Best Time to Visit Nay Pyi Taw

November to February: the sweet spot

This is the cool, dry season, and it's the time to go. December is the best month here, with warm days, cool nights and very little rain. January is close behind. November is still good, though a few showers can linger early in the month.

Nay Pyi Taw is spread out, with wide roads and long distances between sights. In these months you can actually enjoy that. Walk around the gold-covered Uppatasanti Pagoda, a smaller copy of Yangon's Shwedagon. Visit the Zoological Gardens, or head out to the Water Fountain Garden in the evening when it's pleasant. By February the heat is building, but mornings are still fine.

Crowds are never large here. This isn't a tourist hub, so high season mostly means easier travel and fewer closed roads, not packed sites. If you plan to go on to Bagan, Inle Lake or Yangon, this is also when those places are busiest.

March to May: hot, then hotter

March and April are the hottest months, with highs of 38°C and 39°C. Afternoons are harsh, and the wide, shadeless boulevards make it worse. Do your sightseeing at dawn or after sunset, and spend midday indoors.

This is also the time of Thingyan, the Burmese New Year water festival, in mid-April. Expect a national holiday, water throwing, and many shops and offices shut for several days. It's fun if you join in. It's a poor choice if you need to get things done. Many people travel to see family, so buses and trains fill up.

May brings the first real rain. Skies are heavy, and the air turns sticky.

June to October: the green, wet months

July and August are the wettest, with rain on more than 20 days each month and almost no sun. Rain tends to come in long grey spells rather than short bursts. Roads can flood, and outdoor sights lose most of their appeal.

If you don't mind the damp, the countryside around the city is lush and green. Rooms are easy to find, and you'll have the pagodas almost to yourself. Travelling with kids, or hoping for photos? Skip these months.

September is still very wet. October eases off, and by the end of the month the skies start to clear. The Thadingyut festival of lights, which usually falls in October, is a lovely time to see pagodas lit up at night. If you want something quieter than Yangon or Mandalay, this is a good fit.