Chiang Mai is an amazing city. It’s full of culture, laid back vibes, outdoor activities, endless shopping and delicious food. Whatever you’re looking for in Chiang Mai you’ll find it. There are literally hundreds of things to do in Chiang Mai – you can stay busy shopping in markets and eating your way through all the street food in the old city, or even relax with meditation or a Thai massage. You could easily spend weeks, if not months in Northern Thailand, making Chiang Mai a base for exploration. Let’s get right into my top five ultimate things to do in Chiang Mai.
Spend the Day Shopping
Chiang Mai is a shoppers paradise. There are endless options and the icing on the cake is – Thailand is very easy on the budget. My favorite shopping destinations are Chinatown during the day and the Night Bazaar during the evening. Vendors in Chinatown start setting up shop as early as 9am and stay open until 7pm. The Night Bazaar is open from 5pm until about midnight. Both locations are open seven days a week. If you’re lucky enough to be in Chiang Mai during the weekend the Sunday Night Walking Market is a must visit. As the name suggests, it’s only open on Sunday from 5pm-10pm.
Book a Spa Day
As a Licensed Massage Therapist myself – I absolutely love massage and bodywork. In Thailand there’s an abundance of places to receive massage and it’s relatively inexpensive. Depending on the place you choose, prices range from 200-1,000 Baht. My two favorite spas are Fah Lanna Spa and Sense Massage and Spa.
Explore Temples
There are more than 100 temples to explore in Chiang Mai. You could probably spend weeks visiting all of them. My top two temples are definitely Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and Wat Pha Lat. If you truly happen to fall in love with the temples in Chiang Mai – you can also take a short bus ride to Chiang Rai and explore Wat Rong Khan or the White Temple and Was Rong Suea Ten or commonly known as the Blue Temple.
Visit an Elephant Sanctuary
Elephants are a sacred animal in Thailand. In-fact elephants are actually the national animal of Thailand and represent strength, loyalty and longevity.
There are endless options when it comes to elephant sanctuaries in Chiang Mai. I’d recommend choosing one that focuses on the overall health, wellbeing and ethical treatment of the elephants. The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary has been in business since 2014 and is an excellent choice.
Take a Thai Cooking Class
Thai food is delicious. I could probably eat Pad Thai, Papaya Salad, Thom Yum Soup and Mango Sticky Rice for the rest of my life. The good news is I could very well do so – thanks to learning how to cook all of these incredible dishes in a cooking class. Personally I visited Sammy’s Organic Thai Cooking School and it was an incredible experience. What I loved about Sammy’s Cooking School was the ingredients were all organic and grown on Sammy’s farm (also where class is located).
These five suggestions just scratch the surface of things to do in Chiang Mai. You could easily spend one day doing each of these. Other suggestions include visting one of Chiang Mai’s many waterfalls, or going to a hot spring, going to a Muay Thai fight, taking a dinner cruise or simply cruising around Chiang Mai in a Tuk Tuk. Whatever you choose to do in Chiang Mai I hope you have a blast – just as I’ve had many times over.
