The first time I came to Chiang Mai, I arrived at 5am on an overnight bus from Bangkok. I was exhausted and took a tuk-tuk from the bus station to my accommodation. My initial feelings of Chiang Mai left a warm impression. The locals were friendly, there are plenty of things to do but never overwhelmingly so, and the food – always cheap and delicious.
2 years later, I am back here once again. This time I came with a 60 day tourist visa, and decided to call Chiang Mai ‘home’ for the next 2 months. Here I have compiled a list of what to do in Chiang Mai for every type of traveler!
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Read Next: My Essentials Packing List After 2 Years of Traveling
Table of Contents
– Special Calendar Events –
#1. Lantern Festival (November)
Loy Krathong or The Yee Peng (Yi Peng) festival happens every year in November. You’ve probably seen photos of some kind of lantern festival being celebrated around the world. Yee Peng is an event that occurs on the full moon of the 12th lunar month every year. The releasing of the lanterns symbolize letting go of the previous year’s difficulties, and welcoming the new year with good fortune and blessings. You can also make a wish and send it off into the sky with the lantern. You can find more information on the festival and how to participate here.
#2. Songkran (April 13-15)
Songkran is the Thai New Year’s celebration, and what a celebration it is! Traditionally, Songkran is celebrated by the Thai people paying respect to their elders, and by visiting the temples to give prayers and offerings, with the monks sprinkling buddha statues with water to give blessings. The added layer of this tradition is basically a giant water festival celebration. People head out onto the streets with water guns or buckets of water and you are guaranteed to return home refreshed and soaked. Just make sure to keep your electronics safe!
#3. Cherry blossom viewing (December – February)
It’s not only in Japan that you get to witness the beauty and softness of cherry blossoms in season. CityLife-Chiang Mai wrote a great article on where you can check out this fantastic scene if you’re visiting Chiang Mai during the cherry blossom season.
#4. Flower festival (February)
The flower festival in Chiang Mai has been running for 40 years! The festival is a 3 day event with floral arrangements, and a parade of floral floats and vibrant colors. In 2019, the main exhibit was located at the Suan Buak Haad Public Park near the old town area. If you’re visiting in the future, just do a quick Google search to see when and where the events will take place.
– Cultural Experiences in Chiang Mai –
#5. Visit a Northern Thailand Ethnic village
There are 7 ‘Hill tribes’ of ethnic minorities in Northern Thailand, and many visitors are intrigued with the lives of these people and add a visit to one of the villages on their itinerary. There’s been some debate on whether it is ethical to add “people” as a tourism destination. If you decide to add this onto your own itinerary, take care to do some research when booking a tour. For many of these tribes, tourism is a source of financial support to their livelihood. However, just make sure the tour you take isn’t exploiting the people and making these visits intrusive or purely for profit.
#6. Ethical elephant tours
It’s wonderful that there’s been such a heightened level of awareness on animal welfare in tourism. Luckily, there are plenty of ethical elephant sanctuaries near Chiang Mai that travelers can visit. What ethical means here is basically the operation of the sanctuaries make the elephants as their number one priority. The animals live under proper care and treatment, and generally there are no riding allowed. Visitors can trek through the park or area, and enjoy spending some time feeding and bathing the elephants.
Check out these 3 ethical options below:
#7. Get a Sak Yant tattoo by a monk
Traditionally, a Sak Yant tattoo or Yantra tattoos are inked by a monk with bamboo sticks. It is believed to bring magical protection and good luck to the person wearing the tattoo(s). Of course, there are now regular tattoo shops that offer Sak Yant tattoos without the traditional ceremony. If this is something that interests you, check out the Sak Yant Chiang Mai tattoo shop. They offer a variety of tattoos inked by a monk, and they follow a proper standard procedure with health and safety in regards to tattooing. Each tattoo is also done with a traditional ceremony and blessing by the monk.
#8. Chat with a monk
If you’ve ever been curious about what a monk’s life is like, there are plenty of chances to sit down and chat with one here in Chiang Mai. Several temples here offer monk chats on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Continue reading for a list of temples here in Chiang Mai.
#9. Watch a Muay Thai fight
You can catch a fight every night on Monday through Saturday at the Chiang Mai Boxing Stadium . The prices range from 600 baht(19USD) to 1000 baht(31USD) for VIP seats that also come with unlimited drinks. I think it’s definitely an interesting experience to seek when you’re traveling in Thailand. However, it is not for the faint of hearts folks. The fighters are generally quite young here, and there’s always a chance for a brutal knock out.
