan (Pagan) arrive:	08:00 day 2		Rangoon (Yangon) arrive:	08:30 day 2

U = upper class seats;  F = first class seats.  S = sleeping-car.  How to buy tickets.  What are Burmese trains like?

Fares
	Upper class sleeper	Upper class seat	First class seat
Rangoon - Bagan	US$ 50	US$ 40	US$ 30

Bagan station is a modern pagoda-style station in the middle of nowhere about 5km southeast of the Nyaung Oo township, roughly 9km from Old Bagan.  It's possibly one of the few stations in the world further from the town it serves than the airport!  Train 25 / 26 runs via Pyinmana on the mainline to Mandalay, and is allegedly slightly less unreliable than train 61 / 62 which runs via the more rural Pyay line.  Please double-check train times locally.

Above:  Sunset over the Irrawaddy, from the recommended Bagan Thande Hotel.		Above:  In Bagan, ancient temples litter the plain as far as the eye can see...

Inle Lake is one of the most beautiful places in Burma, and it attracts many visitors.  The usual base for exploring the lake is Nyaungshwe, at the north end of the lake.  Trains and buses don't go directly to Nyaungshwe, but go to the junction town of Shwenyaung 11 km away.  To reach Shwenyaung, take an express train from Rangoon or Mandalay to Thazi (choose a suitable train from the Rangoon & Mandalay to Thazi timetables here), then either a bus (4-5 hours on bad roads) or, by far the better option, an absolutely amazing scenic ride on the 'Slow Train From Thazi' as shown below.  There are plenty of local taxis and buses between Shwenyaung and Nyaungshwe.

Thazi ► Kalaw ► Inle Lake				Inle Lake ► Kalaw ► Thazi
The "Slow Train From Thazi":	Train №:	143		The "Slow Train To Thazi":	Train №:	144
	Classes:	U, O			Classes:	U, O
Thazi	depart:	05:00		Shwenyaung	depart:	09:35
Kalaw	arrive / depart	10:29		Kalaw	arrive / depart	14:05
Shwenyaung	arrive:	14:09		Thazi	arrive:	20:15

U = upper class seats  1 = first class seats  O = ordinary class seats  R = Restaurant car

How to buy tickets   What are Burmese trains like?    Connections to/from Rangoon or Mandalay    Map of train routes in Southeast Asia

Fares
	Upper class sleeper	Upper class seat	First class seat	Ordinary seat
Thazi - Shwenyaung	-	US$ 7	-	US$ 3
Rangoon - Shwenyaung	Add Rangoon-Thazi + Thazi-Shwenyaung fares

A journey to Inle Lake on the 'Slow Train From Thazi'...

Buses may be faster, but the Slow Train From Thazi is a wonderful experience which should not be missed:  Stock up on mineral water and beer, then recline in your Upper class armchair (you may have no choice - the recline mechanism may be broken...), and gaze through wide open windows at the wonderful scenery passing by at just 15-20 mph. 

After crossing the plain from Thazi, the train enters the hills and climbs up a steep mountainside on a series of switchbacks, reversing several times and backing up the slope to gain height.  In several places, the train loops around and doubles back on itself.  Look out for the very English mock-Tudor station building at the old British hill station of Kalaw.  When you arrive in Shwenyaung, the journey to Nyaungshwe takes 25 minutes by taxi or public pick-up.

Rangoon or Mandalay to Inle Lake:  Take an express train from Rangoon to Thazi, see the Rangoon - Mandalay timetable above.  One option is to travel the day before and stay the night in Thazi, there are guesthouses at the end of the station approach on the main street.  You are unlikely to have any difficulty buying a ticket for the Slow Train to Shwenyaung at Thazi ticket office when you get there.  In Thazi, the Red Star restaurant, where the station approach joins the main road, is a good choice for a meal while you change trains.  A deluxe waiting room for foreigners is also available at Thazi station for $1 per person.  Complete the last few kilometres from Shwenyaung to Nyaungshwe by bus or taxi.

