Where to stay in Bagan | Stories by Soumya

Where To Stay In Bagan Myanmar


Last Updated on August 22, 2019 by Soumya

Bagan, an ancient city in Myanmar, is every history lover’s dream. It is filled with thousands of Buddhist pagodas, many of them dating back to the 9th and the 10th centuries.

Every year thousands of tourists flock to Bagan to view these amazing temples. If you are one among them and wondering where to stay in Bagan, then you have come to the right place.

Picking an area or accommodation in Bagan can be a tricky affair. Especially, when you are so far away and the choices here are numerous.

To help you in your decision-making of where to stay in Bagan, we asked a group of seasoned travelers on their accommodation choices in the city.

Want to come back to our post on Where to Stay in Bagan later? Pin it here.

Wondering where to stay in Bagan Myanmar? Torn between Old Bagan and New Bagan? Read our post on the best places to stay in this ancient city with recommendations from seasoned travelers. Find your perfect fit and enjoy your time in Bagan. #bagan #baganmyanmar #bagantemples #hotelsinbagan #baganhotel

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First, let’s look at the different areas within Bagan.

Bagan is split into two different sections: Old and New. Plus, there is a 3rd area called Nyaung U where you can also find a number of affordable stay options. It is key that you choose your location depending on your requirements.

  • Old Bagan, as the name suggests, is the older area where most of the ancient temples are located. If you wish to stay closer to the temples and have a feel of old Baganese charm, then this is your spot. You will find a lot of luxury resorts in this area.
  • New Bagan, on the other hand, was created to resettle families that had to be moved while restoration of the temples was underway in Old Bagan. This is where you will find the majority of new hotels and resorts and more affordable accommodation. A few temples are close by but not as many as Old Bagan.
  • Nyaung U, the third area, has plenty of hotels/hostels/guest houses ranging between budget and luxury. Nyaung U is closer to the airport and the bus station. And there are tonnes of eating options around plus a bit of what you could call Bagan’s nightlife.

That said, it is easy to rent an electric scooter in Bagan and ride to the archaeological complex. Wherever you stay, you can easily get to the temple area within 30 minutes by bike.

Bagan Temples | Stories by Soumya

Let’s look at where travelers from around the world prefer to stay.

Here are 5 excellent options that will definitely help narrow down your search for where to stay in Bagan Myanmar.

Amata Garden Resort – New Bagan

Editor’s Choice

If you are looking for a decently priced hotel in Bagan with a sprinkle of luxury and great service, then Amata Garden Resort in New Bagan should be your choice.

Spread over 6.9 acres of beautiful tropical gardens, Amata Garden Resort is like a breath of fresh air away from the hustle and bustle of the old city. The hotel features an outdoor swimming pool and spacious, air-conditioned rooms, each with its own balcony facing the garden.

I especially loved my balcony at Amata. Every morning, I would station myself on it, with a cup of coffee in my hand, and watch countless hot-air balloons float by. Against the rays of the rising sun, it was a heartwarming sight.

Breakfast is included with the stay and is served at the restaurant by the pool. The food is delicious and contains a decent spread of bread and cakes, fresh fruits, and Burmese delicacies.

Amata Garden Resort is the perfect place to stay with your family. Comfortable rooms, good food, great service, and a breathtaking view totally make your stay here worthwhile.

Click here to book your stay at Amata Garden Resort Bagan

Innwa Motel – Nyaung U

Recommended by John from The Hangry Backpacker

Innwa Motel is a great place to stay in Bagan, Myanmar. The location is in a convenient spot in Nyaung-U, straight down the road from the famous ancient sites of Bagan. There are several good restaurants, mini-marts, and tourist services nearby.

Innwa is a very comfortable hotel. The rooms are air-conditioned, which is much needed in the hottest months of the year. During these hot times, power blackouts are common. Thankfully, Innwa has a huge generator which they crank up to keep the place cool. This was a huge relief during my stay. Each room also has a television, which provides for some interesting entertainment after a long day exploring the area.

The best part of Innwa Motel is the rooftop, which has a nice view of the surrounding village. Each morning on the rooftop, a delicious breakfast is served that is included with the stay. Breakfast is buffet-style with fresh fruits, eggs, and juice. All served by incredibly friendly staff.

Innwa Motel provides a lot of comfort for a low price. When not hanging out on the rooftop, there are balconies on each floor, and the staff is helpful in arranging any transportation needs in Bagan or elsewhere in Myanmar. My stay at Innwa lasted five days and was a pleasant, comfortable experience.

