• Understand
• Do
• Learn
• Work
• Buy
• Drink
• Contact
• Stay safe
• Get out

Parliament Building of Mongolia

Ulaanbaatar (Улаанбаатар) [1], also Ulan Bator or simply just UB, is the capital and, with a population of around 1,000,000, also the largest city in Mongolia. In fact, according to recent estimates, this means approximately 1/3 of the country lives here. It is located just east of the center of the country.

[edit] Understand

Ulaanbaatar has a long and mysterious history, and is only now undergoing an industrial revolution. When under communist control, the city was forbidden to waste funds on beautification projects, and this policy is no doubt partly responsible for the city's present drab and uninteresting architecture. Still, as traditionalists, Mongolians love their capital. They understand that it is not an Asian beauty, but in their hearts they are aware of the city's history, culture and many struggles. Foreigners who take the time to get to know the faces that are hidden behind the gray walls will discover a hospitable and warm-hearted people. Explore the city from different angles, while at the same time do not ignore the abject poverty of many of the ex-nomads who in recent years have come to the city to find work after severe winters have killed their livestock. In this way, you will learn to unlock the city's many secrets and discover an Ulaanbaatar that is not initially revealed to the casual visitor.

Although summer temperatures are around 20°C, the city shivers in minus zero temperatures for five months of the year, with January and February being the coldest months with temps hovering between -15°C to -30°C. As a result of these prolonged periods of intense cold, the city has an average annual temperature of -1.3°C, giving it the dubious distinction of being the world's coldest capital.

Peace Avenue (Enkh Taivny Örgön Chölöö) is the main street and it stretches from east to west through the center. It's the main shopping street and many of the restaurants are along it. The street also passes by the southern edge of the central square, Sükhbaatar Square. Tourist information office is located in the main post office in the southwestern corner of Sükhbaatar square.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

The majority of visitors arrive in Mongolia through Chinggis Khaan International Airport (Template:IATA), which is located 18 km to the southwest of Ulaanbaatar. The airport was reconstructed in 1990, and the immigration, customs formalities and luggage delivery are relatively efficient.

MIAT [2] (Mongolian Airlines) offers direct international flights to the city from Berlin, Moscow, Irkutsk, Seoul, Beijing, and Tokyo. Domestic flights from ULN to Dalanzadgad, Moron, Khovd, Bulgan Khovd, Altai, and Arvaikheer are also available. Korean Air also flies daily from Seoul to ULN.

[edit] By train

Direct (but long) journeys are possible from Moscow, Russia and Beijing, China on the Trans-Mongolian line of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Trains also run to the Chinese border towns of Erlian and Jineen 3-4 times a week. There's also a daily train to/from Irkutsk in Russia.

Trains from Beijing run once a week (on Tuesdays) and seats can only be reserved at the International Hotel in Beijing (a ten minute walk north of the main Beijing rail station). The journey takes about 30 hours. Packing a face mask might be a good idea as sandstorms in the Gobi desert may cause difficulty in breathing.

[edit] By car

[edit] By bus

Once in the country, it should not be difficult to find a bus going to UB, at least from larger towns. However, bus stops are difficult to locate, with buses usually just stopping in populated areas. Furthermore, Mongolian buses are notorious for being late and on some routes for not even arriving on the scheduled day. Be forewarned!

[edit] Get Around

[edit] By taxi

Taxis are cheap, charging around T300-350 per kilometer, but a foreigner will get overcharged easily. Considering the low price of the ride, it might be a good idea to negotiate the fare before the journey.

[edit] By bus

Buses are regular and have a fixed charge of T200. Electric trolley-buses cost T100 but are slower and run fewer routes. Smaller buses (really just vans) are equally accessible at T200. These have someone who hangs out the window at each stop shouting the name of the destination in rapid Mongolian. Fairly hard not to notice.

[edit] By foot

Walking is also an option as the city centre is quite compact.

[edit] See

Gandan Khiid Monastery

Note that most tourist sites have a separate camera/video fee (typically T5000-10000) in addition to the entrance fee.

