Chiang Mai, Thailand: My Favorite Things

Wat Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Admittedly, this post is arriving a little late to the party; I can’t even count the number of times I’ve been asked to give suggestions for things to do and see in Chiang Mai since I moved there back in 2011.

Without further ado, here is a comprehensive list of my recommendations for northern Thailand’s beautiful city of Chiang Mai.My most comprehensive list of things to do, see, and eat in the beautiful northern Thai city of Chiang Mai.

**Post updated February 2016

WHERE TO STAY

There are a wide range of budget accommodation options in Chiang Mai, from guesthouses for $5 per night to beautiful hotels that still won’t break the bank.

I always recommend people to book through HotelsCombined, as they aggregate the search results of every other booking site all in one convenient location, meaning you have the best chance of finding the exact style of accommodation you want for the best price.

WHAT TO DO

Shop the Sunday walking street – Every week, local vendors and hill tribe natives line Ratchadamnoen (English spelling of street names may vary) end-to-end with their artisan goods.  Load up on souvenirs or get a sidewalk foot massage while you people watch.  Go in the late afternoon to beat the crowds.

Sunday walking street market, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Walking street madness.

Take a Thai cooking class – Easily one of the best things I did before I left Thailand.  Choose a half- or full-day course and learn how easy it is to create authentic Thai dishes yourself (I make Pad Thai nearly every week at home).  I went to Baan Thai Cookery School but there are plenty of options to choose from.

Cooking class at Baan Thai Cookery School, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Som tam (papaya salad) and tom kha gai (chicken in coconut milk).

Visit some of the city’s gorgeous temples – My favorites: Wat Prathat Doi Suthep (probably the city’s most famous, sits on top of the mountain overlooking the city), Wat Chedi Luang (absolutely stunning at dusk), Wat Suan Dok (beautiful and easily accessible) and Wat Umong (seriously unique–made of a series of maze-like tunnels).

Wat Umong, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Collection of discarded statues at Wat Umong.

Go to a Chiang Mai FC match – Gather a group of friends and watch the hilarious spectacle that is Thai soccer.

Lanna Tigers football match, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Drink beer and cheer on the Lanna Tigers.

Catch some Tuesday night jazz at the North Gate Jazz Co-op – Get there early to secure a table, or mingle and dance in the street when the crowd gets too immense for the space.  Great music and a great atmosphere (you might even catch my friend Dan playing some sexy sax!).

North Gate Jazz Co-op, Chiang Mai, Thailand
North Gate Jazz

WHERE TO EAT

The Swan – Burmese cuisine.  Without a doubt my favorite restaurant in Chiang Mai.  Order a variety of dishes and eat family style.  Don’t miss the chad jam, tea leaf salad, and ner lung.

The Swan Burmese Cuisine, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Eat family style at The Swan

The Riverside – Awesomely spicy Thai food, beautiful river view, live music most nights.

Jagajee – Tapas restaurant and Prosecco bar.  Intimate setting, friendly staff, menu that changes daily.

Why Not? Mediterranean Restaurant and Wine Bar – Best Italian food and gelato in the city, hands down.  All-you-can-drink wine for 250 baht Fridays from 6:30-8.

The Cat House – A healthy spin on Asian fusion.  The sweet potato and zucchini fries are phenom.

The Salad Concept – My go-to for a healthy and inexpensive meal.  Choose from their menu of unique salads or build your own.

Rustic & Blue – An artisan cafe serving a decadent breakfast and brunch menu alongside cocktails or sangria (or coffee or tea).  So charming it might just kill you.

Rustic and Blue | Nimmanhaemin Cafes, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Nutella French toast at Rustic & Blue

The Larder – An incredible (and incredibly popular) breakfast spot tucked away down Suk Kasame Road in Nimman.  This place closes at 3 pm every day, so get there early!

Mango Tango – Located in the Nimmanhaemin neighborhood, this place dishes up all things mango.  Go here for dessert!

Any market – Chiang Mai is overrun by outdoor and street markets, which are a great place to find inexpensive Thai food and a smattering of other strange treats.  Try the Sunday walking street on Ratchadamnoen, the Saturday walking street on Wua Lai Road, the North Gate market or South Gate markets, or the University market on Huay Kaew Road.

