Chiang Mai is definitely different from the rest of the places I visited in Thailand. It’s much smaller and more laid back. More importantly it’s known for its elephant sanctuaries where you can spend some quality time with them, bathe and feed them. Unfortunately we didn’t partake in any of the sanctuaries but I heard great things and definitely advise it if you have the time.
We spent 4 days here going to temples, exploring Old Town and the night markets, and spent the day on a rice farm for a cooking class. It’s definitely a nice change of pace from the island and city life down south.
Getting Here
Best way to get here is simply by plane. We flew into Chiang Mai from Bangkok and it was pretty cheap. I think Chiang Mai is not as popular a destination compared to other cities so you will find its pretty easy to get here. The airport is close to the city center as well so you can hop into a cab to get to your accommodation upon arrival.
- Flight: Thai Airways – $51
Location: North Gate
The city is uniquely configured in a square with 4 gates used as destination points: North, South, East, West. Old Town is in the middle square which is filled with temples and awesome selections of food and restaurants. It’s a great area to walk the streets and explore. There are some nice areas to stay inside of Old Town but honestly I’d say it doesn’t really matter where you stay as long as it’s within the border of the square. We stayed at the edge of the border of the North Gate, which was furthest from the action down in South Gate so it was definitely a bit quieter but everything is within walking distance.
Accommodation: Hug Hostel
This hostel is located along the border of the North Gate. It’s a bit far from the night markets in the South Gate but right in the mix of Old Town and everything is within walking distance. It’s modern with large, clean rooms and comfy beds. There’s plenty of space and storage that is secure. There is also a cute bar in the back with pool table and restaurant. There isn’t a huge social vibe compared to other hostels I have stayed in but the bar in the back is nice and there is also a common area on the 2nd floor where people hang out, relax and watch movies.
- Cost per night: $10
Activities
Sammy’s Cooking Class
I don’t know about you but I LOVE asian food and a big reason for my desire to travel here was the food. I really wanted to do a cooking class in at least each of the countries we went to and this one was by far THE best. I had such a great experience and was totally worth it. Sammy definitely made the cooking class. He was so sweet, sincere, and had a great sense of humor and made the class really fun and provided a great energy throughout the day.
We first went to the local market where we got to pick ingredients for our dishes. Then we went to Sammy’s rice farm which is where we spent the rest of the day cooking and relaxing. The farm was massive, with a bunch of hammocks amongst a lot of greenery overlooking the rice paddies. It made for a nice, relaxing scenery. We spent the morning cooking our first few dishes. We each had our own cooking station and they provided all of the ingredients for us. Once we finished cooking our dishes we chowed down on the massive amounts of food we cooked and then relaxed in the hammocks for the afternoon. We then finished the day with cooking up a couple of more dishes and then was official STUFFED!
Overall a great experience and highly recommend it if you want to do a cooking class. All the transportation and ingredients are taken care of and included in the price.
- Cost: 1000 baht
Old Town
As I mentioned before, Old Town is located in the center of the square and is a great area to explore and walk the streets. It’s packed with restaurants, bars, and temples and generally very close to everything. Almost all of the temples in this area are free to go into but you must be covered to enter so dress accordingly. There was nothing too crazy or impressive about these temples except for Wat Chedi Leung featured in the middle of the photos but its definitely worth a look while your walking through Old Town. We spent a majority of our time in this area.
Night Markets
This place is absolutely nuts on a Saturday night. There are crazy amounts of food and store vendors so I highly recommend coming hungry and don’t stock up on just one thing! There are so many different foods to try and indulge in, we spent hours just walking, eating, and drinking. Also very, very cheap! But do have to say the only downside is that is jam packed with people so be patient and just go with the crowds.
Doi Suthep Temple
There were plenty of other temples to see inside of Old Town but this was the one that we had to travel to outside of the city center. It was about an hour away via public bus located at the top of a mountain so the streets to get there are pretty windy.
It had a very nice view overlooking all of Chiang Mai but it was nothing to rave about compared to the other temples. They also didn’t even check our tickets upon entry so I think paying can be avoided.
- Cost: 30 baht
Nightlife
One thing to note about Chiang Mai that is very different from the rest of the Thailand is that most everything shuts down at 12am. But don’t let that turn you off because the nightlife here is actually pretty good. The night markets are always something to do and the bars in Old Town are pretty busy as well.
Zoey’s was a really popular spot and there are some other bars around this area that are quite good too. If you want to stay out past midnight, of course there is at least one place that stays open later. Head over to Spicy which is a small club located on the Northwest side of the city center. It’s small but has a great vibe and plays a good variety of music.
go.bo.travel 