The Sad Story Behind New Bagan or Old Bagan in Myanmar

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In 1990, 4,000 people were given less than a week to leave their homes. The land they were moved to had no roads, no water, and no electricity. Some residents had to guess where their plot was because the boundaries weren’t marked. Elderly people died of heart attacks from the stress of the move. The reason? The Myanmar military government wanted their neighbourhood — a neighbourhood that happened to sit next to one of the most spectacular archaeological sites on earth — to look more presentable for tourists.

That is the story behind why there are two Bagans. If you’re planning a trip and wondering whether to stay in New Bagan or Old Bagan, the practical answer matters — but understanding the history behind the question makes you a more informed and thoughtful visitor.

The story behind Old Bagan and New Bagan

Bagan is one of Southeast Asia’s most extraordinary places. Between the 9th and 13th centuries, the Bagan Kingdom built more than 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas, and monasteries across a flat plain on the bend of the Irrawaddy River. Around 2,200 remain today (Wikipedia/UNESCO), ranging from small crumbling stupas to vast temples the size of cathedrals. For centuries, the communities who lived among the temples were their guardians — maintaining them, living beside them, inheriting custodianship across generations.

That changed in 1990. The military government, under the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), decided that having residents living inside the archaeological zone was incompatible with their plans for Bagan: UNESCO World Heritage designation, a golf course, and an expanded tourism industry. In the middle of a hot summer, with less than a week’s warning, roughly 4,000 residents were ordered to leave Old Bagan and relocate to a peanut field several kilometres to the south. The new site — which became New Bagan — had no infrastructure when people arrived. According to residents interviewed by the Myanmar Times, police required homeowners to sign agreements to vacate immediately, belongings were moved without proper support, and elderly residents died of stress-related illness during the upheaval. No compensation was paid.

The plan didn’t entirely work as intended. In 1996, UNESCO declined to grant World Heritage status, citing the golf course, a two-lane road built through the heritage zone, and other development that violated conservation standards. The government spent the next two decades working toward reapplication. In 2014, 42 hotels near the temples were ordered to relocate within 10 years. Finally, in July 2019, Bagan was officially designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee in Baku — 29 years after the residents were removed, and with those same residents still unable to return to their ancestral homes.

It’s a complicated history for a beautiful place. Knowing it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit Bagan — it means you can visit it more thoughtfully.

Old Bagan, New Bagan, and Nyaung-U: which area to stay in

The debate between New Bagan or Old Bagan often ignores the most practical option: Nyaung-U. Here’s how all three compare.

Old Bagan

Old Bagan sits inside the main archaeological zone, surrounded by the highest concentration of temples. Hotels here are upscale — there are no budget options within the zone, and the archaeological authority charges higher rates for properties that want access. If you want to walk to Shwesandaw Pagoda for sunrise, or to Sulamani Temple for the afternoon light, without needing transport, Old Bagan is the option. It’s beautiful and convenient.

The ethical case against staying here is straightforward: the land was taken from residents who couldn’t return, and the tourism infrastructure in Old Bagan largely benefits large hotel groups rather than the displaced community. It doesn’t make Old Bagan hotels illegal or wrong — but it’s worth factoring in.

New Bagan

New Bagan is about 4km south of the main temple zone, on the land where the displaced residents were relocated. It has grown into a proper town with guesthouses, restaurants, and a genuine local community. Accommodation is significantly cheaper than Old Bagan. The temples require a short e-bike or taxi ride, but most of Bagan’s must-see sites are within 20 minutes.

Staying in New Bagan is the choice that most directly supports the community that was displaced — assuming you also eat local, hire local guides, and buy from local vendors rather than large resort operators. It’s not a perfect ethical choice (no tourist decision in Myanmar is uncomplicated in 2026), but it puts your money closer to the people who should have benefited from Bagan’s designation from the beginning.

Nyaung-U

Nyaung-U is Bagan’s most practical base and is particularly good for budget travellers. It’s the town nearest to Nyaung-U Airport (the entry point for most visitors), has the best selection of restaurants and guesthouses at all price points, and sits at the northern end of the archaeological zone, close to Shwezigon Pagoda. The local market is here. The transport options are here. If you want variety in where you eat, the cheapest beds, and good access to the northern temples, Nyaung-U is the right call.

The downside is distance: the southern temples (Dhammayangyi, Sulamani, the best sunset spots) are 8–10km away, so you’ll be relying on your e-bike or hired transport more than you would from Old Bagan.

How to get around Bagan’s temples

Whichever area you stay in, you’ll spend most of your time moving between temples. Bagan is big — the main archaeological zone covers around 42 square kilometres — and walking between sites in the heat is impractical. Options:

• E-bike — the most popular way to explore. Lightweight, quiet, and good for getting off the main paths to find smaller temples. Hire from your guesthouse or a local rental shop for around $8–12 per day. A guided e-bike tour with a local guide costs around $35 and covers both Old and New Bagan with temple commentary.
• Horse cart — slower, traditional, and good for photography. Local horse cart drivers know the sites well and will take you off the tourist trail. Negotiate a half-day or full-day rate directly; expect to pay around $20–30.
• Hot air balloon — the iconic Bagan experience. Sunrise balloon flights over the temple plain are genuinely spectacular and worth the significant cost (from $350 per person) if it’s in your budget. Balloons Over Bagan includes breakfast and champagne on landing.
• Electric scooter — faster than e-bikes and good for covering more ground. Most rental shops now offer both.

