Last month I published my Ultimate Guide to 2 Weeks in Thailand, which walks through my recommended itinerary for 2 weeks in the country, as well as some suggestions for what to do in each location. Although that post included a synopsis of how to visit Northern Thailand (especially Chiang Mai) I’ve created a more specific itinerary for “The Rose of the North.”
In my 2 week Thailand plan, I recommended spending 4 to 5 days in Northern Thailand. Although you could EASILY spend more time in Chiang Mai, I’ve decided to keep this itinerary in line with my 2 week plan and have limited the itinerary to 4 full days (although, Day One doesn’t necessarily require a full day if you’re really short on time).
Know Before You Go:
Why Visit Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai is scenic and cultural–something that will be extremely apparent if you’re coming directly from Bangkok. It’s still a big and bustling city, but much less so than Thailand’s capital city. It’s a great place to really dive into the culture of Thailand, and it’s the perfect base for exploring Northern Thailand’s gorgeous natural landscapes.
A few things you can expect to encounter in Chiang Mai: Lush green mountains, rolling mist, phenomenal weather, winding rivers, waterfalls, trekking, elephants, ultra cheap prices, outdoor cafes, great coffee and tea, and temples galore.
Where to Stay?
The short answer: Inside or near the Old City (the big square in the map below).
The long answer: Transportation in Chiang Mai is quick, easy and cheap, and it’s also a great city for walking, so you’ll be alright even if you don’t stay in the Old City. However, a lot of the “must see” temples are within the Old City walls, as are some truly great restaurants and cafes. It was my favorite area to walk around and explore, and there are a ton of cheap guesthouses available, so it’s a really perfect location.
However, we actually stayed just outside the Old City (literally directly across the street) at Top Garden Boutique Guesthouse. It was cheap, clean, and conveniently located near both the Old City and the Night Bazaar. The area where we stayed is circled in red below:
Is Chiang Mai Expensive?
Nope, not at all! In fact, it’s cheaper than both Bangkok and the Thai islands. Our guesthouse was 19 USD per night–for a nice room with a big bed, plenty of space, a private hot-water bathroom, and strong aircon–plus the perfect location. We ate mostly street food, which was typically around $1 to $3 per meal. You could easily get by on $30 per day, even if you were staying in a private (budget-level) room.
Day One: Explore the Old City
On your first day in Chiang Mai, spend some time getting your bearings and set off to explore the Old City. This walking guide is a perfect rough guide for the area, and highlights a route for exploring the major sites of the Old City. It’ll take about 5 hours to complete the entire tour (sites included…it’s actually only about 90 minutes of walking) which is perfect for your first day in the city, even if you’re arriving in the morning via train or plane.
There are 30 temples in the Old City alone, so even if you don’t follow the walking guide exactly, you’ll be sure to run across some gorgeous Thai temples to explore. That said, make sure you dress appropriately–that means knees covered (and shoulders for the ladies)!
Top Temples to See in the Old City:
- Wat Chedi Luang
- Wat Chiang Man
- Wat Sri Suphan
- Wat Phra Singh
- Wat Suan Dok
What I love about spending Day One exploring the Old City is that you’ll really get a feel for Chiang Mai’s charm. Sure, you could pack in another day-trip or full-day adventure on your first day, but then you’d miss out on the little things that make Chiang Mai so freaking lovely.
Like the fact that Chiang Mai is chock full of little cafes with garden settings, where you can sip on organic coffee or Thai iced teas and watch the world go by. Or the fact that there are countless food stalls and markets, to make all of your wildest culinary dreams come true. Or the fact that there are secret gardens and cute handicraft shops and temples with no other tourists in sight just waiting to be explored.
So, put on your comfiest walking shoes (or better yet, rent a bike!) and spend the day strolling through the city streets, eating ALL the Thai food you desire, and seeking out the perfect souvenirs–this is the side of the Chiang Mai you’ll fall quickly in love with.
Day Two: Elephant Nature Park
There are an overwhelming number of options when it comes to elephant parks near Chiang Mai, but that doesn’t mean they’re all equal. There’s a dark side to animal tourism in Thailand, which means that if animal welfare is at all important to you, you’ll need to do some research before booking your tour.
Elephant Nature Park makes that job much easier. There’s no elephant riding, painting or tricks here, but you can guarantee that the elephants are well cared for and you’ll have an amazing time at their park.
Your visit to Elephant Nature Park will last a full day, and will include feeding, bathing, and observing the elephants in their natural habitat. Plus, the park is located in a super lush, misty, gorgeous area outside of Chiang Mai. If you opt to visit Elephant Nature Park, it’ll definitely be one of the highlights of your trip to this region.
Day Three: Cooking Class
You can’t visit Thailand without eating lots and lots of Thai food, so why not take that to the next level and learn how to cook your own?