Inle Lake to Rangoon or Mandalay:  In Nyaungshwe, there are lots of travel agencies who can arrange just about anything except train tickets!  But don't worry - just turn up at Shwenyaung station 30-40 minutes before the departure of the Slow Train To Thazi and you're unlikely to have any difficulty getting an Upper class ticket for the train to Thazi.  For onwards trains from Thazi to Rangoon or Mandalay, see the Rangoon - Mandalay timetable above.  You can buy a ticket for one of the expresses to Rangoon when you get to Thazi.

The train from Shwenyaung to Thazi will probably arrive in Thazi either on time or even 15 minutes early(!).  If you change onto an express, these get priority so you can expect an arrival Rangoon either on time or maybe 20-75 minutes late.  In Thazi, the Red Star restaurant, where the station approach joins the main road, is a good choice for a meal while you change trains.  A deluxe waiting room for foreigners is available at Thazi station for $1 per person.

Above:  The Shwenyaung-Thazi train winding its way through the hills.  Wonderful!

Above:  The Shwenyaung-Thazi train at a wayside station.

Above:  Shwenyaung-Thazi train at a wayside station

Above:  The mock Tudor station at Kalaw...

Above:  Village on stilts on Inle Lake

Above:  A fisherman on Inle Lake.

Moulmein is not on every visitor's itinerary, but if you have the time it's well worth a visit for its colonial buildings and historic mosques.  Although Rudyard Kipling wrote the 'Road to Mandalay', Moulmein was the only Burmese city which he actually visited, and the main pagoda on the ridge overlooking the city is the setting for his poem 'Burma Girl'.

Yangon ► Moulmein					Moulmein ► Yangon
Classes:	U,O	U,O	U,O		Classes:	U,O	U,O	U,O
Train number:	35	175	85		Train number:	36	176	86
Yangon (Rangoon) depart:	06:30	07:15	-		Mawlamyine (Moulmein) depart	06:00	08:15	04:00
Bago (Pegu)	08:18	09:07	04:45		Moatama (Martaban) depart	|	08:50	|
Kyaikto	11:19	??:??	??:??		Kyaikto	11:03	13:31	??:??
Moatama (Martaban) arrive:	|	??:??	??:??		Bago (Pegu)	12:52	16:21	19:10
Mawlamyine (Moulmein) arrive:	15:10	17:20	16:30		Yangon (Rangoon) arrive:	16:35	19:15	-

U = upper class seats  O = ordinary class seats   What are Burmese trains like?    Map of train routes in Southeast Asia

There are no sleepers on train 175, just seats.  How to buy tickets

Trains used to terminate at Moatama for a ferry across the Thanlwin river to Moulmein, but the new road+rail bridge and new railway station in Moulmein opened to trains on 18 April 2006.  Trains from Rangoon are now running beyond Moatama across the new bridge direct to and from Moulmein itself.  The new station is behind the ridge with the pagodas.

Fares
	Upper class sleeper	Upper class seat	First class seat	Ordinary seat
Rangoon - Moulmein	-	US$ 17	-	US$ 6
Bago - Moulmein	-	US$ 11	-	US$ 5

About the journey...

The train follows the Rangoon-Mandalay main line as far as Bago, where it branches off and heads across the plains to the broad Sittung River which it crosses via a huge and heavily-guarded road/rail bridge.  The scenery becomes more interesting on the other side - look out for primitive brickworks on the left in several locations, with brick kilns and bricks drying in the sun, and of course you'll see lots of stupas especially on the mountain ridge to the east.  Historically, the railway from Rangoon ended at Moatama (Martaban) which was the ferry terminal for ferries across the Thanlwin River to Moulmein itself.  A new road+rail bridge has now been built, opened to road traffic in February 2005 and to trains in April 2006.  Trains now rumble slowly across the bridge into a brand-new station behind the hill with Moulmein pagoda.  The Moatama-Moulmein ferry service has been discontinued.  Expect an arrival generally around 30-60 minutes late. 

A brick factory, seen from the train...		...On board the train from Rangoon to Moulmein

One of the local buses outside a mosque in Moulmein		The old British church at Moulmein.