For temples you can still climb in Bagan — including GPS coordinates for the ones that remain accessible — see the dedicated guide. Climbing restrictions have changed over the years; some temples that were open when we visited are now off-limits for preservation reasons.

What to do as an ethical visitor to Bagan

We visited Bagan while thinking carefully about whether visiting Myanmar was the right thing to do as travellers concerned about ethics and safety. Bagan is one of those places where the answer is genuinely complicated — the displacement of residents is historical, the UNESCO designation was achieved at real human cost, and now the same military government that caused the displacement profits from tourism infrastructure.

That said, some choices as a visitor make a material difference:

• Stay in New Bagan or Nyaung-U rather than Old Bagan — your accommodation spend is more likely to reach the local community
• Hire local guides — many of the families displaced in 1990 have children and grandchildren who work as guides in the area, and their knowledge of the temples is exceptional
• Eat at local restaurants and markets rather than hotel restaurants — the market in Nyaung-U is the best place to start
• Buy souvenirs from local artisans — Bagan is famous for traditional lacquerware, produced locally using techniques that have been passed down for centuries
• Avoid climbing restricted temples — many of the remaining accessible structures are genuinely fragile; following the restrictions is part of respecting what UNESCO is trying to protect

If you’re planning a wider Myanmar trip that includes Inle Lake, the guide to restaurants in Nyaungshwe, Inle Lake covers the same ethical food-and-community approach in a very different part of the country. And for the best dry-season timing, the Myanmar in February guide covers the peak visiting months for both Bagan and Inle Lake.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to visit Bagan now?

Bagan sits in the Mandalay Region and is generally considered one of the lower-risk areas for travellers in Myanmar — well away from the main conflict zones along the borders and in Rakhine and Shan States. That said, the overall security situation in Myanmar has been unstable since the 2021 military coup, and most Western governments continue to advise against non-essential travel or recommend significant caution. The practical reality is that travellers who stayed in the main tourist triangle (Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan) in 2024 and 2025 largely reported incident-free visits. Always check your government’s current travel advisory before booking.

How many days do you need in Bagan?

Most visitors spend two to three nights in Bagan, which gives you time for: one sunrise, one sunset, at least one full day of temple exploration, and a morning at the market. Three nights allows you to cover the northern temples (Shwezigon, Gubyaukgyi) and the southern temples (Dhammayangyi, Sulamani, Minnanthu) without rushing, and to catch both a sunrise and a balloon flight if that’s on your list. Two nights is enough for a highlights-only visit; four nights is for those who genuinely want to explore beyond the main circuit.

Is Bagan worth visiting?

Yes, without qualification. The scale of Bagan — 2,200+ surviving temples across a 42 square kilometre plain — is unlike anything else in Southeast Asia. Angkor Wat is more dramatic and better-preserved, but Bagan is larger, less crowded, and still possible to explore without feeling like you’re on a circuit. Watching sunrise from a temple roof with the mist sitting over the plain below is one of the better travel experiences available in the region.

What led to the decline of the Bagan Kingdom?

The Bagan Kingdom, which built the vast majority of the temples between the 9th and 13th centuries, collapsed primarily due to Mongol invasions. Repeated Mongol attacks between 1277 and 1301 finally toppled the kingdom in 1287 after four centuries of rule. The collapse was followed by 250 years of political fragmentation. By the time the region stabilised under later Burmese kingdoms, temple construction had effectively ceased, leaving Bagan as a monument to a specific — and exceptional — historical period.

What is the most famous product of Bagan?

Bagan is renowned for its traditional lacquerware, produced locally using techniques that have been practised in the region for centuries. Lacquerware items — bowls, boxes, plates, decorative pieces — are made by applying successive layers of lacquer (a resin from the thitsi tree) to a bamboo or horsehair frame, with intricate designs carved or painted between layers. The craftsmanship is impressive and the products are genuinely local. Buying directly from workshop artisans (several are open to visitors) rather than hotel gift shops puts money directly with the makers.

What is the famous food in Bagan?

Bagan’s local food scene is centred around Nyaung-U’s market and the restaurants along the main street. Mohinga — fish noodle soup — is the national breakfast dish and widely available. Burmese curries (slow-cooked with turmeric and fermented shrimp paste) are the main lunch and dinner staple. The area also produces good palm sugar, which appears in desserts and local sweets. For the best street food, arrive at the Nyaung-U market early morning.

The two Bagans, and why it matters

The choice between New Bagan or Old Bagan isn’t just a practical accommodation question. It’s a small but real decision about who benefits from one of the world’s great archaeological sites. The history of how two Bagans came to exist is uncomfortable — 4,000 people displaced in a week, elderly residents dying from the stress, families separated from ancestral homes they were never allowed to return to — and it’s a history that most visitors don’t know because most travel guides don’t tell it.

Bagan’s UNESCO designation in 2019 was a long time coming, and it’s genuinely good news for the preservation of the temples. Whether it translates into better outcomes for the community that was displaced to achieve it remains an open question. What you can do as a visitor is make choices — where you sleep, who you hire, where you eat — that direct some of the economic benefit of tourism toward the people who have always been closest to the temples.

The temples are extraordinary. The history is complicated. Go knowing both.