– Foodie paradise in Chiang Mai –
#10. Taste a bowl of Khao Soi noodles
I think Khao Soi might be the #1 talked about Northern Thai food and I get it. It’s a bowl of curry based noodles that comes with either pork, beef, or chicken. It is served with crispy noodles on top, with a side of raw onion, lime, pickled cabbage, and packed FULL of flavors. We’ve certainly had Khao Soi in numerous places here in Chiang Mai, and these 2 are our favorites.
Khao Soi Khun Yai – They have a small menu and it’s basically a hut in a parking lot. Locals and tourists flock here and sometimes wait up to an hour for a bowl of tasty Khao Soi. Address: ซอย ศรีภูมิ 8 Sri Poom Rd, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200
Kao Soy Nimman – This place is like a decorated and elevated version of the classic Khao Soi dish. It’s a full operational restaurant that serves a variety of other delicious dishes with the main focus on Khao Soi. Address: 22 Nimmana Haeminda Rd Lane 7, Tambon Su Thep, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50200
#11. Take a Thai cooking class
I took a Thai cooking class in Chiang Mai last time I visited and had a blast. Not only do you get to cook up to 5 dishes of delicious Thai food in a local’s home, the tours may also offer a visit to the local food market. You get to meet some great people, eat some amazing food that you’ve prepared yourself, and try your best to savor the flavors or maybe attempt to do it yourself when you’re back home!
I highly recommend using Cookly to find your perfect cooking class in Chiang Mai, they have over 50 classes to choose from including vegan and vegetarian friendly tours.
#12. Take a tour of the local markets
Make sure to visit and grab some food from the Siri Wattana Market. They have a ton of meats, produce, and ready to eat foods for sale. Everything we’ve tried here were delicious. They also have Thai specialities and desserts! For the most part, only locals shop here, so the prices are unbeatable!
#13. Have dinner at Khao Tom Baht Diao
This has become one of our favorite eats here in Chiang Mai. This restaurant has an array of Thai dishes at super affordable prices. You can order smaller portions of things like spicy Thai sausage, morning glory or crispy pork and so much more. This is the perfect neighborhood joint for a fun meal where you get to try multiple local dishes and not burn a hole in your wallet. Address: Nimmanhaemin, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200
#14. Cherng Doi Roast Chicken
Oh my goodness the chicken here is delicious. We went back twice in just three days because it’s that tasty. They have three main popular dishes on the menu and you should try them all. There is a roast chicken that’s so tender and juicy on the inside with extra thin crispy skin on the outside. Our second favorite is their BBQ beef dish, it comes with a tart and spicy dipping sauce and I swear I can eat 2 plates by myself.
Address: 2/8 Suk Kasame Rd, Tambon Su Thep, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50200
Check out these awesome food tours in Chiang Mai:
– Temple run in Chiang Mai –
#15. Doi Suthep
Of course sitting at number 1 on the temple list is the famous Doi Suthep, a must visit destination for visitors of Chiang Mai. You can take a red tuk tuk to this temple sitting high on the mountain side. You can also opt for a guided tour to get more information on the history of Doi Suthep. At the top of the temple, you can see the city of Chiang Mai with a panoramic view.
#16. Wat Jet Yod
Wat Jed Yod is located northwest of Chiang Mai city. It’s a special temple because unlike many of the other temples decorated in vibrant gold, silver and fancy buddha statues. The temples here have a natural aged look and it was commissioned to be built by the King Tilokarat back in 1455CE. It is said that this temple is a center of pilgrimage for people who were born in the year of the snake. There are a ton of snake statues and relics which makes a cool scene, and I actually saw a real green snake fighting with a black cat when we visited!
#17. Wat Phra Singh
Located inside the old city of Chiang Mai, Wat Phrah Singh is located near the Sunday Night Market. It’s construction began in 1345 when King Phayu built a stupa (hemispherical structure containing relics) to house the ashes of his father King Kham Fu.
#18. Wat Phra That Doi Kham
Wat Phra That Doi Kham is a glorious sight. There are two large buddha statues on the grounds, one of them facing Chiang Mai and sitting high atop the hill. We visited during sunset time, and it was such a blissful and beautiful place. A must visit temple if you’re here!
#19. Wat Buppharam
I accidentally stumbled upon this temple my first morning in Chiang Mai back in 2017. It was so early that I’m not sure the temple was even opened yet. I particularly loved this temple because the buildings inside are some of the most beautiful I’ve seen. An array of gold specked, impressive structures with a blend of the older and aged statues.
