Best Things To Do In Chiang Mai, Thailand
Welcome to my Chiang Mai Travel Guide. Thailand’s northern gem might not have beaches, but trust me, it makes up for it with jungle-covered mountains, ancient temples, and some of the best street food you’ll ever eat!
Whether you’re here to temple-hop, sip coffee in aesthetically pleasing cafés, or observe elephants at an ethical sanctuary, Chiang Mai needs to be a stop on your Thailand tour. In this guide, you’ll discover all of the best things to do in Chiang Mai that’ll have you completely obsessed with this magical city.
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Chiang Mai Key Info
When to visit
November – April
20°C (68°F) to 30°C (86°F)
How to get there
Fly to Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX), with a 1 hour direct flight from Bangkok
How to get around
Rent a scooter/car for flexibility, use Grab for taxis, or catch a songthaew (local bus)
CURRENCY
100 Thai Baht (THB) = £2.30 GBP / $2.90 USD. *Always carry cash on you, especially for tips!
IDEAL TRIP LENGTH
4-6 days
PLACES TO VISIT
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
Chang Chill Elephant Sanctuary
Bua Thong (Sticky) Waterfalls
Yi Peng Lantern Festival
MUST-DO ACTIVITIES
Bamboo River Rafting Tour
Traditional Thai Cooking Class
Sunrise Temple Tour
BEAUTIFUL CAFES
Carp Cafe
Chom Cafe
Early Owls
RESTAURANTS
Kat’s Kitchen
Khao Soy Maesai
Huen Muan Jai
Its Good Kitchen
Dash Teak House
MY TOP HOTEL PICKS
Best things to do in Chiang Mai
🪷 Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
No trip to Chiang Mai is complete without visiting Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, the most famous temple in northern Thailand. Perched on a mountain with jaw-dropping views over the city, this shining stupa literally glows during golden hour.
Note: to get to this temple, it’s a 306 step climb up a hill or you can give your calves a rest and catch a cable car from the bottom and enter the temple for a combined price of 50 Thai baht £1.20 GBP / $1.50 USD.
Join this Chiang Mai Sunrise Temple Tour to experience this temple before the crowds with a guided tour and hotel pickup/drop off. This tour also includes a visit to the jungle-covered Wat Pha Lat, and the mysterious Wat Umong, a 700-year-old temple with underground tunnels.
🛶 Go Bamboo Rafting
Floating down a river on a bamboo raft is easily one of the most relaxing (and scenic) ways to experience Chiang Mai’s countryside.
On this bamboo rafting tour, you’ll drift along calm waters while an experienced guide steers your raft, taking you around the winding bends of the river where you may get lucky and spot elephants roaming the banks.
Tip: I recommend booking this activity for 9 am before the heat of the day sets in as you’ll be in the sun for around 1-2 hours.
🏮 Lanna Square Night Market
If you’re anything like me, you’re always on the hunt for a good market, then you need to check out Lanna Square Night Markets.
Open nightly from 5 PM, this spot is packed with street food stalls, artisan crafts, and live performances.
These markets are where I lost my Mango Sticky Rice virginity – it’s a popular Thai dessert (warmed mango served with sweet coconut rice) that you need to try at least. I rate it 8/10 – very delicious but I still prefer eating mangos cold!
More Markets in Chiang Mai
Wua Lai Walking Street Markets (Saturdays 4pm–10pm)
Sunday Night Markets along Rachadamnoen Road (4pm–11pm)
Chiang Mai Night Bazaar (Every evening from 5pm)
Ton Lam Yai Market (Flower Market – open 24 hours a day)
💦 Dantewada Land of Angels Waterfall Park
While the waterfalls at Dantewada are completely manmade (unlike the real Bua Thong Waterfalls), I still think it’s worth the trip to explore this magical spot.
So what exactly is Dantewada? Well, the best way I can describe it is a botanical garden meets theme park?
I’m not exactly sure, but it’s HUGE with lots of beautiful flowers, flowing streams, endless photo opportunities, roaming chickens, rabbits to cuddle and several large waterfall structures located on site.
Entrance costs 80 Thai baht (£1.90 / $2.40 USD) so it’s an affordable day out. It’s a 1-hour drive from central Chiang Mai, so I recommend just getting a Grab (taxi) here.
