places to visit in chiang mai
Thailand’s Chiang Mai is a celebration of tradition and contemporary culture.
Set amid the mountains and rainforests of northern Thailand, the coolest part of the country, literally and figuratively, is Chiang Mai. Once the capital of the Lanna Kindgom, which ruled northern Thailand for half a millennium, it is today the country’s secondlargest city, sitting along the border of Myanmar, surrounded by hill tribe villages.
At its heart is the Old Town, a striking example of traditional Thai architecture, contained within a moat and a rare example of extant city walls. The sleepy centre makes for remarkable walking, through the eastern Tapae Gate and into Wat Chiang Man, the city’s oldest Buddhist temple built in 1296 by the first Lanna king, Mangrai. A classic example of Lanna architecture, it boasts a chedi, or stupa, held up by an elaborate group of stoic elephant buttresses.
One of the city’s most beautiful temples is Wat Phra Singh, ‘The Temple of the Lion Buddha’, hosting hundreds of monks and novices. The 14th-century monastery’s assembly hall makes a lavish display of power with a teak exterior, adorned with ornamental accoutrements in gold and ochre. Inside, walls feature elegant murals, depicting local and Buddhist folklore, leading up to a rear wall of red lacquer and gold leaf. Here sits the highly venerated Phra Singh Lion Buddha, which is paraded through the city every April during the Thai New Year festival, Songkran, when revellers sprinkle it with water.
Though the nearby Wat Chedi Luang is not the largest temple in the area, it boasts a magnificent chedi (pagoda), which stood as Chiang Mai’s tallest structure, at 85 metres (279 feet), until an earthquake knocked it down to 60 metres (197 feet). Commissioned by King Saen Muang Ma to hold his father’s ashes, it took a century to build, and once housed the Emerald Buddha the country’s most revered icon.
At the edge of the Old Town, Somphet Market sizzles up local snacks. Beyond is a plethora of cafes, art galleries and modern restaurants, representing the simultaneous embrace of tradition and modernity that has transformed Chiang Mai into a tantalising foodie and coffee-lovers’ destination. Centred around Nimmanhaemin Road is the city’s capital of ‘cool’, awash with antiques, handcrafts, boutiques and Instagrammable cafes such as Gongdee, which fuses furniture, art and design with a strong brew.
Just outside the city, the Baan Kang Wat artists’ village unites traditional and modern architecture, enveloped in greenery. Its eccentric vendors sell local, organic and sustainable goods, alongside hair salons, a library cafe and yoga studios many of which offer workshops for those eager to learn pottery and other crafts.
Chiang Mai has become a haven for the hungry-minded, providing a gorgeous natural backdrop for an endless array of courses, workshops and retreats. May Kaidee’s Cooking School, which started in Bangkok in 1988, teaches visitors about Thai cuisine, and how to make various traditional dishes, using only vegetarian or vegan ingredients. Meanwhile, Sammy’s Organic Thai Cooking School lets aspiring chefs choose which dishes they want to learn, on a farm outside the city. Others like to delve deeper into some of the other Thai arts, such as Muay Thai. Drawing upon traditional Thai Medicine, the Old Medicine Hospital teaches visitors how to deliver a back-walking Thai massage without sending anyone to hospital.
Chiang Mai is also a beacon for thirsty spiritual wanderers, with a wide variety of yoga, wellness and energy-healing schools.courses and teachers. With the city surrounded by beautiful temples, it is a natural lighthouse for the soul. From shamanistic healing to yoga, there are myriad outlets spread across the region. An hour outside the city, The Pavana Resort hosts a whole range of retreats, orientated around detoxification, healthy eating, exercise, breathing and clearing the mind.
Elsewhere, Origin Thailand features a reconstructed traditional village, where guests can delve deeper into Thai etiquette, music, dance, flower arrangement and textiles. Back in the city, contemporary jewellery shop Nova also offers classes in Chiang Mai’s art of silversmithing. On Saturday nights, Wualai Road, once known for its silver and lacquer workshops, turns into a bright, colourful market a favourite walking trail among city-break pilgrims. A larger, one-kilometre (0.6-mile) market, complete with bars and food vendors, runs on Sundays between Tha Phae Gate and Ratchadamnoen Road, but this gets far busier.
Though dizzying, Chiang Mai’s oldest bazaar, Talat Warorot, is a treasure trove of surprises from daily essentials and cooking utensils to delicious treats and trinkets. Set beside the Talat Ton Lam Yai flower market, it rests against the Ping River, which vendors traditionally used to haul in local produce. The river can be navigated by kayak, scorpion-tailed boat or even a full-on dinner cruise, with a quick expedition of a local riverside farmhouse, growing fruits, herbs and flowers.
Adrenaline-addicted adventurers need not feel left out, with white-water rafting trips down the Pai River complemented with a zipline session through the rainforest. Those who prefer the company of birds and waterfalls will enjoy hikes through Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Doi Chiang Dao and Doi Inthanon National Park home to Thailand’s tallest mountain, with a modern temple sat atop.
Aside from natural beauty, Chiang Mai is surrounded by hill tribe villages, migrated from various parts of China and South East Asia. The largest group, the Karen, are refugees from Myanmar. Women from the Karen subgroup, the Padaung, are instantly recognisable by their incredibly long necks, stretched slowly with a series of heavy brass rings, and colourful clothes. Many even have blackened or rotten teeth, from chewing betel.
For those really looking to go off the grid and immerse themselves in a forgotten culture, homestays are available. The Chai Lai Sisters Karen Homestay remains a comfortable compromise, with limited electricity courtesy of solar panels, and profits going towards a charity for at-risk ethnic minority and refugee women. After an extensive exploration of the city, it could be argued, there’s no better way to immerse in the region’s natural wonders, culture and hospitality than a night under the stars in the middle of the rainforest.