Mongolia is the size of Western Europe with fewer people in it than a mid-sized city. That means two things: there is a great deal to see, and almost nobody has written it down in one place.
This is the attempt. Two hundred entries, from monuments you can walk to in central Ulaanbaatar to places that take two days' driving to reach. Every one of them is real, findable, and worth the detour.
If You Only Do Twelve Things
Statues and Monuments in Ulaanbaatar (1–27)
The capital has more public sculpture per square kilometre than almost any city its size — the result of a century in which the state kept changing its mind about who deserved a statue.
- Kublai Khaan Statue at Parliament
- Ögedei Khaan Statue at Parliament
- Marco Polo Statue
- The Beatles Statue — a monument to bootlegged records
- Statue of Khorloogiin Choibalsan
- Byambyn Rinchen Statue — Mongolia's great linguist
- Jamsrangiin Sambuu Statue
- Jamsrangiin Sambuu Monument
- Prime Minister B. Tserendorj Statue
- Jamyangiin Lhagvasuren Statue
- Monument to Academician B. Shirendev
- Munkhbat Champion Statue — wrestling royalty
- Statue of Dervish
- Clan Statue
- Encounter of Lovers Statue
- Altai Bighorn Statue
- "My Father and Mother" Song Monument
- Camel Caravan Monument
- Mongolian Mosaic
- Consciousness Sculpture
- S. Tsogtsaikhan and "The Bell Song" Monument
- Friendship Railway Monument
- Ulaanbaatar Railway 70th Anniversary Monument
- The China–Mongolia Friendship Monument
- Confederation of Mongolian Trade Unions 90th Anniversary Monument
- Industrial Combine 80th Anniversary Monument
- Khan-Uul Eco District Monument
Squares, Parks and City Landmarks (28–42)
- Sükhbaatar Square — the granite heart of the country
- Parliament of Mongolia and the State Palace
- Independence Square, formerly Victory Square
- The Zero Point of Ulaanbaatar — where every road distance is measured from
- The Ulaanbaatar Sign
- Sun Bridge (Narny Guur)
- Seoul Street Peacock Sculptures
- Seoul Street Entrance Gate, north side
- Seoul Street Entrance Gate, south side
- Mongolian National Circus
- The Wrestling Palace
- National Amusement Park
- Ulaanbaatar Park
- The 13th Century Complex — living history out in Terelj
- Turtle Rock — it really does look like one
Monasteries and Temples (43–49)
Mongolia had close to a thousand monasteries before the purges of the 1930s. These survived.
- Gandantegchinlen Monastery — and the 26-metre gilded Migjid Janraisig inside
- Choijin Lama Temple — marooned between glass towers
- Manzushri Jiid Monastery — ruins on the flank of Bogd Khan mountain
- Aryapala Temple, Terelj — the walk up is the point
- Tuvdenpeljeelin Monastery
- Pethub Stangey Choskhorling Monastery
- Shadavdarjaalin Khiid, Chinggis City
Museums and Galleries (50–61)
Mongolia is one of the world's great fossil grounds and one of its great Buddhist art traditions. Both are here, for very little money.
- National Museum of Mongolia
- Chinggis Khaan National Museum
- Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts — the bronze Tārā figures alone justify it
- Mongolian Natural History Museum — real Tarbosaurus, not a cast
- Bogd Khaan Palace Museum — the last khan's winter residence
- Mongolian National Art Gallery
- International Intellectual Museum — an entire museum of puzzles
- Mongolian Military Museum
- Mongolian Theatre Museum
- The Marshal Zhukov House Museum
- World Financial History Museum
- "Astropark" Museum
Where to Eat in Ulaanbaatar (62–90)
The capital's food scene has changed more in a decade than in the previous fifty years.
- Uulz Bar & Restaurant 1 — proper Mongolian
- Uulzbar 2
- Ayanchin Downtown Restaurant
- Great Mongol Restaurant & Pub
- Focaria — Mongolian and Italian under one roof
- Casablanca Restaurant & Bar
- ISU Resto & Bar
- Millie's Espresso — a UB institution
- Little Havana Restaurante by Millie's
- Hard Rock Ulaanbaatar
- WallStreet Restaurant & Lounge
- Yesun Family Lounge Restaurant
- FABS Restobar
- La Scintilla
- Pronto Caffe Bar & Cocktails
- Arigato Fresh & Fast
- Haku Japanese Restaurant
- Takesan Miso Ramen, Olympic Galleria
- MexiKhan — the taste of Mexico in UB
- INDE — authentic and fusion Indian
- Saffron Restaurant
- Hurrem Sultan Turkish Halal Restaurant
- Prada Chicken
- Muchik UB
- California Restaurant
- The Green Zone and The Reef
- The Broski Bar
- Chill Waffle — waffles and ice cream
- Bird Jazz Café — coffee, brunch and live jazz
Coffee, Bakeries and Wine Bars (91–108)
UB went from no coffee culture to a serious one in about eight years.
