For those of you looking to get romantic in Yangon, the city offers plenty of options from couples massages, to sporty pursuits, to going for drinks in the sky. Though even the most mundane chores can be loads of fun when you’re with the right person, we have some suggestions for those big nights — or those first dates — when you’re looking to kick it up a notch.
Here are our top picks for things to do with your loved one in Yangon:
Why not fly?
Is your sweetie an adrenaline junkie or a scaredy cat? If it’s the former, they’d likely love an outing to try Indoor Skydiving at this interesting place located right in the city. Their website says that nearly anyone can do it and that the experience is suitable for kids, adults, those with skydiving experience, and those who’ve never even been in an airplane. Skydiving together, how’s that for a bonding experience?
Taw Win Rd.
Open daily, 9am-9pm
Or maybe something a bit more old-school
Bowling: it’s a classic date activity. Couples were doing it in the 1950s after hitting the soda fountain and before going to sock hops. You can join their ranks and take your prospective paramour for the time-honored ball throwing game that gives off a sense of innocence and a retro vibe as well. Try your hand at Right Track bowling, we especially like this place because you can play your own music.
Near Tarmwe Bridge on U Ba Kyaw St.
Open daily, 9am-8pm
High tea may appeal to those with old-fashioned ideals
If your date has a sweet tooth, take them to high tea on a weekend afternoon at Olea. Though most know this place as more of a mediterranean restaurant tucked inside Melia Hotel than a tea spot, they do roll out the sweet trays and teapots on the weekends for a totally different menu and vibe. Guests can gorge on cake, mini sandwiches, and tea before taking a long walk to shift the calories. Maybe even hold his hand?
192, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd.
Tea served Sat-Sun 3-5pm
Massage for two and a smoothie
We love the idea of taking your new friend to Boost Bar for a smoothie and booking some side-by-side spa treatments since the smoothie spot is located inside Inya Day Spa. They bill themselves as “the first Western-style healthy drink bar in Yangon,” so expect ingredients like blueberry, raspberry, mango, and papaya alongside premium ingredients like flax, granola, oats, and unsweetened cocoa.
Massage treatments include Thai, foot, signature, and aromatherapy varieties and get high marks from customers.
16/2 Inya Road
Open daily, 10am-8pm
Breakfast in the city’s cafes
You can show your date you really want to get to know them, without the distraction of an activity or alcohol, by inviting them out for a healthy breakfast. Cafes serving up acai bowls and other healthy ways to start your day are springing up all over Yangon and they make a great date (as long as you’re a morning person).
We like Nourish Cafe. It’s one of the rare places in the city that you can find trendy superfoods like quinoa and chia. The last one features heavily in their açaí red berry smoothie bowl, which is topped with fresh dragon fruit, goji, granola, and pumpkin seeds. Other smoothie bowls feature indulgent vegan chocolate granola and fragrant toasted coconut.
36/38b Alanpya Pagoda Road
Open 10am-9m weekdays, until 3pm weekends
Sometimes you gotta do the full-on romantic dinner
Feeling more serious about your love, or maybe it’s a special occasion worth celebrating? A romantic dinner might be in order. You can try one of the city’s lakeview restaurants, hotel dining options, or a private little indie hideaway. Check out our full list of romantic dining options here.
Kandawgyi Park’s Signature and The Garden Bistro is a good choice, the two joined restaurants are served by the same kitchen, meaning a big menu of choices. The open-air place lets diners choose between a covered area or the roofless patio, perfect for romance.
Corner of Kaba Aye Pagoda Road & Kan Yeik Thar Street
Open daily, 7am-10pm
Gallery hopping through the city’s art scene
Or get your art on in Yangon’s burgeoning gallery scene. Yangon offers traditional works, to political statements, to contemporary creations at the city’s various arts enclaves. Bonus points for this date? Show off your smarts, look cultured, free admission to galleries, and get some exercise by walking from place to place.
We like Myanm/art, Ok Gallery, and River Gallery, but check out our complete guide to the city’s galleries here.
Various locations around Yangon
Various hours though most open weekends
They say alcohol is a social lubricant
Though Atlas skybar is probably the gold standard drinks spot for both the tipples and the location, with a great view of Myanmar, and is notable expat favorite near the river at the top of Uniteam Tower, it’s not the only spot in town. However, sundown is the pretty glorious here, offering unbeatable views of both Shwedagon Pagoda and the Yangon River. The tapas menu gets rave reviews as well.
If you’re looking for a different kind of drink spot, we have a full rundown of Yangon’s top wine spots here.
84 Pan Hlaing Street
Open daily, 5-11pm
Everyone enjoys feeling like a kid again
When city life gets to be too much, an escape is needed. Those are the best times to take your sweetie to an old-school arcade like Alibaba Amusement. Try everything from low-tech skee ball to the latest virtual reality games. You can remember your time together by snapping some pics in a photo booth or try for a bonding moment by playing a side-by-side dancing or racing game.
Myanmar Plaza, 2nd floor
Open daily, 9am-9pm
Lazy picnic in the park
Does your date like nature? Are you on a tight budget? Then, some sandwiches and picnic in the park are in order. Kandawgyi Nature Park is a great spot to nature watch, spark conversation and perhaps even romance. The city’s biggest park features a large lake and is 260 acres wide, perfect for finding a private little spot for two.
Kan Yeik Tha Road
Open daily, sunrise to sunset
Bae a workaholic?
Is your love a millennial-style workaholic that can’t tell where work stops and fun begins? Or maybe they consider work fun? Or maybe the two of you are launching a startup together? In that case, a trip to one of these modern cafes and coworking spaces might hit the spot.
With terric wifi, decor, and free-flow coffee, maybe the two of you can come up with your next revolutionary idea together. We dig the look of The District Coffee Lounge with it’s white decor and hanging teacups.
Saya San Road
Open daily, 7:30am-10pm
