When is it cheapest to visit Ulaanbaatar?

Ulaanbaatar is cheapest to visit in February, June, and November.

Peak season is March, April, July, August, and December, when rooms cost the most.

Ulaanbaatar seasons and room prices

Ulaanbaatar's travel season is short. June to August is the peak, and the Naadam festival around July 11 is the dearest week of the year, when city hotels and the ger camps in Terelj fill early. September is cooler, cheaper and a good choice, though nights turn cold. From November to March temperatures often drop below minus 20 degrees and heating smoke thickens the air, so hotels are cheapest but conditions are hard. Summer flights rise before rooms do, so book flights and hotels together and early. Check the current entry rules for your passport before you go.

Ulaanbaatar local costs and payment

The currency is the Mongolian tugrik. Hotels, supermarkets, restaurants and department stores in central Ulaanbaatar take cards readily, so in town you can get by almost entirely on a card. Outside the centre it changes: Narantuul Market, Terelj and the extras at ger camps often need cash, so withdraw tugrik from a bank ATM in the city before heading out. US dollars are also easy to exchange. Sites differ on whether VAT and the city tax are included in hotel rates, so compare on the total, and pay in tugrik rather than accepting conversion to your home currency.