Chiang Mai
Backpacking in Chiang Mai? Compare rates for Thailand travel insurance >>
Founded in 1296 by King Mengrai, Chiang Mai (translation = New City) is the largest city in the north of Thailand and is a distinct contrast to Bangkok. The climate is less humid, the pace less frenetic and the city easier to navigate than the Thai capital. Songkran (Thai New Year) and Loy Krathong (celebrating the end of the rainy season) are celebrated nationwide, but there aren’t many better places than Chiang Mai to witness them. There are also numerous other local festivals celebrated with great enthusiasm in Chiang Mai which has gained the nickname of ‘Rose of the North.’
Chiang Mai is 750km (470 miles) north of Bangkok. Journey times are 1 hour by air, 11 hours by bus and 13 hours by train. Located in a valley, Chiang Mai is 310m (1,000 feet above sea level) and is surrounded by hills and mountains including Doi Inthanon which at 2565m is the highest peak in Thailand.
Chiang Mai Accommodation
Chiang Mai is full of excellent, good value accommodation. Despite its popularity as a tourist destination, prices remain cheaper than Bangkok, Phuket and Ko Samui. Getting a room shouldn’t be a problem if you haven’t booked in advance, but for Songkran and Loy Krathong accommodation fills up quickly and advance booking is essential.
Search prices and availability for Chiang Mai hotels >>
Boutique Hotels in Chiang Mai >>
Visitors should note that Chiang Mai is name to both the city and the province so be careful when booking accommodation to ensure you actually get what you want. I’ve listed some areas below to help you decide the best location for your stay depending on your individual requirements.
The Old City
The area of the old city is quite distinct, being surrounded by the remains of the old city walls and the moats. There is an abundance of guest houses dotted amongst the sois (lanes) of the old town, with the heaviest concentration being around the Thapae Gate area which is very popular with backpackers and independent travellers. There are also some pleasant mid-range boutique hotels in the old city of Chiang Mai as well as top class places like the Rachamankha.
Downtown Area
The night bazaar area is considered by most visitors and residents to be the downtown area of Chiang Mai with plenty of activity during the day and night. This area has the old town to the west and is bordered by the Ping River to the east. Much of the accommodation here is mid-high range with less emphasis on budget travellers. The night bazaar itself sprawls along Chang Klan Road whilst Loi Kroh Road houses a number of bars.
Boutique hotels in downtown Chiang Mai >>
Other Areas of the City
The abundance of songthaews and tuk-tuks makes getting around Chiang Mai quite easy, so don’t be put off from staying in another part of the city. There are some excellent hotels to the west along Suthep Road (such as the Ayatana Hamlet) and Huay Kaew Road (e.g. the Chiang Mai Orchid). Many of the bigger hotels arrange shuttle services to or from the night market area.
Hotel Review: Ayatana Hamlet & Spa, Chiang Mai >>
Chiang Mai Province
There are some lovely resorts and hotels situated in the valley of Mae Rim and Mae Sa to the north of the city. These are ideal for those seeking to enjoy the countryside, but there is limited public transport to or from the city in the evening.
Boutique hotels in the Chiang Mai countryside >>
Chiang Mai Attractions
Temples
If temples are your thing, then Chiang Mai is the place for you. Within the old city alone, there are over 30 temples, the most famous probably being Wat Phra Singh. The old city is a lovely place to walk or bicycle around, wander in and out of the sois and generally laze away the day. The holiest temple of the area (and the north of Thailand as a whole) is situated high on a hillside overlooking the city. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep(pictured right) makes for a wonderful short trip out of Chiang Mai and is not to be missed if you’re visiting the area.
Shopping
Temples aside, Chiang Mai is famous for it’s shopping and handicrafts with many tourists heading for the Night Bazaar. A better option in my opinion, is the Sunday walking street market in the old city where a vast array of stalls set up temporary encampment. You’ll find far more local people here and I find the atmosphere is more relaxed and enjoyable than the Night Bazaar. Warorot and Lam Yai market are also both recommended for an authentic Thai experience.
