What's up guys! We're here in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and in this video we're
going to show you the best things to do in and around the city. So hope you enjoy it.
Chiang Mai is located in the northwest of Thailand.
It's one of the largest and most popular cities to visit in the country for good reasons.
Founded in the 13th century, Chiang Mai has a rich history and is home to stunning temples
and architecture. But what makes the city truly special is its unique culture, friendly locals,
delicious cuisine, and relaxed atmosphere. In this video, we highlight the best things to do
in Chiang Mai as well as in its beautiful surrounding mountains. Now let's dive in.
We're Zac and Ine. We make helpful videos about
destinations around the world so you can easily plan your own adventures.
Some of Thailand's most delicious food can be found in the north, and in Chiang Mai
specifically the staple dish is Khao Soi. This creamy yellow curry noodle soup comes
with a choice of chicken or beef and you can find it in nearly any restaurant in the city.
But be aware it's usually served as lunch, so many of the popular Khao Soi restaurants close around
2 or 3 P.M. We'll also highlight other tasty dishes to try in Chiang Mai later in this video.
There are over 300 Buddhist temples in Chiang Mai and many of them are located inside the historic
old town. The most iconic and beautiful ones are located within walking distance from each other.
These include the impressive Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chiang Man, Wat Phan Tao, and the ruins of Wat
Chedi Luang. Most of the temples can be visited for free though donations are always appreciated.
Visiting an elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai is on most travelers' bucket lists,
but finding one that's ethical can be tough. Unfortunately,
Thailand has a history of animal abuse and captive elephants are sometimes forced to
swim with tourists and carry them on their back, which can be harmful for these gentle giants.
In Chiang Mai, there are many sanctuaries that claim to be ethical but in practice
that's not always true. We visited Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary that's committed
to education and rehabilitation of elephants that have been abused by the tourism industry.
We observed the roaming elephants for a few hours and helped with feeding. It was a relaxing and
rewarding experience. And we also had a chance to talk to the founder of Save Elephant Foundation.
Besides indulging in the delicious Thai food, it's also fun to learn how to cook the dishes.
Chiang Mai is the most popular place in Thailand for cooking classes, with a wide variety to choose
from. You'll usually start your class by going to the market and learning about the Thai produce
before making a few dishes at your individual cooking station and finally eating your creations.
We joined a half-day cooking class during which we prepared three different dishes: a Thai soup,
a curry, and a Pad Thai. For each dish, there are different options to choose from for your
proteins and flavors. And as a bonus, we also got mango sticky rice for dessert.
We left a link to the class that we joined in the description below.
The Mae Ping River is the main river that runs through Chiang Mai and offers a quick escape
from the city. You can rent a kayak and cruise down yourself or join a two-hour boat tour that
takes you past beautiful scenery around Chiang Mai. Along the river, you can see traditional
teak houses and a lot of rural greenery. The boat tour also makes a stop at a local farm,
where you learn about different plants and trees in the area as well as enjoy some tea and food.
While the city of Chiang Mai itself is fascinating, the surrounding mountain
scenery is spectacular. Home to Thailand's highest mountain, Doi Inthanon National Park is about a
one and a half hour drive from the city. The park is filled with beautiful waterfalls,
hiking trails, and viewpoints. And there are also twin Pagodas near the summit of Doi Inthanon,
which are surrounded by a gorgeous flower garden. You can easily spend a full day
here and we added a link to a day tour from Chiang Mai in the description.
So right after visiting the viewpoint for the sunrise you can come to these Pagodas,
because it's really really quiet and normally it gets quite crowded. But
just make sure that you bring some warm clothes because it does get really cold.
For an
authentic Thai market experience, head to Talat Warorot in the old town. This historic market
opened in the early 20th century and is a great place to buy clothes, souvenirs, local food and
spices. Opening its doors daily from 6 AM to 7 PM, this is the market where lots of locals shop.
The most famous attraction in Chiang Mai is undoubtedly the sacred Doi Suthep Temple,
about 15 kilometers or 9 miles outside the city center. The temple is a beautiful example
of Northern Thai architecture and the Pagoda supposedly contains relics of Buddha himself.
If you visit around 6 PM, you can also listen to the monks chant. And as a bonus, the temple offers
beautiful views of Chiang Mai and the surrounding area. It's a great place to watch sunset from.
Another fun day activity in Chiang Mai is to rent a scooter and drive the Samoeng Loop. This
100 kilometer or 62 mile route is a pretty easy ride with spectacular views winding through the
Mae Sa Valley and the Samoeng Forest. It takes about four to five hours to complete the loop
depending on the amount of stops that you make along the way. We definitely recommend visiting
the Mae Sa waterfalls as well as one of the botanical gardens, a coffee shop with a view,
and the Samoeng viewpoint. But of course there are a lot of other things to do and see along the way.
Just make sure you have a little bit of scooter driving experience before going,
especially for the parts when navigating through the city. For a more challenging multi-day route,
we highly recommend driving the Mae Hong Son Loop,
and we have a full video about that on our channel, so check it out if you're interested!
The largest and most important market in Chiang Mai is the Sunday Night Market in
the heart of the old town. Starting from the Tha Pae Gate, the market runs along
the entire length of the Ratchadamnoen Road. From 5 PM until around 10:30PM,
hundreds of stalls sell handmade goods, souvenirs, and a diverse range of food for both tourists and
locals alike. The market is vibrant, colorful, and social, providing a great opportunity to
sample the unique cuisine. But if you're not around on Sunday, it's also possible
to visit the Saturday Night Market or the Chang Puak Gate Market on any other day of the week.
So if you're looking for a souvenir in Thailand,
this might be one of the best markets to do that. We've been to a lot of them but
this one's just really well put together and it has really high-quality stuff.
There are a few other things to do in Chiang Mai that we didn't mention and we've included
a list on the screen here. If you're planning your Thailand trip, we recommend keeping things
organized with our interactive travel planner. Find a discount code below.
We also included important links that you'll need for your Chiang Mai trip in the description,
such as a blog post with places to stay, eat, and drink, as well as an interactive map so you
can get to each place that we mentioned. We'll catch you on the next adventure.