The city of Chiang Mai is situated approximately 700 km north of Bangkok and is one of the most popular tourist destinations of Thailand. Chiang Mai is more then 700 years old and a treasure trove of Buddhist temples and ancient “Lanna” culture.

Chiang Mai by air:
Approx. 10-12 daily flights by Thai International (TG) and by Bangkok Airways (PG) connect Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport directly with Chiang Mai and vice versa. Flying time is 1 hour. Domestically there is a direct flight from Chiang Mai to Phuket and Chiang Mai to Koh Samui one time per day. Internationally Chiang Mai is connected with Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Luang Prabang (Laos).

By road and train:
Chiang Mai can be reached by overnight train (1st and 2nd class sleeper available) or bus from Bangkok.

By Overland tour:
By far the most interesting way to reach either Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai is by taking an overland tour that makes its way up from Bangkok to the North with a variety of overnights stops en route. For more details >>> click Tours top left.

Chiang Mai’s old town is laid out in the form of a square with each side about 2 km long and surrounded by a moat, and in some places renovated remnants of the old city wall. Despite the modern day bustle of which Chiang Mai has not been spared, the city still gives the impression of a small city, particularly in the old town. Whilst modern buildings and high rises have sprung up outside the old town centre, ancient temples are widely scattered throughout the city. Restaurants and souvenir shops line the streets, alluring spas and some of the country’s finest hotels can be found in and around Chiang Mai.

As one of Thailand’s most popular tourist places, Chiang Mai boasts an extensive range of accommodation that covers all price ranges, including some of South-East Asia’s best luxury resorts as well as small and charming boutique-style resorts that are scattered throughout the old town. Selection obviously depends primarily on location, budget and taste. For our recommendations browse >>> Hotel Selection above left.

There are plenty of things to do in Chiang Mai and the town merits a stay of at least 2 - 3 days. The traditional tourist activities in Chiang Mai are visiting the temples and shopping, pursuits which many find more appealing here then in other parts of Thailand because of the laid-back atmosphere and the more compact size of the city.

For details >>> see Tours top left

Several Day Tours can be done conveniently out of Chiang Mai. Numerous Elephant Camps, some close to the city, some further away, dot the riverbanks. Orchid Farms, Botanic Gardens, National Parks are all within a day’s reach. The mountains surrounding the city are home to various hill tribes, emigrated across the borders from China, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, each ethnically, linguistically and culturally separate from the other. As a result, Chiang Mai has developed into a well established centre for Trekking Tours available from 2 days up to longer periods.

Chiang Mai is well known as one of the country’s most popular shopping destinations. Each Sunday one of the inner city streets is turned into a traffic-free Walking Street and the famous night bazaar opens its stalls every night in the centre of the city. The best place to learn about the crafts that have made the region so famous, are the workshops and factories lining the street of San Kamphaeng, a sprawling suburb a few kilometres outside the city. Here you find a mind-boggling array of souvenir items, from filigree silverware and colourful lacquer ware to glazed ceramics, top quality Thai silk and jewellery adorned with precious stones.

An increasing number of visitors these days are trying their “hands-on” Thai cooking courses that are offered by several local cooking schools for 1 up to 3 days. Families may want to visit Chiang Mai Zoo which features a Panda Observatory and the presumably longest Aquarium Tunnel in the world. For the more adventurous, there are plentiful opportunities to go for Mountain Biking, ATV (All-Terrain-Vehicle) Drives, White-water Rafting or Zip-Line Canopy Tours in the rainforest.

As a tourist haven, university town and trade centre, the city of Chiang Mai also leads an energetic and youthful nightlife. Along the riverside, a stretch of popular restaurants and pubs with life music attract fun-loving locals as well as visitors.

Chiang Mai’s history begins with King Mengrai, who marched south from the Mekong River, and, after establishing various kingdoms in the region, finally chose Chiang Mai, translated as “new city” as the new capital for his “Lanna” Kingdom. The ancient Lanna Kingdom, the “Land of a Million Rice Fields”, prospered from the 13th to the 16th centuries and extended across the whole of Northern Thailand as well as parts of Burma and Laos. Chiang Mai in those days was an important trading post between Yunnan in Southern China and the seaport of Mulmein in Myanmar. The golden age of “Lanna” ended abruptly when the Burmese conquered the city in 1556, but left the region with a rich and diverse cultural and artistic heritage; its architecture and décor still displayed today in its temples and buildings.

Today Chiang Mai has developed into one of the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand. But here, as everywhere else, rapid economic progress is taking its toll and has brought its share of traffic jams, pollution and fumes to the city. But Chiang Mai manages to preserve its small town atmosphere fairly well, not least due to the ban on high rise buildings within the quadrangle of the old city which remains a treasure trove of ancient temples. Traditional houses, leafy gardens and serene temple courtyards make up the allure of Chiang Mai, affectionately called “The Rose of the North” in tourist magazines where the city gets voted regularly as one of the most favourable tourist towns in Southeast Asia.