Ulaanbaatar offers several distinct themes for a culture-focused trip: city history, Buddhist sites, royal residences and religious collections. Historical city tours connected some of these stops, while museums have their own areas of focus. When choosing a hotel, you can first consider whether you would like to focus on the city’s development, religious traditions or the history of Mongolia.
City tours and notable stops
A city tour of Ulaanbaatar in 2018 visited Zaisan Hill, a memorial complex for Soviet soldiers. In the same year, the Ulaanbaatar City Tour bus route passed the Ulaanbaatar Letter Monument and the Wedding Palace. The seasonal bus service operated by the Ulaanbaatar Tourism Department ran during the active tourism season from June 15 to October 15, 2018.
A city tour for students visited Sukhbaatar Square, Gandantegchinlen Monastery, the Bogd Khan Palace Museum and the Choijin Lama Temple Museum. Gandantegchinlen Monastery is the Buddhist centre of Mongolia. The Bogd Khan Palace Museum is the Green Palace of the last Mongolian king, the VIII Bogd Jebtsundamba Khutuktu. The Choijin Lama Temple Museum was built as a residence for the State Oracle Choijin Lama Luvsan Khaidav. The stops therefore highlight different things: a memorial site, a religious centre, and historic palace and temple complexes.
Museums with different perspectives
The Ulaanbaatar City Museum traces the city’s historical development and progress. Looking further back at the wider destination of Ulaanbaatar, the Chinggis Khaan National Museum has more than 10,000 original exhibits spanning a historical period from Modun Shanyu to the beginning of the 20th century. The Hall of the Mongol Empire displays archaeological monuments from the Hunnu Empire and the Bronze Age. In this way, urban development and archaeological evidence from different eras offer distinct thematic perspectives.
The Bogd Khan Palace Museum, also in the wider destination of Ulaanbaatar, offers another way to explore history through its complex and collections. It is associated with the last king of Mongolia and comprises seven temples, the Winter Palace, around 20 buildings and 40 exhibition halls. The collection includes 8,646 objects across 4,212 inventory entries. The Choijin Lama Temple Complex adds a different historical perspective: it was built between 1904 and 1908 in honour of the governor Choijin Luvsankhaidav. Around 300 Mongolian craftsmen from all the country’s provinces contributed to its design and construction. The museum displays religious objects associated with Choijin Lama Luvsankhaidav, Mongolia’s State Oracle in the early 20th century.
Nature in the wider destination of Ulaanbaatar
For a different focus, the wider destination of Ulaanbaatar also offers protected landscapes. The strictly protected area of Bogd Khan Uul covers 41,427.89 hectares and is home to 54 mammal species, 194 bird species and 588 plant species. Gorkhi-Terelj National Park features mountains, rock formations, rivers and streams. Hiking trails were established at Ögöömöriin Am through a collaboration with the Mongol-Olle Society. While Bogd Khan Uul is characterised by its protected status and biodiversity, Gorkhi-Terelj is defined by its varied landscapes.
Discover more destinations: Gachuurt.
See the overview of the wider destination: Mongolia.
