Interesting Things to Do in Chiang Mai

Intro to Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is a large tourism and resort center in the highlands of Thailand. The city is known for a compact, historically potent Old Town district, the nearby Bhubing Palace which serves as the summer home for the Thai royal family and a robust Thai handicraft market. There are many interesting things to do in Chiang Mai, including hikes, traditional village visits, mediation courses and more.

The region is also home to many beautiful ancient temples in the area with lots of rolling green mountains and national parks nearby. There are also striking geographic features and several small, cultural, tribal Thai villages which specialize in creating silverwork, wood carvings, pottery and unique umbrellas.

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Shortlist: Things to do

Chiang Mai Old Town – The moated ancient city center where night markets and traditional temples remain important cultural aspects

Wat Chiang Man Buddhist Temple – This is the oldest Buddhist temple of Chiang Mai which hosts the famed “Crystal Buddha” image.

The Three Kings Monument – Sculpture of Kings Mengrai, Ramkamhaeng and Ngam Muang, the cultural founding fathers of Chiang Mai.

Tha Phae Gate Entrance – The easternmost main entrance to Chiang Mai which allows access to foot traffic, city bikes and views of the ancient walls and city moats.

Wat Dab Pai – An exquisitely colorful Chinthe-guarded temple with a multi-roofed Buddha enclosure nearby.

Wat Chedi Luang – A large and somewhat blocky Buddhist temple, this location consists of three temples placed together in a single temple complex. All temples have undergone restoration.

Wat Umong Mahathera Chan – Somewhat smaller than the majority of temples in central Chiang Mai, this Temple is a quieter area with a unique Buddha statue displaying several different expressions

Chiang Mai Night Market – Located in Old Town, this is an enormous night market with unusual snacks, treats, trinkets and interesting street performances

Doi Pui Tribal Village and National Park – Hmong Ethnic Village is home to the Hmong hill tribe , one of 6 major hill tribes of Thailand. The national park area consists of multiple hiking areas, waterfalls and temples.

Bhubing Palace – The Royal Estate and Summer retreat for the Thai Royal Family. The palace is open to the public, except when the royal family is in residence (usually from January to March).

Hidden Village Chiang Mai – A fun little outdoor park area, this location is famous for life-sized dinosaur statues, family activities and other features.

Jing Jai Village – This is a popular shopping area which offers Farmer Market options on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Wat Umong Suan Phutthatham – A  700-year-old Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai, located to the West of the city center. It hosts a famous network of secret tunnels.

Khun Chang Khian – A mountaintop traditional village experience famous for flower blooms and quiet hiking spaces.

Wat Phra That Doi Kham – This location exists atop a forested mountain where seventeen white and gold Buddha statues are seated in serenity.

Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden – A renowned botanical garden of Thailand

Wat Pha Lat Hike (Monk’s Trail) – This hiking route follows several steep staircases and dirt paths past Buddhist statues en route to a serene Buddhist temple.

Elephant Parade House – A large and colorful ornament and statue shop dedicated towards elephant artworks crafted by international artists.

Doi Inthanon National Park – A large, mountainous national park area following six hour hikes past waterfalls and overlooks southwest of Chiang Mai.

Doi Khun Tan National Park – This protected range of forested mountains crosses the Khun Tan Range in Lamphun and Lampang Provinces. It has numerous hiking trails, rail access points and wildlife preservation zones.

Khun Chae National Park – A rugged highland national park especially famous for its waterfalls and mountain-river features.

Full Descriptions of Things to Do in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai Old Town

The Old City section of Chiang Mai hosts some of the oldest and most historically vital buildings of Thailand. It’s surrounded by a series of walls, keeping most of the traditional structures within intact. The complex history of the area is further accented by numerous temples, myths, folklore and legends. While lodging in the Old City is expensive, staying outside in the various hostels and hotels is quite cheap and entering the Old City can easily be done on foot or by bike. Aside from various tourist and cultural attractions, the Old City area also hosts massive and energetic nigh markets for visitors and locals alike.

Wat Chiang Man Buddhist Temple

This is the oldest Buddhist temple of Chiang Mai which hosts the famed “Crystal Buddha” image carved from quartz crystal. The Temple was built in 1296 by King Mengrai of Lanna kingdom. The temple is home to the oldest portion, a stone centerpiece known as a chedi, several mythical Naga statues guarding the entrance and multiple ancient Buddha icons. The Phra Sila Buddha image is a sculpted standing Buddha believed to have been carved in Sri Lanka over a thousand years ago.

