If you visit Mongolia, then you will definitely travel to Ulaanbaatar, the capital and location of the main international airport. When landing, I was surprised to see so many tall buildings amidst the grass and rocks. Some of these are offices, and there are also many apartments. The city centre is fairly walkable, at least to see the main attractions. However, to reach the further out areas, our hotel and guide said it is better to book transport via an agency as taxis are not reliable nor safe.
The Mongolian parliament is located in Chinggis Khan square, and that feels like the centre of the city. When we arrived, the marathon had just occurred and the stage and signs were still up there. School kids were taking photos on the stairs of Parliament, and there were many people around the square. Also around the square are some beautiful buildings like the State Opera and Ballet. Nearby is the city fountain, which moves to music.
There were many restaurants around from familiar fast food like KFC and Yoshinoya Beef Bowl to local cuisine such as Mongolian BBQ and hot pot to Korean food. We also found some nice cafes and bakeries. We also enjoyed Golden Gobi chocolates.
For travel to Ulaanbaatar and sightseeing, I recommend two to three days. We saw quite a few sights around the city but did not have time to see some of the further out attractions, such as the Chinggis Khan statue complex.
Highlights
- Chinggis Khan Square and Parliament
- Ulaanbaatar Public Park Fountain
- Mongolian National Art Gallery
- Central Cultural Palace
- National Museum of Mongolia
- State Opera and Ballet Academic Theatre
- Little Europe colourful architecture
- Mary & Martha Mongolia souvenirs
- State Department Store
- The Fine Arts Zanabazar Museum
- Choijin Lama Temple Museum
- Tuul Gol River
- National Amusement Park
- Bogd Khaan Palace Museum
- Chinggis Khan Statue Complex
- Gandan Monastery
- Zaisan Monument
- Hiking in the hills of Tsetsee gun
- Manzushir Monastery
Before you go
- Ulaanbaatar is referred to as UB locally
- Exchange money at the airport or in the city. Cash dispensing machines are rare outside of the city
- Most places take Visa and Mastercard, but not American Express
- UB traffic can be bad any time during the day so allow time to get places by car
- Lots of stray dogs around but most seem chilled out and friendly
- Google locations and hours are approximate
- There are plenty of mobile phone shops to buy local sim cards
- People are generally helpful, but not everyone speaks English
- Cashmere is very popular and there are many shops with beautiful and reasonable items including Gobi Cashmere
- Taxis are not easy to find and not reliable
Transport
- The main international airport of Mongolia is Chinggis Khaan International Airport to the south of Ulaanbaatar.
- In Ulaanbaatar, the taxis are deemed unsafe by the locals so we opted for the tour company arranging airport transfers. We booked via Agate Travel which then used a local company called Amicus Travel. Luckily, we had an excellent guide and driver!
Accommodation
- We stayed at the Ramada Hotel Ulaanbaatar City Centre. It was comfortable, centrally located, and staff were friendly and helpful.
- Breakfast was delicious with a lot of choices at the buffet
- Just below the hotel was a mall and supermarket
- As usual I recommend checking reviews on Booking.com or using AirBnB
Food
Snacks and Drinks
Jur Ur Bakery was our first stop out of the hotel, so we could pick up some snacks. I had a delicious apple pastry, and the place reminded me of some bakeries in the US called 85 degrees. Nearby was another coffee place called Ulaanbaatar coffee culture, but they had less pastries available. We also found The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, an American chain.
We were looking for somewhere to have drinks outside. A little googling found the Edge Lounge rooftop bar at our hotel, the Ramada Ulaanbaatar City. We had a great view of the city and enjoyed the cocktail and beer selection.
Golden Gobi chocolate shops have a selection of local chocolates for reasonable prices. I especially liked the sea berry (sea buckthorn) flavour, which was unique.
Restaurants
Golden Star (АЛТАНГАДАС ҮНДЭСНИЙ) was recommended by our hotel, and it was fantastic! However, it was also in the wrong place on GoogleMaps, and it was located in a non-descript building. Luckily, a woman heard us talking and directed us up a lift. Then we waited for awhile because the staff didn’t seem to want to seat us at a table. When we finally were seated, half of the menu items were not available. Once we could order we had the meat dumplings and a mutton and rice platter that was enough to serve 10 people! The dumplings were amazing. The lamb was flavourful, but it was tough and had a lot of sinew. That seemed to be normal for Mongolia.
We had a great meal with our guide and driver at MG Hot Pot Restaurant in the Galleria Mall. It is a spacious restaurant and each person gets their own hot pot. We could choose our broth and what to cook in the hot pot. The menu had a variety of meats, vegetables, noodles and dumplings. Everything was delicious and we were stuffed by the end of the meal.
Arig Anya ramen was a simple restaurant near Chinggis Khan Square. The menu was short and we all had pork ramen. It was quick and tasty.
Our final meal was at Grill studio in Khoroo, south of the city centre. We needed the car to get there. It is a lively restaurant and they had excellent food. The main was beef and vegetables, and my vegetarian dish was stir-fried vegetable udon. They also served us pumpkin soup as starter and cake for dessert.
We didn’t get a chance to try the Grand Khaan Irish Pub. However, that was the top restaurant recommendation by our tour company. There is an Irish pub in most cities in the world!
Modern Nomads was a Mongolian restaurant recommended by our tour company. We didn’t get a chance to try it but passed by.
FAQs
Q: Do I need a tour guide?
A: No, you don’t need a tour guide to get around Ulaanbaatar. The places of interest are well-marked
Q: Do people speak English?
A: Yes, many people speak English, but it is useful to have a translation app to hand
Q: Is it a walkable city?
A: Yes, in general it is walkable though for some of the further places you may want to have a car
Go to Mongolia
Go to Country Map