– The town –

As I stated above, Chiang Mai is not the prettiest of towns nor the liveliest. After wandering around town for a couple of hours I wasn’t impressed. Seeing the town at its best requires a bit of timing and even then you will probably only shrug your shoulders on seeing a sight and walk on.

The biggest tourist attraction in town is the clock tower, which during the day functions as a roundabout. After nightfall, however, the tower lights up in different hues and every hour on the hour music is played. Another sight is the old clock tower, which is nothing more than an old clock at the side of the road. However, a great food market brings the town alive right around this spot (which makes it a good meeting point) around 5 PM. When I walked past this market around 5, I decided that I would return in a few hours to have dinner here. I was utterly disappointed that around 8 PM the market was already largely gone. This is not a night market (but Chiang Mai got a great night market elsewhere!). The last sight that is worth mentioning is the Mueang Park. I visited during annual flower festival which set the whole park in bloom. In all honesty, I have no clue how it looks during the rest of the year. 

   

– The main sights –

The most awesome thing about the main attractions in Chiang Rai is that they are all located quite close to each other. I only discovered this after having spent a few days, and what could have been a perfectly balanced full day of seeing the lot, resulted in a lot of travelling back and forth from town. 

The White Temple

Entrance: 50B. Jumping right into it with Chiang Rai’s main attraction: Wat Rong Khun, otherwise known as the white temple. The temple was only built in 1997 and is a stunning sight because of the use of tiny bits of glass that glitter in the sunlight. Unfortunately the crows get very thick very quickly. I heard some travellers getting there at sunrise but considering the temple only opens at 8 AM, you will be waiting for 2 hours after having taken your perfect tourist-free picture. Yay. 

Elephant Valley

Half-day visit: 1600B. Elephant Valley Thailand is the second elephant sanctuary build by Jack Highwood (the first one is in Cambodia). Located within walking distance of the white temple so you can perfectly combine visiting the two. It differentiates itself from most other sanctuaries (most of which are located around Chiang Mai) by focussing entirely on providing the rescued elephants in its sanctuary the most natural setting possible. This sanctuary is probably the most ethical elephant sanctuary worldwide and a visit is incredible. If you want to know more, check out my article on visiting elephant sanctuaries in Thailand.

Singha park

Entrance: free.  Located a few miles from the white temple and on the road to the Kuhn Korn waterfall, the Singha park is easily recognisable by the giant Singha lion that guards the entrance to the park. The area was formerly known as the Boon Rawd Farm, where they farmed barley for the famous Singha beer (Singha is the main beer from the Boon Rawd brewery), which was not open to the public. This all changed when the company decided to transform the area into a sustainable tourist attraction which became the beautiful Singha park that opened its doors in 2012. The park is a large stretch of hills covered in tea fields, strawberry fields and flower fields. There are also a couple of fruit-orchards dotting the scene and the park hosts a miniature zoo with zebra’s, oxes and giraffes. 

Kuhn Korn waterfall

With its 70 meters in height, the Kuhn Korn waterfall is the tallest waterfall in Northern Thailand. Even in the dry season the waterfall hold plenty of water and is located in the middle of a bamboo forest. It is located about 30KM from town and makes for a great half-day trip. I rented a mountain bike to cycle there and the route is perfect for it. Not too hard, and a nice descent on the way back. Check out my guide on how to do this.

Hilltribe Museum

Entrance: 50B. Probably the most overlooked attraction in Chiang Rai and also probably the most insightful! The museum explains all about the history, life and customs of the different hill tribes that live in the Northern Thai jungle, including the famous Kayan (the people that wear many rings on their neck to stretch them up). It gives you a whole different perspective on the matter and contests the usual tourist story that they fled Burma over a hundred years ago (they were actually imported for tourism). It is a rather small establishment and will only take up about an hour of your day, but if there is something that you really should not skip in Chiang Rai it is this museum (even if you generally regard museums as rather boring, as I do). 

Nightmarket

The Chiang Mai night market is one of the better ones. A lot of the wares are made locally and that is reflected in the prices. There is also a great food market where most people eat hot-pots. They also have fried crickets, maggots and other beetles for sale (you can get a mix for only 40B). 

– Eating and sleeping –

Eating

While there are a lot of shitty establishments in Chiang Rai I found a couple of spots that you should try out. The first one is a streetside pop-up restaurant that is located right next to the clock tower. It does not exist during the day but after 6 PM it serves delicious street food for about 50B per meal. More great street food can be found at the market next to the old clock tower between 5 PM and 7 PM, and at the night market (6 PM until midnight). 

 

If you are looking for something with more class, try out Huean Arharn Baan Café.

Generally speaking the restaurants and bars in Chiang Mai aren’t overly atmospheric but Huean Arharn Baan Café is a welcome exception. It is about 15 KM out of town so its best to combine your meal with a visit to the Singha Park (which is almost next door) or the Kuhn Korn waterfall. 

Both the restaurant and the host of Huean Arharn Baan are awesome. I visited the restaurant on my way back from the Kuhn Korn waterfall and when they saw us arriving by bike we were immediately offered free bananas and water to replenish some calories while waiting for our food and fruit shakes. All food is grown on their own onsite organic farm and tastes incredible. Although I cannot deny that, being inches away from starvation, I wasn’t particularly picky at that moment.

Another restaurant which you should walk in but not necessarily where you should eat is Cabbages and Condoms (yes really, that is the name). The decor is rather dated but it is filled with statues made out of.. condoms. Thats right, even shook the hand of a condom-santa or condom-cowgirl? Here’s your chance! Good to know that this place is not all about the laughs, the proceeds go to prevention of the spreading of HIV in the region so eating here will definitely give you some karma points.

Drinking

Chiang Rai’s nightlife is not really bustling. Cat Bar is the busiest and most popular drinking hole in town but it is nothing special. A really cool spot I happened to stumble upon was Dinner Late cafe, a tiny rooftop bar that is mostly frequented by expats. The prices are a bit steep but they have a great selection of local craft beers and a good cocktail list.

Sleeping

Whether you are looking for a dorm or a private room, Happynest hostel is a great pick.

Happynest Hostel

Happynest Hostel is a sustainable boutique hostel with beautiful rooms and all amenities you need. it is a social place and the staff actively tries to connect its guests with the locals by providing in-house activities for both. 

– Practical information – 

When 

Best time to go is the end of October until end of March. After that, the humidity and temperature pick up, and the burning season starts (until the end of April) which cover the area in an unpleasant blanket of smoke.

Budget

Chiang Rai is one of the cheaper destinations in Thailand. Good street food is about 50B per meal (you can find a simple noodle soup way cheaper). Dorms start at 200B and a private room in a boutique guesthouse about 1000B.

Getting in & out

There is no airport and no railway station so unless you are travelling on your own wheels it is the bus for you! Green Bus has almost a monopoly on the big bus transportation in and out of town, check out their website for the schedule and for booking tickets in advance (no extra charge). 

Chiang Rai has two bus stations. The old one located in the centre and the new a few kilometres out of town. The bus going up from Chiang Mai stops at both,  the new terminal first. So unless you are switching busses going onwards you should wait until the second bus terminal. From there you can easily walk to most hotels and hostels in the centre of town.