The city, which is home to almost half of the country's population, Ulaanbaatar - the cultural, economic and tourist center of Mongolia, without visiting which does not cost any excursion program .Local residents willingly follow the traditions of their ancestors and at the same time are keenly interested in Western values: among the tall buildings there are hidden ancient Buddhist monasteries, and the streets are passed with equal frequency by the latest models of the car industry and stunted horses with modernly dressed young Mongols hurrying to a traditional dinner in the yurts of parents, which is surrounded by a dense ring of Ulan-Bator .Tourists will find here a wide range of entertainment for every taste: if you want - survey the religious monasteries and take pictures of Buddha statues, you want - light in a nightclub and buy "in full" in boutiques - European and local, cashmere .The climate is favorable here at any time of the year: the river Tuul-Gol gives the city a cool in the summer heat, and four sacred mountains protect it from fierce winds..

How to get to Ulaanbaatar

Moscow and Ulaanbaatar are connected by direct flights of Aeroflot and Mongolian Airlines. The liners are sent to the flight 5 times a week, the road takes just over 6 hours. Airport Buyant-Uha - Genghis Khan is located 18 km from the city. You can get to the center by taxi, the trip will cost 15-20 thousand MNT, or on the bus route No. 11 and No. 22, the fare - 400 MNT.

If you consider yourself a fan of rail travel, pay attention to the train Moscow-Ulan Bator, starting twice a week from Yaroslavl station and arriving in the Mongolian capital after 4 days and 5 hours. Among other things, it is convenient to come to Ulaanbaatar from the cities of the eastern part of Russia - there are direct flights, trains run, and buses regularly leave from nearby regions.

Transport in the city

You can walk on the center of Ulan-Bator. The central highway of the Mongolian capital is Mira Avenue (Enkh-Tayvny-Orgon), which runs through the city from east to west. Here are the best shops, restaurants and hotels. Prospect Mira also goes to the main square of Sukhbaatar, where some of the sights of the capital are located.

For longer distances, you can take a taxi and public transport - municipal buses, private minibus-minibuses and trolley buses .Taxis are of two kinds - the usual yellow coloring, most of them are not the newest cars, and modern, white colors, with a large LCD display of the meter .Tariffs for travel in both are the same - 600 MNT per kilometer .It will not be difficult to catch the "privateer" (many, by the way, are also equipped with meters) - it's enough just to raise your hand standing on the sidelines .Of course, it is necessary to observe reasonable care - for women, in particular after dark, it is better to use official taxi services .

The bus network covers all areas of the city, the trip costs 400 MNT regardless of distance. Trolleybuses are even cheaper - only 200 MNT, but not everywhere. In ubiquitously scurrying minibuses ask 300-500 MNT for the fare, the desire to get out at the stop should be reported to the driver in advance.

Climate

March 1, Sunday Overcast, light rain +3 ° С a day -7 ° С at night ° С water	March 2, Monday Clearly -6 ° С in the day -6 ° С at night ° С water	March 3, Tuesday Clearly -2 ° С in the day -14 ° С at night ° С water
Ulaanbaatar weather forecast for 10 days

Ulaanbaatar hotels

Ulaanbaatar is almost the only settlement in Mongolia where you can see "real" hotels - multi-storey buildings with separate rooms and all amenities, including restaurants and Wi-Fi. In the rest of the country, travelers are invited to stay in yurta hotels - however, this does not reduce the comfort of the rest - the service here is not worse than in the capital hotels.

Hotels in Ulaanbaatar are not more than 10, among the best are two "five": Kempinski Khan Palace and the new Blue Sky in Sukhbaatar Square. The cost of living is about 200 and 280 USD, respectively. "Four" will cost about 150-180 USD per night, and three-star establishments - at 100-120 USD "from the nose."

Kitchen and restaurants

In Ulan Bator, there are a lot of inexpensive restaurants and cafes at every step, there is a certain number of establishments of high cuisine .Among the popular gastronomic traditions - the "general" of Central Asia and the actual Mongolian, Korean, Chinese, European and Russian .Distinctive feature: food even in modest establishments is certainly fresh and very tasty, although it is oriented towards Mongolian eaters, accustomed to meat fatty food .An impressive portion of pelmeni "buz" can be refreshed for 300-400 MNT, for rich pancakes "hushur" will be asked 500-600 MNT .Other hot appetizers, easily able to pass for full-size hot dishes, will cost no more than 1800-3000 MNT .The average score in more presentable establishments will be 8500-14000 MNT, and pompous restaurants will facilitate a purse for 15-20 USD from a person of $ $ .

