Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business Chiang Mai is the cultural capital of northern Thailand, a relaxed city of moats, temples and mountain views that feels a world away from the intensity of Bangkok.
Wat Phra Singh
Wat Chedi Luang
Tha Phae Gate and the city walls
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
+4 more places
This guide covers the best places to visit in Chiang Mai, from the Old City temples to the mountain shrine on Doi Suthep, the weekend walking street markets and a trip up Thailand's highest peak.
Chiang Mai blends city comforts with a slower pace. Lanna culture, with its own architecture, script, cuisine and festivals, is everywhere: in the teak temple halls with sweeping layered roofs, in curry noodles found nowhere else in the country, and in a calendar of celebrations that culminates each November in the Yi Peng festival of lights.
The city is also a base for nature and crafts. Within an hour you can reach jungle waterfalls, hill tribe villages, ethical elephant sanctuaries and Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand.
The Old City is a square about a mile and a half on each side, enclosed by a moat and remnants of brick walls. Its quiet lanes are best explored on foot or by bicycle.
At the western end of Ratchadamnoen Road, Wat Phra Singh is one of the most important temples in the city.
Wat Phra Singh houses the Phra Buddha Sihing image in the small Viharn Lai Kham. Photo: Stefan Fussan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Near the center of the Old City, Wat Chedi Luang is dominated by an enormous brick chedi built in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and partly toppled, according to most accounts, by an earthquake in the sixteenth century.
The great chedi of Wat Chedi Luang was partly destroyed in the sixteenth century and still dominates the Old City. Photo: Jakub Hałun, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Tha Phae Gate, on the eastern side of the Old City, is the best known of the restored gates and a busy meeting point, with pigeons, street performers and occasional festivals in the square in front. From here Tha Phae Road leads east toward the river and the market districts.
Tha Phae Gate is the best known of the restored gates in Chiang Mai's old city wall. Photo: Jakub Hałun, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Perched on the slopes of Doi Suthep, about fifteen kilometers west of the city, this temple is the most sacred site in northern Thailand. According to legend, a white elephant carrying a relic of the Buddha climbed the mountain and stopped here, and the golden chedi was built to enshrine it.
Above the temple, the road continues to Bhubing Palace, the royal winter residence, whose gardens are open to visitors when the royal family is not in residence, and to the Hmong village of Doi Pui.
A long staircase flanked by naga serpents climbs to the temple on Doi Suthep. Photo: Sgroey, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Hidden in a forest at the foot of Doi Suthep, Wat Umong was founded in the late thirteenth century and is known for its brick tunnels, built so monks could meditate in cool, quiet surroundings.
Wat Umong is known for brick tunnels built into a hillside for meditation. Photo: Chainwit., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Just west of the Old City, Wat Suan Dok is known for its cluster of whitewashed chedis that hold the ashes of Chiang Mai's royal family, with Doi Suthep rising behind. Its large open-sided assembly hall houses a bronze Buddha image.
The white chedis at Wat Suan Dok hold the ashes of members of Chiang Mai's royal family. Photo: Ritthichai Siangdee, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Every Sunday afternoon and evening, Ratchadamnoen Road from Tha Phae Gate to Wat Phra Singh closes to traffic and fills with stalls selling handicrafts, textiles, carved soap, art and street food. Temple courtyards along the route turn into food courts.
The Sunday Walking Street market fills Ratchadamnoen Road in the Old City every Sunday evening. Photo: Takeaway, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
South of the Old City, Wua Lai Road is the traditional silversmithing street, and on Saturday evenings it becomes a walking market similar to the Sunday one but a little calmer.
Warorot Market, known locally as Kad Luang, is the city's main market, near the Ping River. Its floors hold dried goods, northern sausages, chili pastes, fabrics and household items, and the surrounding streets form a small Chinatown.
West of the Old City near Chiang Mai University, Nimmanhaemin Road and its numbered side lanes, called soi, are the city's trendy district, packed with coffee shops roasting northern Thai beans, galleries, boutiques and bars. Allow an afternoon or evening.
About two hours southwest of the city, Doi Inthanon is the highest mountain in Thailand. The park holds cloud forest, waterfalls such as Wachirathan and Mae Ya, the Kew Mae Pan nature trail and the twin royal chedis near the summit, surrounded by flower gardens. Allow a full day.
The twin royal chedis on Doi Inthanon were built to honor King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit. Photo: ElliotJW, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Many elephant camps operate around Chiang Mai. If you want to see elephants, choose a sanctuary that does not offer riding or performances and lets the animals roam, feed and bathe naturally. East of the city, the road to San Kamphaeng passes workshops making silk, lacquerware, silver and the painted paper umbrellas of Bo Sang.
Northern Thai food is earthier and less sweet than the cooking of central Thailand, often eaten with sticky rice rolled into balls by hand.
The Sunday and Saturday walking streets, Warorot Market and the night market at Chang Phueak Gate, on the north side of the Old City, are good places to graze. For a traditional experience, try a khantoke dinner, where several northern dishes are served on a low pedestal tray, often with dance performances.
Popular dishes to try in Chiang Mai
The Old City puts you within walking distance of the main temples and the Sunday market, with plenty of guesthouses and boutique stays, which suits first-time visitors. The Night Bazaar and riverside area, east of the walls, holds larger hotels and riverside properties, convenient for shopping and evening dining.
Where to stay in Chiang Mai
The cool, dry season from November to early February is the most pleasant, with sunny days and cool nights and mornings, especially in the mountains.
From about late February to April, agricultural burning and forest fires often bring heavy smoke and poor air quality to the north, sometimes among the worst in the world; travelers with respiratory conditions may prefer to avoid this period.
Chiang Mai International Airport is only a few kilometers southwest of the Old City, with frequent flights from Bangkok and some international routes; a taxi or ride-hailing car into town takes about fifteen minutes.
The red songthaews, shared pickup trucks known as rot daeng, are the classic way to get around; flag one down, tell the driver your destination and agree on the fare.
Explore the Old City on foot, starting with Wat Phra Singh, then Wat Chedi Luang and its monk chat.
Head up Doi Suthep early to see the temple before the crowds, then continue to Bhubing Palace or the Hmong village.
Take a morning cooking class that begins with a market tour, then visit the craft workshops of Bo Sang and San Kamphaeng in the afternoon.
Spend a full day in Doi Inthanon National Park, visiting the waterfalls, the twin royal chedis and the summit area, or choose an ethical elephant sanctuary instead.
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