Chiang Mai is best known for its floating lantern festival (a.k.a., Yi Peng) and being one of the best places for digital nomads because of the low cost of living, good internet connection, and proximity to the border (read: visa run). However, there are a lot more Chiang Mai attractions that I wasn’t able to appreciate when I first went there.
I had first visited Chiang Mai with a travel buddy in 2014; he got bored after a few days and convinced me to move on to Chiang Dao. One possible reason for the boredom was the fact that we just stayed in the Old Town; we never did try to find out if there are other things to do in the northern capital.
Sure, the food in Chiang Mai is great, the massage is cheap, and the night market is lively. However, we had already gotten templed out, and going around seemed too much of a hassle.
I was glad, then, that I got another chance to see the attractions in Chiang Mai through the invitation of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (Philippines) and Thai Airways. We stayed 4 days in the northern capital and saw so much.
So if you have plans to travel to Thailand and visit some Chiang Mai attractions, consider any of these off-the-beaten-path destinations.
EAZY Traveler having a fire massage.
If you’re looking for an enriching yet relaxing experience, Ban Rai Kong King is a great choice thanks to its traditional organic-farming practices and herbal remedies and therapies.
This small village in Hang Dong district switched to a holistic approach after their use of artificial chemicals on crops started taking a toll on residents’ health.
Drawing on ancient wisdom, they were able to find modern-day applications for age-old techniques. Now they turn the plants and herbs they grow into medicine and bath products, and share their knowledge and skills to those who visit.
We harvested these from their organic garden.
You can check out their organic garden to discover how they nurture crops sans chemicals and join the hands-on cooking classes on how to prepare local dishes like green curry with chicken and khanom jok (coconut-pumpkin dough wrapped and steamed in banana leaves), among others.
What I loved best about this is the Yum Kang fire therapy. This unusual but soothing Thai massage involves hot coals, aromatic herbs, flames and hot-iron griddles. The masseuse dips his foot in oil, and when it catches fire, he massages your back with his foot.
You won’t get burned; the fire goes out in a few seconds, leaving the masseuse’s foot warm. Watch my video below.
Haggle when you’re at Warorot Market.
At the center of little Chinatown, close to the riverside, is the city’s oldest public market — Warorot Market (Kad Luang). Quirky and vibrant, this multi-storey shopping center gives you a glimpse of traditional Chiang Mai and of the Thai way of life.
It actually targets locals rather than tourists, so you can shop for practical, everyday-use goods and watch how Thais browse and haggle for bargains. Some of my friends bought really nice woven bags.
Warorot Market is also one of the best places to get a taste of local flavors. Among the specialties they have are crispy pork skin (cap moo), red and green chili dip (nam prik ong/nam prik noom), grilled northern-style sausage (sai oua), khao soi noodles (my favorite Thai food!), and sweet curries (kaeng hangle).
You can even catch vendors in action, with the entire basement and a section of the first floor filled with “open kitchens” where savory eats are expertly made from scratch.
Finished artwork in Wat Sri Suphan (Silver Temple).
Wualai Road, located south of the walled Old Town, is known for its traditional silver-making workshops. What many do not realize is that just off this road is a lane that leads to one of the most unique and impressive temples in northern Thailand — Wat Sri Suphan, also called the Silver Temple.
Dating back to the early 1500s, Wat Sri Suphan has been renovated a number of times since it was first built. With the help of local silversmiths, it now features extensive silverwork that’s sure to leave you impressed.
Craftsmen at Wat Sri Suphan (Silver Temple)
The highlight is the silver-colored ordination hall, which shimmers in the sunlight and features intricate details and exquisitely-crafted panels illustrating stories from Buddhist mythology. (Women, however, are not allowed to enter this hall.)
In addition to silver buildings, the temple has structures with fine woodwork, glass mosaics and metallic blue, crimson and gold hues. There’s also a silver workshop on site, where you can observe artisans-in-training.
For a more memorable visit, drop by on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday, at around 5:30pm, to engage in a “monk chat” — a program that lets visitors chat with the temple’s English-speaking monks. You can even extend your visit for an introduction to meditation course, which starts at 7pm.
