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. The city is well signed for tourists. Look for wooden signs with gold letters point the way to the main sights of the city.
The ordination hall of Wat Phra Kaeo with the gilded pagoda behind
There are a couple of sights just outside the main town area that you may wish to visit. South of town is what may well be the most popular attraction in town these days: the 'White Temple' of Wat Rong Khun. North of town is the less well know but equally fascinating 'Black House' (Baandam) of Thai national artist Thawan Duchanee.
The main chapel at Wat Phra Singh
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You can book a variety of sightseeing day trips out of Chiang Rai in advance through Viator. By booking in advance through Viator, you'll be sure to get the tours you want, and you won't be surprised at the cost.
When to Go
The ideal time to visit Chiang Rai is during the cool dry season from December to February. The nights can be downright cold at this time of the year, and the days will be pleasantly warm. Of course, this is when everyone else wants to go to Chiang Rai, so hotel rates are usually higher at this time. Personally, I prefer the tail end of the rainy season, in October or November, when things are still very lush and green, and the main tourist hoard has yet to arrive. See the Chiang Rai weather page for current conditions and historical charts.
While the 'White Temple' south of Chiang Rai town seems to be all the rage, it seems that far fewer people visit its polar opposite, the Black House, which is, appropriately, on the other side of the city.
The little chapel and grand hall of the Black House Like Wat Rong Khun, the Black House is the vision of a single man, Thawan Duchanee. Unlike the White Temple, which while fantastically designed is still easily understood as a religious structure, Baandam is much harder to understand, and there are no informational signs around to help you out.
If you are walking or riding around Chiang Rai city, chances are you will see the golden clock tower near the center of town, not far really from the night bazaar. Although new, the clock and its workings are definitely an attraction in their own right.
The golden clock tower in the daytime You can take it with you.
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It's not exactly your typical tourist attraction, but Chiang Rai's central market can be a very interesting place to look around. It extends for several blocks near Wat Phra Singh, both outdoors and under cover.
The many varieties of dried chilies (and tobacco) available in the covered market. The outdoor parts sell mostly fresh fruits and vegetables. These stalls often spill out onto the sidewalks around the market.
Fresh vegetables and fruits in the market.
Chiang Rai is a small town without much of a gay scene. There are a few commercial bars around the Wangcome Hotel, but otherwise there aren't many places catering to gay visitors. Like all of Thailand, Chiang Rai is quite relaxed in its attitude towards same-sex relationships. It's a place to take someone special for a few days on your own.
Gay visitors may want to pay homage to the city's modern City Pillar shrine, a forest of 108 stone phalli at the top of Doi Tong in the northwest corner of town.
King Mengrai of Ngoen Yang near present-day Chiang Saen founded Chiang Rai in 1263. The story goes that he was chasing down an errant prize elephant and finally recaptured it at the foot of Doi Tong. Taking this as a good sign, he founded the city here. About 30 years later he went on to found Chiang Mai further south.
A statue of King Mengrai, in front of his tomb.
With a history dating back almost 600 years, it's no surprise that Wat Phra Kaew would have accumulated a rich store of artifacts. With the help of two professional curators, the temple has sorted through the material and put the most notable items on a display in a purpose built hall on the south side of the temple grounds.
The ground floor exhibits of the Hongluang Saengkaew Museum You can take it with you.
The Dusit Island Resort near Chiang Rai town. The choice for Chiang Rai city accommodations really comes down to how much comfort you want and how close you want to be to shopping and dining opportunities. The "Center of Town" hotels are just a short walk from the Night Bazaar and the restaurants lining Phaholyothin and Jedyod Roads. The "Edge of Town" hotels are nicer, but a short cab ride away from the center of town.
About a block east of the Hill Tribe museum is the city's main monument to its founder, King Mengrai. It's mostly of interest to see how many people come to pay homage and make offerings.
The grand statue of King Mengrai the Great You can take it with you.
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There aren't that many museums in Chiang Rai city, but the few they have are rather interesting. Here's a short list of all of them:
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The Black House - Baandam - of Thawan Duchanee While the 'White Temple' south of Chiang Rai town seems to be all the rage, it seems that far fewer people visit its polar opposite, the Black House, which is, appropriately, on the other side of the city.
Chiang Rai's Night Bazaar tries hard, but it doesn't live up to its well-known counterpart in Chiang Mai. The bazaar is located between the bus station and Phaholyothin Road in the center of town. The market consists of many small stands lining the narrow street running between Phaholyothin Road and the bus station. Roughly halfway down the alley is Centrepoint, an open-air restaurant surrounded by more stalls and with a stage for classical music and dance performances.
Across the street from the old jail is the Population and Community Development Association's (PDA) building, which houses the Hill Tribe Museum and Handicrafts Shop on the third floor. The museum is open every day and costs 50 Baht to enter. On the ground floor is a branch of the popular Cabbages & Condoms restaurant chain, also run by the PDA.
Chiang Rai is a popular enough travel destination that you won't have any trouble finding places to eat, whether you want authentic local food or a taste of some place else. Most of the restaurants are clustered around the center of town, on the streets around the night bazaar and up to the clock tower area.
Pork stir-fried with hot basil and chili, from Golden Triangle Cafe Most of the restaurants tend towards the very casual, and of course there's plenty of street food available.
Shopping in Chiang Rai is not quite the be-all it is in Chiang Mai. The city does have a small Night Bazaar designed to cater mostly to tourists. It spills out around the adjacent bus terminal at night, at least if it doesn't rain. Unlike Chiang Mai, most of Chiang Rai's market isn't covered, so if it rains in the evening, don't expect most of the vendors to show up.
Most of the sights around Chiang Rai city are Buddhist temples, both ancient and modern. Here's an alphabetical list of all the ones covered by this guide.
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Wat Jedyod outh of the Night Bazaar area is one of the newer temples in Chiang Rai town.
Almost just across the street from the PDA Hill Tribe museum is Tung Park. The park stands on the land that used to be the town prison. You can still see some of the walls, guard towers and a few buildings from the old use. Now, it's a park and there is also a long wooden building displaying the costumes of the various hill tribes.
An old prison building and the hill tribe costume hall of Tung Park and Koam The park was created in the late 1990s to celebrate the king's 75th birthday.
This small temple just a block or two from Wat Phra Kaew is among one of the oldest in Chiang Rai, apparently dating to the city's founding. That said, there isn't much of interest here, although the decorations on the chapel are quite fanciful. A new, larger, prayer hall was under construction when I last visited in 2012, as well as another building, so the temple seems to be in the midst of a major upgrade.
Most of the temples that tourists visit around Chiang Mai, like most of the temples that attract visitors all around Thailand, have roots going back hundreds of years, sometime to the founding of Chiang Rai more than 700 years ago. But Wat Rong Khun, which is currently one of the most popular attractions in the city, is just over ten years old.
You 'walk through hell' to reach the main hall of the temple The temple was started around 1998, and only really became popular in the mid-2000s when it started to take shape.
