Yangon Architectural Heritage Walking Tour

After hotel pickup in the afternoon, start your small-group walking tour in downtown Yangon, where your guide will focus your attention on the architecture of the colonial buildings. While modernization in other parts of Asia has resulted in skyscrapers along the city skylines, Yangon — due to decades of Myanmar’s isolation — still prides itself on having some of the most beautiful colonial structures still standing.

Stroll through the back streets of Yangon at a relaxed pace as your guide explains the history of each structure — some vacant, some being restored and some currently used for different purposes than when they were originally built. You may request to stop at any time along this section of the tour to sample some of the teas at the local tea houses.

Then step back in time as you enter the Strand Hotel, a three-story colonial building built in 1901. Inside this exquisitely restored hotel, you’ll receive top-notch service while enjoying Burmese high tea. Glimpse the vaulted ceiling and sparkling chandeliers in the dining room before you settle into your rattan chair on a marble floor in the Strand Café. Enjoy the views through teak-framed windows as you sip tea and savor homemade pastries.

After your walking tour you’ll have time to enjoy a complimentary gin and tonic at the Union Bar and Grill in the old Red Cross building, where many of Yangon’s expatriates meet up for a drink or a meal. Learn more about the building and other structures like it, inaugurated during the colonial era, that have survived after decades of decay due to the protection of the Yangon Heritage Trust.

Your small-group tour ends in the evening with drop-off at your hotel in Yangon.