Chiang Mai's most revered temple, Wat Phra Singh is dominated by an
enormous, mosaic-inlaid wí·hăhn (sanctuary). Its prosperity is plain to
see from the lavish monastic buildings and immaculately trimmed grounds,
dotted with coffee-stands and massage pavilions. Pilgrims flock here to
venerate the famous Buddha image known as Phra Singh (Lion Buddha),
housed in Wihan Lai Kham, a small chapel immediately south of the chedi
to the rear of the temple grounds.
This elegant idol is said to have come to Thailand from Sri Lanka and was enshrined in 1367, and the chapel is similarly striking, with gilded naga gables and sumptuous lai·krahm (gold-pattern stencilling) inside.
Despite Phra Singh's exalted status, very little is actually known about the Phra Singh image, which has more in common with images from northern Thailand than with Buddha statues from Sri Lanka. Adding to the mystery, there are two nearly identical images elsewhere in Thailand, one in the Bangkok National Museum and one in Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihaan in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Regardless of its provenance, the statue has become a focal point for religious celebrations during the Songkran festival.
As you wander the monastery grounds, note the raised temple library, housed in a dainty teak and stucco pavilion known as Ho Trai , decorated with bas-relief angels in the style of Wat Jet Yot. The temple's main chedi, rising over a classic Lanna-style octagonal base, was constructed by King Pa Yo in 1345; it's often wrapped in bolts of orange cloth by devotees.
2. Chang Mai Night Bazzar
This elegant idol is said to have come to Thailand from Sri Lanka and was enshrined in 1367, and the chapel is similarly striking, with gilded naga gables and sumptuous lai·krahm (gold-pattern stencilling) inside.
Despite Phra Singh's exalted status, very little is actually known about the Phra Singh image, which has more in common with images from northern Thailand than with Buddha statues from Sri Lanka. Adding to the mystery, there are two nearly identical images elsewhere in Thailand, one in the Bangkok National Museum and one in Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihaan in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Regardless of its provenance, the statue has become a focal point for religious celebrations during the Songkran festival.
As you wander the monastery grounds, note the raised temple library, housed in a dainty teak and stucco pavilion known as Ho Trai , decorated with bas-relief angels in the style of Wat Jet Yot. The temple's main chedi, rising over a classic Lanna-style octagonal base, was constructed by King Pa Yo in 1345; it's often wrapped in bolts of orange cloth by devotees.
2. Chang Mai Night Bazzar
Chiang Mai Night Bazaar is one of the city’s main night-time
attractions, especially for families, and is the modern legacy of the
original Yunnanese trading caravans that stopped here along the ancient
trade route between Simao (in China) and Mawlamyaing (on Myanmar’s Gulf
of Martaban coast). Today the night bazaar sells the usual tourist
souvenirs, similar to what you’ll find at Bangkok’s street markets.
In true market fashion, vendors form a gauntlet along the footpath of Th Chang Khlan from Th Tha Phae to Th Loi Kroh. In between are dedicated shopping buildings: the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar Building is filled mainly with antique and handicraft stores. Across the street is the Kalare Night Bazaar selling upmarket clothes and home decor. Behind the collection of shops is the Kalare Food Center.
3. Saturday Walking Sreet
In true market fashion, vendors form a gauntlet along the footpath of Th Chang Khlan from Th Tha Phae to Th Loi Kroh. In between are dedicated shopping buildings: the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar Building is filled mainly with antique and handicraft stores. Across the street is the Kalare Night Bazaar selling upmarket clothes and home decor. Behind the collection of shops is the Kalare Food Center.
3. Saturday Walking Sreet
As the sun starts to dip on Saturday afternoon, the Saturday Walking
Street takes over Th Wualai, running southwest from Pratu Chiang Mai at
the southern entrance to the old city. There is barely space to move as
locals and tourists from across the world haggle vigorously for carved
soaps, novelty dog collars, wood-carvings, Buddha paintings, hill-tribe
trinkets, Thai musical instruments, T-shirts, paper lanterns and
umbrellas, silver jewellery and herbal remedies.