The Three Kings Monument

Within the center of Chiang Mai, there are three life-sized sculptures of Kings Mengrai, Ramkamhaeng and Ngam Muang, the cultural founding fathers of Chiang Mai. The statues exists in a central plaza area, the dark sculptures accented by colorful wrappings. When visiting Chiang Mai during the Loy Krathong Festival (generally in November), this is an excellent feature to visit. The plaza area has beautiful lanterns and decorative animals on display.

Tha Phae Gate Entrance

The easternmost main entrance to Chiang Mai which allows access to foot traffic, city bikes and views of the ancient walls and city moats. This gate entrance is especially popular since it leads directly to Ping River, the major waterway of Chiang Mai.

Wat Dab Pai

An exquisitely colorful Chinthe-guarded temple with a multi-roofed Buddha enclosure nearby. It is an elegant structure located in the north west section of the Old City. The temple is home to several colorful murals, nagas and other traditional Thai-Buddhist features. Local legends imply that praying at the temple can end suffering. The temple is built under a local legend where a man prayed to the image of a Buddha. Upon his recovery, he built the structure.

Wat Chedi Luang

A large and somewhat blocky Buddhist temple, this location consists of three temples placed together in a single temple complex. The other two temple structures included in the complex are Wat Ho Tham and Wat Sukmin. It’s located in the historic center of Chiang Mai. The temple was originally built in the La Na Kingdom style (an Indianized centralized state which rivaled the Ayutthaya Kingdom). However, restorations done with the support of UNESCO have added some central-Thai cultural components.

Wat Umong Mahathera Chan

This temple area is especially well known for it’s serenity and small meditation nooks open to guests. The temple offers mediation courses. Somewhat smaller than the majority of temples in central Chiang Mai, this Temple is a quieter area with a unique Buddha statue displaying several different expressions. While this temple doesn’t stand out considering the vast number of other temples in the area, it’s somewhat out-of-the-way, making it a good place to escape crowds.

Chiang Mai Night Bazaar

Located in Old Town, this is an enormous night market with unusual snacks, treats, trinkets and interesting street performances. The Night Bazaar is bustling and active event which happens daily after 5 PM on Chang Khlan Road. The large market sprawls out two blocks in each direction with dozens of stalls on every patch of sidewalk. The main stalls sell tourism goods, including soccer shirts, long skirts, carved elephants, handicrafts, lanterns, and daily goods. The market is also home to vast troves of unique and novelty foods, including colored sticky rice, edible flowers, miniture platters of ice cream and much more.

Chiang Mai has other popular markets as well. The most famous, which only occurs on Sundays, is the Tha Pae Walking Street. This market extends from Tha Pae Gate going toward Ratchadamnoen Road. There is also  Saturday’s Wua Lai Walking Street on the south city walls, and the lovely, 24 hour Lamyai Market, which specializes in locally-grown roses, orchids, chrysanthemums, and lotus flowers.

Doi Pui Tribal Village and National Park

Hmong Ethnic Village is home to the Hmong hill tribe , one of 6 major hill tribes of Thailand. The village is located in a supremely peaceful section of rolling, green mountains with small, compact buildings. The area is home to a interesting, informative museum, a large cultivated garden space and some souvenir shops.

The Hmong hill tribe is divided into two sub-groups: The White Hmong and Blue Hmong, both of whom entered Thailand by crossing the Mekong River. The originally, the tribal lands were used to cultivate opium, cultivation shifted toward lychee production following the tribe’s acquisition of Thai nationality in 1962. The Hmong believe in a number of household spirits as well as souls.

The small villages, traditional Hmong attire, national culture and surrounding park areas are very accessible. Expect a bit of traffic when driving into the village, especially on market days.

Bhubing Palace

The Royal Estate and Summer retreat for the Thai Royal Family. The palace is open to the public, except when the royal family is in residence (usually from January to March). The complex was initially built in 1961 and expanded further as time went on. The palace has served the royal guesthouse for prominent State visitors from abroad. The complex’s buildings follow a consistant Thai architectural style called “Reun Mu” (Group of Houses).

Hidden Village Chiang Mai

A fun little outdoor park area, this location is famous for life-sized dinosaur statues, family activities and other features. This area is primarily for people in Chiang Mai with children, since most of the activities are targeted at kids between three and twelve years old. The Hidden Village is home to a petting zoo, many different dinosaur statues, a couple of restaurants and giant insect models. The park has educational information in Chinese and Thai, but not very much English.

