Chiang Dao
This beautiful and serene forest wát lies on the edge of the Chiang Dao massif. A steep naga stairway climbs through the forest to the rocky crevice where…
Must-see attractions in Chiang Mai Province
Pung Tao Gong Ancestral Temple
Chiang Mai
South of the flower market on Th Praisani, the Pung Tao Gong Ancestral Temple was founded in 1876, but the shrine fell into ruin as the city's Chinese…
Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Centre
Chiang Mai
Set in the former Provincial Hall, dating from 1927, this museum provides an excellent primer on Chiang Mai history. Dioramas, photos, artefacts and…
Chiang Mai
Housed in an airy Lanna-style building behind the Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Centre, this appealing museum covers the history of Chiang Mai Province,…
Chiang Mai
This sprawling formal park has 23 themed gardens donated by international governments, along with nine Thai gardens and six 'corporate' gardens. It sounds…
Chiang Mai
The old city’s only public park is a delightful spot to unwind, particularly as the afternoon sun slides towards the horizon. In the mornings and evenings…
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai's main wholesale fruit market is a riot of activity every morning, when enormous cargoes of mangoes, durians, rambutans, longans, watermelons,…
Chiang Mai
A brand new culture centre, gallery, coffee shop, bookstore and immersive theatre space south of the old city, where you can attend a performance or just…
Chiang Mai
Just a whole lot of fun, this museum has a range of 3D optical-illusion art displays, from cliff faces and movie sets to a levitation room and a magic…
Chiang Mai
Another unique local temple is 16th-century Wat Chiang Yeun, just northeast of Pratu Chang Pheuak. Besides the large northern-style chedi here, the main…
Chiang Mai
This friendly wát was used for the coronation of Lanna kings in the 16th century; today you can see a collection of giant gongs, a big old mon·dòp-style…
Chiang Mai
Formerly owned by prince Jao Maha In, this handsome mansion built in a hybrid Lanna and European style between 1889 and 1893 houses a small education…
Chiang Mai
Fringed by gilded Buddhas, the stately chedi at this prosperous wát is visited by scores of locals after dark. There's a coffee shop and massage pavilion…
Chiang Mai Province
Off Rte 1096, only 6km from the Mae Rim turn-off, Nam Tok Mae Sa is part of Doi Suthep-Pui National Park. The cascade is a picturesque spot to picnic or…
Chiang Mai
One of the gates to Chiang Mai's old town that bustles with a lively fresh market in the early morning and is set up with food stalls every evening.
Chiang Mai
The biggest of Chiang Mai's ancient gates is lively with tourists snapping photos and feeding the pigeons.
Chiang Mai
The area dominated by the Warorot and Ton Lam Yai markets doubles as the city's small Chinatown, marked by a flamboyant Chinese welcome gate across Th…
Chiang Mai
Housed in a striking stucco chapel resembling a mon·dòp (a spire representing a Thai adaptation of a Hindu shrine) at Wat Chedi Luang, the Làk Meuang was…
Phra Mahathat Naphamethanidon & Naphapholphumisiri
Doi Inthanon National Park
About 3km before the summit, set amid lush tropical gardens, the twin stupas of Phra Mahathat Naphamethanidon and Phra Mahathat Naphapholphumisiri were…
Anusawari Sam Kasat (Three Kings Monument)
Chiang Mai
Marking the centrepoint of the old administrative quarter of Chiang Mai, the bronze Three Kings Monument commemorates the alliance forged between Phaya…
Chiang Mai
A remnant from when Chiang Mai was a detour on the Silk Road, the largest Thai-Muslim mosque in the city is attended by a small, prosperous community of…
Chiang Mai
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…
Former Chiang Mai Women's Prison
Chiang Mai
The derelict premises of the old women's prison are a surprising landmark in the old city. The place was slated for demolition after the prison's closure…
Chiang Mai
Head about 20 minutes south of Chiang Mai proper to visit Ginger Farm's verdant rice paddies, vegetable gardens, farm animals and rustic cafe. Catering to…
Chiang Mai
This historic wát is in the heart of the old city. Though it was first constructed in 1367 and boasts some very old, Lanna-style chedis, it's also worth a…
Chiang Mai
Tucked away on a quiet soi behind the National Museum, this peaceful cemetery is lined with elegant Chinese gravestones, whose level of ornamentation…
Chiang Mai
Just beyond Rte 11 in the north of the city, these two stucco lions were built by Chao Kavila to scare off would-be Burmese invaders. Seemingly forgotten…
Chiang Mai
This colourful, 16th-century wát's name means 'good fortune temple'. It was first constructed in the 16th century, but its massive wooden doors date from…
Chiang Mai
A large and colourful wát with an impressive, mosaic-tiled chedi that blends Burmese and Lanna styles. The chedi is guarded by lion figures and an old…
Chiang Mai University Art Center
Chiang Mai
The Faculty of Fine Arts displays temporary exhibitions of contemporary Thai and international artists at its own gallery near the Th Nimmanhaemin/Th…
Museum of World Insects & Natural Wonders
Chiang Mai
Thailand's giant butterflies and creepy crawlies are showcased at this little museum operated by a malaria researcher and his entomologist wife. In…
Chiang Mai
This picturesque steel bridge looks old but is actually a modern creation, built as a homage to the old Nawarat Bridge, which was demolished in the 1970s…
Chiang Mai
Chinatown is also home to a small population of Sikh migrants from Myanmar who specialize in selling bolts of fabric. They worship at the nearby Namdhari…
Chiang Mai
This large and colourful wát's name means 'shackled elephants' because it was where the king's transport elephants were kept. You'll find elephant statues…
Chiang Mai
The more colourful of Chiang Mai's two Hindu temples is the brightly painted mandir (traditional shrine room) and the sikhara (tower) of Devi Mandir…
Chiang Mai
It's worth ducking into this small government museum to see the bizarre shapes that Thai money has taken over the years, from hammered coins to round…
Chiang Mai
This friendly neighbourhood wát is a monument to jade, with an impressive collection of jade Buddhas and jade and nephrite boulders in the main wí·hăhn.
Mae Kampong
Above Mae Kampong, this peaceful park has a lodge offering rooms (from 900B), while natural attractions include hot springs, waterfalls and jungle trails.
Chiang Mai
The 'Elephant Gate' is the north gate of the old city. A morning fresh market and nighttime food stalls set up daily just outside the gate.
Chiang Mai
A large and colourful wát that comes alive for Dhevo Rohana, a merit-making ceremony during Auk Phansa (Buddhist Lent).
