Pyay

Pyay or Prome (Burmese ပြည်မြို့) is a city (pop. 134,861 as of 2014) in the Irrawaddy region of Myanmar.

Understand
Pyay is an ancient yet modern city dating back to 638. It has interesting religious sights such as the giant sitting Buddha south of the city and the Shwebontha Muni Pagoda in nearby Pa Daung. It has three universities.

Most people come here to see the ancient ruins of Sri Kshetra aka the old Pyu city. Pyay is not yet that famous with western tourists.

By bus


From specific destinations:
 * Bagan – The bus from the bus station near the airport south of Nyaung U leaves Bagan at 13:30 and takes about 10 hr, from 11,000 kyat.
 * Mrauk U – 16 hr, 20,000 kyat.
 * Ngapali – Via Taungup. 9-10 hr, 13-15,000 kyat. You could also take a 7-hr taxi (also from Thandwe) for US$50-60.
 * Pathein – Mostly early morning buses. 10 hr, 6-10,000 kyat.
 * Sittwe – 18 hr, 22,000 kyat.
 * Taungup – Most people will come from Mrauk U, Sittwe and Ngapali going through Taungup. Prepare (your stomach) for a very bumpy ride through the mountains at certain seasons. 4-7 hr. 4,000-10,000 kyat.
 * Thandwe – 8-12 hr, 8-10,000 kyat.
 * Yangon – Pyay is a stopover for buses from Yangon to Sittwe or Mrauk U. 8 hr, from 10,000 kyat.

By train


From specific destinations:
 * Yangon – Trains leave every day from two different stations in Yangon, central and Kyemyindine station. From Kyemyindine 07:00 & 11:00 to arrive at 06:00 & 22:00. (11 hr), respectively. From central Yangon at 13:00 to arrive at 21:30 (8½ hr). Upper class is 3,900 kyat and ordinary seat 1,950 kyat for the whole distance.
 * Pathein – The train leaves at 05:30 (2,000 kyat) and stops at Hinthada and . For the last 100 km from Kyankin to Pyay use local transport, because the train does not cross the Irrawaddy River. Boats are also an option.

By boat

 * There is a local ferry that leaves Bagan Sundays at 17:30 and arrives on Monday at 10:45, from 20,000 kyat.
 * Another local ferry leaves Yangon Fridays at 16:00 and arrives on Tuesday 24 hr later.

Get around
The with an Aung San statue in the middle can be used for orientation, because most destinations are close.

Most sights and the Main Station can be reached by foot if you stay in one of the guesthouses in the center. For destinations outside this range, take a motorbike taxi or shared ride/pickup along the main roads. A private ride to the Highway Bus Station is about 1,000 kyat. Shared pickups are about 500 kyat for 10-15 km.

As always, you can also rent a bicycle starting at 1,000 kyat from one of the guesthouses.

See




Buy
Several ATMs can be found in the city.



Eat




Drink
Some bars for the evening and including beer can be found south of the main roundabout. Some have English menus.



Sleep
Most accommodation options are central near the main roundabout.



Go next
Long distance buses will start from the Highway Bus Station. For short distances, try the pickups or minibus along the main road out of town.


 * Bagan – One of the most famous attractions in Myanmar. Due to the new and direct highway between Yangon and Mandalay, it has become harder to catch a bus to Bagan from Pyay&mdash;but also reachable by ferry.
 * Mrauk U – Famous for is ancient sights and traditional, surrounding Chin Villages.
 * Ngapali – Has the most beautiful beaches in Myanmar, but is mostly a resort place with few budget options available. The best option is to go by bus to Taungup and catch onward travel to Thandwe bus station (6 km from the beach) from there.
 * Pathein – Famous for its handcrafted umbrellas. Reachable by bus or ferry.
 * Sittwe – Not particularly famous, more a transport hub for in- & outbound travel from & to Yangon (via plane), mostly for Mrauk U.
 * Taungup – Is nothing special, but there exist some tourist accommodation options. It can be a convenient hub for road travel between Pyay, Mrauk U, Sittwe and Ngapali.
 * Yangon – Reachable by bus, train or ferry.