Although Ulaanbaatar is dirty, poor, noisy and you risk your life every time you cross the street, once you accept the craziness of it all, you will realize that Ulaanbaatar has much more than meet the eye. It has excellent museums (with English captions) and other sights (including Gandan monastery), good shopping, plenty of restaurants, pubs, clubs, and Internet cafes.

It's a good place to meet up with other backpackers and catch your breath after a long train journey or a trip into the Mongolian countryside.