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Located in northwestern Thailand, old Chiang Mai is a neat square bounded by moats and partial walls. Th Moon Muang, along the east moat, is the centre for inexpensive accommodation and places to eat. Th Tha Phae, the main street, runs from the moat here at the main square east and over Mae Nam Ping (River). Here it changes its name to Th Charoen Meuang and passes the post office and train station almost 3km (1.8mi) from the eastern city moat.
Getting There
Chiang Mai's airport takes regular traffic from Thailand's major cities (including seven daily flights from Bangkok), as well as from other regional centres.
Buses also ply the route between Bangkok and Chiang Mai several times a day. The trip takes between 10 and 12 hours, depending on the money you pay. Trains also connect Chiang Mai to her southern capital.
Getting Around
Chiang Mai has only one city bus line of limited use, so most residents get about in săwngthăew (pick-up truck taxis) or on bicycle or motorcycle.
The best way to get around is bicycle. They are cheap to hire, environmentally friendly, give the lungs a workout and can be rented conveniently from many guesthouses and along the east moat. There are also hordes of săwngthăew, túk-túk (three-wheeled motorised taxis) and săamláw (three-wheeled pedicabs) which are cheap enough but contribute to unnecessary traffic congestion and pollution. There are plans to initiate a mass transit system in Chiang Mai: a rail system would certainly help with the current congestion woes.
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Disabled Travellers
Chiang Mai presents one large, ongoing obstacle course for the mobility-impaired. With its high curbs, uneven pavements and busy traffic, movement around the city can be particularly difficult. A few of the most expensive top-end hotels make consistent design efforts to provide disabled access to their properties. Other deluxe hotels with high employee-to-guest ratios are usually good about providing staff help where building design fails. For the rest, you're pretty much left to your own resources.
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