Chiang Mai Travel Guide

I spent about a year in total living in Chiang Mai and it’s one of my favorite spots in Thailand. The city is called the “Rose of the North” and it’s the heart of Lanna Thai culture. There are a range of foods present, both traditional Northern Thai food as well as Issan, and cuisine from neighboring Burma. Northern Thailand has many Burmese refugees, and this presence is felt not only in the food, but in the range of development work and volunteering opportunities. There are a heap of day trips possible, and weekend getaways too. If you’re okay with not being near the water, this is a great place to settle for a while—or to come visit at the very least! My cost of living in Thailand post is one of my most popular, so if you’re thinking of making it a base, check it out. I have a much more thorough guide to Chiang Mai here. It includes more photos and details about it all.

Also, the Nancy Chandler Chiang Mai map is amazing. So detailed and it gives you an entirely unique way to explore the city. I highly recommend you pack one of these before you leave. Mine was in tatters by the time I left Thailand—I used it that religiously.

Things to Do in Chiang Mai

• Spend an afternoon at Wat Doi Suthep. This is one of the most sacred temples in Thailand and a beautiful one built right into the top of a nearby mountain. This is a cinch to visit from the city—red songthaews leave from the base of the mountain every 15 minutes or so when they are full.
• Wander through Wat Chedi Luang in both daylight and at night.  One of my favorite temples in the city and a distinctive feature of the Chiang Mai skyline. This was once home of the sacred Emerald Buddha (now in Bangkok). The top of the chedi was destroyed in an earthquake, so it’s beautifully crumbling piece of Lanna Thai history.
• Find food at the night bazaar. If you’re in town for a bit and have time, the night bazaar is an assault to the senses and a popular tourist spot. It has a range of foods and gifts, so you can spend a night of shopping with numerous street vendors. The night bazaar is open every day of the year.
• Sip coffee at Akha Ama. This is my favorite social enterprise in town and they have delicious coffee too. If you’re super lucky you might find an open spot on a Coffee Journey.
• Get a massage at Lila Thai Massage. This chain in the city was founded by the former head of the women’s prison as a way to help the women transition back into Thai society. It’s a great cause, and they give a wonderful massage.
• Support ethical elephant tourism at the Elephant Nature Park. Riding elephants shouldn’t be on your bucket list for a number of reasons. But there are wonderful alternatives that still put you in close contact with the elephants. The ENP outside of Chiang Mai is run by a passionate woman rescuing elephants from abuse and giving them a beautiful home in the CM Valley. I highly recommend either a day tour to the ENP, or a weeklong volunteer vacation on the grounds to work with the elephants more closely. They have a range elephant and animal projects throughout other areas of Thailand and Cambodia. More on that here.
• Go ziplining in the jungles outside of the city. Book with any of the many companies in the city (Flight of the Gibbon or perhaps Eagle Trekkers) and you’ll be ziplining through the treetops of Thailand. My niece and I spent a day doing this and it was a heap of fun.
• Spend Songkran and Loy Krathong here. Chiang Mai is the best spot to experience both of these beautiful Thai holidays. (And Chiang Mai has heaps of others throughout the year too, from the Umbrella Festival to the Flower Festival).
• Take a cooking class. Northern Thailand has a lot of unique cuisine and this is the best spot in the country to take a cooking class. Many classes take you to the markets, some even out to their farms.

Places to Eat and Sleep

• Stay in a nice spot. There’s a heap of accommodation in CM, so you should be in a pretty place that is still rock-bottom prices. Consider or Sabai Hostel on a budget, Kham Phai for midrange, and Da Naga for a nice place from which to organize your search.
• Eat dinner at Chiang Mai Gate. I ate here many nights each week. It’s a hotspot for affordable street food eats. There are a handful of vegetarian eats, and plenty of meat for those in your group who may want other dishes. There’s a good hodgepodge of locals and tourists here and it’s a great place to sample a bit of everything Chiang Mai has to offer. The perfect evening: Start with a smoothie, grab a meal, top it off with mango sticky rice!
• Eat at the Sunday Night Market. This market proves that you don’t have to “go local” to have a fun experience. It’s touristy as hell, claustrophobically packed with people after 7pm, but a lot of fun for a Sunday Night. Go early (between 5p and 6p) for dinner at the Wats located at the east end of the walking street (near to Thae Pae Gate).
• Grab a drink (or a pub night) at the UN Irish Pub. Located inside the moat (24-24/1 Ratvithi Road), this is just a fun spot filled with expats and backpackers alike. Quiz nights on Thursdays are always packed (and surprisingly tough!).
• Find a good coffee shop or coworking space and camp out. Chiang Mai has a lot of expats and digital nomads working from cafes. This list collects the best in the city.
• Grab some tasty veggie Thai dishes. There are a handful of purely vegetarian restaurants in the city and they are delicious. I list my favorite veggie restaurants here.
• Take Thai lessons. My niece and I took private Thai lessons from Lah and she was great. If you are looking to learn Thai merely for the student visa, however, you will have to go through one of the language schools