Popular restaurants of Mongolian cuisine: inexpensive BD's Mongolian Barbeque, magnificent Taliin Mongol, democratic but high-quality Nomad Legends and City Nomads, and Khan Brau with its own brewery. Mongolian youth also likes to visit the boutique "Khan Buz" and "Zohin Buz" - as you can guess from the name, to refresh yourself with dumplings "buz."

Shopping and shopping

Most souvenir trays are crowded with the popular sights of Ulan Bator. The quality of the products here often leaves much to be desired, and the prices are prohibitive, and no bargaining is accepted. More sparing figures on the price tag can be found on the Black market of Naran-Tul, however there is not too much choice, in addition you need to closely monitor the wallet - there is a risk to meet with a pickpocket. Among the most suitable places for shopping are souvenir shops on Prospect Mira and in the Circus area, as well as the 5th floor of GUM.

From Ulan Bator you can bring products from cashmere and camel wool, souvenirs from copper, items of national costume (most often buy fur hats and summer headgear of Mongols, boots and horse boots, leather accessories), leather panels and pictures, water jars , light sets and all kinds of figures: Genghis Khan, national heroes and deities.

For cashmere things, it makes sense to go to the Gobi store located on Mira Avenue opposite the Russian Embassy, ​​where a huge selection of products from this precious wool is available..More wool in all its incarnations - from socks to carpets sell in a cute boutique "Tsagaan" .On the Black market you can buy national clothes and equipment for tracking and camping .Products of silver and ornaments are famous for the store "Mongol Zaviyya", also on Mira Avenue, and antiques can be seen in the boutique "Eternal Art" .

Entertainment, excursions and attractions of Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar's attractions can be divided into two groups: monuments of Mongolia's modern history and numerous architectural and sculptural evidence of the rich history of Buddhism.

The city center is Sukhbaatar square, where the buildings of the Parliament, the Stock Exchange and the Palace of Culture are located. In the center of the square are monuments to Sukhbaatar himself, the national hero of Mongolia, who proclaimed her independence from China, and the great Genghis Khan. Here you can see images of 9 "Urlug" - revered semi-legendary national heroes. Pay attention to the metal stela, where all the previous historical names of the city are engraved.

Magnificent monastery Gandan is an architectural symbol of Ulan-Bator and one of the most visited sights of Mongolia. The full name of the monastery is translated as "a great place of absolute happiness." It is home to over 600 monks and daily Buddhist ceremonies. The main attraction of the monastery is a hollow 26-meter-long Buddha statue of longevity, made of copper and covered with gold. Inside - 27 tons of dried herbs and 2 million scrolls with mantras written on them.

Another significant monastery is dedicated to Lama Hoydzin. It consists of 5 amazing beauty temples and 5 gates. Inside there is the Museum of Buddhist art of Mongolia, whose expositions represent more than 5 thousand artifacts, 12 of which are of exceptional value. Among them - a coral mask Begz, composed of more than 6000 pieces of coral.

In the Winter Palace of Bogdjan you can see how the last emperor of Mongolia lived (he also is the Eighth living Buddha) until 1924. The complex of buildings consists of 7 temples and the palace itself. Inside are exhibited numerous items of Mongolian art from the 17th to 20th centuries and personal belongings of Bogdjan: mantle of 80 fox skins, gold boots - a gift from the Russian tsar and yurta, for the creation of which 150 skins of snow leopards went.

Museums of Ulan Bator: Natural History Museum, which features over 12,000 exhibits, including the rarest remains of dinosaurs, the Zanabazar Fine Arts Museum with a collection of applied art, painting and sculpture from the Stone Age to the 20th century, the National Museum of the History of Mongolia, the Theatrical Museum Museum with a collection of traditional dolls, Intellectual Museum, art galleries of contemporary masters .You can learn more about the traditions of Buddhism in the Center of Buddhist Medicine, and get acquainted with the national beliefs of the Mongols - in the Shaman Center .

In addition, try to visit Ulaanbaatar during the Naadam festival - your view will be presented with colorful performances and competitions in dzhigikovka, wrestling and archery. Photo by Ulaanbaatar (18)