Chiang Mai City Attractions

Chiang Mai City Arts and Museum

The centre is a modern multi-media museum and cultural education centre, featuring a range of medias from video, scale models, enlarged photos, wall murals and text in Thai and English. Built in 1924, the building was the former Provincial Hall of Chiang Mai and is considered to be a stunning example of post-colonial Thai architecture.

Visitors can partake in interactive exhibitions music and historical displays. A definite must when in Chiang Mai. The museum was awarded by the Royal Association of Siamese Architects for its architectural restoration, back in 1999.

Opening Hours: 08:00-17:30
Address: Prapokklao Road between Rajdumnern Road and Rajwithee Road
Tel: +66 (0) 5321 7793

Lanna Traditional House Museum

 The Traditional House Museum is fantastic way to take a step back into the past and get a taste of Lanna culture in the past hundred years. This hidden museum was set up by Chiang Mai University and for some strange reason has been overlooked by visitors. Thankfully this makes the visit much more enjoyable as you get to walk around the leafy outdoor site and peek inside some of the buildings without any crowds.

Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 08:30 to 16:30, Closed weekends and bank holidays
Address: 239 Huay Kaew Road,Muang, Chiang Mai
Tel: +66 (0)53 9436 2526

Museum of Insects and Natural Wonders

For some creepy crawly fun, head over to this museum of the oogie, run by Manop Rattanarithikul, an eccentric entomology enthusiast and his wife Rampa, a PhD in the field. Manop, nicknamed "The Mosquito Man", has been studying and collecting insects for most of his life and he and his wife have travelled the world studying and working with bugs. They founded the museum together in 2002 and have been giving visitors the willies ever since.

Manop himself will guide you through exhibits that run from massive beetles that look like something out of the movie Dune to almost invisible little gnats. Anyone who's spent time in Thailand will get a feeling of deep satisfaction from seeing an example of all 422 species of Thai mosquito dead and impaled in a glass case. But don't be surprise if you get bit by some of Manop's enthusiasm for the little buggers. The Museum of World Insects and Natural Wonders is located on Srimankalajarn Road, soi 13 (midway between Suthep and Huay Kaew roads near Suan Dok Hospital.

Opening Hours: 09:00-17:00
Address: Srimankalajarn Road
Tel: +66 (0)53 21 1891

Suan Buak Hat Park

A lovely and very well maintained pubic park that is a great place to stop and soak up some sunshine. Situated in the southwestern corner of the old city it is Chiang Mai’s equivalent to Lumpini Park.

Opening Hours: 08:00-17:00
Address: The Southwestern corner of the Old City walls.

Tribal Museum

Can't tell an Akha from a Hmong? Do you think that Yao is just a big guy who plays in the NBA? Then you need to pay a visit to the Chiang Mai Tribal Museum. Recently moved from its location on the Chiang Mai University campus, this museum is now housed in a modern, three storey building in Ratchamankla Park. Anyone planning on paying a visit to the many hilltribe villages around Chiang Mai will definitely benefit from a visit to this museum. On display here are costumes, tools and art from all of the major northern hilltribes, as well as daily slide shows which tell the stories of these colourful and unique peoples.

Opening Hours: 09:00-16:00 fever
Address: Ratchamangkla Park
Tel: +66 (0) 53 210 872

Wat Bupparam

Founded by King Muang Kaew in 1497,the Viharn is Lanna Style and was previously the Royal Hall of Chao Kawilorot. The second floor is heavily adorned and features two large seated Buddha images. The white image is solid teak and was carved after a vision by King Naresuan in the late 16th century, when he defeated the Burmese forces near Muang Ngai. This vision is depicted in the carved wood panels on the east wall. Having been massively restored in the mid 90’s this a definatley a temple to head to if you are interested in contemporary religious art. Wat Chetawan and Wat Mahawan are also on the same road.

