KYAUKTADA

This is the beating heart of downtown. Like Pabedan, it’s full of colonial history. Almost everywhere you look is a structure dating back to the British colonial era, from the Lokanat building to the Strand Hotel, which is due to reopen in November 2016 after a six-month renovation. Stroll up and down Pansodan Street and peruse the many bookstalls, or sit down in the newly established Rangoon Tea House and select one of their many styles of Burmese tea. Yangon Heritage Trust, a high-profile conservation group, is based on Pansodan between Merchant and Strand Road. Check out their heritage tours if you are in the city. Farther up the same street is one of the more famous hotels in Yangon. It’s now called Sule Shangri-La, but many still refer to it by the old name, Trader’s. Across the street from the hotel you’ll find many of the city’s movie theatres, where you can see local and international favorites.