Yangon ► Pyay					Pyay ► Yangon
Train number:	63	75	71		Train number:	76	64	72
Classes:	U,1,O	U,1,O	U,1,O		Classes:	U,1,O	U,1,O	U,1,O
Yangon (Rangoon) depart:	07:00*	11:00*	13:00		Pyay (Prome) depart:	02:00	06:15	23:30
Pyay (Prome) arrive:	18:00	22:15	21:30		Yangon (Rangoon) arrive:	13:40*	17:30*	07:50

* Trains 63/64 & 75/76 use Rangoon Kyemyindine station, not Rangoon main station.  Kyemyindine station is a few stops northwest of Rangoon main station on the city's circular train line.

U = upper class seats  1 = first class seats  O = ordinary class seats

Fares
	Upper class sleeper	Upper class seat	First class seat	Ordinary seat
Rangoon - Pyay	-	US$ 15	?	US$ 6

How to buy tickets.  What are Burmese trains like?

Pyin Oo Lwin, also known as Maymyo after its founder Colonel May, is well worth a visit for the colonial buildings, its botanic gardens, and a ride in the miniature stagecoaches that are used as taxis.  Many visitors also head off to the market towns of Shan state such as Hsipaw.  The train ride from Mandalay up into the hills is a wonderful experience, see the description below.  South of Hsipaw, the train crosses the famous Gokteik viaduct, which is a historic landmark in its own right.

Mandalay ► Pyin Oo Lwin ► Lashio						Lashio ► Pyin Oo Lwin ► Mandalay
Train number:		137*	131	133		Train number:		134	132	138*
Classes:		1,O	1,O	O		Classes:		O	1,O	1,O
Mandalay	depart	-	04:35	14:45		Lashio	depart	-	05:00	06:30
Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo)	arrive	-	08:21	19:30		Hsipaw (Thibaw)	arr / dep	-	09:40	11:30
Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo)	depart	05:30	08:51	-		Kyaukme	arr / dep	-	11:25	13:38
Gokteik	arr / dep	08:37	11:32	-		Gokteik	arr / dep	-	13:25	15:45
Kyaukme	arr / dep	11:09	13:50	-		Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo)	arrive	-	16:05	18:50
Hsipaw (Thibaw)	arr / dep	13:14	15:26	-		Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo)	depart	05:00	17:40	-
Lashio	arrive	17:25	19:45	-		Mandalay	arrive	09:45	22:40	-

1 = first class seats  O = ordinary class seats.    Map of train routes in Southeast Asia

* Trains 137/138 may no longer be running as of 2009, according to one report.  Please check locally, and/or use trains 131/132 which is running.

Fares	Upper class sleeper	Upper class seat	First class seat	Ordinary seat
Mandalay - Pyin Oo Lwin	-	-	US$ 4	US$ 2
Mandalay - Hsipaw	-	-	US$ 9	US$ 3

About the journey...

It's an early start from Mandalay, but this train ride is easily the best way to reach the old British hill station of Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo) and the Shan state towns of Hsipaw (Thibaw) and Lashio.  Leaving Mandalay heading south the train soon turns northeast across the plains.  It's still dark at this time, but traders with torches and fires flock to the train when it calls at wayside stations.  At dawn, the train reaches the foot of the mountains and starts climbing.  It gains height using a series of zig-zags, stopping and reversing up the steep gradient twice to reach the plateau at the top of the escarpment (see picture below left).  Soon after reaching the plateau, the train arrives at Pyin Oo Lwin.

After Pyin Oo Lwin the train snakes its way through pleasant countryside to the highlight of the trip, the crossing of a spectacular valley on the dramatic Gokteik viaduct, just after Gokteik station.  The Gokteik viaduct was built in 1901 by an American firm of contractors who won the tender with a design allegedly far more advanced than any of the other bids.  When built, it had the highest span of any bridge in the British Empire, and was the only American-built bridge in the Empire, too.  Rumour has it that the Burmese government did no maintenance on the bridge whilst a British insurance policy was still in force, but you'll be relieved to hear that the bridge was renovated in the 1990s.  The train passes over at walking pace, and you may be prevented from taking photographs as the Burmese consider the bridge to be of strategic importance.  Don't lean out of the window and look downwards if you suffer from vertigo!  Expect an arrival at the other end around 15-60 minutes late.

