Ulaanbaatar (Улаанбаатар) — also Ulan Bator, UB, or in the local language, Khot ("the city") — is the capital and the largest city of Mongolia. With more than 1.6 million residents as of 2023, Ulaanbaatar is home to roughly half of Mongolia's population and serves as the starting point for pretty much all travel around Mongolia. Founded and established by warlords of the Mongol Empire in the 16th century, Ulaanbaatar is roughly 1,300-1,400 meters above sea level and is situated on a valley in the Tuul River.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Ulaanbaatar has many different and distinct layers. Long gone are the days when this city was just a typical, drab Soviet-bloc town in the middle of nowhere. One can witness the traditional, the Soviet, and the super-modern, all within a 5 minute walk through the city. Ulaanbaatar lies in the Altan Tevshiin Kundii (Valley of the Golden Cradle). Here the rivers Selbe and Tuul meet at the foot of the imposing Bogd Uul Mountain. In the forested and watered zone of northern Mongolia, it resides near the 2,000-year-old royal tombs of the Xiongnu, the 8th-century Turkic inscription of General Tonyukuk, and the birthplace of Genghis Khan.
Street names are rarely known by Mongolians, and they usually only appear on maps and official addresses. Official addresses list the district, microdistrict (usually a large block bounded by major streets), and the building number. However, since blocks can have dozens of buildings, with more continuously being squeezed in between existing ones, addresses are not very helpful for navigation. Instead, it's best to have directions for major landmarks using lots of descriptions (i.e. "turn right at the first traffic signal west of the State Department Store").
Most tourist sites have a separate camera/video fee (typically 5000-10,000₮) in addition to the entrance fee. 1 Choijin Lama Monastery (Чойжин ламын сүм), ☏ +976 11 32478, info@templemuseum.mn. Daily 09:00-19:30 in summer, closed on Sundays and Mondays during winter. These five temples and five arched gates are a unique showcase of religious art and the history of Buddhism in Mongolia, a gem of 20th century Mongolian cultural heritage, and a fine example of Buddhist architecture. The monastery was active until 1938, was inscribed in 1941 on the list of historical and cultural monuments, and became a museum the following year.
1 Sky Resort (13 km from city center. Go south to Zaisan, then east along the river past the President's Residence), ☏ +976 11 320345, info@skyresort.mn. 07:00-22:00. A winter sports resort offering downhill skiing, snowboarding, lifts, equipment rental, ski and snowboard school, and an onsite restaurant. There's a free bus from the Drama Center (next to the Grand Khan Irish Pub) with departures between 08:00 and 19:30 (frequent service on weekends, more sporadic midweek; check schedule to verify bus times). Under US$20. 2 Bogd Khan Mountain. The mountain ridge south of town, is a great place for a hike.
Ulaanbaatar has a good range of options serving Mongolian, Asian (particularly Korean and Chinese), and Western cuisine — and at decent prices. For instance, you can get perfectly good pizza for 5000₮, and even a night out at a fancy French cafe shouldn't pass 30,000₮. Consider splurging on a couple of good meals here, especially if you're headed for a long trek into the country where fresh vegetables and the like are often hard to come by and prohibitively expensive.
Nightlife in Ulaanbaatar is surprisingly wild, especially on Wednesday, Saturday, and (above all) Friday nights, when finding a seat is nearly impossible. If you like raving the night away to trance, techno, electronica, and house music, this is the scene for you. Beer in clubs costs about 3500₮, while other drinks such as vodka are sold by quantity: for example a 100g vodka costs about 4500₮. According to state law, all clubs and pubs (bars) must stop serving alcohol after midnight and close at 03:00, but some clubs stay open (and continue serving!) until 04:00.
While crime rates in Ulaanbaatar are said to be among the highest of any Asian city, this generally applies less to the city center than the underdeveloped ger districts on the outskirts of town: poorly lit shantytowns crisscrossed by maze-like dirt alleys and row upon row of fences; not the kind of place most tourists would be interested in to begin with. Nonetheless, it might be a good idea to avoid going out at night alone (though it's usually perfectly fine to do so in groups). This goes double for relatively deserted areas away from major routes, and for rowdy nightlife districts.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Ulaanbaatar typically sees ~26°C daytime highs and 12 rainy days.
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