Opening Hours: 06:00-19:00
Address: Thapae Road

Wat Chedi Luang

Built in 1391, during the reign of King Saen Muang Ma, 8th ruler of the Mengrai dynasty, Wat Chedi Luang's massive chedi (pagoda) is a distinctive feature of the Chiang Mai skyline. At its peak, the chedi measured 44 meters (144 feet) wide and 86 meters (282 feet) tall and was the home of the Emerald Buddha, Thailand's most sacred cultural treasure.

Damaged during an earthquake in 1545, the structure is still impressive with a naga (water serpent) staircase on each of its faces and wonderful statues of elephants adorning the base. Legend has it that if the gum tree just inside the entrance ever falls, a terrible disaster will occur. A special pulley system allows visitors to leave offerings and prayers atop the chedi. The temple is located on Phra Pokklao Road and is easy to find, since the chedi is one of the tallest buildings in the old city. Read More...

Opening Hours: 06:00-17:00
Address: Phrapokklao Road
Tel: +66 (0) 53 24 8604

Wat Chiang Man

This is the oldest temple in the Chiang Mai, built in 1296 at the time of the city's founding. The temple served as the residence of Chiang Mai's founder, King Mengrai, for a time. The buildings are finely decorated in red lacquer, gold leaf and mosaics of tinted mirror, wonderful examples of Lanna style architecture. Wat Chiang Man is located on Ratchaphakhinai Road, near the Chang Puak gate in the northern part of the old city.

Opening Hours: 09:00-17:00
Address: Ratchaphakhinai Road
Tel: +66 (0) 53 24 8604

What Phan Tao

Directly adjacent to Wat Chedi Luang, although there is a wall between the two you can walk through one to get to the other. The name of this temple means "Monastery of a Thousand Kilns", in reference to the numerous Buddha images within the magnificent Wat Chedi Luang. The temple has a viharn, which is one of the few remaining all wood structures in Chaing Mai, this was originally the ho kham whicgh literally translates as ‘guilded hall’ and was the palace of Chiang Mai's king, Chao Mahawong, who ruled from 1846 to 1854.It now functions as a monastery.

Opening Hours: 07:00-17:00
Address: Diagonally adjacent to Wat Chedi Luang, Phrapokklao Road

Wat Phra Sing

This venerable temple, located at the end of Ratchadamnoen Road, is perhaps the most venerated in Chiang Mai, behind Doi Suthep. While the dusty parking lot and hordes of taxi drivers may be discouraging at first, this temple is certainly worth a look.

Although the main hall of the temple dates back to 1512 and is quite beautiful, the real attraction of this temple is the smaller Lai Kam worship hall behind it. This small building is a wonderful example Lanna (northern) architecture, especially the signature roof design, which is meant to represent a bird's wings.

The interior artwork has recently been restored, allowing visitors an excellent view into the lives of Chiang Mai's people hundreds of years ago. Housed within the Lai Kam is the Phra Singh Buddha image, considered the most sacred of Chiang Mai's Buddhas, which was brought to Thailand from Sri Lanka in the 1300s. Read More...

Opening Hours: 07:00-19:00
Address: Singharat Road
Tel: +66 53 24 8604

Wat Saen Fang

This old Burmese style temple is testament to the one time Burmese occupation of Chiang Mai, with its origins going back to the 14th century.

Opening Hours: 06:00-17:00
Address: Thapae Road

Wat Suan Dok

Just beyond the walls of the old city on the west side stands Wat Suan Dok, which dates back to the 14th century. Built by the King of Lanna on the grounds of his pleasure garden, this temple was originally intended to serve as a retreat for a revered monk from Sukothai.

This temple is a wonderful place for photography and has spectacular vistas of Doi Suthep at sunset. Wat Suan Dok also figures heavily in the legend of Doi Suthep's founding. A Buddha relic was to be housed in its central chedi when it broke in two. The other half was placed on the back of a white elephant, which climbed Doi Suthep and then died. Read More...

Opening Hours: 07:00-19:00
Address: Suthep Road
Tel: +66 (0) 53 24 8604