Click here to book your stay at Innwa Motel Bagan

View from Innwa Motel Bagan | Stories by Soumya
View from the rooftop at Innwa Motel

Aureum Palace Hotel & Resort – Old Bagan

Recommended by Alejandra from Universo Viajero

If I had to define luxury in one sentence, it will possibly be “Aureum Palace”. This hotel, located in Old Bagan, Myanmar, is the most beautiful and incredible one we have ever stayed in.

Everything is big and luxurious, from the great entrance hall to the rooms, which are like small villages on private buildings (ok, they are the same size as my apartment, not small at all). The stay includes a delicious continental buffet breakfast with all kinds of foods, and you can also have lunch and dinner at the restaurant for an extra charge.

The best part of all the complex is that it looks right onto the pagodas of Myanmar, and the infinity pool will make you feel immersed in the landscape.

Service is also exceptional. The staff will do their best to meet all your expectations and requirements, as long as it’s possible. For example, we wanted to rent scooters to get to the city by ourselves and even though they were not included in our stay, they got two in less than one hour for a fair price.

The stay was perfect, and we would definitely recommend it to anyone traveling to Bagan.

Click here to book your stay at Aureum Palace Hotel & Resort Bagan

Aureum Palace Bagan | Stories by Soumya

Morning Star Guesthouse – New Bagan

Recommended by Patrick from German Backpacker

When visiting Bagan (my favorite destination in all of Myanmar by the way!), I decided to stay in the relatively new Morning Star Guesthouse, located in New Bagan.

I was very happy with my choice and can highly recommend it! The rooms are spacious and affordable, with prices starting at 20$ including a breakfast buffet in the morning on the beautiful and sunny terrace.

The location is also great and you’re just a short walk away from the center of New Bagan and plenty of restaurants. Generally, New Bagan is a convenient location to stay with more budget accommodation compared to Old Bagan, where you’ll find some of the more expensive hotels and resorts.

The archeological temple zone is located right between the old and new town and easy to reach from Morning Star Guesthouse.

To get around, I highly recommend renting an e-scooter and the staff at the guesthouse can assist you with it. They will also be happy to help you with booking a bus to your next destination or organizing a tour or hot air balloon flight for you. Enjoy Bagan!

Click here to book your stay at Morning Star Guesthouse Bagan

Where to stay in Bagan | Stories by Soumya

Aye Yar River View Resort – Old Bagan

Recommended by Kenny from KNYCX Journeying

We had already planned our trip and booked our flights until we realized it was the Thingyan (i.e. the Water Festival) when we were in Myanmar. To our surprise, most shops, markets, restaurants, and spas were closed in Yangon and Bagan. We had a great time celebrating the festival with the locals but spent more time in the resort than we expected.

After we checked in to the Aye Yar River View Resort, the hotel staff were very nice and helpful and they arranged a driver to take us to visit all the major pagodas at a very reasonable price. The resort is located by the river at a very convenient location so it didn’t take long for us to travel around different places in Old Bagan. The guest rooms were all in low-rise bungalows – they were spacious and had a very nice bathroom and a balcony that we relaxed in between our visits to the city.

We stayed there for three days and before we left, we spent some time by the pool and had a massage appointment at their spa center (luckily still open as many in the city were closed) and the services were great. At night, we tried some local and authentic Burmese cuisine in the Mekong restaurant while listening to their live music performance. The resort is at a mid-range price level yet I would definitely stay there again next time in Bagan.

Click here to book your stay at Aye Yar River View Resort Bagan

Aye Yar River View Resort Bagan | Stories by Soumya

Heritage Bagan Hotel – Nyaung U

Recommended by Madhurima from Orange Wayfarer

In case you are looking for a gorgeous luxury stay at the heart of Bagan yet do not want to join the crowd at the center of old Bagan, where the relics and old temples are preserved (and struggling to cope with an ever-increasing footfall of tourists), opt for Heritage Bagan Hotel.

Heritage Bagan is a beautiful property, themed after the ancient dynasties of Bagan. It has a stunning pool with a soothing jacuzzi tucked at one corner! After you are done with an early morning bike ride to hunt the iconic Bagan sunset, this pool welcomes you with open hands!

The rooms are perfectly decked up, spacious, airy, swank clean and overlook lush greens of Bagan plainland. Interior is carefully designed to suit the muted red brick color prevalent in the ancient kingdom of Bagan. In a nutshell, staying at the Heritage Bagan Hotel does not feel any different than living in one of the old Bagan temples. 