• <see name="Gandan Monastery" alt="Gandantegchinlen Khiid" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="Entrance T2500">The main monastery in the city has services around 10AM every morning. It is one of the few monasteries in the country that escaped the communist purges during the 1930s. </see>
• <see name="Choijin Lama Monastery" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">The monastery built in the early 20th century is now a museum.</see>
• <see name="Natural History Museum" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="10am-5.30pm, last admission 4.30pm" price="Admission T2500">Interesting museum with a huge collection of expertly stuffed animals, and massive dinosaur skeletons from the Gobi desert, which no doubt are the highlight of the museum. Signs and descriptions are in English.</see>
• <see name="National History Museum" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="10am-5.30pm, last admission 4.30pm" price="Admission T2500">A nicely put together display of Mongolian history, with a lot of English and Dutch support.</see>
• <see name="Sükhbaatar Square" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">The big open space in the center of the city with an equestrian statue of the 1921 hero Sükhbaatar, and seated statue of Chinggis Kahn.</see>
• <see name="Bogd Kahn Museum" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="Admission T2500">The palace of the last king of Mongolia could do with some restoration, but is interesting to see anyway. The winter palace houses a collection of stuffed animals and a luxurious ger made of 150 snow leopard skins.</see>
• <see name="Zaisan Memorial" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">A huge communist-era monument located on a hill near the city. It represents the Russian and Mongolian heroes who fought together during WWI and WWII. Nowadays it is a popular viewpoint where you can see over the whole city. There's also a huge buddhist statue at the bottom.</see>

[edit] City Tours

• UB City Guide, [3]. Provides a full-range of one-day tours in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Having lived overseas, the guides are fluent in both Mongolian and English can also relate the differences and similarities in culture, demographics, consumer behavior, political climate, and climate change impact in Mongolia.

[edit] Do

Naadam festival in July.

• Attend Naadam - the largest and most famous festival in Mongolia, which consists of competitions in the three traditional Mongolian sports of wrestling, horse racing and archery. The festival is an annual event and runs from July 11th to 13th.
• Take a walk to Zaizan Memorial.
• Get an inexpensive massage at one of the many massage spas located on Peace Avenue

[edit] Learn

• Mongolian - there are several language schools in the city.

[edit] Work

• Volunteer. Work is available for overseas visitors in the volunteer sector.
• English. Teaching English as a second language is an option for native English speakers. Mostly positions are in Ulaanbaatar, though they could be anywhere in the country. Those who find a teaching position after arriving in the country will need to travel to Seoul or Beijing to apply for a working visa. The school may or may not pay for this.

[edit] Buy

UB has a host of souvenir shops aimed at Western and East Asian tourists. While the quality of the goods varies, the price is always high. Service in tourist shops is generally better than the usual surly Russian-style "service".

What

• Traditional clothes, boots and hats, cashmere garments, jewelery, leather wall hangings, miniature gers, bow and arrow sets and paintings.

Where

• Peace Avenue and the Circus area are the main shopping areas.
• The 5th floor of the State Department Store is entirely devoted to souvenirs, but prices are higher than in some of the smaller stores.

How to get cash

It is relatively easy to find an ATM machine with a VISA logo to withdraw cash. As long as your ATM, debit or credit card has the VISA logo, you can withdraw tögrög, the local currency. Other card types are also accepted, simply not as widely, for example, the machines in the central Post Office and main street will not accept foreign MasterCards although they bear the logo. The machines in Golomt Bank branches are more reliable. Also on the 2nd floor of the State Department Store you can find on ATM accepting foreign cards. The more expensive shops take credit cards, but almost everywhere else runs strictly on cash. Note that most credit card companies will pass on the 3% "foreign currency conversion fee" to you.

There are many exchange offices in the center along Peace Avenue to change your currency into tugrugs. One is on the ground floor of the State Department Store.

[edit] Eat

Nobody travels to Mongolia for the food, but Ulaanbaatar has a good range of Western, Asian and Mongolian options. No other city this side of Beijing has close to a comparable selection. Even better, meals here are quite reasonable. You can get perfectly reasonable pizza for $3, even a night out at a fancy French cafe shouldn't pass $20. Consider splurging on a couple good meals here, especially if headed out for a long trek into the country. Be aware that fresh vegetables, especially in winter, are hard to come by and expensive.

Korean and Chinese restaurants dominate the city. As Asian restaurants in America tend to tailor their menu to the Yankee palate, so in Ulaanbaatar do the East Asian restaurants tailor their menu to the Central Asian palate.