We booked our class with Thai Farm Cooking School, which is located–go figure–on an organic farm an hour or so outside of Chiang Mai. The total cost was 38 USD per person, which included hotel pickup and transportation to the farm, a stop at a local food market (with explanations of all of the ingredients we’d be cooking with), a tour of the farm, all of the ingredients we’d need, an absolutely hilarious and charismatic instructor, and, of course, the cooking lesson.
Most classes last a full day, and include choices of a variety of dishes. At my class, I chose to make yellow curry with chicken, tom yam soup, chicken with cashew nuts, spring rolls, and bananas in coconut milk for dessert. Yes, it was a ton of food, and yes, it miraculously all turned out a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Who knew I was such a chef at heart?
Day Four: Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
This temple is the temple that people come to Chiang Mai to see…so it may come as a surprise when I tell you that I skipped over it. One thing that I’ve learned about traveling is that you’ve got to listen to your gut–if you’re just not feeling something, who says that you have to do it? Your guidebook? Your go-to travel forum? Who cares!
However, this wouldn’t be a proper Chiang Mai itinerary if I didn’t include Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, but I do feel the need to include this fair warning: according to online reviews, this temple gets Disney World-level crowds during the day.
For that reason, I recommend visiting super early: 8am or earlier, if you can. Not only will you have the place mostly to yourself, but you may even catch the sunrise from the top of the mountain, which would certainly be more magical than pushing your way through the crowds that accumulate here.
The temple itself only needs 2 hours or so, which means you’ll have time to explore other areas of the mountain when you’re done.
If you’re keen to explore more of the Mae Rim area but are done with seeing Doi Suthep, you could check out Mon Cham, a “camping resort” in the clouds high above Chiang Mai. You can get lunch in bamboo huts with a serious mountaintop view here, or just sit back and enjoy the scenery.
Or, if you’re ready to return to town, you could wrap up your final day in Chiang Mai with some shopping, some much-deserved (and ultra cheap) massages, or one of the alternative suggestions below.
Alternative Suggestions:
Not interested in one of the above activities? Got time for an extra day on your visit and need ideas? No worries–there are plenty of ways to fill your time in Chiang Mai…the difficult part is trying to decide which activity appeals to you most! Some of these alternative suggestions require a full day, while others only need a few hours and can be combined into the same day.
Full Day:
Doi Inthanon National Park
If you’re keen to experience the natural beauty of Northern Thailand, check out Doi Inthanon National Park. You can hire a guide to lead you on a trek through the park, or you can seek out short hikes to attempt on your own. The park is home to the highest point in Thailand, so it’s sure to offer some great views.
Flight of the Gibbon
Spend the day zip-lining through the treetops of Chiang Mai’s lushest jungles, for around 100 USD per person. This tour company also offers multi-adventure tours, where you can combine zip-lining with white water rafting, cave rappelling, kayaking, or mountain biking.
Half Day or Less:
Art in Paradise
3-D art museum where you can “interact” with the art by taking creative pictures to make it look like you’re part of the artwork.
Chiang Mai Zoo
I’ve never really been a fan of zoos, so I won’t be able to vouch for this one myself. However, I’ve heard great things about the zoo here and know that many visitors consider it a “must-see”.
Food Tour
If you’re interested in sampling local delicacies but don’t know where to start, a food tour may be the perfect option. They’re usually walking tours, but may include other methods of transportation such as bicycle, tuk-tuk, or songthaew. There are even food tours that visit the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, so you could actually add this on to the evening of one of the four days listed above.
Bua Tong Waterfall
Ever heard of a “sticky waterfall”? Neither had I, until I heard of Bua Tong! Mineral deposits on the rocks of the waterfall have caused the rocks to develop a porous, “sticky” texture–so sticky, in fact, that it’s actually possible to climb up the waterfall, even as the water is gushing down it.
Huay Tung Tao
This lakeside retreat is yet another great option for getting out of the city for a few hours. When you arrive, you’ll have your choice of peaceful lakeside huts–all complete with panoramic lake views–and the option to order some authentic Thai food and drinks. So, what is there to do here? Not much, other than kick back, relax, and take in the incredibly scenic, peaceful surroundings. It has a very “locals only” kind of vibe, which is interesting considering that it’s just a short 20 minute drive from the city.
While I tried to cover as many of Chiang Mai’s highlights as possible, I definitely recommend bringing along a good guidebook (if nothing else, you’ll have plenty to read about on the plane!). My top recommendations are Lonely Planet Thailand 
and Fodor’s Thailand with Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia & Laos 
.
Have you ever visited Chiang Mai? What was your favorite activity or adventure there?
*This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These commissions help keep this blog running. Thanks!*
Great post! Thailand is one of my favorite places of all. I loved wandering around Chiang Mai, Doi Inthanon & going to the Night Market!
Thanks! It’s one of my favorites as well!
Reblogged this on amandarosemclean.
It looks beautiful, I love your pants and I want my own! I can’t wait to go to the Elephant Nature Park.. it basically sounds like you went on a perfect trip, one that I would absolutely love and I am envious of you beautiful lady. I cannot wait to find myself their one day.
