Surrounded on three sides by water, Yangon has a unique charm with its old colonial buildings, tree lined streets, bustling markets and tranquil lakes.

Pagodas glisten among trees and houses and at the heart of Yangon is the Shwedagon Pagoda…always bustling with people who come to worship, picnic, read or simply quietly absorb the surroundings.

"The Shwedagon rose superb, glistening with its gold, like a sudden hope in the dark night of the soul….." wrote Somerset Maugham.

One of the most magnificent monuments on earth, and said to date from the 11th century, the stupa is plated with more than 8,000 solid gold slabs and its tip is set with diamonds, rubies, sapphires and topaz. The Shwedagon is surrounded by more than 100 smaller stupas, pavilions and halls.

Yangon, as the capital city of Myanmar, is a thriving sea port which is fast-changing with new buildings and busy streets as you will expect from a newly-emerging international city.

Other attractions include a selection of smaller pagodas, an intriguing national museum, and traditional markets which are worth a browse. The city can be comfortably visited in a day or two, allowing more time for exploring the richer sites of Mandalay and Bagan.