Chiang Mai is one of the easiest cities to visit in Thailand. The airport is quite close to town, and the city itself is quite easy to get around. See our article on Practical Information for travelers to Thailand for information on money, visas and other data.
See our articles on Getting There for information on air, rail and bus travel to Chiang Mai, and Getting Around for tips on making your way around the city.
Our article on Accommodations recommends some specific hotels you may want to consider, links to a comprehensive lists of the hotels in Chiang Mai, and where to get the best rate. Once you have a place to stay, you'll also need to think about where to eat. See our article on Food and Drink for a description of some of the local foods as well as a list of some of our favorite restaurants.
If you'd like assistance in planning your trip, see our suggested Itineraries page for starters. This page also has links to some of our tour partners who offer everything from package trips to individually tailored personal tours.
In a hurry? Don't want to wade through a lot of pages of information? Then just read this one. We've summarized all you really need to know about Chiang Mai in a nutshell. Of course, there are still links to all the details, if you want to know more.
Is it For You? A lot of people love Chiang Mai, but not everybody. The city appeals to a diverse range of tastes, from adventure seekers who use it as a base, to power shoppers who love the local handicrafts, to those who just like the relaxed pace.
One of the white elephants in its 'stable'. A short distance outside of the northern Chang Puak gate is the Chang Puak monument. The shrine sits in the middle of a sort of traffic circle next to one of the city's main bus stations. The late fourteenth century monument consists of two white elephants (chang puak) who stand in their own arched stables.
As in all of Thailand, the white elephant (which is not an albino, and not even white) is highly revered, so the elephants are hardly ever alone or unadorned.
Tapae Gate, at the center of Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is one of my favorite places, not only because of its laid back atmosphere and comfortable climate. It seems that there is always something new to discover here, as well as places that never wear thin. This page is my own private list of the places and things I enjoy most when visiting Chiang Mai. It mainly features places that tourists rarely see.
Chiang Mai's airport is rather small, but very busy since Chiang Mai is a very popular destination for both Thai and foreign tourists. See our comprehensive Chiang Mai airport guide at Asia-Airports.com.
When departing Chiang Mai, you can easily get to the airport using a taxi or hotel transfer service. Note that you and your bags must pass through a scanner to get into the airport building. Check-in counters for all flights are located at the south end of the ground floor.
In addition to the many sights of Chiang Mai itself, the city makes an excellent base for exploring the far north. Most of the other major attractions of the north can be visited as a day trip from Chiang Mai, making the city a great base for exploring the unique culture of the old "Lanna" kingdom.
One of the ruined temples at Wiang Kum Kam, outside of Chiang Mai. Some of the most common day trips include visits to other provincial capitals such as Lamphun, Lampang and Chiang Rai.
Chiang Mai is full of hotels, as well as a very large number of guest houses. Most hotels used to be tourist class, clean and comfortable but not necessarily anything special. That has changed in recent years with the opening of several new five star properties, with apparently more on the way. Hotels are concentrated in two areas, one along the river and the other along the road leading to Suthep mountain.
Internet access is relatively easy to come by in Chiang Mai. Hotels with in-room wi-fi or internet cables are still quite rare, but most hotels now have computers in their business centers connected to the net. Outside of hotels, there are many small internet centers, many of which also offer long distance telephone service.
Usage costs can be quite cheap, with some places charging as little as 30 Baht an hour, while most charge around one Baht per minute.
Chiang Mai is a town of many markets. As the provincial capital, as well as the largest city in the north, it is the main commercial center of the region. The most interesting markets are the many fresh and food markets.
If you head north of Tapae Road along the river, you'll come to the flower market, where you'll find roses, orchids and many other cut flowers on sale. The market is at its most active late at night.
In recent years, "medical tourism" has become the new buzzword for the development of Thailand's tourism industry. What this means is encouraging people to come to Thailand, have a little elective surgery, and then recuperate on some nice beach. The idea is not as crazy as it may sound. Some of Thailand's private hospitals are capable of world class healthcare, accredited according some of the toughest standards around. While they might be expensive for many Thais, these hospitals are still able to offer a high standard of care for far less than a hospital stay in most western countries will cost.
West of the city walls, heading towards Suthep Mountain, is a relatively new shopping area where many small designer shops can be found. It's difficult to say exactly why this area has turned into such a popular shopping district. It's not easy to get to for tourists, but is quite accessible to locals.
The focus for shops along Nimanhemin Road is home furnishings and art. You'll find several shops selling fabrics, candles, boxes of every shape and size, and more.
Last Updated August 2007
Most restaurants seem to come and go, no matter how good they are, while some go on to become institutions. This explains why we've dated this page. The older it is, the more likely that some of these restaurants have changed hands, names or formats.
The list below is not intended as a 'best' restaurants listing. It merely represents places we've visited personally, or in some cases have been recommended by trusted sources.
The Thais divide the year into three seasons: the cool season, hot season, and rainy season. For most westerners, this translates to "hot," "really hot," and "really hot and wet." Temperatures rarely drop below 25° C (70° F). Chiang Mai is popularly known as the "cool capital." The reality is that in the hot summer months, Chiang Mai can be just as uncomfortably hot as much of the rest of the country. However, from December to February the nights can be cool enough to require a jacket, so the appellation is not totally undeserved.
