Kambazathadi Golden Palace
Kambazathadi Golden Palace
3.5
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3.5
3.5 of 5 bubbles210 reviews
Excellent
40
Very good
94
Average
59
Poor
11
Terrible
6

Arthurrvr
Marlborough, UK1,426 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2011 • Friends
The Kambazathadi (also Kanbawzathadi) Golden Palace was originally built starting in 1553 by the famous Mon/Myanmar King Bayinnaung, founder of the 2nd Empire. Unfortunately the various buildings were destroyed in a foreign attack fifty or so years later and largely forgotten until excavations were started in 1990 but only a small part has so far been excavated. Some of the teak column post holes discovered at the time can still be seen by visitors. Based on what was found in the early excavations and from the discovered drawings of the period by one of the King's Ministers, Letwe Nawratha, reconstruction was started by the Myanmar authorities of a few of the main buildings out of the 76 original buildings and halls in the 4 square miles or so of the original walled palace. Work on the initial reconstruction finished in 2003 and now we can all see at least some of the splendours of the 2nd Empire. There are only a few bits of furniture and artifacts so mainly it is just the building that one sees but that is certainly very impressive, and my, what a lot of gold paint. Lovely, if you like gold paint, which I do. The original great Audience Hall apparently had roof tiles of solid gold but the reconstruction does not seem to have included them! There are a number of other rooms linked to the Great Audience Hall which can also be visited.
You can also visit the nearby (actually the first big building on the left you come to when driving up the driveway) Bee Building which I think was meant to be used by the Queen. The building was closed when we arrived but there was a caretaker person around who allowed us in and showed us around and explained things, though his English was not that good. We gave him a tip at the end of course.
If we had more time there were some more bits we could have seen but certainly those two buildings made the visit well worthwhile.
Written March 5, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lee Nallalingham
Downtown Core/Downtown Singapore, Singapore135 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020 • Couples
It’s worth a visit just for the photo of the palace and sign outside. But honestly inside... I don’t imagine you will spend Long in there. It’s still worth going to view the outside as it’s extremely picturesque.
Written March 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

BrakiWorldTraveler
Belgrade, Serbia19,634 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2018 • Friends
Bago was the seat of the second Myanmar Empire in 16 c. It was blooming at those times and its kings built a huge golden palace here.
Unfortunately, Myanmar is an unstable geologic area and earthquakes are very common. One of them along with the fire destroyed the original palace at the end of 16 c, and the remnants of it were intact, spread over the area for 400 y. At the end of 20 c the palace was rebuilt to the original shape.
Inside the palace, beside the new concrete gold colored pillars, they put the original burnt teak wood ones. The Crown room is also restored and there are reading panels along the route where you can read and learn about it.
I see many people here complain it's a replica. Yes, it is, but this is not an imagination Disney style palace, it's a replica of a true palace that once existed here. It's better to have a replica than nothing, isn't it?
Written April 15, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JuliaHubbel
Eugene, OR839 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2015 • Solo
This palace, reconstructed from the original, is incredibly powerful to envision. Both this and the Bee Throne just a short walk away were both burnt down, and they have been lovingly reconstructed. It's an exercise both in excess and power to see the use of gold, and the way that palaces were built at the time. There's a lot to learn about history here, the men who united Burma. You can see exhibits of clothing photos, see cups and various palace implements. You should be warned, however, bats have taken up residence in the throne room of this palace and it stinks in there as badly as any sea cave in Thailand, despite the incense they are diligently burning. It does not help. I had to take a deep breath, run in, poke around and rush out.

The great halls feature stumps of the great original teak posts, which is impressive in and of itself. The rebulding of these palaces was clearly an act of great reverence. While there are areas that clearly need some care, for the most part this is a must see if you are in the area.

Apologize for lack of photos, but I scorched my battery coming down from Golden Rock last night taping the crazed truck trip in a downpour. The extra I had was also dead. So of course the day I saw the most beautiful things to photograph, I had no working camera. Please see others' shots, they will suffice.
Written May 30, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jeff206
Samut Prakan, Thailand710 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2011 • Solo
This was without a doubt one of the coolest and most impressive palaces I've ever seen before in my life! Totally unbelievable! It's actually quite easy to find too. All one has to do is walk a short ten minute walk directly east from the Shwemawdaw Pagoda. Once you get close, there is an arched gate that you'll walk through and then a small shack that you will go to. It's here that if you didn't purchase the $10 "Bago Archaeological Zone" pass, you will have to buy one in order to be able to see the Golden Palace and the other small palace called the Bee Throne Hall.

As far as the exterior and interior, the whole palace is "dripping" in all gold paint! The columns, ceilings, and walls are all covered in it. This palace used to be the home of one of Myanmar's greatest kings, King Bayinnaung. There's also lots of signs inside telling about Bayinnaung's rule and what he did while he was king.
Once you walk up the driveway towards the palace, there is also what used to be the Royal Fishpond on the left side of the road.
It's so cool as this magnificent palace is just sitting there right amidst the surrounding greenery.
Either way, it's very impressive and then right before the main Audience Hall (as it's also known as), there is a place called the Bee Throne Hall which was apparently the king's sleeping quarters. It's a bit smaller but still has it's charm.
Kambawzathadi Golden Palace was probably without a doubt one of the biggest highlights of my trip and one of the coolest places I've ever visited before.
I highly recommend those that are visiting Bago to see this historical wonder. If you're not sure of where to go, just ask the women at the booth at the bottom of Shwemawdaw Pagoda and they can point you in the right direction:) It's a pretty easy walk though and can get there right from one of the walkways that goes east from only a few feet from where the women at the booth will be.
Written December 6, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Andrew R
Canby, OR107 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019
The palace is quite impressive. The architecture is very interesting and by the time you get here, a welcome change from all the pagodas you have likely already been to. The original was burned, but this recreation is still worth the walk through.
Written November 12, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

yipjcs88
Hong Kong, China9,964 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2019 • Solo
This is a re-built palace and they show you the old timber posts taken down from the original building. One has to be observant to see the beauty of the palace eg the ceiling, internal construction, etc. I went to the rear of the palace where the crowds were not there and took some nice pictures.
Written February 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

R A M Ly
Dubai, United Arab Emirates228 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2018 • Friends
I visited Bago region in Myanmar and went to king palace which is really good to discover more about the kingdom of Myanmar.
Written September 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kristina S
Nha Trang, Vietnam1,434 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2017 • Friends
SK/EN
Vstup je 10tis kyats ale plati aj na ine pagody vramci Bago. Potrebujete nieco dlhe, alebo sarong, ramena maju byt zahalene.
EN: Entry is 10.000 kyats. Ticket is accepted also in another pagodas in Bago.
You need a sarong (or something long), is not allowed to have uncovered your shoulder.
Written December 3, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

betytaneas
Indonesia167 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2017 • Solo
Kanbawzathadi Palace is located in Bago, Burma. Built under the order of King Bayinnaung in 1556, the original palace consisted of 76 apartments and halls.
Written November 16, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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KAMBAZATHADI GOLDEN PALACE - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

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