Ulaanbaatar is a Mongolian metropolis and the coldest capital of the world. In this guide you will some useful information about what to do and see at first glance a chaotic and dusty city, but with nice and helpful people.
Best things to see/do in Ulaanbaatar
1. Gandantegchinlen Monastery
It is the center of Buddhism in Ulaanbaatar. Nowadays, approximately 500 monks live in the monastery and since 1994 it has been under state protection. There is another row of Buddhist buildings, gates or statues too around the monastery.
2. Sukhbaatar Square
We were very lucky there to see a cultural event. We heard Mongolian orchestra playing, we saw traditional dances and various martial arts.
3. Bogd Khan Museum
The Winter Palace of The Bogd Khan or the Bogd Khan Palace Museum is a museum complex. You have to pay the admission fee (adult 80 000 MNT, student 30 000 MNT) and if you want to take a photo inside, you have to pay another fee of 250 000 MNT. As the right Czechs, we said that we would not pay anything extra and somehow we would do it. However, we noticed that the whole area is surrounded by cameras. The camera was perhaps in every corner, nooks and our fear did not allow us to even pull out the camera. It was a terrible shame, because it is a beautiful Buddhist complex with a winter palace, Buddhist art, decorated with gates and various statues.
But after the tour we couldn’t resist and we asked at the cash register if there is any place to take a photo. Good thing we did, because the lady showed us two places where we are allowed to take pictures and one of them was among our adepts for photoshooting! 😀
4. Zaisan Hill
Zaisan Hill offers a wonderful view of Ulaanbaatar city. The monument was built by the Russians in memory of Soviet soldiers who fell in World War II. We planned to watch the sunset at this point. It was a generally interesting sight. In most cities, you can usually see from views historic center, skyscapers, towers and other classic things, but in this case we saw rather housing estates, cranes and the surrounding mountains.
Where to eat in Ulaanbaatar
1. Momo Hot Pot
Momo Hot Pot is perfect place for lunch or dinner and you will not regret this choice. We ordered some basic set of meat, noodles and vegetables. The waitress had a lot of fun because we couldn’t eat with chopsticks and at the beginning we put raw materials into the pot one at a time (the waitress couldn’t stand it anymore and she told us to cook more food in the water: D)
2. Шөлөндө
Getting around in Ulaanbaatar
Do not try to use public transport around Ulaanbaatar. Buses are overcrowded and you would probably be stuck in endless traffic jam. We walked everywhere, with the only exception that we took a taxi. But the taxi driver deliberately took us on a longer journey, which cost us more after that and we almost missed the bus. After this experience, we didn’t really get into another taxi.
