Sukhothai
Located 1.4km south of the old city walls, this temple once held a four-sided mon·dòp (a chedi-like spire) featuring the four classic poses of the Buddha …
Must-see attractions in Northern Thailand
Northern Thailand
Just north of modern Kamphaeng Phet, this walled zone is the origin of the city’s name, and was formerly inhabited by gamavasi (living in the community)…
Pai
Across Mae Nam Pai and 7km southeast of town via a paved road is this well-kept local park. Through it flows a scenic stream, which mixes with the hot…
Sukhothai
Wat Sa Si sits on an island west of the bronze monument of King Ramkhamhaeng (the third Sukhothai king). It’s a simple, classic Sukhothai-style wát…
Northern Thailand
The highlight here is a towering mon·dòp (the small square building with a spire in a wát) that contains the shattered remains of standing, sitting,…
Sukhothai
This somewhat isolated wát features three 12th-century Khmer-style towers, bigger than those at Wat Si Sawai in the central zone. This may have been the…
Wat Phra That Chom Kitti & Wat Chom Chaeng
Chiang Rai Province
The remains of Wat Phra That Chom Kitti and Wat Chom Chaeng can be found about 2.5km northwest of town on a hilltop. The round chedi of Wat Phra That Chom…
Wat Jong Sung & Wat Si Bunruang
Mae Hong Son Province
These two adjacent Burmese-Shan temples are located just off Mae Sariang’s main street. Built in 1896, Wat Jong Sung is the more interesting of the two…
Chiang Rai Province
A tiny but busy and vibrant morning market convenes at the T-intersection near Shin Sane Guest House. The market attracts town residents and hill peoples…
Lampang
Wat Si Rong Meuang was built in the late 19th century by artisans from Myanmar. The temple building was constructed in the ‘layered’ style from Myanmar,…
Sukhothai
Just south of Wat Mahathat, this Buddhist shrine (dating from the 12th and 13th centuries) features three Khmer-style towers and a picturesque moat. It…
Mae Hong Son
This wát, just west of Mae Hong Son’s morning market, is recognised for its bòht (chapel), boasting an elaborate tiered wooden roof and a revered bronze…
Chiang Rai Province
To soak up the great views from Wat Santikhiri, go past the market and ascend 718 steps (or take the road if you have a motorbike or car). The wát is of…
Mae Hong Son Province
This giant, golden hilltop Buddha statue offers great views over Mae Sariang and the surrounding countryside. It’s located about 3km south of town, just…
Sukhothai
Directly across from Wat Chetupon, the main chedi here has retained much of its original stucco relief work, which shows still vivid depictions of…
Sukhothai
Wat Chang Lom (Elephant Circled Monastery) is about 1km east of the main park entrance. A large bell-shaped chedi is supported by 36 elephants sculpted…
Chiang Rai Province
Housing archaeological artefacts from the area, Buddha imagery and exhibitions about the local hill peoples, this is an impressive museum despite its…
Sukhothai
This temple compound consists of a classic Sukhothai-style bell-shaped chedi, a stucco-covered Buddha statue and a particularly graceful image of a…
Sukhothai
Little is known about these Buddhist ruins, but the compound is thought to once have had a bell-shaped chedi. Today, all that remains is a base and some…
Tak Province
Located 41km southeast of Mae Sot, this impressive waterfall with 97 limestone tiers is located in the national park of the same name. It gushes down all…
Northern Thailand
The ruins of this temple are distinguished by a large round-based brick and laterite Kamphaeng Phet–style chedi surrounded by columns.
Pai
A viewpoint at the Chinese village of Ban Santichon that offers decent views over the surrounding area.
Sukhothai
An Ayuthaya-style brick base surrounded by five small chedi is all that remains of this former Buddhist temple compound.
Sukhothai
This temple compound consists of a base with unusually high pillars, thought to be influenced by Mon architectural styles.
Northern Thailand
Meaning 'Elephant-Encircled Temple', this ruin is just that – a temple buttressed with 68 stucco-covered elephants.
Mae Hong Son Province
Climb a steep hillside and rickety stairs to reach this sequence of three shallow caves, where you'll find ancient teak coffins carved from solid teak…
Mae Hong Son
The most touted attraction of this national park is Tham Pla (Fish Cave), a water-filled cavern where hundreds of soro brook carp thrive. A 450m path…
Chiang Rai
Cross the Mae Fah Luang Bridge (located just northwest of the city centre) to the northern side of Mae Nam Kok and you’ll come to a turn-off for both Tham…
Lampang
This temple is named for the 20 (sow in Northern Thai) whitewashed Lanna-style chedi (stupas) on its grounds. But the wát’s real treasure is a solid-gold,…
Northern Thailand
An unusual Hariphunchai chedi (stupa) can be seen at Wat Chama Thewi. The structure dates to around the 13th century, although two chedi (stupas) go back…
Sukhothai Province
At one time, more than 200 huge pottery kilns lined the banks of the Mae Nam Yom in the area around Si Satchanalai. In China – the biggest importer of…
Nan
This temple features a distinctive Lanna/Lan Xang–style chedi (stupa) with four Buddha niches, an attractive wooden hŏr đrai (manuscript library) and a…
Pai
The cheesy photo ops in traditional Chinese clothing, piped-in music, tea tastings, pony rides, tacky recreation of the Great Wall of China and…
Northern Thailand
Known in Thai as Baan Pratubjai (Impressive House), this is a large Northern Thai–style teak house built using more than 130 teak logs, each over 300…
Northern Thailand
Across the Mae Nam Ping are the ruins of Wat Phra Borommathat, located in an area that was settled long before Kamphaeng Phet’s heyday, although visible…
Chiang Rai Province
This small but informative museum features historical displays pertaining to opium culture. Exhibits include the various implements used in the planting,…
Northern Thailand
Across from the post office within the old city, Wat Phra Baht Ming Meuang combines two formerly separate temple compounds (one of which contains a museum…
Mae Sot
Alongside Mae Nam Moei on the Thai side of the border is an expansive market that sells a mixture of workaday goods from Myanmar, black-market clothes,…
Northern Thailand
Built in 1892, this imposing building, sporting a mixture of Thai and European architectural styles, was the home of the final Lord, or Chao Luang, of…
