How to Take the Bus from Yangon to Bagan (2024)

There are three ways to get from Yangon to Bagan:

1. A short flight that may not even run and is quite expensive (>100$);
2. A long and arduous train journey (>16 hours);
3. A relatively cheap, quick, and comfortable enough overnight bus.

It’s a no-brainer. The bus from Yangon to Bagan is the best way to travel, hands down. Here, I will share with you all the necessary details to plan your journey.

Rapid Answers

• Price: 28.500 MMK (~6 USD on the black market rate, and dropping)
• Departure: 7 PM from Aung Mingalar Bus Terminal
• Arrival: 4-5 AM at Bagan Shwe Pyi Highway Bus Terminal
• Duration: 9-10 hours
• Stops: Once for 30 minutes
• Comfort: 4/5

How to book a ticket

Here comes the fun part – booking tickets in Myanmar is frankly not so simple, especially with everything happening (international sanctions, civil war, inflation).

You can try booking online. I tried unsuccessfully on the JJExpress website – one of the better bus companies in Myanmar.

However:

• Your card will probably get rejected. That’s what happened to me, even though I tried 3 different cards.
• You will pay a lot more. This is because your money will be exchanged at the official rate, which is a lot lower than the black market. Read more about money in Myanmar here.

Instead, ask your hostel/hotel in Yangon to call them to reserve a ticket. They probably know JJExpress (it’s a famous company) but if not, this is the number to call: +959977181230

You don’t need to book more than a day in advance. Actually, when the receptionist in my hotel called 2 days before the day I wanted to travel, they outright told her to call the next morning.

Upon booking over the phone, I just had to turn up at the JJExpress ticket office at the bus station to pay for the tickets and get on the bus.

I ended up paying 28.500 MMK for the overnight bus. At the time, this was equal to about 6 USD on the black market rate – much better than the almost 10$ I would’ve paid online.

Get to Aung Mingalar Bus Terminal

All northbound buses in Yangon depart from the Aung Mingalar Bus Terminal. This includes the bus from Yangon to Bagan.

The bad news is that the terminal is pretty far from the city center where most of the interesting places in Yangon are and where you’d be most likely to stay. It’s even farther than the airport! The distance from Sule Pagoda is a whopping 20 km!

The good news is that there are regular public buses that go to Aung Mingalar Bus Terminal. They are pretty cheap (just 500 MMK) although they can get pretty crowded.

By Public Bus (cheapest)

For just 500 MMK (<0.1 USD), hop on a bus at Sule Pagoda and after about an hour hop off at the bus stop right in front of the Bus Terminal.

Which number bus? #36 and #105 and at least a few more go to the Terminal. It’s best to ask a local around Sule Pagoda to help you. That’s what I did – a friendly Burmese showed me the bus stop and which bus to take.

By Shared Taxi

Right in front of the Yangon City Hall, beside the bus stop, you will see parked minivans with their drivers loitering about. These are shared taxis that go to the bus station.

Simply approach one and ask.

They go only when full and cost around 2000-3000 MMK per person. It can be more comfortable than the public bus but you may have to wait longer.

By Taxi

For maximum comfort and speed, take a taxi. Yangon is teeming with taxis and the drivers will be happy to do such a long ride. You can flag one pretty much anywhere in Chinatown or around Sule Pagoda.

Alternatively, order a Grab. It works in Myanmar and you can pay both by card (even if otherwise your cards get rejected) or in cash.

The price to go by taxi is around 20.000-25.000 MMK.

The experience on the overnight bus from Yangon to Bagan

Inside the bus

The bus I took was in a 2 by 2 seat configuration. The seats were reclinable to around 45 degrees but nowhere near fully lying down.

I was worried that the AC would be too strong, as the JJExpress employees told me it would be kept at 16 degrees. I took out a winter jacket just to be prepared.

The AC is indeed kept low but it’s not unbearable like I thought – more like 20-22 degrees Celsius. I still put my winter jacket on – that’s what months in Southeast Asia do to you. You can control the air ventilation above the seat.

You are given a thin blanket and a bottle of water.

Toilet and Dinner Stop

The bus departed on time at 19:00 and after just under 4 hours stopped for the one and only pit stop in the overnight journey.

Buses from and to Yangon always stop at the 115 Mile Pit Stop as there are plenty of toilets and a bunch of restaurants.

I recommend you try the Indian food, especially the paratha bread. At 700 MMK for a piece of paratha and 1400 for a small curry, the restaurants there are super cheap. It’s tasty too!

The bus stops for 30 minutes before proceeding.

Checkpoints on the way

There were 2 military checkpoints on the way due to the ongoing Myanmar Civil War. They are nothing to worry about and the process is smooth and quick.

For the first one, the bus attendant collected everybody’s passport or ID card beforehand. Then he got off the bus, presumably showed them to the military, and came back within a minute.

At the second checkpoint, an officer came on board and scanned the bus. Being a foreigner, he asked to see only my passport but promptly returned it and we were again on our way.

Can you sleep on the bus?

It depends on how light of a sleeper you are. I managed to get a few snooze hours but it’s kinda hard to go into a deep sleep.

The seats are comfortable enough but do not recline fully.

There is enough legroom and then some, so that’s not an issue.

The lights are dimmed and only the emergency neon lights on the floor and on the ceiling of the bus are kept on.

There was some music in the beginning but it was turned off after the pit stop.

People on the bus were generally courteous and didn’t make many sounds. Nobody had their phone sound on without headphones. I was also lucky to not have heavy snorers on the bus.

All in all, upon arrival in Bagan at 5 AM, I felt somewhat refreshed. Nevertheless, I took a nap later in the day.

Arrival in Bagan

The bus arrived in Bagan between 4-5 AM.

That’s misleading as the Bus Terminal in Bagan is actually nearer to Nyaung-U. It’s very near where the train stops and the airport.

But it’s not so near New Bagan (~10 km) where most hotels are. Even if you stay in Nyaung-U, it’s a solid 6 km away, so walking is out of the question.

Transport from Bagan bus station to your New Bagan/Nyaung-U

In the middle of the night, there is only 1 option – a taxi.

I wonder if during the day there are cheaper tuk-tuks. Maybe. Maybe not.

Taxi drivers await the arrival of the overnight bus from Yangon and will quickly approach you.

The price of a taxi to New Bagan is set at 15.000 MMK (could be higher when you go due to inflation and devaluation).

Best place to stay in Bagan (checked us in early!)

Vaguely on topic, but I just have to give a massive shout-out to the Ostello Bello hostel. Not only did the employees wait for us at reception at 5 AM but also let us check in immediately after we arrived (we had a reservation for the following night).

On top of that, the hostel has a pool, free coffee/tea/water, plenty of options for breakfast (included in the price), and a generator which complements the unreliable electricity in Bagan. Also, the rooms are spacious and clean. Just amazing.

Where next?

After exploring Bagan and its 3000+ temples for a few days, you may want to go to:

1. Mandalay; A minibus will take 5-6 hours.
2. Kalaw / Inle Lake: A direct minibus will take 8-10 hours.
3. Back to Yangon

You can book a ticket at your hotel (Ostello Bello does not charge a fee for booking a ticket for you!) which commonly includes a pickup to the bus station in Nyaung-U.