Yangon has a mix of cultural tastes where you will see more British Colonial Buildings than anywhere in southeast Asia also several religious places. There is a mix of religions in this city, a beautiful mosque, Hindu temples, and a world-famous Shwedagon Pagoda. With so many different people living in Yangon with harmony is what makes this city special. Here are some highlights of the religious site to visit the sacred places of Yangon.
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Sule Pagoda ![]()
Although it is estimated to be more than 2,000 years old, this pagoda has been through so many renovations that its true origins are obscure. Built-in the typical Burmese Mon style, it features four entrances facing the four cardinal points of the compass and a golden dome or ‘Zedi’, which according to legend contains a strand of hair given to two Burmese merchants by Buddha himself. As with all religious sites in the East, please be mindful of the attire recommendations described in this publication.
Open: Daily (06:00 – 20:00 hrs)
Address: Junction of Sule Pagoda Road, Kyauktada Township- Yangon
Phone: +95 (1) 371561 -
Botataung Pagoda
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With its tranquil riverfront setting and lack of crowds, this pagoda presents more of a relaxed spiritual feeling than Shwedagon or Sule Paya. The most original feature here is the notable zig-zag corridor, gilded from floor to ceiling, which wraps around the interior of the 131 ft/40 m golden stupa. Look out for a bronze Buddha which once stood in Mandalay’s royal palace; also worth seeing is the large pond containing hundreds of terrapin turtles. The attraction was named after the 1,000 military leaders, who escorted hair relics of the Buddha from India to Myanmar over 2000 years ago. This Pagoda is believed to have housed eight strands of the Buddha’s hair before being distributed elsewhere. During an Allied air raid in 1943, the Pagoda took a direct hit, but after the war, it was rebuilt in a similar style to its predecessor. Unlike most Zedi, which are solid, the unusual difference is that Botataung is hollow and visitors can walk through it.
Open: Daily (06:00 – 20:00 hrs)
Address: Strand Road, Botataung Township –Yangon
Phone: +95 (9) 971625813 -
St Mary's Cathedral
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Designed by a Dutch architect, St Mary’s is the largest cathedral in Myanmar. Construction commenced in 1895 and was completed in 1899; the cathedral’s interior is richly decorated and features examples of exquisite stained-glass windows.
Services: Daily (06:00hrs – 17:00 hrs);
Sunday (06:00hrs – 08:00 hrs) (English)
Address: No. 372 Bo Aung Kyaw Street, Botahtaung Township
Phone: +95 (1) 245467,392517,392667 -
Holy Trinity Cathedral
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Holy Trinity Cathedral is the primary Anglican cathedral in Myanmar, located on Bogyoke Aung San Road in Latha Township, Yangon. The cathedral was designed by Robert Chisholm, a Madras-based architect, in the Indo-Saracenic style to adapt to warm and humid conditions. The cathedral is on Yangon City Heritage List.
Services: Sunday starting from 08:30 AM
Address: No. 446 Bogyoke Road, Pabedan Township –Yangon
Phone: +95 (1) 272326 -
Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue
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Yangon’s small Jewish community worshiped in this beautiful 1896 building; its wooden ceiling features the original blue-and-white Star of David motif. A bimah (platform holding the reading table for the Torah) is in the center and a women’s balcony can be found upstairs. Once the focal point of an influential community of Sephardic Jews from India and Baghdad, during the early 20th-century, the synagogue had 2,500 members. Today, services in the synagogue are only held occasionally.
Open: Mon to Sat (09:300 – 14:00 hrs)
Address: 85, 26th Street, Latha Township
Phone: +95 (1) 252814