Senior travel: Ulaanbaatar
An easier pace for an older traveller: how many stops fit in a day, which places are step-free, and what the guide says about getting around, medicines and stairs.
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Pace for a day
About 2 stops a day. 5 h out − 45 min rest, divided by an average visit of 73 min (from this city’s guide) + 30 min to move.
Places, easiest access first
- Sukhbaatar Square (Chinggis Khaan Square)Step-free: yes · about 45 minA few steps to the palace terrace.
- National Museum of MongoliaStep-free: yes · about 120 minA few at the entrance.
- Choijin Lama Temple MuseumStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 60 minA few steps at each temple.
- Bogd Khan Winter Palace MuseumStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 75 minA few at each building.
- Gandan MonasteryStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 90 minA few steps at each hall.
- Zaisan MemorialStep-free: no (check before you go) · about 60 minAbout 300.
- Zanabazar Museum of Fine ArtsStep-free: check (check before you go) · about 60 minCheck.
Getting around in Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar is hard on wheels. Kerbs are high, pavements are broken and iced over for months, and few crossings have ramps. Newer hotels, the National Museum and the malls are the best. Plan door-to-door rides, and avoid winter for a wheelchair.
- Pavements:
- Broken, uneven, high kerbs; snow and ice from November to March.
- Getting around:
- A car is the step-free option. Book a large car ahead if you need space for a chair.
- Hotels:
- Newer central hotels have lifts and accessible rooms on request; many older ones do not.
- Toilets:
- Accessible toilets in malls and larger hotels; rare elsewhere.
- Crossings:
- Few signals and heavy traffic; cross with a local where possible.
Medicines and health on the ground
- Travel insurance · before flying: Must cover medical evacuation: serious cases from the countryside go to Ulaanbaatar, then often to Seoul or Beijing.
- Cold:
- Frostbite and hypothermia are real risks in winter: cover skin, keep boots dry and go indoors when you lose feeling in fingers or toes.
- Altitude:
- The city is at about 1,350 m; most people feel nothing, but dry air and a first-night headache are common.
- Food and water:
- Bottled or boiled water; eat hot food. Airag and raw dairy can upset your stomach.
- Marmots and plague:
- Bubonic plague is reported in some rural areas in summer: do not handle or eat marmots, and follow local advice in the countryside.
- Ticks and rabies:
- Ticks in spring and summer in grass and forest; dogs and wildlife carry rabies. Check with a travel clinic about vaccines.
- Travel clinics:
- See a travel clinic four to six weeks before you fly for hepatitis A, typhoid and rabies advice.
More: how much medicine to pack, medicine times across time zones.
Ask your insurer
Age limits and prices differ by policy and the guides do not hold them, so put these to the insurer before you buy.
- What is the oldest age the policy covers, at purchase and on the last day of the trip?
- Does the price or the cover change after a certain age?
- Are existing conditions covered, and what must be declared?
- Does the cover include medical evacuation and trip interruption?
Not medical advice. This page does not know anyone’s health. Ask a doctor before the trip, and carry a list of medicines and conditions.