The Royal Palace, ringed by its enormous moat and 8-metre walls, sits at the centre of town. Much of what you see today is reconstruction — the original teak palace burnt in 1945 — but the footprint and the moat remain. Climb Mandalay Hill at the northeast corner for sunset views over the palace and the Irrawaddy.
The best things around Mandalay are outside the city proper. U Bein Bridge, a 1.2-kilometre teak footbridge across Taungthaman Lake at Amarapura, is extraordinary at dawn and dusk. A short boat ride upstream takes you to Mingun, site of the unfinished giant stupa and the huge Mingun Bell. Sagaing Hill across the river has hundreds of monasteries tucked into its wooded slopes.