Chiang Mai, Thailand
Top places to visit in Chiang Mai
6 places worth your time in Chiang Mai, with what each is actually like and when to go.
Last updated 2026-08-09
1. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
Photo: ผู้สร้างสรรค์ผลงาน/ส่งข้อมูลเก็บในคลังข้อมูลเสรีวิกิมีเดียคอมมอนส์ - เทวประภาส มากคล้าย · CC BY 3.0 · source
A gold-plated chedi on a mountain above the city, reached by a 306-step naga staircase, with the whole valley below.
- Where: Doi Suthep
- Map: Open in Maps
- Best time: Early morning before the haze
- Cost: 30 THB
2. The Old City and its moat
Photo: Samuel Colman · Public domain · source
A square kilometre of walled town from 1296, still moated, with more than thirty temples inside it.
- Map: Open in Maps
- Tip: Walkable end to end in half an hour; the lanes between temples are the point.
3. Wat Chedi Luang
Photo: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
A 15th-century chedi that lost its top to an earthquake in 1545 and was never rebuilt — better for it.
4. Doi Inthanon National Park
Photo: JJ Harrison ( https://www.jjharrison.com.au/ ) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Thailand's highest peak, with cloud forest, waterfalls and twin royal chedis near the summit.
- Map: Open in Maps
- Best time: November to February
- Cost: 300 THB park fee
5. Elephant sanctuaries, chosen carefully
Photo: Kirandeep Singh Walia · Pexels License · source
Genuine rescue projects exist here, and so do venues using the word as marketing.
Watch outRiding, bathing and performance are not sanctuary behaviour whatever the name says. Observation-only projects are the ones to look for.
6. Bo Sang and San Kamphaeng
Photo: Grossbildjaeger · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
The umbrella and handicraft villages east of the city, where the painted paper parasols are actually made.
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