Above: Having left Mandalay in darkness, the sun now comes up...		Above:  Traders flock to the train - some stations on this line seem to specialise in fresh flowers!

Another wayside halt...		...wooden seats in ordinary class.  Cheap and fun.

...up into the hills to Maymyo!		Local transport from the station to your hotel...

Beyond Pyin oo Lwin, the highlight of the train journey to Lashio is the crossing of the famous Gokteik Viaduct across a gorge covered with thick bush.  When built in 1901, it had the highest span of any bridge in the British Empire.  Photos courtesy of Marilyn Le Ruyet

Mandalay ► Myitkyina						Myitkyina ► Mandalay
Train number:	43	55	57	41		Train number:	56	42	58	44
Classes:	S,U,O	U,O	Lux	S,U,O		Classes:	U,O	S,U,O	Lux	S,U,O
Mandalay depart:	08:30	13:50	16:40	17:45		Myitkyina depart:	07:00	08:45	13:50	22:30
Sagaing	09:43	|	|	18:35		Kawlin	21:43	00:51	03:18	16:25
Shwebo	13:33	17:10	19:51	22:10		Shwebo	01:42	06:10	07:53	22:35
Kawlin	20:31	22:24	01:02	00:31		Sagaing	|	09:12	|	01:58
Myitkyina arrive:	17:30	12:00	14:40	19:30		Mandalay arrive:	04:55	10:10	11:10	03:10

All trains take one night.   S = sleeping-car  U = upper class seats  O = ordinary class seats.

Mandalay to Myitkyina costs US$36 in a sleeper.

Lux = Privately-run 'Malika-Mandalar Express'.  Runs 4 times a week - From Mandalay on Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun.  Days of operation on return journey not known.  Sleeping-cars only, higher fares charged.

Please check times locally as they may well have changed.  There are reports of a train 37 departing Mandalay at 12:00 that is allegedly now the best train to take.

This is the train service, but you may prefer the river journey aboard the Mandalay-Bagan express ferry service.

Mandalay ► Bagan				Bagan ► Mandalay
Classes:	O	U,O		Classes:	O	U,O
Mandalay depart:	09:50	22:00		Bagan (Nyaung Oo) depart:	04:00	07:00
Bagan (Nyaung Oo) arrive:	19:55	04:50		Mandalay arrive:	14:20	13:40

O = ordinary class seats   How to buy tickets   What are Burmese trains like?

Mandalay to Bagan is just 179km, making this a very slow train, even though the line was only built in 1996..!  You may prefer to take the excellent Mandalay-Bagan express ferry for this journey.  Bagan station is a modern pagoda-style station in the middle of nowhere about 5km southeast of the Nyaung Oo township, 9km from Old Bagan.  It's possibly one of the few stations in the world further from the town it serves than the airport!

On the premier Rangoon to Mandalay route, the express trains are reasonably clean, comfortable and even relatively speedy.  On other routes, don't expect western standards, as train travel in Burma is an adventure!  Trains are often wonderfully slow, grubby, and fittings such as lights and seats are usually not in the best state of repair.   But best of all, the glass panes and metal shutters over the windows are normally secured out of the way, giving you a clear and unobstructed view of the countryside and villages of 'real' Burma as it trundles past, with nothing between you and it!

Burmese trains have three classes:  Upper class, First class and Ordinary class.  Upper Class sleeping-cars operate on several Rangoon to Mandalay trains, on the Rangoon to Bagan overnight train, and in some Mandalay-Myitkyina trains, and they come in two types, standard sleepers and special sleepers, details shown below.  The best Rangoon-Mandalay trains have restaurant cars, with 4-seat tables, serving meals, drinks and snacks.

Upper Class...

Upper class has comfortable reclining seats, sometimes two-abreast on each side of the aisle, sometimes one-abreast on one side of the aisle and two abreast on the other.  The seats normally all face the direction of travel, but can be rotated to face each other (for example, to make a group of 4 seats) if required.  Upper class on the main Rangoon - Mandalay express trains is relatively clean and comfortable, with fresh seat covers and curtains at the window.  Upper class on secondary trains is much grubbier but still quite comfortable, although you will find your seat recline mechanism in various states of repair...