4. Scorpion Tailed River Cruise
This river cruise focuses on the history of the Mae Ping river using
traditional-style craft, known as scorpion-tailed boats. Informative
cruises (five daily) last one to 1½ hours. They depart from Wat Srikhong
pier near Rim Ping Condo and stop for a snack at the affiliated
Scorpion Tailed Boat Village.
4. Scorpion Tailed River Cruise
5. Wat Phra That Doi Suphep
Overlooking the city from its mountain throne, Wat Phra That Doi
Suthep is one of northern Thailand's most sacred temples, and its
founding legend is learned by every school kid in Chiang Mai. The wát
itself is a beautiful example of northern Thai architecture, reached via
a strenuous, 306-step staircase flanked by mosaic naga (serpents); the
climb is intended to help devotees accrue Buddhist merit, but less
energetic pilgrims can take a funicular-style lift for 20B.
The monastery was established in 1383 by King Keu Naone to enshrine a piece of bone, said to be from the shoulder of the historical Buddha. The bone shard was bought to Lanna by a wandering monk from Sukhothai and it broke into two pieces at the base of the mountain, with one piece being enshrined at Wat Suan Dok. The second fragment was mounted onto a sacred white elephant who wandered the jungle until it died, in the process selecting the spot where the monastery was later founded.
The terrace at the top of the steps is dotted with breadfruit trees, small shrines, rock gardens and monuments, including a statue of the white elephant that carried the Buddha relic to its current resting place. Before entering the inner courtyard, children pay their respects to a lizard-like guardian dragon statue known as 'Mom'.
Steps lead up to the inner terrace, where a walkway circumnavigates the gleaming golden chedi enshrining the relic. The crowning five-tiered umbrella marks the city's independence from Burma and its union with Thailand. Pilgrims queue to leave lotus blossoms and other offerings at the shrines surrounding the chedi, which are studded with Buddha statues in an amazing variety of poses and materials.
Within the monastery compound, the Doi Suthep Vipassana Meditation Center conducts a variety of religious outreach programs for visitors.
Rót daang run to the bottom of the steps to the temple from several points in Chiang Mai, including from in front of the zoo (40B per passenger) and in front of Wat Phra Singh (50B per passenger), but they only leave when they have enough passengers. A charter ride from the centre will cost 300B, or 500B return. Many people cycle up on mountain-biking tours from Chiang Mai, and you can also walk from the university.
6. Wat Chedi Luang
The monastery was established in 1383 by King Keu Naone to enshrine a piece of bone, said to be from the shoulder of the historical Buddha. The bone shard was bought to Lanna by a wandering monk from Sukhothai and it broke into two pieces at the base of the mountain, with one piece being enshrined at Wat Suan Dok. The second fragment was mounted onto a sacred white elephant who wandered the jungle until it died, in the process selecting the spot where the monastery was later founded.
The terrace at the top of the steps is dotted with breadfruit trees, small shrines, rock gardens and monuments, including a statue of the white elephant that carried the Buddha relic to its current resting place. Before entering the inner courtyard, children pay their respects to a lizard-like guardian dragon statue known as 'Mom'.
Steps lead up to the inner terrace, where a walkway circumnavigates the gleaming golden chedi enshrining the relic. The crowning five-tiered umbrella marks the city's independence from Burma and its union with Thailand. Pilgrims queue to leave lotus blossoms and other offerings at the shrines surrounding the chedi, which are studded with Buddha statues in an amazing variety of poses and materials.
Within the monastery compound, the Doi Suthep Vipassana Meditation Center conducts a variety of religious outreach programs for visitors.
Rót daang run to the bottom of the steps to the temple from several points in Chiang Mai, including from in front of the zoo (40B per passenger) and in front of Wat Phra Singh (50B per passenger), but they only leave when they have enough passengers. A charter ride from the centre will cost 300B, or 500B return. Many people cycle up on mountain-biking tours from Chiang Mai, and you can also walk from the university.
6. Wat Chedi Luang
Wat Chedi Luang is not quite as grand as Wat Phra Singh, but its
towering, ruined Lanna-style chedi (built in 1441) is much taller and
the sprawling compound around the stupa is powerfully atmospheric. The
famed Phra Kaew (Emerald Buddha), now held in Bangkok's Wat Phra Kaew,
resided in the eastern niche until 1475; today, you can view a jade
replica, given as a gift from the Thai king in 1995 to celebrate the
600th anniversary of the chedi .
