AN important part of planning a trip is deciding on the best way to get to a destination and how to get around once that destination is reached.

Modes of transportation can often be as important as the place itself. Some cites are well known for particular methods of getting from place to another.

Venice, Italy, has its canal-plying gondolas, and San Francisco is famous for its trolley cars. No trip to London would be complete without a ride on a red double-decker bus.

Meanwhile Mandalay, the capital of the last Myanmar dynasty and one of the country’s most important cultural centres, is fast becoming known as the city of bicycles.

With its flat, wide roads and relative lack of rain, Mandalay readily lends itself to pedal power. Most residents of the city use bicycles at one time or another to get around, and an increasing number of tourists are joining them on the streets to discover the freedom and independence associated with motorless two-wheeled transportation.

Bicycles provide the perfect opportunity to take in the sights of the city at a slower speed, to enjoy the beauty of life and nature, and to get exercise all at the same time.

Tourists seen cycling along 80th Street often have smiles that seem as bright as the Sun’s rays as they fall prey to the enchantments of Mandalay Palace and its surrounding moat.

The same blissful grins can also be observed on the faces of sightseeing cyclists elsewhere in the city.

Although some tourists bring their own bicycles with them when they visit Myanmar, most of the hotels in Mandalay rent decent machines for FEC5 for a whole day and FEC3 for a half-day.

“Some tourists make advanced bookings of bicycles for package tours of Mandalay, for which hotels select an itinerary of places for people to visit,” said a representative from Exotissimo Travel Co., Ltd.

“They go on short trips within the city, mostly to Mandalay Hill and places around the palace,” the representative said.

There are many sites of historical interest in and around the palace grounds for cyclists to explore, including Nan Myint Saung (a 33-metre-high watchtower) and the tomb of king Mindon.

Bicycle riders also have the freedom to roam farther afield. Easily accessible is Mahamuni Pagoda southwest of the city near the airport. To the east is Yankin Mountain, where cyclists can visit farming villages and lose themselves in the embrace of nature’s beauty.

Only 11 kilometres away is the town of Amarapura, the site of U Bein’s Bridge and Taungthaman Lake. The rugged beauty of the area will fill the strong hearts of physically fit cyclists with a deep sense of satisfaction that will sweep away their tiredness and prepare them for the ride back to Mandalay.