Chiang Mai Transport
Air
Chiang Mai airport has to be one of my favourites in Asia. Compact, efficient and, depending on local traffic, a mere 10-minute ride away from central Chiang Mai. If you arrive in Chiang Mai without pre-booking accommodation, there is a hotel information and booking kiosk in arrivals. A no-hassle taxi service is also available to transport customers to their accommodation (see taxi meter below). Many hotels and guest houses can also arrange airport transfers although some may charge for this service.
Taxi Meter
The yellow and green taxis are an increasingly common sight on Chiang Mai’s roads, but they are still not as easy to find as the red songtahaews. If you do specifically want a taxi as opposed to a songtahew, your hotel or guest house should be able to pre-book one for you and give you an approximation of the fare.
From the airport there are now two taxi services in operation depending on which taxi booth you go to in arrivals. At one booth they will write a ticket with your destination, you hand it the dispatcher at the airport exit and they allocate your driver. You pay the driver when you reach your destination and the set fare is 120 Baht to the city centre. The other booth (marked ‘taxi meter’) will also allocate you a driver but you pay a small fee to the dispatcher and then whatever the fare is on the meter. If you are travelling into Chiang Mai old town or downtown areas there isn’t a great deal of difference in the fare.
Chiang Mai Train Station
Located on Charoen Muang to the east of the city and the Ping River, songthaews and tuk-tuks are on hand to ferry passengers to the town centre. Expect to pay at least 70 Baht for a tuk-tuk from the station to the Thapae gate area.
Tickets and reservations for onward travel can be made at the train station’s booking office, but most of the city’s numerous tour offices can also arrange this for you. The tour office will charge you a small fee for this service, but this is countered by the saving you make in songthaews/tuk-tuk fares to and from the train station booking office. Overnight sleeper services to and from Chiang Mai tend to be very popular all year round and and advanced booking is suggested. For sleeper services and rapid trains, various supplements are payable in addition to the standard fare. More details are available from the State Railway of Thailand website in the links directly below.
Train timetable to and from Chiang Mai (see Northen Line) >>
Train fares to and from Chiang Mai (excluding supplements) >>
Arcade Bus Station
Arcade Bus Station, the main bus terminal in Chiang Mai, is located on Thanon Kaeo Nawarat approximately 3kms to the north-east of the city centre close to the Superhighway. Buses to and from destinations outside Chiang Mai province (e.g. Bangkok, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son etc.) use the Arcade Bus Station.
Warning:
A lot of backpackers continue to book bus trips from the Khao San Road in Bangkok. Some of these buses have a bad reputation for thefts from baggage. In addition, the drop off point is often on a remote part of the Superhighway well away from the main bus station. Songthaew and tuk-tuk drivers (for drivers read touts) greet passengers and try and get them to stay at the particular establishment they represent.
Review: VIP Bus Service Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai >>
Chang Puak Bus Station
Located just north of Chang Puak Gate in the north of the old town, this bus station serves destinations within Chiang Mai province such as Mae Rim and Chiang Dao.
Getting Around Chiang Mai
The old city is quite easy to get around by foot or bicycle. Going a bit further afield will involve catching a tuk-tuk or songthaew.
Songthaew
The songthaews are the red pick-up type trucks you will see driving around. In Chiang Mai, the locals tend to call them sii rot daeng or rot sii daeng (which basically means the red 4-wheelers). They act as shared taxis and minimum fares are 15-20 Baht. Motion a passing songthaew to stop and tell the driver where you are going. If it isn’t on his route, he’ll shake his head and you just wait for the next one to come along. If he is going your way, jump in and off you go. Press the overhead bell/buzzer when you want to get off and then pay the driver. Songthaews can also be hired as private taxis (on an hourly basis if necessary) and you have to negotiate a fare in advance.
