Things to do in Ulaanbaatar
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Hazara
This North Indian restaurant has been serving up delectable dishes for more than a decade, always with the same winning menu and colourful décor. Each table is covered by a colourful samiyan (Rajasthani tent), so it's easy to escape to India for an hour or two while you dine on excellent murgh makhni, naan basket and saffron rice. In terms of pure taste, quality of service, freshness of food and consistency, this is arguably the best restaurant in town. Hazara is located behind the Wrestling Palace.
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Silk Road Bar & Grill
Owner and chef Enkhee (aka Eddie) is Mongolia's original restaurateur. Silk Road, his third restaurant, features lots of cosy couches and bas-relief scenes of the ancient Silk Road from China to Europe. The menu reflects the name of the place, and you'll find sprinklings of Indian, Central Asian and Mediterranean treats, including shish kebabs, chicken tikka and pork gyros (pitta with meat and vegetables). You can try a sampling of these at the Sunday smorgasbord (between 12:30 and 15:00).
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Millie's Café
Drop by Millie's at noon any day of the week and you'll find the place packed with consultants, aid workers and journalists sipping excellent shakes and gobbling steak sandwiches and lemon pie. The restaurant completely changes for dinner time; tablecloths are spread out, candles are lit and a gourmet menu appears. Dinner is a fusion of Mediterranean, Cuban and South African cuisines; presentation is perfect and taste impeccable.
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BD's Mongolian Barbeque
This is the first American chain restaurant to open a franchise in Mongolia - ironically, it's not American cuisine but Mongolian barbecue. Despite the staged atmosphere, Mongolians seem to like it and it's certainly a filling option if you're half-starved after a countryside trip. Profits from the restaurant go to the Mongolian Youth Development Federation (MYDF).
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Computerland
Techie travellers will find joy at Computerland a three-storey building crammed with dozens of private dealers selling everything from flash drives to the latest laptops. It is located behind the Canon Showroom, which also has a computer shop.
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Chinggis Club
Micro-brewery serving some of the best beer in the country. There's also a filling meat-and-potatoes menu designed by a German chef.
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Sakura
A great place for Japanese is the restaurant Sakura.
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Gandan Khiid
The Gandan Khiid is one of Mongolia's most important monasteries, and also one of its biggest tourist attractions. The full name, Gandantegchinlen, translates roughly as 'the great place of complete joy'.
Building was started in 1838 by the fourth Bogd Gegeen, but like most monasteries in Mongolia the purges of 1937 fell heavily on Gandan. When US Vice President Henry Wallace asked to see a monastery during his visit to Mongolia in 1944, then prime minister Choibalsan guiltily scrambled to open this one to cover up the fact that he had recently laid waste to Mongolia's religious heritage. The khiid remained a 'show monastery' for other foreign visitors until 1990 when…
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Sükhbaatar Square
In July 1921 in the centre of Ulaanbaatar, the 'hero of the revolution', Damdin Sükhbaatar, declared Mongolia's final independence from the Chinese. The Square now bears his name and features a statue of him astride his horse. Sükhbaatar would have been very disappointed to learn that the Square was also where the first protests were held in 1990, which eventually led to the fall of communism in Mongolia.
Today, the Square is occasionally used for rallies, ceremonies and even rock concerts, but is generally a serene place where only the photographers are doing anything. Near the centre of the square, look for the large plaque that lists the former names of the city -…
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Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts
The Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts has a superb collection of paintings, carvings and sculptures, including many by the revered sculptor and artist Zanabazar. It also contains other rare, and sometimes old, religious exhibits such as scroll thangka(paintings) and Buddhist statues, representing the best display of its kind in Mongolia. A bonus is that most of the exhibit captions in the museum are in English.
The second room contains some fine examples of the sculptor's work including five Dhyani, or Contemplation, Buddhas (cast in 1683) and Tara in her 21 manifestations.
Also worth checking out are the wonderful tsam masks (worn by monks during religious ceremonies) and the…
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The Tumen Ekh Song & Dance Ensemble
A performance of traditional music and dance will be one of the highlights of your visit to Mongolia and should not be missed. You'll see outstanding examples of the unique Mongolian throat-singing, known as khöömii; full-scale orchestral renditions of new and old Mongolian music; contortionists guaranteed to make your eyes water; traditional and modern dancing; and recitals featuring the unique horse-head violin, the morin khuur. The Tumen Ekh Song & Dance Ensemble at the State Youth & Children's Theatre is the most popular cultural show in town, featuring traditional singers, dancers and contortionists. It's a great chance to hear khöömii and see some fabulous…
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Mongolian National Modern Art Gallery
Sometimes called the Fine Art Gallery, it contains a large and impressive display of modern and uniquely Mongolian paintings and sculptures. It has a mixture of depictions of nomadic life, people and landscapes, ranging from impressionistic to nationalistic. The Soviet romantic paintings depicted in thangka style are especially interesting, but the most famous work is Tsevegjav Ochir's 1958 The Fight of the Stallions.
