Myanmar's largest and most exciting city, Yangon may no longer be the capital, but it is still at the heart of the country. In the early 1900s, the city was a key trading hub of the British Empire – the downtown area, full of decaying but majestic buildings of this grand past still dominate the tree-lined boulevards, offering a glimpse of Yangon’s golden age. After years of turbulence and stagnation, it is a city on the rise, growing rapidly as it becomes Myanmar’s commercial hub once more. Scattered with glittering temples and pagodas, Yangon’s cityscape is dominated by the golden pinnacle of Shwedagon, Myanmar's most sacred Buddhist monument – it is here that you can really soak up the soul of the city, especially at sunset when the atmosphere is electric.