– Adventure seekers in Chiang Mai –
#20. Visit the Grand Canyon
In recent years, the Grand Canyon of Chiang Mai has been turned into a water park, which can be a great day activity for family with kids. If water park is not your scene you can still visit this little gem here and I believe you can cliff dive off one of the canyons.
#21. Zip line through the jungles
You can hike through the rainforest jungles of Mae Sa Valley and go on a zip line adventure. Mae Sa Valley is about an hour away from Chiang Mai city, and on the trek you will also run into hill tribe villagers going about their daily life.
#22. White water rafting
ATV and white water rating sounds like your cup of tea? You can find adrenaline pumping activities near Chiang Mai!
#23. Take a Muay Thai class
Want to try out a new martial arts and kick some butts? Or most likely get your butt kicked, but in the most rewarding and fun way. Muay Thai is a traditional Thai martial arts, and what’s even better than watching a fight? Try it out for yourself! You can train for a day at a local Muay Thai gym and add this new experience to your Thailand itinerary.
#24. Climb up the sticky waterfall
Of course if you’re a adventure and outdoors lover, visiting the ‘sticky’ or Bua Tong waterfall is a must do in Chiang Mai. You can spend a fun day here trekking through some lush greenery, and then take off your now sweaty shoes and socks and climb up the waterfall!
#25. Trekking
We did a quick trek on the Monk’s Trail in Chiang Mai, and I loved every moment of it. It was a fairly easy trek but the reward is this amazing hidden temple at the very top of the hill. Check out more hiking trails in and around Chiang Mai in this Culture Trip article.
Check out these adventure tours:
– Shop till you drop in Chiang Mai –
#26 & #27. Saturday Night & Sunday Night Markets
There are A TON of night markets here in Chiang Mai, but the winners of them all are the Saturday and Sunday Night Markets. Just by the sheer size comparison of it. They’re not really like markets, more like giant walking streets full of merchants as well as plenty of delicious cheap street food. You can find souvenirs, clothes, local arts&crafts, and so much more.
#28. Malin Plaza/The Chiang Mai Complex/Student Night Market
There are 3 night markets clustered in the area. You can just Google search for either ‘Malin Plaza’ or ‘Student Night Market’ and you’ll find yourself in midst of delightful shoppers and local prices. These 3 markets are located right across from Chiang Mai University and not really visited by tourists. This means if you’re looking for normal clothes and not stereotypical Thailand souvenirs, this is the place to go to. The prices here are also a bit lower than the ones you’d find in the most touristy night markets. And of course, there are delicious and cheap food in and around the markets.
#29. Chiang Mai Night Bazaar
The actual bazaar isn’t all what its cracked up to be, it’s more about the main street that the bazaar is located on. It feels like an endless stroll of souvenir stalls, elephant pants, jewelry, soap, t-shirts, and you name it, you’ll find it. It’s really nice to just wander around and check out all the stalls and what they’re selling. You can also find some good street food and restaurants near the area as well.
#30. Maya Mall & Central Festival shopping malls
If being out in the heat isn’t your cup of tea, the two largest malls in Chiang Mai has got you covered. Head on over to either the Maya Mall or Central Festival and enjoy the blasting AC. You can find both international and local brands inside the malls, and of course there are multiple food courts and movie theaters to keep you entertained and satisfied.
– More time in Chiang Mai? –
#31. Get a Thai massage
First things first, a Thai massage can be intense. It involves the therapist climbing and stepping on your back to work out some of the knots. Of course if you visit a spa, they will most likely offer alternative massage styles as well. It’s a great way to take a break from the heat and smog of the city, and pamper yourself on vacation. Check out these top rated spas on TripAdvisor.
#33. Catch a cabaret show
Cabaret shows are generally an hour long of funny and entertaining singing, dancing show put on by gorgeous lady-boys in even more glamorous outfits. Many of the shows can be interactive, so if you’re shy make sure to sit further in the back. Although it still doesn’t guarantee safety from being picked to go on stage, it can most definitely be an evening of fun packed entertainment and laughs. Prices start around 350baht/11USD for entrance.
#34. Visit the Inathon National Park
You can go visit the Inathon National Park on your own, or go on a trekking tour. It’s a great way to explore the nature in northern Thailand and a quiet escape from city life. You can spend an entire day here, so get there early and pack plenty of water!
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