Yangon Cultural Heritage Walking Tour

(1) the Sule Pagoda, the geographic and commercial heart of the city where the British-designed grid street pattern was centered. It was built over 2000 years ago and contains a hair relic of the Buddha. It was damaged by British-Bomb in WWII and reconstructed after the war. (2) City Hall, a colossal lilac and purple-painted colonial building adorned with traditional Myanmar decorations such as peacocks, nagas (serpents) and three-tiered roof. (3)The Former Immigration Department was once Rowe & Co, the department store dubbed the 'Harrods of the East'. Now, it has become one of local banks called "Ayar Bank". (4) Immanuel Baptist Church, originally built 1830 though the present structure dates from 1885. Passed by (5) High Court still has its charm with its bell clock tower and roof top lion statues. At the corner of Bank street and Pansodan street is (6) Myanma Economic Bank which was formerly Standard Chartered Bank opened its door for business in Yangon in 1862 as a sub-agency of Chartered Bank. At the time, The other side of the corner is (7) Yangon Region Court, one of the oldest masonry structures in Yangon dating from around 1900, and then bomb damage from WWII is still visible on the Bank St side of the complex. (8) Port Authority building (9) Pansodan Street (former Phayre road) crossing the Pansodan Bridge. Lower Pansodan street's monumental buildings in line is considered Yangon’s prime business area. A century ago or so it was known as The Wall Street of Rangoon. (10) Book Stalls the area known as Yangon's open-air library for many decades. Still it's the best place for local book warms. (11) Inland Waterways Department was once the head quarters of the Irrawaddy Flotilla company. It was weathered by the passage of time. (12) Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank was formerly known as Grindlays Bank. It was used as the National Museum of Yangon. (13) Lokanat Gallery Building which is in desperate need of love and attention, and crumbing Italianate-style was constructed by the Jewish-Baghdadi trader Isaac A. Sofaer. It still has original features such as the floor tiles imported from Manchester. (14) Strand Hotel (currently is now closed for renovations until this November) once "The Finest Hostelry East of Suez" built in 1901. The building of three stories and five-star hotel in Yangon remains one of Southeast Asia's few grand colonial hotels as well as of its most awe inspiring. (15) General Post Office, dating from 1908 note the lovely beaux-arts portico can be seen as you enter. (16) Armenian Church from later 19th century (17) Secretariat Building_ the colonial-era Secretariat, where parliament sessions were once held, has only occasionally granted public access. Sections of the compound, including General Aung San’s office, are meant to become a museum, after Anawmar Art Group won a tender to take over the property lease in 2012. Return to the city centre.