- The Matcha House
- Brooklyn Coffee and Wine House
- Nitro B Liquid Library
- Artisan Sourdough Bakery
- Juno Roast & Toast
- Needle and Brew
- Donnie's Coffee
- Fika Coffee & Wine
- B Caffe Bar — coffee and art, with weekly painting nights
- Collector Gallery & Cafe
- Science Café Ulaanbaatar
- Cafe de Lolita — cosplay thrift on Saturdays
- Emmaus Café
- UNDES Coffee & Tea
- Swiss Coffee
- Grace Coffee House
- Japan Cakery & Coffee Shop
- Amara's Coffee Shop
Nightlife and Live Music (109–121)
Far better than the city's reputation suggests, and almost nobody writes about it.
- LOCA — restaurant until ten, something else after
- DIEX Club / Black w60
- Lux Club
- Choco Club
- Iloft Club
- ZU Club
- Dunzengarav Music Bar — Mongolian rock, loud
- VAULT at the Shangri-La
- Royal Irish Pub
- The British Corner Pub
- Friends Lounge
- Sipster Coffee & Wine House
- Concept Spot Bar — coffee and cocktails
Shopping and Malls (122–135)
Cashmere is the thing to buy here. Mongolia produces some of the finest in the world.
- State Department Store — the classic, cashmere upstairs
- Ulaanbaatar Department Store
- Shangri-La Mall
- GEM Palace Shopping & Service Center
- Grand Plaza Mall
- Naran Plaza Mall
- Naran Mall
- Seoul Plaza Mall
- Encanto Mall
- Little Venice Mongolia Mall
- Altjin Bumbugur Shopping Center
- Ikh Nayd Shopping Mall
- UB Mart Shopping Center
- Peace Mall
Gyms and Sport (136–144)
Mongolia has a serious fitness culture, partly downstream of its wrestling tradition. Useful if you're here through the winter.
Khentii: Chinggis Khaan's Homeland (145–174)
Roughly 330 km east of the capital, and almost empty of visitors. This is where Temüjin was born.
- The Great Land of the Great Lord Chinggis Khaan
- Monument to the 35 Great Khaans of the Mongol Empire
- The Great Khaan Stone
- The Monument to Hoelun — mother of the nation
- Chinggis Khaan in Borkhondoi Monument
- The Chinggis Khaan Portrait and Tamga Monument
- The Falcon and Trident Monument — symbols of the Borjigin lineage
- Monument to the Nine Generals
- The Sacred Ovoo and Nine White Banners of Khentii
- Historical Monuments of Chinggis City Memorial Park
- Khalkhin Gol Victory Memorial
- The Valley of Titans — monuments to Khentii's wrestlers
- The Guardian of the Steppe: Saker Falcon Monument
- The Unity and Harmony Monument
- Statue of the Friendship
- The M. Gurevshav Statue
- The D. Amgalan Memorial Stone
- The Berkh Mining Heritage Outdoor Complex
- The Berkh Underground Mine Museum — go down into it
- Berkh City Sign
- The Ovoo of Batnorov
- The Batnorov Sum Entrance Landmark
- Khentii Province Entrance Stele
- 70th Anniversary of the Khentii Aimag Auto Transport Organization
- The Chinggis City Central Stadium
- The New Khentii Province Museum, Chinggis City
- The Setsen Khan Palace Museum
- Khanburged Restaurant — the best dining in Chinggis City
- Khanburged Restaurant & Events Hall
- The whole Khentii province guide, which has more than fits here
Arkhangai and Central Mongolia (175–193)
The landscape people picture when they picture Mongolia, and the best first trip out of the capital.
- Museum of Arkhangai Province — inside an 18th-century monastery
- Buyandelgeruulekh Monastery
- Gandan Monastery, Tsetserleg
- Ovoo Tsetserleg — climb it at sunset
- Tsetserleg Park
- Arkhangai Central Square
- Freedom Park (Erkh Chuluunii Tsetserleg)
- The Traditional Mongolian Script Monument
- Girl Holding the Earth Mural
- Tsetserleg Abstract Sculpture
- Marshal Gelegdorjiin Demid Monument
- Aryn Khangain Khuchtnuud Monument
- Sangiin Damdin Monument
- Gombojavyn Ishjamts Monument
- Natsagiin Jamyan Monument
- Harvest Monument
- Arkhangai Music and Drama Theatre
- Tsetserleg Stadium
- ARA Complex
Dornogovi and the East Gobi (194–200)
- Khamariin Khiid Monastery
- The Gates of Khamariin Khiid — the "world energy centre"
- The 108 Meditation Caves
- Khan Bayanzurkh Mountain — climb the sacred peak
- Muumtei Ovoo
- The White Swan of the Gobi, Sainshand
- The Scorpion Statue — gateway to the East Gobi
What's On Every Week
Beyond the two hundred, there's a standing weekly rhythm in the capital — Latin night at Little Havana on Fridays, live jazz at Bird Jazz on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the CAS CAS band at Casablanca on Wednesdays, canvas painting at B Caffe Bar, and the Afro-Beat UB party at weekends. The events calendar and parties and festivals listings have the current schedule.
How to Use This List
Three days: items 28, 43, 50, 52, 53 and a day out to 41–42. The city plus one trip.
A week: add the Arkhangai section and a night in a ger. Our weather guide will tell you which months make that realistic.
Ten days or more: pick two provinces and do them properly. Arrange a driver through a verified operator — outside the capital that's the difference between a trip and an ordeal.
Browse the rest by region in the provinces directory, and learn ten words of Mongolian before you go — it changes every encounter on this list.