Click here to book your stay at Heritage Bagan Hotel

Have you been to Bagan? What is your favorite place to stay here? Do let us know in the comments below and let’s get the conversation going.

Are you planning a trip to Myanmar? Check out our posts on

Top things to include in your Bagan itinerary
7 Cultural souvenirs you should buy in Burma (2 are Bagan specialties)
Things to do in Ngapali, Myanmar’s best beach destination
What to eat in Myanmar (with lots of veggie options)
Day trips you need to make from Mandalay
Exploring the lost city of Mrauk U – a lesser-known archaeological site in northwestern Myanmar

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Soumya is an acclaimed travel writer who has traveled to 30+ countries and lived in 8 while pursuing her passion for history and culture. Her writings have been published in BBC Travel, Architectural Digest, National Herald, and many more. She loves exploring world heritage sites and has a deep affinity for everything ancient, especially the lost civilizations of Mesoamerica!

25 thoughts on “Where To Stay In Bagan Myanmar

  1. An awesome blog. Fully cover the idea of how to stay in Bagan. I also have a blog about how to stay cheap in Bagan.

  2. Hi Soumya. I’d totally love to visit Myanmar one day, and after reading this Bagan will be one of the places on my list!
    I think the Old Bagan would suit me best and I’d probably choose to stay somewhere like Aureum Palace Hotel & Resort – especially as it has a swimming pool!

    1. Aureum Palace is a great choice, Snita. With the swimming pool and the beautiful views, I am sure you will have a good time there.

  3. Seems like each part – old and new Bagan has a charm of its own. And the electric scooter is perfect to bridge the gap between the places to visit and the hotels. I like the variety that you have shared. I might just pick the best deal in this case and go for the hotel, especially given that distance is no longer an issue.

  4. Hi Soumya – great article! I like the idea of getting a little bit of luxury at the Amata place in New Bagan, especially the thought of having a morning coffee watching the balloons hover over head. Is it hard to get into the old town? Generally, we like to stay central and be able to walk the the site, but if there are bikes to hire or a shuttle bus from the hotel that could work as well?

    1. Yes, Paul. You can easily hire an electric bike in Bagan. And ride to wherever you wish to from your place of stay. Does not take more than 15 minutes.

  5. We have not been to Myanmar yet, but the lure of Bagan is becoming irresistible. This is an awesome list of places to stay when in Bagan. I like the fact that there is a wide choice and many of the properties are such that one actually would like to spend a lot of time there itself. Amata Palace Resort and the Aureum Palace had my attention riveted. These seem great places to have a relaxing stay after exploring the treasures of Bagan.

    1. Absolutely, Sandy and Vijay. I would strongly recommend both of you to visit Bagan. With your curious minds and quest for history, you will simply love this place. And with such amazing places to stay in Bagan, the experience will be awesome.

  6. Always wanted to see the balloons rise over Bagan. The Aureum Palace Hotel sounds like the perfect place to stay, that inifinte pool is amazing! Will need to get up early to make the most of Old Bagan when i go

    1. That’s right. Bagan is the best in the wee hours of the morning with all those balloons floating in the sky.

  7. I have always wanted to go to Bagan, Myanmar since 2014. I am yet to come to this beautiful city. Upon reading your post, I would really love to stay at Amata Garden Resort – New Bagan. It’s definitely the editor’s choice with its amenities and perks! I hope I can come here soon!

  8. Choosing a staying option is always a tricky one as there are so many options to confuse us. It is great that you have listed some best stays in Bagan with all tips and details. I loved Amata Garden Resort – New Bagan as it is spread within 6.9 acres of lush green surroundings. I also love the swimming pool with views of Aureum Palace Hotel & Resort in Old Bagan. Thanks for sharing a very informative list.

    1. Those are two great choices, Yukti. Having a great view and green surroundings do matter a great deal in making a hotel wonderful.

  9. Great post! Bagan has been on my list for ages! Now I know where to look! Thanks for the tips and for sharing!

  10. I’d love to visit Myanmar one day, and have read so many great things about Bagan. Given my flashpacker niche, I’m all for the Aureumn Palace and Resort in Old Bagan. It sounds so charming, plus I with exceptional service, you’d be silly not to want to stay here. I can’t wait to visit one day!

    1. I am so glad you found something to suit your needs. Aureum palace is a wonderful choice. Hope you have a good time there.

  11. I believe that is one of the so much significant info for me. And i’m glad studying your article. But want to remark on some common issues, The website taste is ideal, the articles is in reality great : D. Just right task, cheers|

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