🍜 Try Khao Soi (Northern Thai Curry Noodles)
If Chiang Mai had a signature dish, it would be Khao Soi: a coconut curry soup with crispy noodles on top. It’s slightly spicy and often served with braised chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu.
You’ll find it everywhere, from street stalls to fancy restaurants, I had it for breakfast multiple times on our trip – it’s that good!
While you’re in Chiang Mai, grab a bowl from either Khao Soi Lung Prakit Kad Kom or Khao Soi Maesai – both of these noodle shops have been serving up this dish for decades, and you won’t be disappointed.
If you’re interested in learning how to make Northern Thai dishes, try this Chiang Mai Cooking Class Activity where you’ll visit a local market and learn about ingredients before a hands-on cooking class run in a local family’s organic kitchen garden.
🐘 Visit an Ethical Elephant Sanctuary
Chiang Mai is famous for its elephants, HOWEVER, not all elephant sanctuaries are ethical! So please do your research before booking and don’t make the same mistake I did, as a lot of venues will claim they are ethical, when in reality they are not.
There are sadly only a few ethical sanctuaries that allow elephants to roam freely and simply just BE – with no interactions with tourists. This means no riding, no chains, no feeding, no touching, and no posing for photos.
The best ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai is Chang Chill – you can book a full-day tour to visit here where you can observe the elephants roaming freely and help prepare their food in an elephant cooking class. Their tour includes transfers to/from your hotel and a complimentary lunch which you can enjoy while watching the elephants play.
Burm and Emily’s Elephant Sanctuary is another organisation offering a hands-off, observation-based approach to the welfare of elephants.
🎏 Carp Cafe
A café surrounded by waterfalls and koi-filled ponds? Yes, please. Carp Cafe is one of the most unique restaurants in Chiang Mai, where you can sip on an iced latte while watching giant koi fish swim beneath your feet.
Even when you use the toilet you’ll still be surrounded by the fish as the bathroom has glass walls where the koi swim past. Don’t worry, you’ll have complete privacy so long as you don’t mind the fact that a fish can watch you take a leak.
While you may not come to Carp Cafe specifically for the food, they serve a decent range of Japanese and Thai cuisine. We ordered sushi which we enjoyed, though most of our enjoyment came from the koi, of course. You can purchase a small bag of food to feed the Koi during your visit.
Reservations can be made by emailing at [email protected]. Otherwise, I recommend arriving at 9.30 am when they open to ensure a table – this is what we did and we were sat immediately.
Note: Carp Cafe is a 25-minute drive from central Chiang Mai, so make sure to also visit the nearby Chom Cafe while in this area.
More things to do in Chiang Mai
Sunday Night Market — the best place to shop for handmade crafts, souvenirs, and street food, stretching through Chiang Mai’s Old Town every Sunday from 5pm–11pm.
Sticky Waterfall (Bua Thong Waterfall) — where the limestone rocks are grippy enough to climb up the cascading water. Check out this Sticky Waterfall Half-Day Tour.
San Kamphaeng Hot Springs — relax in natural hot springs… or boil eggs in the geothermal waters for a fun local tradition.
Grand Canyon Water Park — a massive outdoor water park with floating obstacle courses, zip lines, and cliff jumping into turquoise waters.
Mae Kampong Village — a peaceful mountain village known for its cool climate, waterfalls, and locally grown coffee
Doi Inthanon National Park — visit Thailand’s highest peak, home to breathtaking waterfalls, hiking trails, and the iconic twin pagodas.
Yi Peng Lantern Festival — Chiang Mai’s most magical festival, where thousands of glowing lanterns light up the sky in a breathtaking display of tradition and beauty (held every November).
Pong Yaeng Jungle Coaster & Zipline — a thrilling adventure park where you can speed through the forest on a gravity-powered roller coaster or take on zip lines for an adrenaline rush.