This was possibly the largest structure in ancient Chiang Mai but the top of the chedi was destroyed by either a 16th-century earthquake or by cannon fire during the recapture of Chiang Mai from the Burmese in 1775 (nobody knows for sure). Like most of the ancient monuments in Chiang Mai, Chedi Luang was in ruins when the city began its modern renaissance, but a restoration project by Unesco and the Japanese government in the 1990s stabilised the monument and prevented further degradation.
As you wander around the chedi , you can easily spot the restoration work on the four naga stairways in each of the cardinal directions. The base of the stupa has five elephant sculptures on the southern face – four are reproductions, but the elephant on the far right is the original brick and stucco. The restorers stopped short of finishing the spire, as nobody could agree what it looked like.
In the main wí·hăhn is a revered standing Buddha statue, known as Phra Chao Attarot , flanked by two disciples. There are more chapels and statues in teak pavilions at the rear of the compound, including a huge reclining Buddha and a handsome Chinese-influenced seated Buddha barely contained by his robes. The daily Monk Chat under a tree in the grounds always draws a crowd of interested travellers.
If you enter the compound via the main entrance on Th Phra Pokklao, you'll pass Wat Chedi Luang's other claim to fame. Housed in a striking mon·dòp -like chapel is the Làk Meuang , or city pillar, allegedly raised by King Mengrai himself when Chiang Mai was founded in 1296. The pillar is known locally as Sao Inthakin, and it was previously enshrined at Wat Inthakin, around the corner on Th Inthawarorot. Buddhist rules dictate that only men can enter the pavilion to view the pillar. The gateway to the shrine on Th Phra Pakklao is flanked by yaksha (guardian demons) and Lanna warriors are depicted in bas relief on the gates.
7. Vocational Training Center of the Chang Mai Women's Correctional Institution
Offers fantastic massages performed by female inmates participating in
the prison's job-training rehabilitation program. The cafe next door is a
nice spot for a post-massage brew.
The intensive course of 26 days or longer at Wat Ram Poeng, 4km south of
Chiang Mai, is best suited for serious meditation students; days start
at 4am and meals are taken in silence.
This was possibly the largest structure in ancient Chiang Mai but the top of the chedi was destroyed by either a 16th-century earthquake or by cannon fire during the recapture of Chiang Mai from the Burmese in 1775 (nobody knows for sure). Like most of the ancient monuments in Chiang Mai, Chedi Luang was in ruins when the city began its modern renaissance, but a restoration project by Unesco and the Japanese government in the 1990s stabilised the monument and prevented further degradation.
As you wander around the chedi , you can easily spot the restoration work on the four naga stairways in each of the cardinal directions. The base of the stupa has five elephant sculptures on the southern face – four are reproductions, but the elephant on the far right is the original brick and stucco. The restorers stopped short of finishing the spire, as nobody could agree what it looked like.
In the main wí·hăhn is a revered standing Buddha statue, known as Phra Chao Attarot , flanked by two disciples. There are more chapels and statues in teak pavilions at the rear of the compound, including a huge reclining Buddha and a handsome Chinese-influenced seated Buddha barely contained by his robes. The daily Monk Chat under a tree in the grounds always draws a crowd of interested travellers.
If you enter the compound via the main entrance on Th Phra Pokklao, you'll pass Wat Chedi Luang's other claim to fame. Housed in a striking mon·dòp -like chapel is the Làk Meuang , or city pillar, allegedly raised by King Mengrai himself when Chiang Mai was founded in 1296. The pillar is known locally as Sao Inthakin, and it was previously enshrined at Wat Inthakin, around the corner on Th Inthawarorot. Buddhist rules dictate that only men can enter the pavilion to view the pillar. The gateway to the shrine on Th Phra Pakklao is flanked by yaksha (guardian demons) and Lanna warriors are depicted in bas relief on the gates.
7. Vocational Training Center of the Chang Mai Women's Correctional Institution
8. Northern Insight Meditation Center
9. Palaad Tawaron
Set into a rocky ravine near Doi Suthep, this restaurant inhabits a
magical spot overlooking a forest reservoir, with the city lights
twinkling below. The ambience and the ride here through the forest are
great, the food only so-so.
