Stand on Sükhbaatar Square on a clear morning and the city arranges itself around you: an equestrian statue of Damdin Sükhbaatar in the open space, a seated Genghis Khan at the door of the Government Palace, and traffic circling past both. Walk a few blocks in any direction and the layers change — a monastery museum behind an arched gate, a Soviet-era hilltop monument looking over the whole valley, a palace where Mongolia's last khan lived.
Ulan Bator suits travellers who want a city with a long memory and a working present: Buddhist art, imperial history, dinosaur fossils and a lively local art scene, all within a compact centre. It also rewards patience, since several sights sit a short ride apart and a few close on Sundays or Mondays depending on the season.
This guide covers the sights worth your time, ordered from the strongest, with a one-day plan and answers to the questions visitors ask most.
Top things to do in Ulan Bator
1. Sükhbaatar Square
This is the big open space at the centre of the city, with an equestrian statue of Damdin Sükhbaatar, warrior-hero of the 1921 People's Revolution, and a seated statue of Genghis Khan at the door of the Government Palace. Inside the Government House there is a small museum with artifacts from the Mongol Empire and a reproduction of Genghis Khan's White Peace Banners of State.
Start here to get your bearings, then walk west to the National Museum of Mongolia or north to the Chinggis Khaan National Museum while you are already in the area.
2. Gandantegchinlen Monastery
Gandantegchinlen Monastery, also called Gandantegchinlen Khiid or Gandan Monastery, is the main monastery in the city, and one of the few monasteries in the country that were spared during the Communist purges of the 1930s. Services are held around 10:00 every morning.
Time your visit for the morning service if you want to see the monastery in use rather than quiet. Admission is 4000₮.
3. Choijin Lama Monastery
Choijin Lama Monastery is a complex of five temples and five arched gates, described as a showcase of religious art and the history of Buddhism in Mongolia and a fine example of Buddhist architecture. It was active until 1938, was inscribed in 1941 on the list of historical and cultural monuments, and became a museum the following year. In the main temple you will find the sculpture of the Choijin Lama and the embalmed mummy of his teacher, as well as the great coral mask of Begtse, created using over 6,000 pieces of coral. Elsewhere in the complex, Yadam Temple and Amgalan Temple contain rare artifacts made by the Mongolian artist and sculptor Zanabazar.
It is open daily 09:00–19:30 in summer, and closed on Sundays and Mondays during winter. Admission is 8000₮, students 3000₮, children 1500₮, with a photography fee of 50,000₮.
4. Bogd Khan Winter Palace Museum
Built between 1893 and 1903 by Mongolian masters, this palace was dedicated to the VIII Bogd Gegeen, head of Tibetan Buddhism and Khan of Mongolia from 1911 until 1924, the last three years of which were as a constitutional monarch. Upon his death the palace became the first national historical museum of Mongolia. It holds twelve collections of objects and works of art from the 17th to early 20th centuries, including gilded bronze sculptures by the first Bogd Javzundamba Zanabazar and his school, 19th- and 20th-century thangka paintings, a Jugder painting of Ulaanbaatar in 1912, works by the modern Mongolian painter B. Sharav, and personal possessions of the Khan and his wife, Queen Dondogdulam.
It sits about 2.5 km south of Sükhbaatar Square on Chinggis Avenue in Khan Uul district, and is open 10:00–17:00. Admission is 8000₮ with a 50,000₮ photography fee.
5. National Museum of Mongolia
Just west of the Government House, this museum holds important artifacts of Mongolia's history dating back several thousand years. Displays cover ethnographic material from various Mongolian tribes, petroglyphs and cave drawings, Turkic monuments, weapons and armour, and the Hun and Mongol Empires, Chinese rule, the Communist era and the democratic revolution of 1990. There are also displays of self-portraits and personal possessions of Genghis Khan and other great khans of the Mongol Empire, and most displays are in English and Mongolian.
It is open daily 08:00–22:00 with last entry at 20:30, and closed Mondays in winter. Adult admission is 20,000₮, student 10,000₮, with a 12,000₮ photography fee.
6. Chinggis Khaan National Museum
A short distance north of the parliament building, this modern museum covers the broad sweep of Mongolian imperial history from early tribal kingdoms up to the beginning of the era of domination by China. There are some English-language explanations and QR codes for everything else.
It is open 09:00–17:00 and closed on Mondays during the winter period from 1 October to 15 May. Adult admission is 30,000₮, and 15,000₮ for students, seniors, children and disabled visitors.
7. Zaisan Memorial
About 3½ km directly south of Sükhbaatar Square, this is a large Communist-era monument on a hill depicting the Russian and Mongolian heroes who fought together during the First and Second World Wars. It is now a popular viewpoint over the whole city, and there is a large Buddhist statue at the bottom.
Come for the view rather than a scheduled visit; it pairs naturally with the Bogd Khan Winter Palace Museum, which lies on the way south.
