From the Airport to Central Rangoon

Replies: 15 - Last Post: Feb 3, 2013 7:13 PM Last Post By: hilron

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Jan 29, 2013 12:16 AM
Posts: 908

From the Airport to Central Rangoon

Hi,

Wikitravel suggests that there is a public transport option from Rangoon's airport into the center of town: walk about 1km out of the airport and catch bus 51. Has anyone ever used this option before? Is it reliable? Is the road with public buses Prome/Pyay Road, labelled on Google Maps as NH1? Presumably I need Kyat to pay for such a bus; is it easy to get a hold of Kyat at the airport? What are rates like?

Also, can someone suggest a budget hotel in Rangoon? I'm arriving in mid-February; should I be booking a hotel in advance? Do hotels in Burma accept phone reservations? Is booking in advance reliable, or might I end up being offered a broom closet?

Many thanks,
Giora

P.S. Are there are any other forums with active coverage of travel in Burma? Given what Thorntree's turned in to, might I get better responses on Travelfish, or somewhere else?

hoteldelta

Jan 29, 2013 1:28 AM
Posts: 131

taking that bus doesn't make sense, really, unless you're on a 3$ budget a day and then it's better to skip your travels anyway. just get a taxi, pay the correct price taking into account that even locals pay 8000ks (+/- 8 euro, sigh) and have yourself dropped off at the hotel you booked by phone (yes possible). if u insist taking local transport for the sake of doing it, just walk the road from the airport direction downtown. before you reach the large crossroad (the 1km u refer to above) you will be offered the chance to jump into some kind of shared vehicle. agree on price before you accept the ride and be prepared to be dropped off somewhere far away from your hotel, resulting in having to take a taxi after all.

TheRoamingLyon

Jan 29, 2013 6:27 AM
Posts: 22

Phone reservations are good - email's work but they don't always get back to you. Your hotel will generally be able to help to put a call through to your next destination. Booking ahead can come with perks - such as airport/ bus station pick-up (e.g. Ocean Pearl in Yangon, Inn Wa in Bagan...). And since you're never asked for an advance to make a booking, if it's not suitable, then you walk out and you're in the same situation as you would have been without booking.

Kyatts at the airport $ = 844K.

This is possibly the most active forum for Myanmar which means it does attract a few... err.... people who comment just for comments sake.

6Tango

Jan 29, 2013 6:40 AM
Posts: 172

Montyman uses that method of catching the local bus from the main road to down town Yangon. If you've never been the Myanmar before, it's probably something I wouldn't recommend manly because most of the signs there are in Myanmar script; road names in the past were likewise, but some now have English signs. Asking for directions of the locals is also a hit and miss thing.. you might come across a few people who can speak English well enough to give you directions, but more likely than not, the majority of locals there will know only very basic English.

Take the taxi in to town; the taxis form the taxi counter at the airport costs around $10 which is quite reasonable (it's about 15 to 20 km from airport to central Yangon) or walk out to the main airport road and hail a local taxi. They'll probably ask about 7000 or 8000 kyats for trip in to town.

hoteldelta

Jan 29, 2013 9:13 AM
Posts: 131

u don't have to be a genius to read the bus number (၅၁ = 51). i suppose LP lists the numerals. every local understands Sule (pagoda) which is downtown Yangon and a main landmark.

JazzyBabe

Jan 30, 2013 2:04 AM
Posts: 92

I booked my accommodation in advance (some by phone, some by email) and all were reliable and had kept the rooms for me.

Easy to exchange $ to kyat at the airport for good rates.

silverswimmer

Jan 30, 2013 4:35 AM
Posts: 336

"P.S. Are there are any other forums with active coverage of travel in Burma?"
Yes TripAdvisor,but I am a little biased as I lurk their daily.
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g294190-i9408-Myanmar.html
There have been comments that "TA is for tourists with money, and TT is for those who want to save money"

SpencerTheRover

Jan 30, 2013 10:01 PM
Posts: 4

A taxi from the airport to town is currently (26/1/2013) 7000 Kyat ($8).

I would recommend Mother Land Inn 2. It is a little far from the centre but whever you stay, you would probably need a taxi to get about about anyway. The great thing is that they offer a free pickup at the airport. As it is recommended in L.P. you MUST book well ahead as it is so popular.

Giora

Jan 31, 2013 1:40 AM
Posts: 908

Well this forum seems to suffer from too many users who think the only way to get from A to B in a city is to take a taxi... If the 51 bus does actually exist, and does actually run along the main road about 1km from the airport, I can't imagine it's going to be too hard to get on board, even if it's my first time in Rangoon. Thanks for the tips on hotels.

marie767

Jan 31, 2013 3:24 PM
Posts: 108

I have done it in reverse, bus to airport to pick up a friend. Quite straight forward, as the guest house wrote bus number in Myanmar script and the burmese are such helpful people. I do remember that the bus dropped me off at a junction, where i had to hop on a pick up that dropped me right out the front of the airport.
We've stayed at the Okinawa in Yangon. Unlike Motherland, it is very central around the corner from Sule Pagoda on 32nd street. They also have a dorm room that sleeps around 6 people if you are counting your pennies. i would give them a call in advance to book a room.
Currency exchange at the airport offers very good rates, same as the banks.

hoteldelta

Jan 31, 2013 8:13 PM
Posts: 131

@giora: sure, u can go from place A to B the way you want, including walking, if necessary on hands and feet or backwards... my point - based on trial and error - is that on arrival in yangon, the extra hassle to take that bus isn't worth it (for me). nevertheless, do what thou want.

hilron

Jan 31, 2013 9:07 PM
Posts: 530

You can also try
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/burma-myanmar/

hilron

Jan 31, 2013 9:22 PM
Posts: 530

Taxis in Rangoon have a fixed priced at 2000 kts. It doesn't really matter where your guesthouse is located, you just need transport. Sometimes you can walk, most times if you want to see something it's too far to walk.
I did not use the public transport, but I can imagine it's very cheap.

emmeff

Feb 3, 2013 6:52 PM
Posts: 954

And since you're never asked for an advance to make a booking, if it's not suitable, then you walk out and you're in the same situation as you would have been without booking.

#2 -- This is exactly why so many budget places have stopped accepting bookings during the busy season. You are doing the wrong thing by the guesthouse and the wrong thing by fellow travellers. If you expect the GH to honour your bookings, so should you.

OP -- Yes, there's a bus. If you're confident that you'll know where to get off and how to find your GH once you do, fantastic. But spending $10 on a taxi upon first arrival in a new country is not a bad investment.

The airport exchange rates are very good, and it seems the exchange office there is not as fussy about getting clean currency as some hotels.

hilron

Feb 3, 2013 7:06 PM
Posts: 530