To get here, go to the end of the university compound on Th Suthep and follow the signs; if you reach the back entrance to the zoo, you're on the right track.
10. Wat Jet Yot
11. Lanna Folklife Museum
To get here, go to the end of the university compound on Th Suthep and follow the signs; if you reach the back entrance to the zoo, you're on the right track.
10. Wat Jet Yot
Beyond
Rte 11 in the north of the city, this historic wát still has much of
its original stucco intact, and gives a strong impression of what other
wát in the city would have looked like in their heyday. The monastery
was built to host the eighth World Buddhist Council in 1477, and its
historic wí·hăhn is decorated with time-worn stucco bas reliefs of deva
(angelic Buddhist spirits).
Topped by jèt yôrt (seven spires), representing the seven weeks Buddha spent in Bodhgaya in India after his enlightenment, the old wí·hăhn is believed to be a replica of Bodhgaya's Mahabodhi Temple, but scholars believe that the plans were copied from a clay votive tablet showing the temple in distorted perspective.
Dotted around the compound are more chapels and chedi, as well as lots of mature ficus trees propped up with wooden stakes by devotees seeking merit.
Topped by jèt yôrt (seven spires), representing the seven weeks Buddha spent in Bodhgaya in India after his enlightenment, the old wí·hăhn is believed to be a replica of Bodhgaya's Mahabodhi Temple, but scholars believe that the plans were copied from a clay votive tablet showing the temple in distorted perspective.
Dotted around the compound are more chapels and chedi, as well as lots of mature ficus trees propped up with wooden stakes by devotees seeking merit.
11. Lanna Folklife Museum
Set inside the Thai-colonial-style former Provincial Court, dating
from 1935, this imaginative museum recreates Lanna village life in a
series of life-sized dioramas that explain everything from lai·krahm
stencilling and fon lep (a mystical Lanna dance with long, metal false
fingernails) to the intricate symbolism of different elements of
Lanna-style monasteries.
This is the best first stop before heading to the many wát dotted around the old city.
12. Doi Suthep-Pui National Park
This is the best first stop before heading to the many wát dotted around the old city.
12. Doi Suthep-Pui National Park
Often bearing a crown of clouds, sultry Doi Suthep (1676m) and Doi
Pui (1685m) are two of northern Thailand's most sacred peaks. A dense
cloak of jungle envelops the twin summits, which soar dramatically on
the fringes of Chiang Mai. A 265-sq-km area on the slopes of the
mountains, encompassing both summits, is preserved as a national park,
attracting hordes of nature lovers, and legions of pilgrims who come to
worship at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.
As you climb, lowland rainforest gives way to cloud forest, full of mosses and ferns, providing a haven for more than 300 bird species and 2000 species of ferns and flowering plants. The park is also a renowned destination for mountain biking, and several Chiang Mai–based agencies run technical mountain-biking tours along trails that were once used as hunting and trade routes by hill-tribe villagers.
The park accommodation makes a comfortable base from which to explore and a trail runs for 2km from the campground to the summit of Doi Suthep, though the only view is of eerie mists swirling between the trees.
As with other national parks in the area, Doi Suthep is blessed with many thundering waterfalls, including Nam Tok Monthathon , about 2.5km off the paved road, which surges into a series of pools that hold water year-round. Swimming is best during or just after the monsoon, but you'll have to pay the national park fee to visit. Closer to the start of the road to Doi Suthep, Nam Tok Wang Bua Bahn is free, and full of frolicking locals, although this is more a series of rapids than a proper cascade.
Above the Bhubing Palace are a couple of Hmong villages. Ban Doi Pui is off the main road and is basically a tourist market at altitude; it's more interesting to continue to Ban Kun Chang Kian , a coffee-producing village about 500m down a dirt track just past the Doi Pui campground (ask the park staff for directions). Rót daang run from the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep parking lot to both Ban Doi Pui (60B) and Ban Kun Chang Kian (200B return).
The entrance to the park is 16km northwest of central Chiang Mai. Shared rót daang leave from Chiang Mai University (Th Huay Kaew entrance) to various points within the national park. One-way fares start at 40B to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and 70B to Bhubing Palace. You can also charter a sŏrng·tăa·ou (passenger pick-up truck) for a half-day of exploring for 500B to 600B.