[edit] Budget

[edit] Mid-range

[edit] Splurge

[edit] Drink

• Oasis Nightclub and Lounge is located on Seoul center of the city, it is by far the swankiest and coolest nightclub and lounge in Ulaanbaatar, featuring a Cuban influenced outside bar with enormous sofas and lounge areas as well as a wood fire pizza oven and an American grill. The interior has cosy VIP nooks, a beating dance floor and a large bar to serve exotic cocktails all night long.Visit Oasis Nightclub and Lounge website.
• Ikh Mongol is a cavernous club just south of the State Department Store. Choose between the main dining area, the fancy VIP upstairs, or seculded tables in the back. Most weekends have concerts from Mongolian acts. The restaurant brews several beers on tap, or get some of the more popular Mongolian brands for around T2000 a half-liter.
• Brauhaus goes for a German brewhouse look and succeeds. This bar is big but usually not noisy. It serves X Beer, a quite tasty local brew. Half-liters run around T2,500.
• Dave's Bar is an underground English pub located just off of Sukhbaatar Square. It can be difficult to find due to a lack of signs, but the four vintage automobiles outside should make the bar easier to spot. Go there for trivia on Thursday nights, or to catch big soccer or rugby matches.

[edit] Sleep

Nowadays, budget accommodation in Ulaanbaatar tends to give the best deals for a traveller. Usually a bed in a clean dormitory costs about $5-10 and a double room should be under $30 a night. Good mid-range options are sparse. Note that during the annual Naadam festival it is almost impossible to get any kind of accommodation in UB without prior reservations.

[edit] Budget

[edit] Mid-range

[edit] Splurge

The supposedly luxurious Shangri-La hotel near Sükhbaatar square has been under construction for several years now. It is nearing completion though.

[edit] Contact

• Internet cafes - there are many Internet cafes liberally scattered around the city and they cost around T400-800 per hour.
• Mail - the central post office is located on the south west corner of Sukhbaatar Square, and besides stamps it also sells a wide variety of reasonably priced postcards (though they may take up to two months to reach their destination!), some very large, decorative collections of stamps (which are not for use) and a few nice calendars.
• Telephone - the city has an international call center. However, if you have access to a private phone, the most convenient way to make an international call is to use a prepaid card, such as BodiCom.

[edit] Stay safe

UB has a high crime rate which explains all the steel bars and security guards in apartment buildings and larger stores. Pickpocketing is common and violent muggings are increasing so it is advisable to avoid walking alone after dark. Street lighting is unreliable and the city is frequented by drunks and stray dogs. Most sidewalks are not paved and so can be very muddy and slippery during a thaw or after rain. Walking on the streets at any time is a dangerous affair as one needs to contend with ice from about October to March, open manholes and extremely chaotic and wild driving habits. Drivers (including buses and police) pay no attention to pedestrian crossings and will not reduce speed, but simply sound their horns. The automobile culture in this city is too new to have developed safe driving systems and habits.

Unmarked taxis are common and shouldn't be feared. Locals simply stick out an arm and hitchhike anywhere around town. However, it is wise to get a local to interpret if possible and explain the fare system.

Child beggars are common and persistent on the streets, but watch out for groups of them, as one may be trying to pick your pocket. Also be aware that any money you do donate will go straight to their teenage "pimps", and so you may not be helping them as much as you think.

Walking at night in company shouldn't be too great of a concern, it isn't for the locals. But stick to areas where you can see lots of locals (especially women).

[edit] Get out

• All of Mongolia awaits. Drive an hour out of the capital and you're in deep in a land of herders, gers and bumpy dirt roads. Arrange a tour in any one of Ulaanbaatar's hundreds of tour operators, or brave local minibuses and hitchhiking to reach far flung destinations.
• For less-adventurous or time-strapped travellers, the most popular one night excursion is to Terelj, a nearby grassland park. Again, you can arrange a tour (around $30-40 a person)that will include transport, lodging and admission fees at dozens of places in Ulanbaatar.
• For travellers on the Trans-Siberian Express route, tickets onwards to China or Russia can be purchased from the International Railway Ticketing Office (8am-8pm), just outside the main station (ask inside for directions). Most tickets can be reserved a month in advance, but tickets for the main express trains between Moscow and Beijing (train numbers 3 and 4) go on sale 24 hours before departure. Travel agencies may be able to help you reserve them earlier. However, one needs a Russian visa - something which can be an "experience" to obtain.