5 Best Shopping Places in Ulaanbaatar

The best shopping in Ulaanbaatar combines a few classic stops: the State Department Store for souvenirs in one place, Naran Tuul market for everyday Mongolian goods, cashmere factory stores, the shops around Gandan Monastery for Buddhist items, and the city's art galleries. Opening hours, locations and stock change, so check each place before you go.

1. State Department Store (Их дэлгүүр)

The State Department Store on Peace Avenue, known locally simply as Ikh Delguur ("the big store"), is the best-known shop in the country and a landmark in its own right. It holds a supermarket, clothing and household floors, and a dedicated souvenir section with cashmere, felt slippers and toys, small deels, chess sets, books, maps and miniature morin khuur. Prices are fixed and labelled, which makes it a low-stress place to compare goods before buying elsewhere.

2. Naran Tuul market (Нарантуул зах)

Naran Tuul, east of the city centre and often called the "black market", is a huge, partly open-air market where Ulaanbaatar residents buy almost everything. Travellers come for traditional deels and fabric, felt boots, leather riding boots, saddles, ger parts and furniture, camping gear and inexpensive warm clothes. It is a fascinating place to see daily life, but it is also notorious for pickpockets. Keep your phone and wallet in a front zip pocket, leave valuables at your hotel, and go with a local friend or guide if you can. Check its weekly closing day before visiting.

3. Cashmere factory stores and outlets

Mongolia is one of the world's largest producers of raw cashmere, and buying it at the source is a highlight for many visitors. Several Mongolian brands run factory stores and outlets in the city; Gobi, founded in 1981, is the best known, and a number of other domestic labels have their own shops. Look at the label for "100% cashmere" versus blends, feel the density of the knit, and compare a few stores. Outlet sections and end-of-season sales can offer real savings.

4. Buddhist items around Gandan Monastery

The streets leading to Gandan Monastery have small shops selling incense, prayer beads, butter lamps, thangka paintings, statues, prayer flags and khadag, the blue silk scarves offered at temples and ovoo. Shop calmly and respectfully, especially near the monastery entrance, and ask shopkeepers about the meaning of items you are unsure of. Combine your visit with the morning prayers at the monastery.

5. Art galleries and craft shops

Ulaanbaatar has a strong art scene. The Mongolian National Modern Art Gallery and the Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts show Mongolian painting and sculpture, and the city has private galleries selling work by contemporary artists, including paintings in the traditional Mongol zurag style. Smaller craft shops sell felt work, leather goods, silver jewellery and bone carving. Ask galleries for a receipt and a description of the work.

Practical tips

• Genuine antiques, old religious objects and fossils cannot be exported without official permission, and dinosaur fossils may not be exported at all. Ask the seller for documentation, and check the current rules with the Customs General Administration of Mongolia.
• Bargaining is normal at markets but not in department stores, malls or brand shops.
• Cards and QR payments work in most shops in the city; carry cash for market stalls.
• Keep receipts for expensive purchases such as cashmere and art.