Often called the “rose of the North,” Chiang Mai is shedding its sleepy backpacker-haven reputation and carving out a new identity for itself. The town has expanded rapidly in recent years, and boutique hotels and trendy restaurants are springing up everywhere, bringing new style and sophistication. Chiang Mai boasts an exquisite location, circled by mountains. Its stunning wats , notably Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Sing; historic sites; bustling markets; and lively nightlife make it an exciting destination. The town thrives on its crafts trade, as seen in the wide range sold at Warorot Market and the Night Bazaar, and along Tha Phae Road.
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Construction of this temple, the largest in Chiang Mai, began in 1345, though the bot dates from 1600. The Wihan Lai Kham (“gilded hall”), decorated with murals of everyday life, houses the revered golden Phra Buddha Sing. Like its namesakes in Bangkok and Nakhon Si Thammarat, the image is said to have originated in Sri Lanka.
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Within the compound of this temple is the spot where King Mengrai was killed by lightning in 1317. The revered Emerald Buddha image was briefly housed in the wat in the 15th century – a previous attempt to bring it to Chiang Mai failed. The chedi , once 90 m (295 ft) high, was damaged by an earthquake in 1465.
Wat Chedi Luang Waraviharn Temple, Chiang Mai.
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King Mengrai dedicated this residence as a wat, the city’s oldest, while his new capital was being built. It features Lanna teak pillars and a chedi surrounded by stone elephant heads. The wihan houses the Phra Kaeo Kao, thought to have been carved in Northern India in the 6th century BC.
Tha Phae Gate marks the beginning of Tha Phae Road, the commercial hub of Chiang Mai. Located here are bookstores, department stores, and handicraft shops. Farther east, the road becomes Highway 1006, along which are shops and factories selling silk, celadon, lacquerware, and other crafts.
This is the city’s western gate, marking the start of Suthep Road, along which three important temples are situated.
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With its wide range of goods at competitive prices, this easily rivals Bangkok’s Chatuchak Market. Inside are endless stalls selling hill-tribe crafts, leather goods, and clothing. The top floor specializes in antiques. Beware of fakes, especially at the stalls outside the market. This is also a good place to try Chiang Mai’s Burmese-influenced cuisine. Shops on Wualai Road, south of Chiang Mai Gate, sell the best silverware and textiles.
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During the day, this covered market sells local food, clothing and hill-tribe crafts, often at lower prices than the Night Bazaar. Fruits, spices, and tasty dishes are all available. By night, it is the site of a colorful flower market.
There are many sights outside the city center that are worth a visit. Most can be reached by bicycle, motorbike, songthaew , or tuk-tuk . For longer excursions, most hotels and guesthouses offer trekking tours to hill-tribe villages. There are also many organized tour operators located on Tha Phae Road.
To the north of the city is the Chiang Mai National Museum . Its varied collection ranges from Haripunchai terra-cottas to Lanna heads of the Buddha, the largest of which is some 3 m (10 ft) tall.
Sited on the grounds of Chiang Mai University is the Tribal Research Institute . Its small museum and library detail the history of the area’s ethnic minorities. Treks to hill-tribe villages can also be arranged here.
On Kaew Narawat Road, to the northeast of the city, is McCormick Hospital . This working hospital is typical of Chiang Mai’s 19th- and 20th-century architecture, much of which was built by missionaries and officials of the British teak logging companies who came here from Burma.
Just west of Suan Dok Gate, on Suthep Road, is Wat Suan Dok . The temple was built in 1383 to house relics of the Buddha, while the open-sided wihan was restored in the 1930s. The small chedis contain ashes of members of Chiang Mai’s former royal family. Farther along Suthep Road, in a picturesque forest, is the 14th-century Wat U Mong . Some of the original underground tunnels leading to the monks’ cells can still be explored. Also of note is a disturbing image of a fasting Buddha. This temple and nearby Wat Ram Poeng offer meditation courses. The latter’s library keeps versions of the Theravada Buddhist canon in English, Chinese, and other languages.
Wat Chet Yot , distinctive for its seven-spired chedi , is set in spacious grounds. Its stuccoed design is based on the Mahabodhi Temple of Buddh Gaya in India, where the Buddha achieved Enlightenment.
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Though a fraction of the size of Bangkok, Chiang Mai boasts almost as many wats as the capital. Most were built during the city’s most prosperous period – from the 13th to the mid-16th centuries – when it was a major religious center. Many wats in Chiang Mai survive from this period, but most were altered by the Burmese, who subsequently ruled the city. Nevertheless, Chiang Mai’s architecture is still thought to epitomize Lanna style, with features such as elaborate wood-carvings on temple pillars and doors.
