We know the feeling. You want to treat someone to a nice dinner, but treating someone to a nice dinner in Yangon can get pricey, and you just put all your savings into six months of rent up front.
In other words, you are almost broke.
Luckily for you, Myanmar’s biggest city is full of romantic locations or activities that are either free or very cheap.
Here are 5 ideas.
1) Park it at a park
Yangon is full of green space. What better way to spend some time with your significant other than to sit under a tree in a park and chat, or take a stroll after the sun goes down? There’s Kandawgyi Park (which charges a small fee to get in) and Inya Lake, but also smaller places like Thakin Myat Park near Strand Road a few minutes west of Wardan, where the crowds are few and the scenery is quiet.
2) Kick back on the circular line
If it’s too hot for the park, you can hop on Yangon’s ever-improving circular line. Many of the trains are now air-conditioned, and it remains the best way to see the entire city. It also costs less than $1. Take a seat next to each other and enjoy the slow and relaxing ride. We recommend taking the whole loop, which takes about three hours (so maybe not the best option for a first date)
3) Windermere Hill Café
This lovely restaurant on is set amid a garden on a hill in a quiet part of Yangon off of Inya Road on street called Chindwin. Turn left onto the street and make a right at the signs. You can sit inside or outside, and it’s spacious grounds and seating offer privacy that most cafes don’t. It’s a relaxing place away from the bustle of the city. Also, prices for coffees and drinks are reasonable.
4) See a movie
With temperatures rising, what better way to spend some quality time than in the air-conditioned cave of a movie theater? It’s cheap, with tickets going for about $2, and popcorn for even less. We recommend the Naypyitaw cinema on Sule Pagoda Road. You can request the two-seaters in the last row on the upper level, which are made for snuggling!
5) Sunset drinks at Alfa Hotel
Our friends are going to be really mad at us for disclosing this location near the corner of Nawaday and Shwedagon Pagoda Road, which has only gotten more popular over the last year. But at sunset, it can’t be beat. Views of the city are panoramic and the prices are more reasonable than your average proper bar. You didn’t hear about it from us.
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