Upper class on a Rangoon - Mandalay express.  The windows have both glass & a metal shutter, normally secured out of the way.		Upper class seats of the most modern type on a Rangoon-Mandalay express.  Trains 15 / 16 and 5 / 6 have the most modern cars.		Upper class seats on secondary lines are grubbier and in a worse state of repair, but still comfortable.  This is Upper class on the Slow Train from Shwenyaung (Inle Lake) to Thazi.

First Class...

First class has basic wooden seats, almost identical to Ordinary class, but with a padded leatherette seat bottom.  For the first half hour, this padding seems to make the extra cost worthwhile.  After that, you wonder if the Ordinary class wooden seats would be less sweaty in the heat..!  First class is only available on certain trains.

First class car, Mandalay-Lashio train.		Fairly smart first class seating on a Rangoon-Mandalay express...		Grubbier First class on the Mandalay - Lashio train...

Ordinary class...

Ordinary class has basic wooden seats, and is quite bearable for many journeys such as Mandalay to Pyin Oo Lwin or Hsipaw.  The seats are numbered on the back (in Burmese numerals) and every passenger has a specific seat number written on their ticket, so there's no overcrowding or scrum for seats.  Just watch out for the local produce stacked all over the floor..!

Ordinary class on a Rangoon-Mandalay express.		Ordinary class on the Mandalay-Pyin Oo Lwin-Lashio train...		Ordinary class on the Mandalay - Lashio train.

Standard sleepers...

These operate on Rangoon to Mandalay trains 3, 4, 5, 6, 29 & 30, on the Rangoon to Bagan overnight train, and in some Mandalay-Myitkyina trains.  There's usually just one sleeping-car per train.  These standard sleeping-cars have four largish 4-berth compartments and two smaller 2-berth compartments, opening off a side corridor giving access to the rest of the train.  There are toilets and a washbasin at the end of the corridor.  A sheet, pillow and very thin blanket are provided, but make sure you have a jumper or fleece and socks to hand as it gets very cold at night.  It's a noisy and bumpy ride, so you will snooze rather than sleep, but it's good to be able to lie down on a flat bed in a safely locked compartment.

A standard sleeping-car on train 5 from Rangoon to Mandalay...		4-berth sleeper, (only 1 side shown)		Another 4-berth sleeper compartment.

Special sleepers...

As well as a standard sleeping-car, trains 29 & 30 between Rangoon and Mandalay have one or two sleeping-cars of the 'special' type.  Each special sleeping-car is divided into four separate self-contained compartments, each with its own entrance door, entrance vestibule, toilet, and seating/berth area.  A pair of wide upholstered armchairs face each other by the window on each side of the car.  At night, the seats pull together to form a wide lower berth.  The upper berths are fixed in position above the seats.  There is no corridor, and no access between compartments, or from your compartment to the rest of the train, so travellers in special sleepers cannot use the restaurant car.  A pillow, sheet and light blanket are provided, but it gets very cold at night so make sure that socks, a jumper and a fleece are close to hand!  A modern air-conditioning unit is strapped to the bulkhead, which may or may not work.  The ceiling fan and light might work all too well - you may not be able to turn them off!  A sealed pack with flannel and fresh soap is provided, plus a 1 litre bottle of mineral water for each passenger.  The cars are old, and it's a noisy and bumpy ride, so you will snooze rather than sleep, but it's good to be able to lie down on a flat bed in a safely locked compartment.

A 'special sleeper' from Rangoon to Mandalay.		A 4-berth special sleeper compartment.  The berths run longways, along the coach sides.

Foreigners pay higher fares than Burmese citizens, and must pay in US dollars.  Children under 3 years old travel free, children under 10 pay half fare.  Although the Myanmar Railways has no official website, you can check train times & fares on several travel agency websites - try www.myanmarventure.com/train/index.html, www.yangonow.com/eng/transportation/train/fare.html or www.gomoasia.com/train.htm.

How to buy train tickets when in Burma...                                        How to book trains from outside Burma.