8. National Art Gallery of Mongolia
At the Central Cultural Palace on Sükhbaatar Square, this is a modern art museum showing the local art scene, with temporary exhibits through the year alongside a permanent collection. It is open daily 10:00–18:00.
Admission is 2000₮, students 1000₮, children 500₮. Since it is right on the square, it works well as a short stop between the square itself and the National Museum of Mongolia.
9. The Fine Arts Zanabazar Museum
Two blocks west of the Government House on Barilgachdin Square, this collection runs from the Stone Age to the 20th century, with a particularly interesting collection of Buddhist art from the 17th century and later. It is open 08:00–17:00 in summer and 10:00–17:00 in winter.
Admission is 5000₮. If Zanabazar's work at Choijin Lama Monastery or the Bogd Khan Winter Palace Museum interests you, this is where to see more of it.
10. Natural History Museum
On Freedom Square, next to Tengis Cinema and directly behind the State Department Store, this museum's collection centres on the complete fossil of the Tarbosaurus bataar, a close cousin of the larger T. Rex. The fossil was stolen from Mongolia and auctioned in New York, and the resulting international criminal case led to the return of dozens of dinosaur fossils to Mongolia by the U.S. government, which make up the bulk of the collection. The museum is in the former Lenin Museum on Freedom Square and contains a couple dozen other complete dinosaur fossils, all found in the Gobi Desert.
It is open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–18:00 and closed Mondays. Admission is 2000₮.
11. International Intellectual Museum (IQ Museum)
On Peace Avenue in Bayanzürkh district, in front of East Center, this museum displays, manufactures and exports traditional Mongolian puzzle toys, logic games, handcrafted products and souvenirs, and has launched over 80 international exhibitions and fairs in 50 countries. It is open Monday to Saturday 10:00–18:00.
Admission for non-Mongolians is 15,000₮ and 500₮ for children. It is a good stop if you are travelling with children or want a souvenir that is not mass-produced.
12. Mongolian Military Museum
This museum consists of an indoor display housed in a building plus an outdoor display of fighter jet, missile, tanks and similar equipment. The outdoor section is the part you can see without committing to a long indoor visit.
13. Ulaanbaatar City Museum
On Peace Avenue, this museum was established from a building built by a Soviet merchant. It used to house the embassy of the Tuvan People's Republic and a printing house.
14. Marshall Zhukov House Museum
On Peace Avenue, this museum is dedicated to Marshall Zhukov. It sits on the same avenue as the Ulaanbaatar City Museum and the IQ Museum, so the three can be combined in one walk.
15. Monument to Marshal Georgy Zhukov
A monument to Marshal Georgy Zhukov, complementing the house museum on Peace Avenue. Note that most tourist sites charge a separate camera or video fee, typically 5000–10,000₮, on top of the entrance fee.
If you only have one day
Morning. Begin at Sükhbaatar Square, where the equestrian statue of Damdin Sükhbaatar and the seated Genghis Khan at the Government Palace set the scene, and look into the small museum inside the Government House. Walk west to the National Museum of Mongolia for the sweep of the country's history, then continue to Gandantegchinlen Monastery in time for the services held around 10:00.
Afternoon. Head to Choijin Lama Monastery to see the five temples, the coral mask of Begtse and the Zanabazar artifacts, then take Chinggis Avenue south to the Bogd Khan Winter Palace Museum, open 10:00–17:00, for the Khan's possessions and the thangka paintings. If time allows, continue to the Zaisan Memorial for the view over the city.
Evening. Return to the centre and finish at the National Art Gallery of Mongolia on Sükhbaatar Square, open until 18:00, for the permanent collection and whatever temporary exhibition is on.
Frequently asked questions
When are the main sights closed?
Choijin Lama Monastery is closed on Sundays and Mondays during winter. The Chinggis Khaan National Museum is closed on Mondays during the winter period from 1 October to 15 May. The Natural History Museum is closed on Mondays, and the National Museum of Mongolia is closed Mondays in winter.
Do I have to pay extra to take photographs?
Yes. Most tourist sites have a separate camera or video fee, typically 5000–10,000₮, in addition to the entrance fee. Some individual sites charge more: Choijin Lama Monastery and the Bogd Khan Winter Palace Museum both list a 50,000₮ photography fee, and the National Museum of Mongolia lists 12,000₮.
Which sights are close enough to combine?
Sükhbaatar Square, the National Art Gallery of Mongolia and the National Museum of Mongolia are all in the same central area. The Ulaanbaatar City Museum, the Marshall Zhukov House Museum and the International Intellectual Museum are all on Peace Avenue. The Bogd Khan Winter Palace Museum and the Zaisan Memorial lie to the south, so they pair well.
Is there anything for children?
The Natural History Museum, with its complete Tarbosaurus bataar fossil and other dinosaur fossils from the Gobi Desert, is an obvious choice, and admission is 2000₮. The International Intellectual Museum displays traditional Mongolian puzzle toys and logic games, with admission of 500₮ for children.
Pick the sights that match your interests, check the seasonal closing days before you go, and start mapping your days in Ulan Bator.