Making umbrellas at Borsang Village
Have you ever seen those iconic paper umbrellas that are often pictured to represent Thailand? Those are made in Chiang Mai, and you can see how the pieces all come together at Borsang Village.
They say a Thai Buddhist monk, returning from Burma, introduced this craft to the village many generations ago. Today, Borsang is famed for the top-notch quality and signature floral design of their paper umbrellas.
During your visit, you’ll get to observe how the frames are created, how the paper is produced and how the parts are assembled. You’ll also get to watch workers as they meticulously hand paint the umbrellas.
You can also bring home your own paper umbrellas, which are sold in the adjoining gift shop along with other handmade souvenirs.
Jamie at the library in Baan Kang Wat Artists’ Village
If you want a break from all of your sightseeing, you won’t regret adding the Baan Kang Wat Artists Village, in the area of Suthep, to your itinerary. It is bursting with character and creativity, and for those who are into it, it is also very Instagram-worthy.
The village hosts a series of two-floor shop houses that sell locally crafted, handmade, organic, or sustainable products. For instance, you’ll find hand-stitched garments, jewelry, house ware, and hand-painted ceramic from Tiny Space and Bookoo Studio.
There is also a variety of “zakka” items from Jibberish (zakka is a Japanese fashion trend focusing on minimalist design and a modern palette of soft pastels, cream, and gray).
The products are displayed on the ground floor, which is made mainly of concrete, while the artists who run the shops live on the upper floor, where the fittings and windows come in wood.
Designed by Nattawut “Big” Ruckprasit, the structures fuse old and new architectural elements — they look like traditional teak Thai houses but with a split-level layout and lots of outdoor spaces.
While the shop houses are the primary attraction here, the village also has galleries you can explore, studios that hold art workshops you can join, and cafés you can hang out at when you need a drink or light snack. There is also an amphitheater, a small organic vegetable and fruit garden, and a hair salon.
My favorite was the library. I started reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom and managed to finish 75% of it when we had to go. Reading is free.
Yummy shakes at Vieng Joom On
Tea lovers won’t want to miss out on Vieng Joom On, a lovely tea house along Sukhumvit Soi 24 that’s easy to spot with its bright pink facade and the pink parasols of the tables in its front terrace. True to its name (which translates to “pink city”), this shop features a largely pink color scheme and Moroccan-style interiors.
A partition wall with golden peacock paintings divides the space into two sections: a shop and a tearoom. The shop sells beautifully packaged and high-quality teas, along with honey, jam and embossed china.
The tearoom, on the other hand, has floor-to-ceiling windows, wicker tables and chairs, and low tables and seat cushions, giving it a very laid-back vibe.
As for the tea, you can look forward to an array of black, white, red, green, herbal, fruit and Chinese teas from all over the world. The must-tries include the rose tea, brewed with miniature pink rose buds; the refreshing yet strong Moroccan mint tea; and the blooming tea, featuring flowers wrapped with tea leaves that unravel in warm water.
Or you could order their signature Vieng Joom On tea, a fragrant blend of black pepper, black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, clover, ginger, plum and rose petals.
For snacks and desserts, among the menu options are sandwiches, rotis, scones, blueberry cheesecake, and cherry panna cotta.
The start of the Mae Ping River Cruise
A cruise along the Mae Ping River, east of Chiang Mai, lets you see and experience the city from a different vantage point. You’ll get to sail under bridges, through the countryside and the suburbs, past riverside homes and cafés, alongside lush landscapes and majestic trees, and out to tourist spots that aren’t as accessible via land.
The trip itself is leisurely and pleasant. We didn’t get to see much, since we had a dinner cruise, but it was a relaxing time just the same. The menu featured northern Thailand’s signature dishes plus dessert and a beverage.
This is by no means an exhaustive itinerary of all the things you can do in Chiang Mai, but the places and activities we had done would be good additions to your itinerary should you go to observe the Floating Lantern festival.