It's easy to buy a ticket at station ticket offices.  There are hardly ever any signs in English, but don't worry - just ask at the first available ticket window and as a foreigner you will normally be invited inside the ticket office (!) and told to sit down while someone is called to help you.  You will need the names, nationality and passport number of each passenger as these will be written on your ticket.

Upper class bookings open 3 days in advance, Ordinary class bookings open just one day in advance.  You cannot buy tickets before bookings open, and at some smaller stations you may be told to come back and buy a ticket just before departure.  It's good practice to buy your ticket at least the day before travel, but if necessary it's not usually difficult for a foreigner to secure a seat on the day of departure, unless you want a sleeper.  All passengers get a reserved seat, even in Ordinary class, and the coach and seat numbers will be written on the ticket.  Reservations are not computerised, but based on hand-written reservation lists, so bookings can only be made at the station where your journey will start.  Sleepers are in short supply as only a few trains have sleepers and there's normally just one sleeping-car per train, so book as soon as you can.

To buy train tickets in Rangoon, go to the advance booking office which is not in the station but in Bogyoke Aung San road on the south side of the tracks, opposite the Sakura Tower and diagonally opposite the Traders Hotel.  It is open daily 06:00 - 10:00 & 13:00 - 16:00.  It looks more like a farmyard than a reservations office..!  Walk off the main road, 30m down the track into the booking hall proper, and you'll see a row of about 10 ticket windows.  The window for booking trains from Rangoon to Mandalay is the first one on the left.   The booking office for the Dagon Man train is also there, with separate booking windows.  You can also book train tickets through your hotel or through the Rangoon MTT office at the Sule Paya.  In Mandalay, the ticket office is on the first floor of the station, above the tracks.

Rangoon station...		Rangoon advance booking office, Bogyoke Aung San Road, south of the station.		The separate booking window for train 17 (the Dagon Mann train), Rangoon.

How to buy train tickets from outside Burma...

You can book trains from outside Burma by e-mail through a number of travel agencies.  You tickets can be sent to your hotel and paid for when you get to Burma.  A small fee is charged for this service.  If you want to be sure of a sleeper on a Rangoon-Mandalay train just days after you arrive in Rangoon, using an agency can be a good idea.

A recommended agency is Sanay Travel, website www.yangonow.com/eng/transportation/train/fare.html.  Just email your booking request to sanay@yangonow.com, quoting your journey details (from, to, date, train number or departure time), passenger details for each passenger (name, address, phone number, passport number, passport expiry date, nationality) and your hotel in Rangoon.  Sanay Travel respond promptly to emails and are very helpful.  They charge a $10 fee plus the cost of the ticket.  If you have any feedback on fares and booking arrangements, please e-mail me.

Taking a river steamer along the Irrawaddy is one of the most enjoyable ways to travel.  In particular, the Mandalay-Bagan express ferry is recommended as the best way to travel between these two places, as it will show you slices of Burmese life both on the river and along its banks.  There now appear to be three ferries, a twice-weekly slow ferry mainly for locals, the original daily express ferry used by tourists, and a new twice weekly express ferry also aimed at tourists.

Mandalay ► Bagan ► Pyay ► Yangon (Rangoon)
		Note A	Note C	Note B	Daily
Mandalay (Gawwein jetty)	depart	07:00 day 1	07:30 day 1	05:00 day 1	-
Bagan (Nyaung Oo)	arr/dep	|	|	09:25 day 2	-
Bagan (Old Bagan)	arrive	17:30 day 1	12:30 day 1	|	-
Pyay  (Prome)	arrive	-	-	18:30 day 3	-
Pyay  (Prome)	depart	-	-	-	06:00 day 1
Yangon (Rangoon)	arrive	-	-	-	06:00 day 3

Note A = Mandalay-Bagan express ferry, recommended.  Now runs daily. Fare US$25.

Note B = Slow ferry.  Runs only on Wednesdays & Sundays.  Please double-check times locally.

Note C = New faster Mandalay-Bagan express ferry, runs only on Wednesdays & Saturdays.  Fare $26 (lower deck) or £$35 (upper deck).