Must-visit Temples in Chiang Mai
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
Wat Pha Lat
Wat Phra Singh
Wat Sri Suphan
Chom Cafe- Chom Cafe
Most beautiful Cafes in Chiang Mai
Carp Cafe
Early Owls
Sun Rays Cafe
Chom Cafe
Air Diamond Cafe
MARS Cafe
Best Restaurants in Chiang Mai
Kat’s Kitchen
Khao Soy Maesai
Huen Muan Jai
Dash Teak House
Its Good Kitchen
Another World
THE HOUSE by Ginger
Pakorn’s Kitchen
Where to stay in Chiang Mai?
Here are my recommendations for the best places to stay in Chiang Mai:
Old City
If you want to be right in the heart of Chiang Mai’s history and culture, Old City is the place to stay. Surrounded by ancient walls and temples, this area is perfect for exploring on foot, with plenty of street markets, coffee shops, and temples just around the corner.
You’ll find a mix of budget-friendly guesthouses and boutique hotels here. For a stylish stay, check out The Inside House, a dreamy hotel with private pools and a gorgeous design.
If you’re on a budget, I recommend Lamphu House – I stayed here for 2 nights, it’s a great location with rooms from £47/$59 per night with an outdoor swimming pool for guests.
Nimman (Nimmanhaemin Road)
Chiang Mai’s trendy, modern side is all about Nimman. This area is packed with cool cafés, rooftop bars, and digital nomad-friendly co-working spaces. If you love boutique shopping, craft coffee, and a bit of nightlife, this is the perfect base.
For a luxury stay, Akyra Manor is a stylish boutique hotel with a rooftop pool and incredible city views.
Otherwise Hotel Yayee offers modern rooms, a rooftop bar and a fantastic location from £50/$63 per night.
Riverside
For a peaceful, scenic stay away from the hustle, Chiang Mai’s Riverside area is where you’ll want to be. This area is known for green spaces , luxury resorts, and laid-back riverside restaurants.
For ultimate relaxation, 137 Pillars House is a luxurious colonial-style hotel with a gorgeous pool and spa.
If you’re after something mid-range, Melia Chiang Mai offers an amazing value stay right by the Ping River, with two swimming pools & a spa for guests and rooms from £110/$140 per night.
Close to the river and the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar is Dusit Princess, where you’ll find modern rooms and a large outdoor pool with rooms from £68/$85 per night.
Best Hotels in Chiang Mai
💧 = has a pool
🌿 = has spa / wellness centre
La Lanna
swimming pool
SPA & WELLNESS CENTRE
CLOSE TO BEACH
Tucked away in the jungle of northern Thailand, La Lanna is one of the coolest hotels I’ve ever stayed in! Just 1 hour east of Chiang Mai, near Mae Kampong Village, here you will find a range of unique rooms and villas with jaw dropping features.
The standout ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ villa has a mechanical moving bed so you can literally wakeup in paradise, I also had the pleasure of staying in the ‘River Flows In You’ villa which features an indoor/outdoor waterfall and pool.
The villas are very private, surrounded by greenery, overlooking a flowing river which provides the ultimate ASMR sound and completely blocks off any noise from your neighbours.
While La Lanna doesn’t have many facilities on site – and trust me you won’t want to leave your amazing villa – there is a bar and restaurant which serves exceptional Thai food including the popular local Khao Soi dish which is a creamy egg noodle soup with a spicy kick.
I would recommend La Lanna as a romantic retreat for couples. This resort feels intimate and private, you’ll very rarely run into any other guests during your stay, so if often feels like you have the place to yourself.
Villas start at around £100/$125 night with breakfast included, free wifi, beautiful interior design, air conditioning and welcome drinks on arrival. A small touch I loved was there were kettles and pots of complimentary noodles in the rooms – great for a late night snack!
What stood out to me the most, was the staff really went above and beyond to make your stay perfect. I would recommend eating as many meals as you can at La Lanna, the staff will take care of you and make sure you are well feed with the best northern Thailand cuisine.
Map of Chiang Mai
Here’s a map of all the places in Chiang Mai mentioned in this post.
Bangkok Travel Guide
Hop on a quick flight from Chiang Mai and step into the buzzing energy of Bangkok. But this city isn’t just about temples and street food (although those are a must).
In this guide, you’ll uncover the best of Bangkok — rooftop bars, hidden gems, markets, and cultural hotspots to add to your itinerary.