Read More: 8 New Nimmanhaemin Cafes Worth Checking Out

WHERE TO CAFFEINATE

Ristr8to Coffee – Are you a coffee snob??  Then Ristr8to is the place for you!  Gourmet coffee prepared by truly passionate and talented baristas.  Ask for some latte art and you just might get a portrait of Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight.  Srsly.

Ristr8o Coffee, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Photo by Ash Clark

The Barn Eatery & Design – This place is popular with locals, serves delicious coffees and other beverages, and has a number of power points if you need to get some work done.  Located south of Suthep Road behind Wat Suan Dok.

9th Street Cafe – Excellent coffee, zero fuss.

CAMP Creative & Meeting Place – This co-working space and cafe is located in the top floor of the new MAYA Shopping center and is open 24 hours a day.

Fern Forest Cafe – Located inside the walls of the old city, this gorgeous cafe is the perfect relaxing setting to throw back a cup of joe.

Fern Forest Cafe, Chiang Mai
Fern Forest Cafe

Read More: 50 of the Best Cafes in Chiang Mai

WHERE TO DRINK

H.O.W. (House of Wine) – Two locations to choose from, enjoyable experience guaranteed.  Huge wine selection (hard to find in Thailand) and lovely staff.

House of Wine, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Did I mention H.O.W. is next door to Jagajee? Wine and tapas…every time.

Chiang Mai President Hotel – Get drunk for cheap (and in style) at their nightly beer buffet.  Prices may have gone up since my time, but it used to cost around 200 baht to drink unlimited beer from 6-9pm.

Beer buffet at the Chiang Mai President Hotel
Making all-you-can-drink look classy.

WHERE TO DANCE

Zoe in Yellow/The Soi – Heavy on backpackers and cheap booze, the area in the old city containing the bar Zoe in Yellow that we colloquially referred to as The Soi definitely holds a special place in my heart.  Some glorious moments took place there, but it can get stale if you’re going, say, every weekend.  If you’re just in town for a few days, once is certainly enough.

Zoe in Yellow, Chiang Mai, Thailand
So many nights here I’ll never remember.

THC Rooftop Bar – I might catch some flak from my friends for this–THC is definitely not for everyone.  It’s dirty in more ways than one, but I like to think the rooftop views make up for that. And if you’re into electronic music, you might just find a Thai DJ droppin’ beats of the filthy persuasion.  Just make sure you zip your bag lest you end up with a cockroach inside of it.  Yes, that happened.

THC Rooftop Bar, Chiang Mai, Thailand
See? You would NEVER know one of them just had a cockroach up their skirt.

Warm Up – If you want to avoid the backpacker scene altogether, head to Warm Up.  It doesn’t get much more Thai than this.  Just be aware that if you and your friends like to dance (and the music here IS decent, and deafening) you’ll probably be the only ones.

Warm Up, Chiang Mai, Thailand
So many people, so little dancing.

Fabrique (inside the President Hotel) – I discovered this place wayyy too late in the game.  I was able to forgive the fact that they charge a 300 baht foreigner fee (includes a drink) because once you’re inside the music is just TOO GOOD.  This is a legitimate club, complete with leather accoutrements, lasers, fog machines, dancing platforms and bottle service.  Stay until 4 in the morning and severely damage your hearing–you won’t regret it.  I said YOU WON’T REGRET IT!

Fabulous Fabrique, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Fabulous Fabrique.

DAY TRIPS

Huay Tung Tao – A little lake 20 minutes or so north of the city.  It’s surrounded by thatch huts and the water’s a lovely temperature for wading or swimming.  Choose a hut that suits you and order delicious food and beer while you soak up the sun.  Knowing a little Thai is helpful here (especially the phrase ‘bia Leo yai’) but if all else fails, pointing at photos on the menu works too.

Huay Tung Tao, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Huay Tung Tao.

Hang Dong Quarry – Drive 20-30 minutes south of the city to find this treasure.  This abandoned mining quarry has since filled with water to create a unique little oasis.  The vertical walls and immense depth mean you can cliff-jump from nearly anywhere…or come prepared with floaties and beer and just chill.  Hard.

Hang Dong Quarry, Thailand
Still a well-kept secret.

Doi Inthanon National Park – Doi Inthanon is the highest mountain in Thailand.  And inside the National Park there is plenty to explore: waterfalls, hill tribe villages, rice paddies and more.  Or spend a few nights camping–it’s best if you go during the hot season, not rainy season.

Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand
Thailand’s highest…spot? Close enough!

