Chiang Mai Shopping by Locations

Baan Tawai

Simply the best place in Thailand to buy antiques, antique reproductions, home furnishing and decorative art, Ban Tawai is well worth the trip out of town. Located 20 km (12 miles) south of the city centre on the road towards Doi Inthanon, Ban Tawai is one of the most important craft centres in Thailand. Many of the fantastic items sold in Bangkok, Phuket and Samui are produced right here and by going straight to the source you can get some truly fantastic deals.

Woodcarving is the medium of choice for the majority of the artisans at Ban Tawai, a skill passed down for generations. Thai woodcarvers are among the best in the world and Ban Tawai artisans are incredibly versatile, producing exquisite works in an incredibly diverse array of styles. Aside from décor items and furniture Ban Tawai will impress with its wonderful selection of Thai silk, bamboo products, soaps and oils, ornaments and vases.

With so many fabulous pieces on display at such incredible prices, you might just find yourself with a sudden urge to re-decorate your entire house, and why not? Here you can get top floor quality at bargain basement prices. The only problem is how to get that finely carved Lanna style end table into your suitcase. But don't worry, a professional packing and logistics industry has grown up around the craft centre and all you need to do is bring your credit card and the merchants can easily arrange shipping.

Even if you're not interested in giving your home décor a makeover, a trip to Ban Tawai is worth it just to watch the artisans and craftsmen at work, practicing techniques handed down for centuries.

Central Airport Plaza

A newer, cleaner and more modern version of Kad Suan Kaew, Central Airport Plaza is the upmarket shopping destination of Chiang Mai. The Robinson's department store is the main feature but there are plenty of specialty shops selling everything from wine to sunglasses. A unique feature of this mall is the Northern Village, a three storey complex offering very high quality handicrafts and housewares.

The Northern Village is part of the highly successful OTOP - One Tambon (Village), One Product - program, which was designed to help small businesses prosper. As opposed to the night bazaar, the items on display here are all of very high quality and authenticity and the prices, while fixed, are still quite reasonable.

Central Plaza (Kad Suan Kaew)

Located on Huay Kaew Road, this sprawling shopping mall is located in a four storey red brick building. This is closer to a western idea of shopping than traditional markets or the night bazaar, with department stores, fast food chains and movie theatres showing the major Hollywood releases (in English). Homesick shoppers looking for some familiarity will be comforted by the presence of Starbucks, Adidas and Sony, often at much lower prices than back home. This is still a Thai version of a shopping mall, however, and there are still rabbit warrens of small clothing shops and electronics stalls. If you're in the market for a mobile phone this is the best place to come as many of the latest models are on offer for next to nothing. Even if shopping malls aren't your thing a trip to Central might be worth your time, if only to enjoy some air-con for a while.

Muang Noi Market

Ten minutes' walk north from the Warorot Market will take you to the Muang Noi Market, Chiang Mai's best place for fresh fruit. This is the place where local restaurateurs come for pineapple, watermelon and bananas. The pickings are best early in the morning, when the farmers have just delivered their produce and the air is still as crisp as the cucumbers.

The Weekend Market

Also known as the walking street, this pleasant market used to be restricted to Sundays but it has become popular enough to rate the full weekend. Starting in mid-afternoon Ratchadamneon road from Phra Pokkao Road to Tha Phae Gate is closed to traffic and open for business. Take a stroll along the cobbled streets in the soft light of dusk while sipping on fresh fruit juice, browsing handicrafts and snacking on random delicacies to the lilting accompaniment of traditional Thai music being played by street buskers-it's one of the best ways to spend an evening in Chiang Mai.

The items on offer lean towards hand crafted products rather than the variety of mass produced brick-a-brack on display in the night bazaar, although there are plenty of hilltribe vendors peddling the usual assortment of tourist trinkets. Temples on either side of the road become food courts where you can sample everything from fried rice to fried crickets (seriously) and there are tons of refreshment stalls set up along the road. The fresh fruit juice stands are a real treat and the kid in you will be delighted with a pancake on a stick, complete with a depiction of your favourite cartoon character, lovingly rendered in jelly.

The weekend market also serves as a venue for all kinds of local events, from dance recitals to beauty pageants and the sois (avenues) on either side of the main road feature stages and performance spaces, while the intersections act as informal venues for all kinds of street performers-musicians, puppeteers and even soccer ball virtuosos.

With so much to see (and buy) at the weekend market your feet are bound to get tired. Fortunately there are plenty of places where you can sit down and get a relaxing foot massage for next to nothing.

Ton Lamyai

While ambling around the Warorot Market you might be treated to a sudden sweet waft of scent on the breeze from the river. That's Ton Lamyai, the flower market. Located just opposite the river bank the Ton Lamyai is the oldest wet market in Chiang Mai. Wet markets, so named for the water on the floor, are places where fresh fruits, vegetables and meats are sold. Ton Lamyai has all of the above and is a great place to stock up on the interesting and unusual varieties of fruits in Chiang Mai, especially strawberries, which are rare in Thailand, but readily grown on the slopes of Chiang Mai's hills and mountains.

The thing that sets Ton Lamyai apart from the other food markets is the flowers. All year round you will find the market bursting with colour and perfumed by a hundred different blossoms. Orchids, Roses and countless other varieties of flowers are on sale, either cut or arranged, perfect for brightening up your hotel room. Even if you don't want to buy, the market is worth a trip just to marvel at the beauty and scent of all those flowers.