Pakokku is like a bus stop on the west side of the Ayeyarwady river. It is a very friendly town that will greet you with great respect. It is a very quiet and traditional town that is located 25 km north of the more well-known and perhaps busy town of Bagan. It is connected to Bagan by a new road and railway bridge over the river which contributes to the easy transport to and from Pakokku only taking around 30 minutes. It has rich history for tobacco trading and is well-known for this. Due to the town being fairly quite I would not recommend more than a few hours here as although it is good to get away from the busier side of things in Bagan more than a few hours here might see you getting a little bored. However, 20 km north west of the town you will find the remains of Pakhangyi. You can enjoy some time here finding about its old city walls, archaeological museum and one of the oldest, still standing wooden monasteries in the entire region. A good time to visit Pakokku where a little more might be going on is at the end of May or beginning of June when the Thiho Shin Pagoda Festival takes place. If visiting, you will find a country fair and traditional plays. If you choose to linger around possibly in May or June when the festival is on, you may choose to go to the basic riverside home stay that many visitors outline the highlight of their trip.