The Veranda Resort – This boutique hotel is hidden in the hills outside the city limits and boasts some incredible scenery, an infinity pool, a comprehensive cocktail list and a gourmet restaurant.  They now charge 400 baht for entry, so I’m told (yikes!), but that includes a free smoothie from the bar.  For this view?  I’d probably still make the splurge.

The Veranda Resort, Thailand
Welcome to the good life.

Elephant Nature Park – The most humane way to get up close and personal with elephants in Northern Thailand.  Feed them, bathe them, hear the stories of the ones who’ve been rescued and rehabilitated, even volunteer.  More info here.

WEEKEND TRIPS

Pai – If you can handle the 4-hours and 762 curves on the road from Chiang Mai to Pai, it’s a trip worth making.  The adorable hippy-dippy town of Pai is becoming more and more commercialized, but it’s still a nice weekend getaway from the city.  It has some fantastic restaurants (The Witching Well is my personal favorite), shopping and excessive amounts of natural beauty.

Pai Canyon, Thailand
Catch the sunset (and some vertigo) at Pai Canyon.

Eakachai Houseboats – The Eakachai “houseboats” are really more like floating cottages, and you’ll find them on the Mae Ngat Reservoir about 2 hours’ drive from Chiang Mai.  Reservations can be made easily by calling in advance; each room sleeps 2 people.  They also have a full restaurant, kayak rentals, and diving platforms.  Beer is sold but it’s cheaper to bring your own.  Every trip was seriously unforgettable.

Eakachai Houseboats, Thailand
Some really awkward friends and me at Eakachai.

Chiang Dao – This quaint little town is famous for its unique temple–inside a cave.  I was able to conquer my claustrophobia and arachnophobia (sort of) to venture inside.  You can hire a guide to take you through the cramped, pitch-black, spidery parts if you’re insane.  There are several good hostel options in town, The Nest is highly recommended.

The Chiang Dao Caves, Chiang Dao, Thailand
Inside the Chiang Dao Caves.

FESTIVALS

Chiang Mai Smile Party – This mini music festival takes place in early December on the aforementioned lake, Huay Tung Tao.  It’s a fairly new event but seems to be growing each year.  Think: neon decor, fire poi, dance music and Sangsom buckets (when I put it that way it sounds a lot like the full moon parties on Koh Phangan, but I assure you it’s MUCH more chill).

Fire poi at Chiang Mai's Smile Party
Fire poi – hardly a novelty in Thailand, but entertaining nonetheless.

Loi Krathong – This several-day festival takes place during the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar (that’s late November to the rest of us).  It can be described in many ways–a festival of lights, fireworks, lanterns, floating rafts–so appropriately, there are many ways to celebrate it.  One traditional aspect that is easy to take part in is creating or buying a miniature raft made from natural materials including banana tree trunk, banana leaves, and flowers and sending it down the river as you make a wish.  Just try not to get hit by stray fireworks, things tend to get a little out of hand.

Loi Krathong in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Some ornate krathong rafts, ready to be sent down-river.

Yi Peng – If you are lucky enough to be in Chiang Mai during the annual Yi Peng festival and lantern release at Mae Jo University, it would be absolutely unforgivable not to attend.  Coinciding with the week of Loi Krathong celebrations, Yi Peng is one magical night of merit-making for Thailand’s Buddhist population (that’s more than 95% of Thais) in which thousands of paper lanterns are released into the sky all at once.  I lived in Thailand for over a year before I got to experience this, but it was more than worth the wait.

Annual Yi Peng Festival at Mae Jo University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Releasing our khom loi (floating lantern) into the sky.
Yi Peng at Mae Jo University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
The photos are incredible but to see this in person is out of this world!

Songkran -Ahh Songkran!  The modern manifestation of an old tradition of ‘sprinkling elders with water as a gesture of respect’ during the Thai New Year in mid-April.  These days, it’s essentially a country-wide, 5-day, no-holds-barred water fight.  Don a Hawaiian-print shirt, buy a full arsenal of super-soakers (fill some with water, others with booze…and try not to mix them up), leave your electronics at home and retaliate without hesitation when the locals douse you with buckets of ice water…and don’t forget your battle cry of SAWATDII BII MAI JAOWWW (Happy New Year).

Songkran, Chiang Mai, Thailand
This sums it up pretty well.

Have you been to Chiang Mai?  What would you add to this list?

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