Gandan Khiid monastery, Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia

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Ulaanbaatar

If Mongolia’s yin is its pristine countryside, then Ulaanbaatar (UB; Улаанбаатар) harmonises as its vibrant yang. It's a sprawling, industrialised city of pulsating commerce, wild traffic, sinful nightlife and bohemian counterculture. The contrasts within the city are intriguing: Armani-suited businessmen rub shoulders with mohawked punks and del-clad nomads fresh off the steppes; one minute you’re dodging the path of a Hummer H2 and the next you’re entranced by chanting Buddhist monks at Gandan Khiid. It's the coldest capital in the world, but come summer the city bursts into life after slumbering through a long winter.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Zaisan memorial in the south of Ulaanbaatar.

    Zaisan Memorial

    Ulaanbaatar

    Built by the Russians to commemorate 'unknown soldiers and heroes' from various wars, the Zaisan Memorial features stirring socialist realism imagery with…

  • Gandan Khiid monastery, Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia

    Gandan Khiid

    Ulaanbaatar

    Around the start of the 19th century more than 100 süm (temples) and khiid (monasteries) served a population of about 50,000 in Urga (the former name of…

  • Mongolia, Ulan Bator, Sukhbaatar square

    Sükhbaatar Square

    Ulaanbaatar

    In July 1921 in the centre of Ulaanbaatar, Damdin Sükhbaatar (the ‘hero of the revolution’) declared Mongolia’s final independence from China. A square…

  • National Museum of Mongolia.

    National Museum of Mongolia

    Ulaanbaatar

    Mongolia’s wonderful National Museum sweeps visitors from the Neolithic era right to the present day. It’s UB's only genuine blockbuster sight, offering…

  • The Choijin Lama Temple Museum is a Buddhist monastery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

    Choijin Lama Temple Museum

    Ulaanbaatar

    This temple museum smack in the middle of downtown Ulaanbaatar was the home of Luvsan Haidav Choijin Lama (‘Choijin’ is an honorary title given to some…

  • View of the Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan, now a museum, located in southern Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

    Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan

    Ulaanbaatar

    Built between 1893 and 1903, this palace is where Mongolia’s eighth Living Buddha, and last king, Jebtzun Damba Hutagt VIII (often called the Bogd Khan),…

  • Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts

    Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts

    Ulaanbaatar

    This fine-arts museum has a superb collection of paintings, carvings and sculptures, including many by the revered sculptor and artist Zanabazar. It also…

  • International Intellectual Museum

    International Intellectual Museum

    Ulaanbaatar

    This museum contains an intriguing collection of puzzles and games made by local and international artists. One puzzle requires 56,831 movements to…

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Articles

Latest stories from Ulaanbaatar

A yurt tent with a red door is covered in snow with a motorcycle iced over outside © Chantal de Bruijne / Shutterstock

History

Winter on the steppe: why you should consider visiting Mongolia in low season

Jan 6, 2020 • 6 min read

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