Tuk-Tuk
Tuk-tuks are usually more expensive than songthaews and how much you pay will depend on your negotiating skills (or ability to speak Thai!). You can probably expect to pay a minimum of 40-50 Baht for a short journey, but prices will increase at night. Tuk-tuks and songthaews parked up at the night bazaar will always try and charge you a higher price than normal. For a cheaper rate, try and catch one that’s passing by rather than one that’s parked up waiting for custom.
Read more about tuk-tuks >>
Bus
An air-conditioned bus service is also now in operation in Chiang Mai, but for most tourists the routes and timetables aren’t very user-friendly and you are probably better off using songthaews and tuk-tuks until the buses become better established. I haven’t yet found a tourist information office that has the official route, which is a shame beacuse it seems to be an under-utilized service. The bus operator has a website with routes on there, but at the moment the site is in Thai language only.
Chiang Mai Weather
Check current Chiang Mai weather >>
In the table I’ve listed the average temperatures and amount of rainfall during the year for Chiang Mai. I’ve also detailed some other factors to consider including humidity levels, geographical location and local festivals which all may have a bearing on when you wish to visit the city or province of Chiang Mai.
| Month | Average Minimum Temp. °C |
Average Maximum Temp. °C |
Average Rainfall (mm) |
| Jan | 13 | 29 | 8 |
| Feb | 14 | 32 | 6 |
| Mar | 17 | 34 | 15 |
| Apr | 22 | 36 | 45 |
| May | 23 | 34 | 153 |
| June | 23 | 32 | 136 |
| July | 23 | 31 | 167 |
| Aug | 23 | 31 | 227 |
| Sept | 23 | 31 | 251 |
| Oct | 21 | 31 | 132 |
| Nov | 19 | 30 | 44 |
| Dec | 15 | 28 | 15 |
Location
The mountains and valleys of Chiang Mai province provide the area with a more distinct separation of seasons than other parts of Thailand. In fact, if you tell people from Bangkok or the south that you are going to Chiang Mai, they’d almost certainly say ‘nao‘ (cold) as if it were some frozen Arctic wasteland (any temperature below 75F seems to qualify as freezing to many Thai people!) It’s true that temperatures in the villages high in the mountains can drop close to freezing at night, but the city of Chiang Mai and the surrounding valley enjoys warm/hot days and pleasantly cool evenings for much of the year.
Cool Season
November-February sees relatively low humidity, comfortable temperatures and low amounts of rainfall. Festivals in the cool season include Loy Krathong (November) and the Chiang Mai Flower Festival (February).
Hot Season
March-June can be extremely hot at times with temperatures hovering around 40°C. March often sees the worst of the haze which can affect large parts of the north of Thailand as farmers burn their crops and the smoke is trapped in the low-lying valleys. April sees thousands of Thai and foreign tourists descend on the city to celebrate the world-famous Songkran Water Festival which heralds the Thai New Year.
Wet Season
July-October is low season in terms of tourists which also means bargains to be had in terms of accommodation and flights. Rainy season has the advantage of seeing the countryside at its greenest and waterfalls in full flow. It doesn’t rain every day and even when the heavens do open you can expect to see plenty of sunshine in between the showers.
Humidity Levels
Humidity levels in Chiang Mai and surrounding areas are noticeably lower than Bangkok and some of the southern resorts in the Gulf of Thailand and on the Andaman Coast. Nevertheless, the humidity level during March-November can be high usually peaking in May.
Related Posts
- Songkran, Thai New Year Water Festival
- The Two Sides of Songkran in Chiang Mai
- Sunday Walking Street Market, Chiang Mai
- Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
- Chiang Mai River Cruise
- Chiang Mai Flower Festival
- Getting to Chiang Mai from Bangkok
- Hotel Review: Ayatana Hamlet & Spa, Chiang Mai
- Review: VIP Bus Sevice Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai