Chiang Mai is a fun city that has a lot to offer. Especially food, but I’ll get to that later. While there is so much more to do than what is on my list, these are the highlights that made our six day trip really enjoyable. Here are the top eight things I would recommend you don’t miss when in Chiang Mai.
1. Explore the Old City
When looking at a map of Chiang Mai, the Old City is everything in the square. It’s where a lot of the action is and is wonderfully walkable. This is why we decided to pick a place to stay in this area. We went with the Chankam Boutique Hotel and were extremely happy with our pick. At around $70 per night, the hotel was lovely and on a side street that was very quiet compared to most of the Old City. It was conveniently located very close to Wat Phra Sing, the biggest Wat in the Old City.We spent much of our free time walking around the Old City looking at all of the shops. If you’re a coffee person, Chiang Mai has a thriving coffee scene and you’ll find a shop on most streets. If you don’t like coffee, you can be like me and go to the juice shops instead. The Old City is also somewhat bikeable, but I’d suggest sticking to your feet and not having to worry about navigating while pedaling (though Chankam offered free bikes).
2. Walk with Elephants
This was a must-do for us, but we wanted to make sure it was an ethical company and not one of the many just trying to get your money. We decided to go with the Elephant Nature Park because I had read many reviews that spoke highly about the elephant care. We weren’t disappointed and truly enjoyed our tour. It was about $75 and started with a hotel pick-up and then a 1.5 hour ride to the park. We were in a van of 12 plus our guide and this was our group for the whole day.
Up next was the walk around the park, which included meeting 10 or so of the 80 elephants in the park. They were all set up at manned stations and supposedly with their “friends”. Female elephants will find a friend(s) for life, but males don’t always. So we began our meet and greet.
Many of the rescued elephants were formerly in logging, which is now banned, and some were used on the streets for begging. Many were severely injured with broken legs and backs from being ridden, and others had the misfortune of stepping on landmines while working in their previous lives. Luckily, these elephants were bought by the park and have a much better life.
The day continued with a lovely vegetarian lunch that was tasty and plentiful. Then the elephant meetings continued, but this time they included some of the babies. Two of the babies were friends and were causing some trouble by running around toward the onlookers.
After a wonderful day with these giant creatures (and dogs and cats too) it was time to return by van to our hotel. Keep in mind there is also an overnight option and you can even choose to volunteer at the park for a week or two.
3. Learn How to Cook Like a Local
There are several cooking schools in Chiang Mai where you learn some amazing Thai dishes. We went with the Thai Akha Cooking School at about $32 a person, and it just so happened to be 50 feet from our hotel. This one had a fun flare because it was led by and Akha man named Jay. Akha people live in small villages in the mountains of Thailand and have special traditional dishes.
For our evening class we learned three Akha dishes and eight well-known Thai dishes. Yes, 11 dishes in total! The really fun thing about it was you could pick which recipes you wanted to make. For example, we had four curries to choose from - Panang, Massaman, Red and Green. You picked which one you wanted and Jay gave us the appropriate ingredients and explained what to do. It was surprisingly seamless considering there were eleven of us in the class.
There were several ones that Jay prepared and had us help out with or watch. But we were in charge of making a lot of them. We began with Papaya Salad, Spring Rolls and a Pumpkin Coconut Dessert.
Then we began making curry paste, each for our particular curry dishes. I went with Massaman Curry and the outcome was so delicious.
Then came even more dishes. Basically, we would cook a couple items and then sit in the cooking area, enjoy it, and repeat. At the end we ate inside and Jay explained more about the Akha people and gave each of us a small cookbook and spice packet.
Overall, this was a wonderful experience and I’m so happy we went with Thai Akha. We sure left stuffed!
4. Bike the Chiang Mai Countryside
Grasshopper Bike Tours was something I had found during my many Google searches. It seemed like a really interesting way of seeing outside of the city, and it was. I may have forgotten to tell my mom that it was about 40 miles in total, but she did great! It was a full day tour that began with bike assignment and an intro from our guide, Gun. He was a marvelous guide and full of energy.
We began in the streets of the Old City. Gun proved to know every side street imaginable for the entirety of the day, so we were never really on a busy road. Our first stop was the train station, where we boarded ourselves and our bikes for the 30 minute journey south to Lumphun. Then we were on our bikes for the rest of the tour.
We had several stops including the city wall. Wat Phra That…
Rice Paddies…
And Wat Umong Suan Phutthatham.
Throughout the day Gun pointed out various foods and picked them for sampling. We ate Kao Soi at a local shop, and my gosh was it delicious. He also refreshed our waters several times throughout the day.
One of our last stops as we biked back to the city was the local market. There, Gun purchased coconut ice cream for us and let us taste anything that struck our fancy as we walked through the market. It was really wonderful and he knew all of the foods.
Back at the Grasshopper shop we said our goodbyes to our group and left thoroughly exhausted. We had an amazing and full day of biking and we were ready for a beer!
And Wat Umong Suan Phutthatham.
Throughout the day Gun pointed out various foods and picked them for sampling. We ate Kao Soi at a local shop, and my gosh was it delicious. He also refreshed our waters several times throughout the day.
One of our last stops as we biked back to the city was the local market. There, Gun purchased coconut ice cream for us and let us taste anything that struck our fancy as we walked through the market. It was really wonderful and he knew all of the foods.
Back at the Grasshopper shop we said our goodbyes to our group and left thoroughly exhausted. We had an amazing and full day of biking and we were ready for a beer!
5. Hail a Songthaew (Red Cab)
Songthaews are the red trucks you see throughout the city. They have two benches facing each other in the covered back. It’s typically the cheapest way to get around the city. (Though we did learn that Tuk-Tuk’s are cheap if you’re going a bit outside of the Old City, like the airport).
Hailing a songthaew is like how you would a cab, but they are very different from a cab. First, you will most likely share it with other riders. When you hail it, you tell them where you want to go and the driver will either say yes or no. If yes, that means you can jump in and will likely be paying 30 baht (~$1) to get where you’re going (unless they tell you otherwise). If no, you just try for the next one. They don’t have a set route, but if you’re going in a completely opposite direction than those already in the songthaew then they won’t pick you up.
Our first songthaew experience was when we departed from Doi Suthep, the most famous wat in Chiang Mai. It was only 60 baht (~$2), but we were packed in like sardines and the road was windy, leading to one passenger throwing up. Aside from that, our songthaew experiences were excellent. It’s definitely a fun and different way of journeying to your destination.
6. Visit As Many Wats as you Can
Wats are everywhere in Chiang Mai, especially the Old City. You’ll turn a corner and you’ll see a Wat. So it’s really up to you how many you want to see. We started to get Wat’ed out after about five or so. Be sure to dress appropriately (cover your knees and shoulders for ladies) and take your shoes off when you go inside.As I mentioned, Wat Doi Suthep is the most famous wat in Chiang Mai. All of the drivers will ask if you want to go there, mainly because it’s outside of the city and will make them some good money. This wat has many shops outside where we did a bit of shopping. But don’t worry, the same stuff is available all over the Old City. Wat Doi Suthep was about a half day adventure.
Bonus: Hike the Monk’s Trail
The Monks Trail leads to Wat ASD. It only takes about 50 minutes, but it’s fairly uphill. We got dropped off at the end of Suthep Road and made our way towards the trailhead. There weren’t too many people hiking the trail and we were a bit wary of that initially. But the wat at the end turned out to be peaceful and not as crowded as most we had been to. I’d highly suggest this hike and a songthaew at the end so you aren’t stuck going back downhill.
7. Eat Mango Sticky Rice and Kao Soi
These two are northern delicacies and boy are they tasty. Mango Sticky Rice is hands down my favorite dessert. I’ve decided there is nothing better than a ripe mango. We had Mango Sticky Rice a total of six times while in Chiang Mai and I’m still not tired of it. We sought out to find the best one in the city, and we selected Buri Gallery House. Plus, take a look at those tasty drinks.
But we also tried several others including Mango Sticky Rice, a cart near Wat Pan On, Krua Dabb Lob, Its Good Kitchen, See You Soon and at our cooking class. See You Soon was by far the worst one because they gave us a mango that wasn’t ripe. Plus it was the most expensive at around $4 for only half a mango. The normal street price was about $2, and some of those even gave you a full mango.
Kao Soi is another local food, but I hadn’t heard of it prior to coming. It’s a type of curry that I can’t really describe other than spectacular. We had it three times, the best being on our bike trip that I mentioned previously. We also tried it at Nun’s Kitchen, a place where a man named Nun is the chef and your server. He does it all!
We also enjoyed several other places for your typical Thai fair like Pineapple Fried Rice, Tom Ka Gha soup and green curry.
8. Get a Massage from an Ex-Prisoner
I know what you're thinking - what does being a prisoner (or former) have to do with getting a massage? Well, it's a great way for folks to learn a trade while in prison and have a means of earning money immediately when they are out of prison. It's really a must-do when in Chiang Mai. We paid 250 baht (~$8) each for a 60 minute full Thai massage. You can't pass this up!
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