None of these ferries have websites, and there is conflicting information online.  Please check locally, and if you have any feedback from travelling on these ferries, please e-mail me.

Yangon (Rangoon) ► Pyay ► Bagan ► Mandalay
		Daily	Note E	Note D	Note F
Yangon (Rangoon)	depart	18:30 day 1	-	-	-
Pyay (Prome)	arrive	16:40 day 4	-	-	-
Pyay (Prome)	depart	-	05:30 day 1	-	-
Bagan (Old Bagan)	depart	-	|	-	-
Bagan (Nyaung Oo)	arr/dep	-	14:15 day 3	05:30 day 1	xx:xx day 1
Mandalay (Gawwein jetty)	arrive	-	12:30 day 5	18:30 day 1	xx:xx day 1

Note D = Bagan-Mandalay express ferry, highly recommended, now runs daily, fare US$25.  See www.shwekeinnery.com.

Note E = Slow ferry.  Runs only on Wednesdays & Saturdays.  Please double-check times locally.

Note F = New faster Mandalay-Bagan express ferry, runs only on Thursdays & Sundays, see www.travelmyanmar.com/malika_river_cruise_2.html.  Fare $26 (lower deck) or £$35 (upper deck).

If you have any feedback from travelling on these ferries, please e-mail me.

Ferry tickets can be booked through your hotel or via a travel agency, through the MTT (government tourist information) offices in major towns (for example, the MTT office at Mandalay station or in Rangoon near the Sule Paya) or at Inland Water Transport (IWT) offices.

On board the daily Mandalay-Bagan express ferry...

The modern Mandalay-Bagan express ferry.  You'll spend most time on deck...		All passenger get a reclining seat on the lower deck.		There is a bar and café on the upper deck.

On board the Mandalay-Bagan slow ferry...

The Mandalay-Bagan 5am slow ferry, an interesting Burmese experience.  This ferry was built in 1955!  Photo courtesy of Marilyn Le Ruyet		Close-up of the Mandalay to Bagan slow ferry.  Photo courtesy of Marilyn Le Ruyet

Overland travel between Burma and either India, China or Thailand is either difficult or impossible.  That's because the borders, and often the whole border regions, are generally closed to foreigners.  One border crossing to Thailand is indeed open, at Tachileik north of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand.  There are no regular passenger shipping services from Burma.

Hotels in Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan & Inle Lake...

Search by hotel name  Powered by Hotelscombined.com

◄◄◄◄◄ Search all the major hotel booking websites at once... www.hotelscombined.com is probably the best hotel search system I've seen, a free search tool which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Opodo, Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com, AsiaRooms, Travelocity, LateRooms and others) to find the cheapest hotel rates.  Set up in 2005, it's probably the best place to start for booking any hotel online in any country, worldwide.

Personal hotel recommendations...

In Rangoon, the famous and fabulous Strand Hotel is Rangoon's equivalent of Singapore's Raffles, every bit as historic and almost as expensive, but actually (having stayed at both) much nicer.  If you can't stretch to over $260 a night, at least have a cocktail in the bar!  For a rather more down-to-Earth price, the Thamada Hotel is very near the station and easy walking distance from all of Yangon city centre, from about $20-$30 per night, though there are many other good choices.

In Bagan, the Bagan Thande Hotel has attractive bungalows on the river front, and is walking distance from the sights of Old Bagan, from about $40 per night for a double.

The famous Strand Hotel, Rangoon		...A suite at the Strand.

You'll need a good guidebook for Burma, and the Lonely Planet series is about the best there is.  Highly recommended - the latest edition is now reasonably up to date, published in late 2005.

Click to buy online at Amazon.co.uk

Or buy direct from the Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.    Alternatively, you can download just the chapters or areas you need in .PDF format from the Lonely Planet Website, from around £2.99 or US$4.95 a chapter.

Overland travel around Burma by train & bus is an essential part of the experience, so once there, don't cheat and fly, stay on the ground!  But a long-haul flight might be unavoidable to reach Burma in the first place.  For flights to Rangoon, start with www.e-bookers.com.  Seat61 gets a small commission through this link.