Chiang Mai
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…
Must-see attractions in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai
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…
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai's most revered temple, Wat Phra Singh is dominated by an enormous, mosaic-inlaid wí·hăhn (sanctuary). Its prosperity is plain to see from the…
Chiang Mai
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…
Chiang Mai
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…
Chiang Mai
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…
Chiang Mai
A hidden jungle temple tucked into the mountain along the way to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Old stone structures, intricate carvings, naga-flanked…
Chiang Mai
Often bearing a crown of clouds, sultry Doi Suthep (1676m) and Doi Pui (1685m) are two of northern Thailand's most sacred peaks. A dense cloak of jungle…
Chiang Mai
The first attempt at founding a city on the banks of Mae Ping, Wiang Kum Kam served as the Lanna capital for 10 years from 1286, but the city was…
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai's oldest temple was established by the city's founder, Phaya Mengrai, sometime around 1296. In front of the ubosot (ordination hall), a stone…
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai Zoo is better than many zoos in the region when it comes to animal welfare, but it's still quite depressing. In addition to animals from across…
Chiang Mai
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…
Chiang Mai
This highly ornate temple shows the clear influence of the Burmese teak merchants who immigrated to Chiang Mai during the 19th century. The eye-catching…
Chiang Mai
The serene grounds of the royal family's winter palace are open to the public (when the royals aren't visiting). The unusually strict dress code requires…
Chiang Mai
Tucked to the side of the Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Centre, this was the original location of the Làk Meuang (city pillar). Marooned in the middle…
Chiang Mai
Among the most handsome wát outside the old city, Wat Mahawan shows the obvious influence of the Burmese teak traders who used to worship here. The…
Chiang Mai
It should come as no surprise that the silversmiths along Th Wualai have decorated their patron monastery with the same fine artisanship shown in their…
Chiang Mai
Adjacent to Talat Warorot, Talat Ton Lam Yai morphs from a covered household market into an animated flower market (gàht dòrk mái), flanking the river on…
Chiang Mai
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…
Chiang Mai
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…
Chiang Mai
This wát was established by King Tilokarat in 1455 as part of an effort to prevent a predicted decline in Buddhism. It still has much of its original…
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…
Maiiam Contemporary Art Museum
Chiang Mai
Located on the 'handicraft highway' between Chiang Mai and San Kamphaeng, this museum showcases the only standalone collection of Thai and Southeast Asian…
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
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…
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…
Chiang Mai
A handsome wooden complex dotted with terracotta sculptures, this is one of the most attractive wát outside the city walls. It is thought to have been…
Chiang Mai
Operated by the Fine Arts Department, this museum is the primary caretaker of Lanna artefacts and northern Thai history, covering everything from the…
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
Behind the Muang Chiang Mai sports stadium, photogenic, 1631 Wat Ku Tao incorporates many Burmese and Confucian elements. The distinctive chedi is said 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…
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
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 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
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
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,…