Jing Jai Village

This is a popular shopping area which offers Farmer Market options on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The shopping street here is tailored more for Thai locals, making it a bit cheaper to walk around and less crowded.

Wat Umong Suan Phutthatham

A  700-year-old Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai, located to the West of the city center. It hosts a famous network of secret tunnels. The temple’s full name is Wat Umong Suan Phutthatham, which translates as “Temple of the Tunnels and Buddha Dhamma Garden”. The temple’s creation follows a local legend where a King famously consulted a wise monk of the temple. The Monk, named Thera Chan, created a series of tunnels underground to avoid the city’s expansion and meditate in peace and quiet. King Mengrai accommodated the monk further and ordered more tunnels dug into the hills near the Doi Suthep mountain. The tunnels were eventually reinforced with bricks and Buddhist murals were added.

Khun Chang Khian

A mountaintop traditional village experience famous for flower blooms and quiet hiking spaces. The area is best known for the various cherry-blossom trees, which bloom early in the year (around January and February). The roads are somewhat narrow, so motorbikes are easier to use than cars up here.  There is a local Thai village with several shops, the Chong Wa coffee shop being the most locally famous. The entire area has excellent views looking down the valley.

Wat Phra That Doi Kham

This location exists atop a forested mountain where seventeen white and gold Buddha statues are seated in serenity. The temple itself is in a quiet, rather pretty area, but is overall unremarkable when compared to other temples in the area. The temple isn’t very famous, so it’s a good place to visit to avoid large temple-visiting crowds. The styles of the Buddha here are pleasantly unique.

Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden

A renowned botanical garden of Thailand, this location was Thailand’s first official botanical garden. The garden was originally established in 1992 in honor of HM Queen Sirikit. The garden is home to various flora species from around Asia as well as a rainforest glasshouse, several walking trails and some pleasant water features. The admission for adults over 12 years old is 40 baht.

Wat Pha Lat Hike (Monk’s Trail)

This hiking route follows several steep staircases and dirt paths past Buddhist statues en route to a serene Buddhist temple. This is a short and easy hiking trail, though it’s somewhat rocky and there are several areas where it can get muddy during the rainy season. The trail takes a little under an hour to hike, eventually culminating in a patch of forest marked by trees wrapped in orange robes. There route is serene with no crowds, no food stalls and no shops.

Elephant Parade House

A large and colorful ornament and statue shop dedicated towards elephant artworks crafted by international artists. The shop is supported by the Asian Elephant Foundation, which is dedicated toward the protection of Asian elephants. The site also offers workshops which allows guests to create and paint Elephant Parade replicas.

Doi Inthanon National Park

A large, mountainous national park area following six hour hikes past waterfalls and overlooks southwest of Chiang Mai. This area is often called “The Roof of Thailand” thanks to it’s elevation and clouds which often nestle in the valleys.

The Park is named after King Inthawichayanon, one of the last kings of Chiang Mai. The King took steps to preserve the forest prior to his death and his remains were placed within the park. The park grounds are also home to various waterfalls, hidden temples, summit overlooks and dense forests. The hikes are somewhat challenging, with tough terrain between major attractions.

Due to poaching and habitat changes, large animals are no longer in the park. However, the park is still home to boars, gibbons, deer, birds, various reptiles and the rate serows along the Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail.

Reaching the park requires a personal vehicle or one of the slower songthaews (taxi-pickup trucks). It takes roughly an hour and a half to drive to the park or three hours when using the songthaew system.

Doi Khun Tan National Park

This protected range of forested mountains crosses the Khun Tan Range in Lamphun and Lampang Provinces. It has numerous hiking trails, rail access points and wildlife preservation zones. The park is defined by virgin jungles, large pine forests and various overlooks. The park is also home to the longest rail-tunnel of Thailand, a 1.35 kilometer pass extending through a mountain. Admission for the park is 100 baht for adults and 50 baht for children.

Khun Chae National Park

A rugged highland national park especially famous for its waterfalls and mountain-river features. The park is home to several high summits, with Doi Lang Ka being the tallest at 1,700 meters. The park’s central headquarters also have an enormous ficus tree covering an area of 1,600 square meters.

The park is home to a robust wildlife population, including Asiatic black bears, hog badgers, serows, barking deer, leopard cats, king cobras, skinks, white-handed gibbons and slow loris.

The park is located to the north-east of Chiang Mai and takes roughly an hour to reach by personal vehicle.

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