Elephant fountain, People's Park, Yangon, Myanmar

Getty Images

People's Park

Yangon


Notable for its splendid views of the western side of Shwedagon Paya, this well-tended park offers plenty of pleasant features, such as flower gardens and ponds; fountains, including one made of concentric rings of white elephants; and treetop observation platforms linked by fun swinging bridges.

More quirky aspects include a decommissioned Myanmar Airways Fokker you can climb inside, a fighter jet, an old steam train and a planetarium.

At the park's northwestern corner is the Natural World Amusement Park, with rides such as bumper cars and a log-flume roller coaster. Facing onto Dhammazedi Rd is the kids' amusement park Happy Zone.

Also with an entrance on Dhammazedi Rd is Resistance Park; walls separate this area from People's Park.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Yangon attractions

1. Resistance Park

0.23 MILES

Sectioned off from neighbouring People's Park is this former parade ground. It's a pleasant place for a stroll, with great views of Shwedagon Paya. When…

2. Shwedagon Paya Museum

0.34 MILES

Accessed from the west side of Shwedagon's main terrace is this small museum which is chock-full of buddha statues and religious ornaments. Look for the…

3. Martyrs' Mausoleum

0.38 MILES

This striking mausoleum houses the remains of General Aung San and the six comrades who were assassinated on 19 July 1947. The Soviet-style, red-painted…

4. Shwedagon Paya

0.43 MILES

One of Buddhism's most sacred sites, the 326ft zedi (stupa) here is adorned with 27 metric tons of gold leaf, along with thousands of diamonds and other…

5. Maha Wizaya Zedi

0.63 MILES

This well-proportioned zedi (stupa), built on General Ne Win's orders in the early 1980s to commemorate the unification of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar,…

6. U Thant Mausoleum

0.65 MILES

U Thant, the former UN Secretary General and one of the most respected 20th-century Burmese statesmen, is buried here. A chapter in The River of Lost…

7. Suphayalat's Mausoleum

0.67 MILES

This traditional-style multitiered construction contains the tomb of Burma’s last queen, Suphayalat (1859–1925). Having been exiled to India with her…

8. Daw Khin Kyi Mausoleum

0.69 MILES

Here lies Aung San’s widow and Aung San Suu Kyi's mother Daw Khin Kyi. Her funeral in 1989 was attended by more than 100,000 and was a galvanising moment…