This sprawling formal park has 23 themed gardens donated by international governments, along with nine Thai gardens and six 'corporate' gardens. It sounds a bit stuffy on paper, but the complex is actually lush, green and peaceful, with a vast wát-shaped central pavilion full of slightly over-the-top displays honouring the Thai royal family.
Royal Park Rajapruek
Chiang Mai
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
3.9 MILES
Overlooking the city from its mountain throne, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is one of northern Thailand's most sacred temples, and its founding legend is…
4.83 MILES
Wat Chedi Luang isn't as grand as Wat Phra Singh, but its towering, ruined Lanna-style chedi (built in 1441) is much taller and the sprawling compound…
4.65 MILES
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5.74 MILES
Chiang Mai's oldest public market, Warorot (also spelt Waroros) is a great place to connect with the city's Thai soul. Alongside souvenir vendors you'll…
4.93 MILES
Without doubt the most atmospheric wát in the old city, this teak marvel sits in the shadow of Wat Chedi Luang. Set in a compound full of fluttering…
Nam Tok Bua Tong (Sticky Waterfall)
24.29 MILES
Ever walked up a waterfall? An increasingly popular day trip from Chiang Mai to Si Lanna National Park's 'Sticky Waterfall' allows visitors (with no magic…
3.6 MILES
A hidden jungle temple tucked into the mountain along the way to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Old stone structures, intricate carvings, naga-flanked…
5.04 MILES
Set inside the former Provincial Court, dating from 1935, this imaginative museum re-creates Lanna village life in a series of life-size dioramas that…
Nearby Chiang Mai attractions
0.37 MILES
This expansive animal park is open day and night, but the real action happens after dark, when you can view all sorts of critters from the back of an open…
0.9 MILES
Reached via a steep naga stairway through the forest, this handsome wát looms above the city from the hillside above Royal Park Rajapruek. With its gilded…
2.97 MILES
Not to be confused with the small Wat Umong in the old city, this historic forest wát is famed for its sylvan setting and its ancient chedi, above a brick…
3.6 MILES
A hidden jungle temple tucked into the mountain along the way to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Old stone structures, intricate carvings, naga-flanked…
5. Chiang Mai University Art Center
3.9 MILES
The Faculty of Fine Arts displays temporary exhibitions of contemporary Thai and international artists at its own gallery near the Th Nimmanhaemin/Th…
3.9 MILES
Overlooking the city from its mountain throne, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is one of northern Thailand's most sacred temples, and its founding legend is…
3.93 MILES
Built on a former flower garden in 1373, this important monastery enshrines one half of a sacred Buddha relic; the other half was transported by white…
4.14 MILES
The main campus of Chiang Mai's famous public university occupies a 2.9-sq-km wedge of land about 2km west of the city centre, partly covered by forest…