Visiting Thailand? In and around Chiang Mai you will find a bit of everything!
Chiang Mai is an ideal travel destination in Thailand. It offers culture and adventure, nature and architecture, shopping and leisure, and much more. Because of its beauty, many Thai know it as the “Rose of the North”.
This page offers some suggestions for your holiday in Chiangmai with things to do and places to visit. Click on the links to learn more about temples, festivals, museums, sightseeing, hiking, shopping or the climate of Chiang Mai.
Temples
In and around Chiang Mai you can visit about 300 temples. This page shows some of the most beautiful temples to help you deciding which ones you would like to see.
Festivals
The best moment to visit is during one of the yearly festivals. Click here to read more about what is happening during the major festivals.
Museums
Chiang Mai has several museums where you can enjoy art or explore the rich history and culture of the city and its surroundings. Click here to find out more about the various museums.
Sightseeing or Hiking
While visitors may spend several day exploring the city with its many temples and museums, Chiang Mai is also an ideal starting point for sightseeing tours. Day trips to Mae Sa valley offer nature and adventure, with waterfalls, elephant camps and botanic gardens. Visit the highest mountain of Thailand, or go to Doi Suthep, the temple in the hills near Chiang Mai. There are hundreds of hiking tracks in the mountains near Chiang Mai.
Shopping
Whether you like shopping or not, you will probably do some shopping when you visit Chiang Mai. There is an abundance of handicrafts and other curiosities available in the many shops, markets, night bazaar, and in villages surrounding Chiang Mai.
Climate
When you plan a holiday in Chiang Mai it is nice to know what weather to expect. Fortunately it has a very pleasant climate, especially from the end of the rainy season in October until the next monsoon arrives in May. But you may want to avoid February-March when there is often a lot of air pollution.
Bird watching
Chiang Mai is a good starting point for bird watching. Click here for a list of birds of Thailand. Many of these can be found in and near Chiangmai.
Tropical fruits
Every season of the year Chiang Mai province produces a variety of healthy fruits. Click here to find more information about tropical fruits.
Hotels and Guesthouses
Chiang Mai has a wide range of hotels and guesthouses. Every visitor will be able to find affordable accommodation. The hotels that are most popular are the ones located near the Chiang Mai Night Bazar.
A bit of everything
We started by saying that Chiang Mai offers a bit of everything. Yes, almost everything. For diving or snorkeling you better plan a holiday in the south of Thailand, but apart from that Chiang Mai is the ideal town to visit in Thailand. Many tourists have already discovered Chiang Mai, and many of them come back several times as there is always more to see and do in Thailand’s “Rose of the North”.
The name of the rose
The “Rose of the North” is Chiang Mai. But perhaps it is good to know that the name Chiang Mai is sometimes written as “Chiengmai” or “Chiangmai” or “CNX”. But what’s in a name? A rose is a rose is a rose, and as Shakespeare already wrote (in Romeo and Juliet):
“a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”