Chiang Rai has become popular, but not quite over-run, among tourists looking for something of the old Thailand. Of course, Chiang Rai has only been a part of Thailand for a few hundred years, and only became a province less than a hundred years ago, in 1910.
The sights of Chiang Rai are often visited on a day-trip from Chiang Mai, but I would highly recommend a one or two-night stay in Chiang Rai town. Tours from Chiang Mai often skip the sights of the city, and it does have something different to offer.
The main attraction for tourists is the so-called Golden Triangle, where opium was once grown in abundance. However, those expecting a 'wild-west' atmosphere will be disappointed. What you will find are temples over 1,000 years old and small towns that aren't too spoiled by western tourism.
Other sights in the province include the Doi Tung Royal Villa, once the 'summer' home of the late Princess Mother. The mother of the current king initiated many projects in her lifetime aimed at bettering the lives of the rural poor, especially for the hill tribes on the fringes of Thai society. These projects have lived on, and the former Royal Lodge is now a beautifully landscaped garden.
Further afield, Chiang Khong is a popular border crossing point for people heading into Laos, especially up-river to Luang Prabang.
Despite being 740 years old, Chiang Rai has much less of its history in evidence than Chiang Mai. You can see most of what the city itself has to offer in a single day. The main sights are a handful of temples along the city's northern side. We've listed the sights on the map page as a sort of walking tour, so you can start at the first one and move on to the next.
On the banks of the Mekhong River at the southern-most point of the Golden Triangle tourist area is the ancient city of Chiang Saen. The town is still very small, even though it appears to have been a major trading crossroads since the seventh century. It was probably part of the kingdom of Yonok, and birthplace of Mengrai, who founded the kingdom of Lanna.
The ancient temple of Wat Pa Sak, just outside the old walls of Chiang Saen It was actually around 1328 that the city you can see today was laid out when King Saen Phu, Mengrai's nephew, moved the capital of Lanna to Chiang Saen, which he named after himself.
A popular detour on the way to Mai Sai is Doi Tung ('flag mountain'). Part of the attraction of this mountain-top is the drive up through forests and Shan, Akha and Lahu tribal villages. At the top of the mountain is the thousand years old temple of Wat Phrathat Doi Tung.
The temple is an important pilgrimage spot for Buddhists from many countries. Thais will also make a pilgrimage of sorts to the royal villa of the Princess Mother, the mother of the current king, who passed away in 1995.
Chiang Rai is relatively easy to get around. It's so small that you can easily walk to most sights from the town center. Note that there are no licensed taxis. Here are your options for getting around:
Airport Transfers The airport is extremely close to town, and it's generally no more than a 15 minute drive to most city hotels from the airport. Many, if not all, hotels offer a free pick up service, but check the charges before you order hotel transportation.
As one of the north's major tourist destination, Chiang Rai is quite easy to get to. The city is even being promoted as something of a hub. Whether it's planes or buses, you have several travel times a day to choose from to get from Bangkok to Chiang Rai.
Planes Chiang Rai's international airport is mainly served by Thai Airways, although it's also the prime target of many of the budget airlines now entering the market.
The Dusit Island Resort near Chiang Rai town. When considering where to stay in Chiang Rai, you basically have to first decide how close you want to be to town. You can stay in the older tourist-class hotels in the center of town, or at newer resort-style accommodations at the edge of the city, or you can get completely away from it all at some isolated resorts in the Golden Triangle area.
A very common day-trip from Chiang Rai or Chiang Mai is Mae Sai, or the whole 'Golden Triangle Loop' of Mae Sai to Sop Ruak to Chiang Saen and back. Mae Sai is advertised as the 'northern-most point in Thailand.'
There is not much to see in the town. Its mainly a place to shop and look across the small stream which separates Thailand and Burma (Myanmar). Unless there is one of the occasional flare-ups along the border, westerners can cross the small bridge into Tachileik, Burma on the other side of the stream.
Every guidebook seems to have a different view of the evolution of the term 'golden triangle' and even disagree on when the term was coined. Most do agree that the term applies to the opium growing region covering northern Thailand, eastern Burma and western Laos.
The Golden Triangle Opium production has been illegal in Thailand since 1959. Thanks to a highly successful crop substitution program undertaken by the Royal Projects Foundation established by His Majesty King Bhumipol, opium production has largely been eliminated in Thailand.
Chiang Rai is a very small town. You can see most of the sights of the city in one day. The town's main attraction is as a base for exploring the far north. Here are some suggestions for a short visit to Chiang Rai:
Day 1 - City Tour Start at Wat Prathat Doi Tong,
proceed to Wat Ngam Muang,
then on to Wat Phra Kaeo.
A side-trip to the town's market can make an interesting diversion.
South of the Night Bazaar area is one of the newer temples in Chiang Rai town. Wat Jedyod, which means 'seven peaks,' was started in 1844. It's sort of a copy of the ancient temple of the same name in Chiang Mai, which itself is a copy of a temple in India.
The seven-peaked pagoda that gives Wat Jedyod its name The main chapel (wiharn) in front of the chedi (pagoda) was consecrated in 1944, and is quite interesting in its own right.
A new chapel that was added to the temple around 2009 It's not in any current guidebooks to Chiang Rai, but the temple of Klang Wiang is, I think, worth a look. The temple, particularly the small ubosot (ordination hall), displays a heavy Hindu influence on the typical northern style.
The unusual chedi and ubosot of Wat Klang Wiang The temple's name means 'center of the city' in the northern dialect, and within the compound is indeed a small pavilion containing a City Pillar.
Between Doi Tong and Wat Phra Kaeo is the temple of Wat Ngam Muang. The temple's name means 'beautiful city' in Thai. It was founded in 1670 around a small chedi reportedly containing the ashes of King Mengrai, the founder of Chiang Rai and the Lanna kingdom. The pagoda is supposed to have been built by Mengrai's son.
The memorial to King Mengrai with his tomb in back During the years of Burmese rule in the north, the temple was abandoned and at some point the chedi was plundered.
Chiang Rai's Temple of the Emerald Buddha lays claim to be the 'original' Wat Phra Kaeo, at least in Thailand. No one seems to know exactly when the temple was built, but it probably dates to around the time of the city's founding. It was originally called 'Wat Pa Yia' which means 'yellow bamboo forest' after the bamboo which abundantly grew in the area. Several stands of the tall grass line one side of the compound today.
Just outside of the town's market area is Wat Phra Singh. The temple was built in the fourteenth century, about 100 years after the city's founding. Its wiharn once held the Phra Singh Buddha image which now resides in a temple of the same name in Chiang Mai. The image inside the chapel here is a copy. Near the eastern entrance to the temple is a rather large sign which attempts to explain the history of the Phra Singh image, but it soon descends into gibberish and isn't very useful.
Up on a hill at the northwest corner of town is the old temple of Wat Phrathat Doi Tong. The temple was supposedly started by the Prince of Chiang Rai in 940. Its golden chedi (pagoda) is visible from far away when approaching the city from the north.
The pagoda and main chapel of Wat Phrathat Doi Tong The wiharn (chapel) appears quite modern and is not very interesting. The exterior is not very fancy as Thai temples go.
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).
Historical Weather Patterns for Chiang Rai The north of Thailand is popularly known as a cooler place. The reality is that in the hot summer months, Chiang Rai can be just as uncomfortably hot as much of the rest of the country, if not more so.