With its rich history and cultural heritage, picturesque scenery, traditional villages, and charming structures, Chiang Mai has tons in store for visitors, especially if you’re up for offbeat destinations and unconventional activities.
Have you been to Thailand? What other Chiang Mai attractions can you recommend?
14 Comments. Leave new
Thanks for giving me future ideas! 🙂
I never knew there is so much more to see and do in Chiang Mai apart from visiting the famous temples. The fire massage looks quite relaxing and different. Cruising too sounds like a great option. I am going to bookmark your post to explore the rest while visiting Chiang Mai. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for the great article! I’d love to go to Thailand but I think SE Asia makes me a little nervous! Does it feel safe to visit?
My recommendation: If you feel nervous, don’t come. No it’s not sarcasm. Really mean it. What’s the benefit of you to go somewhere with your worrying all the time you are there? Plus it’s waste the time of the locals since they have to take care of your worrying.
Stay home or go to any places you fell save is better suit for you.
BTW Some of the toursist risk themself to accident while travelling in SE Asia because they don’t care about what will happen or what the locals would feels, yet they blame the locals. For example Mr. Sam the Vegan below.
or some tourist who think they can do whatever they want.
Just two samples. There are tons of people like them. Hope you are not.
Chiang Mai looks super relaxing, especially with those fire massages! I’m always a fan of visiting markets and watching the silversmiths work looks like a rare experience. i’ll have to save this list!
Thanks for the great recommendations. I’ll have to make sure to check some of these out of I’m ever in the area. The fire massage definitely sounds like a unique experience! I would also love to check out the Wat Sri Suphan. I have a few blacksmiths near me and I always love watching them work. It would be cool to see these guys in action!
I really wanna go to Chiang Mai after my first visit to Thailand – although mostly my interest stemmed from Yi Peng Festival and Loi Krathong, that fire therapy is something I would definitely try out!
While I saw a few of these places, it’s almost embarassing how many I didn’t know about, considering I just finished living in Chiang Mai for three months. Now you make me want to go back, not that I didn’t already. I would love to try that fire massage, since I’m a Thai masseur myself, and I’ll need to get a tea at Vieng Joom On the next time I’m there. Thanks a lot for this post!
I love your list of attractions. We always heard that we had to come to Chiang Mai so we went. We ended up staying in the old town area, withing the ancient city walls and quickly ran out of things to do in the area too. It was towards the end of the trip so we weren’t always trying as hard as perhaps we should. From your article, it looks like there are some beautiful places that look fun. It’s a good set of suggestions so you don’ fall into the trap of staying within the ancient city walls and hoping something fun comes up to find you.
I love gardening and especially learning about successful ways to organic garden without using chemicals, I bet the food tastes incredible without all the rubbish in them. Sign me up for that hands-on cooking class, being a chef by trade it is always good to have an understanding of local dishes, even simple dishes like green curry. Many dishes on my menus in Australia would include methods I’ve learned from cooking classes when I travel. Also… Coconut pumpkin bread is the GOODS huh?
Very cool, I’ve only done two of these fun things in Chiang Mai, I’ll definitely have to try the rest since these are right up my alley of different when visiting a location.
I’d love to try that fire massage. I’ve never heard of it before, but looks like fun…I think!
I’ve been to Chang Mai but had no idea about these places. I’ve saved the post for a future visit. Never heard of a fire massage. How wild. :))
Hi Aleah,
Well done.
We spent 2 months at Doi Suthep outside of Chiang Mai earlier this year. House sit. Sweet deal as it bordered the park; this was the place where I saw all those centipedes and scorpions and tarantulas.
Anyway, I learned all about the ton of stuff to do outside of your town. Once your travel buddy heads just a wee bit outside of the Old City a whole new world emerges.
We loved spending time in Hang Dong, south of town. Neat village with plenty to do and see.
We also motorbiked around the outskirts quite a bit to enjoy local, quiet Thai villages. Different feel out there; no tourists, a few expats here and there.
Thanks for sharing Aleah.
Ryan