13. Talat Warorot
As you climb, lowland rainforest gives way to cloud forest, full of mosses and ferns, providing a haven for more than 300 bird species and 2000 species of ferns and flowering plants. The park is also a renowned destination for mountain biking, and several Chiang Mai–based agencies run technical mountain-biking tours along trails that were once used as hunting and trade routes by hill-tribe villagers.
The park accommodation makes a comfortable base from which to explore and a trail runs for 2km from the campground to the summit of Doi Suthep, though the only view is of eerie mists swirling between the trees.
As with other national parks in the area, Doi Suthep is blessed with many thundering waterfalls, including Nam Tok Monthathon , about 2.5km off the paved road, which surges into a series of pools that hold water year-round. Swimming is best during or just after the monsoon, but you'll have to pay the national park fee to visit. Closer to the start of the road to Doi Suthep, Nam Tok Wang Bua Bahn is free, and full of frolicking locals, although this is more a series of rapids than a proper cascade.
Above the Bhubing Palace are a couple of Hmong villages. Ban Doi Pui is off the main road and is basically a tourist market at altitude; it's more interesting to continue to Ban Kun Chang Kian , a coffee-producing village about 500m down a dirt track just past the Doi Pui campground (ask the park staff for directions). Rót daang run from the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep parking lot to both Ban Doi Pui (60B) and Ban Kun Chang Kian (200B return).
The entrance to the park is 16km northwest of central Chiang Mai. Shared rót daang leave from Chiang Mai University (Th Huay Kaew entrance) to various points within the national park. One-way fares start at 40B to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and 70B to Bhubing Palace. You can also charter a sŏrng·tăa·ou (passenger pick-up truck) for a half-day of exploring for 500B to 600B.
13. Talat Warorot
Chiang Mai's oldest public market, Warorot (also spelt 'Waroros') is a
great place to connect with the city's Thai soul. Alongside souvenir
vendors you'll find parades of stalls selling must-have items for
ordinary Thai households: woks, toys, fishermen's nets, pickled tea
leaves, wigs, sticky-rice steamers, Thai-style sausages, kâab mŏo (pork
rinds), live catfish and tiny statues for spirit houses. It's easy to
spend half a day wandering the covered walkways, watching locals
browsing, and haggling for goods that actually have a practical use back
home.
You'll know you've arrived at the market when traffic comes to a stand-still and carts laden with merchandise weave in between the cars. The location by the river is no coincidence; historically, most of the farm produce sold in Chiang Mai was delivered here by boat along the Ping River.
Immediately adjacent to Talat Warorot is Talat Ton Lam Yai, the city's main flower market, and to the south are more bazaars, full of 'wet and dry' footstuffs, fabric vendors, Chinese goldsmiths and apparel stalls. The northern end of the bazaar area is thronged by fruit vendors selling bushels of lychees, longans, mangosteens and rambutans. Săhm·lór (cycle-rickshaws) – now rarely seen in the city – wait to shuttle shoppers home with their produce.
14. Asia Scenic Thai Cooking
You'll know you've arrived at the market when traffic comes to a stand-still and carts laden with merchandise weave in between the cars. The location by the river is no coincidence; historically, most of the farm produce sold in Chiang Mai was delivered here by boat along the Ping River.
Immediately adjacent to Talat Warorot is Talat Ton Lam Yai, the city's main flower market, and to the south are more bazaars, full of 'wet and dry' footstuffs, fabric vendors, Chinese goldsmiths and apparel stalls. The northern end of the bazaar area is thronged by fruit vendors selling bushels of lychees, longans, mangosteens and rambutans. Săhm·lór (cycle-rickshaws) – now rarely seen in the city – wait to shuttle shoppers home with their produce.
14. Asia Scenic Thai Cooking
On Khun Gayray's cooking courses you can study in town or at a peaceful
out-of-town farm. Courses cover soups, curries, stir-fries, salads and
desserts, so you'll be able to make a three-course meal after a single
day.
15. Kow Soy Siri Soy
15. Kow Soy Siri Soy
Well known among locals, this is an easy and tasty lunch stop for kôw
soy . Order kôw man gài (chicken and rice) for children and the
chilli-averse.
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