Ulaanbaatar

Where to stay

Most budget hostels cluster within a few blocks of Chinggis Square and along Peace Avenue, the main east-west artery through the city center. That puts you close to local canteens, the State Department Store, and the shared minibus stops that connect to the rest of the city.

Getting around

• Eat at a local guanz (canteen) rather than a sit-down restaurant. A plate of buuz dumplings or a bowl of tsuivan noodles costs a fraction of the price, even steps from the main square.
• Shared minibuses, called micros, run fixed routes across the city for a few hundred tugruks. They are cheaper than taxis and cover most places a traveler needs to reach, including Gandan Monastery to the west.
• Narantuul Market, known locally as the Black Market, sits in the southwestern part of the city and is the place to pick up cheap winter gear, boots, or wool layers if you underpack for the cold. Prices are far lower than anything near the tourist center, but watch your pockets in the crowded sections.

When to go

Naadam Festival around July 11 to 13 fills hostels weeks in advance at peak prices, with June and August nearly as busy. The cheapest beds come in November through February, when temperatures drop well below -20°C and visitor numbers thin out sharply.