The entrance is in the courtyard of the Palace of Culture. The main gallery is on the 3rd floor, there are temporary exhibits on the 2nd floor and a shop on the 1st floor.
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California
One of Ulaanbaatar's most popular restaurants, this place has an array of eclectic menu items, including a Thai steak salad with Caesar dressing, authentic chicken tacos and shorlog (shish kebab with cream sauce). All of these are recommended. There is a huge variety of food to choose from and the portions are generous and heavy on the calories (this place is a real diet killer). It's also one of the few places in town that is open for breakfast.
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Federation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition
The Federation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition is involved in the regeneration of Buddhist culture in Mongolia. The centre offers free lectures and courses on various aspects of Buddhist tradition and meditation. Lectures are given in English (at the time of writing, Monday to Thursday, 18:30); look for the pink-tiled building west of the Mormon Church.
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Narya Café
The Latin music playing in the background, ochre-painted walls and contemporary artwork make for a pleasant sight when entering this laid-back café. The menu offers reasonably priced sandwiches, soups and home-baked muffins, plus hot dishes such as a 'sloppy dorj' (the Mongolian version of a sloppy joe). Food quality can be inconsistent.
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Gobi Cashmere Shop
The major cashmere and wool factories are Goyo (Mongolian-American joint venture), Gobi Cashmere (government-owned) and Buyan (owned by the prominent politician Jargalsaikhan). Excellent products can be purchased at the Gobi Cashmere Shop opposite the Russian Embassy.
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Samar Magic Tours
Based at El Latino restaurant, this company runs fishing expeditions and a ger camp near Terelj. Contact Spanish- and English-speaking Christo Camilo Gavilla Gomez.
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El Latino
Cuban restaurant with colourful décor. However, the chef is from Belarus so there are also some tasty Russian dishes.
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Friends School
Short-term-survival Mongolian classes are available. Located just northeast of the Bridge School.
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Librairie Papillon
Ulaanbaatar's finest bookshop, although almost everything is in French.
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State Department Store
Known as ikh delguur or 'big shop', the State Department Store is virtually a tourist attraction in itself, with the best products from around the city squeezed into one building.
The 1st floor has a supermarket in the back. The 2nd floor has outlets for clothing, cashmere and leather goods. The 3rd floor has electronics, a Mobicom shop, CDs, books, sports equipment, camping and fishing gear. The 5th floor has a great collection of souvenirs, traditional clothing, maps and books about Mongolia.
Foreign-exchange counters are found on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th floors, with cash only changed. The store also sells phone and internet cards.
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Ananda Café & Meditation Centre
Enjoy herbal teas and some excellent vegetarian dishes made from rice, buckwheat, tofu, lentils and other natural products. Vegetarian buuz and khuushuur are also available. Profits from the café go to supporting a local orphanage, the Lotus Children's Centre, and as the name suggests, yoga classes are available, as are vegetarian cooking classes.
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Café Amsterdam
At the time of writing this place was set to open as Mongolia first literary café. The Dutch owners have promised café au lait, pannekoeken (crepes) and homemade cheese (in season), as well as shelves of books that you can borrow, trade or buy. Poetry readings and guest speakers are expected so check the chalkboard for upcoming events.
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Choijin Lama Temple Museum
This temple-museum is a hidden gem of architecture and history, smack in the middle of downtown Ulaanbaatar. Sadly, it's under threat of losing its quaint character, as shoddily constructed buildings are thrown up all around it. Already the view of the complex is hindered by ugly buildings that now form its backdrop.
Still, Choijin Lama is well-worth a visit. It was the home of Luvsan Haidav Choijin Lama ('Choijin' is an honorary title given to some monks), the state oracle and brother of the Bogd Khan. The construction of the monastery commenced in 1904 and was completed four years later. It was closed in 1938 and probably would have been demolished but it was saved as…
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Naran Tuul Market
Naran Tuul Market, east of the centre, is also known as the Black Market (Khar Zakh), but it's not the sort of place where you go to change money illegally and smuggle goods - though this certainly happens.
The market is huge, one of the biggest in Asia and in summer up to 60,000 people a day squeeze inside. There's an around Tug50 entrance fee. You can buy cheap gear for a camping trip, among other things, but the real reason to visit is to marvel at this enormous emporium.
An undercover area has a decent selection of clothes, such as bags, leather boots and fake North Face jackets. This is also one of the cheapest places to get traditional Mongolian clothes such as a del
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