Audio walk · Ulaanbaatar
Sukhbaatar Square & Choijin Temple
Put your phone in your pocket and walk. Your phone reads each stop aloud, then waits while you walk to the next one; tap “I've arrived” to carry on. Everything it says is written out below, so the walk works without sound too.
- 4 stops
- about 6 min of listening
- about 26 min between stops
- Cluster guide
4 stops · about 6 min listening · about 26 min between stops
Before you start
Voice and speed
The script is in English. On-device voices keep working with no signal once this page is open or saved.
Transcript
Everything the tour says, in order. Read it instead of listening if you prefer.
Before you start
Welcome to the Sukhbaatar Square & Choijin Temple audio walk in Ulaanbaatar. 4 stops: Choijin Lama Temple Museum, Sukhbaatar Square (Chinggis Khaan Square), National Museum of Mongolia and Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts. Morning-and-late-afternoon cluster: the square and its statues, the State Department Store, and the Choijin Lama Temple Museum; flat, open, windy, with heavy traffic at every crossing.
Sukhbaatar (Chinggis Khaan) Square north-west to the Government Palace, south to the Choijin Lama Temple Museum. Underfoot: paved squares, ice in winter; slope: flat; shade: low.
Ulaanbaatar is a young capital with a long story: a monastery that moved for a century and a half, a Soviet-planned centre, a democratic revolution in 1990, and a valley now packed with half the country.
Before you start: Pickpockets: keep bags zipped and in front on the square and inside the store. Keep your eyes on the street, and pause the audio before you cross a road.
1. Choijin Lama Temple Museum
Чойжин ламын сүм музей
Look for
- Main temple and gate
- Tsam masks and dance costumes
- Paintings and thangka
- Courtyard
- Carved gate
- Courtyard with rooftops
Stop 1 of 4: Choijin Lama Temple Museum. Arrival point: Walk from the square along the avenue, or a short taxi.
Go mid-morning or mid-afternoon: 45–60 minutes among carved wooden temples built in 1904–1908, ticket about ₮ 10,000–20,000 with a camera fee, and a warm indoor stop on a cold day. On a first visit: A compact look at Buddhist art and architecture.
Look for Main temple and gate: Carved wooden gate and roof. Look for Tsam masks and dance costumes: Painted masks for the lama dance. Look for Paintings and thangka: Religious art; no flash. Look for Courtyard: Benches and a view of the buildings. For a photo: Carved gate, morning. For a photo: Courtyard with rooftops, afternoon.
Choijin Lama Temple, in the centre, has a different story.
Ask before photographing masks and altars; a camera fee may apply. Quiet on weekdays; groups mid-morning in summer. Camera fee may apply; no photos of some altars.
Walk:Next, stop 2: Sukhbaatar Square (Chinggis Khaan Square). It's about 8 minutes on foot, about 450 metres to the north. The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.
2. Sukhbaatar Square (Chinggis Khaan Square)
Сүхбаатарын талбай
Look for
- Government Palace and Chinggis Khaan statue
- Equestrian statue of Sukhbaatar
- State Department Store
Stop 2 of 4: Sukhbaatar Square (Chinggis Khaan Square). Arrival point: Walk from central hotels; taxi to the Government Palace side.
Walk it in the morning or at dusk: a big open square with the Government Palace and the seated Chinggis Khaan statue, 20–30 minutes, free, windy, and a place to guard your bag.
Look for Government Palace and Chinggis Khaan statue: Exterior view only. Look for Equestrian statue of Sukhbaatar: The centre of the square. Look for State Department Store: Warm break and toilets.
After the Soviet bloc weakened, crowds gathered on Sukhbaatar Square, and a peaceful democratic movement, including hunger strikers, pushed the one-party government to open up. Sukhbaatar Square is the heart of it. The square is often called Chinggis Square today, though most maps and most locals still say Sukhbaatar.
Do not photograph soldiers, police or guards at the Government Palace. Quiet on winter mornings; busy on summer evenings and around holidays. Allowed on the square; not of guards or soldiers.
Walk:Next, stop 3: National Museum of Mongolia. It's about 7 minutes on foot, about 350 metres to the north-east. Route: Walk east along the avenue. The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.
Sukhbaatar Square (Chinggis Khaan Square): hours, tickets and rules →
3. National Museum of Mongolia
Монголын Үндэсний музей
Look for
- Prehistory and early nomads
- Mongol empire
- Traditional costumes and daily life
- 20th-century history
- Costume galleries
- Entrance hall
Stop 3 of 4: National Museum of Mongolia. Arrival point: Walk from Sukhbaatar Square or a short taxi.
Go on a cold or wet day or any afternoon: 90 minutes through Mongolian history from the Stone Age to the 20th century, ticket about ₮ 10,000–20,000 (2026 estimate), warm and heated.
Look for Prehistory and early nomads: Stone Age to the Xiongnu. Look for Mongol empire: Chinggis Khaan, armour and the postal system. Look for Traditional costumes and daily life: Deel, jewellery and felt. Look for 20th-century history: Independence, socialism and democracy. For a photo: Costume galleries, any time. For a photo: Entrance hall, any time.
The National Museum of Mongolia, near the square, tells the longer story, from Stone Age tools to the Mongol Empire and the 20th century.
No flash in the galleries; follow photography signs. Quiet on weekdays; school groups on some mornings. Allowed in some galleries; a camera permit may apply.
Walk:Next, stop 4: Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts. It's about 11 minutes on foot, about 700 metres to the south-west. The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.
4. Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts
Занабазарын нэрэмжит дүрслэх урлагийн музей
Look for
- Zanabazar bronzes
- Thangka and appliqué
- Special exhibitions
- Bronze sculpture hall
Stop 4 of 4: Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts. Arrival point: Walk from Sukhbaatar Square or a short taxi.
Go if you like Buddhist art: 45–60 minutes among gilded bronzes and thangka paintings, ticket about ₮ 10,000–20,000 (2026 estimate), and a good indoor pairing with Choijin.
Look for Zanabazar bronzes: Buddhist sculpture. Look for Thangka and appliqué: Religious painting and textile art. Look for Special exhibitions: Changes with the year. For a photo: Bronze sculpture hall, any time.
In 1639 the Mongol Buddhists chose a young monk, Zanabazar, as the first Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, the highest Buddhist figure in Mongolia, and his camp, called Örgöö, meaning the palace or the residence, travelled across the steppe. Zanabazar (1635–1723) was the first great figure: a monk, political leader, inventor of the Soyombo script and one of the finest sculptors in Asian history.
No flash; follow photography signs. Quiet at most times. Allowed in some areas; follow signs.
End of the walk
That's the end of the Sukhbaatar Square & Choijin Temple walk. To carry on, Gandan Monastery is about 15 minutes away (car west). To carry on, Zaisan Memorial is about 25 minutes away (car south).
Built from this site's place pages, walking times and city deep dive; nothing is added that isn't on those pages. Opening hours, prices and rules change: check each place page before you go. Walking times are typical (median) and assume a steady pace.