Aww, thank you!! I absolutely LOVED Chiang Mai, and I’m sure you would too!
Thank you so much for this post I have constantly been thinking how long in Chaing Mai, I have tweeted this page so I can book mark it. 4 days in Chaing Mai then head to one of the beaches before I head back home. A mini break from work, home and stresses of life
Sounds like a perfect plan!!
Awesome post! I’m heading to chiang Mai tomorrow so I found this really helpful. Thanks
That’s so great, I’m sure you’ll have a blast!
Hi Kelly! Thanks for the lovely post about Chiang Mai!
We are going to visit ChiangMai in February and we have 3 days. I am planning almost the same as your itinerary for the first two days. However, I couldn’t decide for the last day. Do you recommend Thai Farm Cooking School or Doi Suthep and around?
Hi! Hmm, it’s hard to say, but personally I’d recommend Thai Farm Cooking School because I loved that experience so much! Plus, you’ll see plenty of other temples throughout Chiang Mai (none quite as impressive as Doi Suthep, but you’ll get the idea!) Will you be visiting Bangkok as well? If so, I’d say those temples are even better than Doi Suthep, so that should make the decision even easier!
Thanks Kelly for your reply. It really helps to make my mind. Yes, we will go to Bangkok, so I guess it is better to attend to the cooking school 🙂
Awesome! Have a fun trip, let me know how it goes 🙂
Great Post. Im going to Thailand this May and your 4 day itinerary is perfect!!! Do you have any other suggestions for well valued guesthouses. perferably one with AC and a pool. Also look forward to an indepth itin on any other areas in Thailand. There for 3 weeks but thinking Thailand for 2 and 1 for Bali, Thanks so much
A lovely informative post
Thank you so much!
Hey – how far did you book the Elephant Nature Park trip in advance and which trip option did you choose? 🙂
Hi Paula! We booked several weeks (maybe 3?) in advance, and we chose the basic full day option. Hope that helps!
Hi! We are going to Chang Mai in two weeks, but we are landing in Bangkok first. How many days do you suggest we spend in Bangkok before heading to Chang Mai? We will be in Thailand a total of seven days.
If you have 7 full days, I would recommend 2 or 3 days in Bangkok, the rest of the time in Chiang Mai. I definitely prefer Chiang Mai over Bangkok, but it’s worth spending at least 2 days in Bangkok to experience it. It’s a very unique city!
Love this, thanks. I love the fact that you didn’t visit Doi Suthrep – I was wondering if I should make the effort to go there, as it is as you say a ‘must see on everyone’s list’.
It’s like you given me permission not to go!!
Thanks.
Haha, glad I could help! Happy travels 🙂
Hi,
I wanted to know where you took that photo of you sitting down with the table and chairs, it looks lovely!
Google “Terracotta Garden Chiang Mai” and you’ll find all the details like address and official name (I can’t remember off the top of my head!). I wrote a bit about it here, it’s a great place: Hidden Gem of Chiang Mai: The Terracotta Garden
Thank you thank you! I have wanted to go to Chiang Mai, but wasn’t sure what an itinerary there would look like. We are staying on ‘coffee street’ and have reservations at the elephant nature park and thai farm cooking school! I’m also going to try to fit in the sticky waterfall, hot springs and Huay Tung Tao lake for lunch! We’ll also plan to walk around the old city and definitely will go to the night bazaar. I went from, “ugh what is there to do in Chiang Mai” to “Holy cow, maybe we should add another day”! Thanks for your help and great blog!
That’s awesome to hear! Have so much fun, Chiang Mai is truly amazing!
Thank you for informative posting! I going to Chiang Mai Nov and stumble upon this website offering 4 days 3 nights stay in Shangri-La Hotel in Chiang Mai for only US$99 net inclusive airport transfer and breakfast. Have anyone already tried if it’s a real thing or it’s a scam?
http://www.vacationresortclub.com/shangri-la-chiang-mai.htm
Brilliant post thanks! We plan to spend 4/5 days in Chiang Mai and you’ve pretty much planned it for me here! I look forward to reading many more of your posts.
Glad to hear it! Have fun in Chiang Mai 🙂
Hi ! First of all let me say that your post have been so helpful to plan my trip to thailand. I was wandering, Did you go to tiger kingdom ? And if so, what plan did you take ? ( for the types of tigers )
Thanks in advance !
I did! We only went in the area with the smallest baby tigers.
Kelly,
Thanks for all of this info. I had Chiang Mai on my list, started doing the research, and came across your blog. I stayed in the suite at Top Garden and attended the recommended cooking school and elephant park. I have culinary challenges, but I think I can handle Thai cooking now. And I had no idea that elephants were abused so badly. The only thing that I am sorry about is that I missed the affiliate pot commentary at the end of this post and booked everything through Victor at Top Garden, Sorry about that.
Again, thanks and safe travels to you!
And I forgot to mention…
I met multiple folks (US and European) everyday that were familiar with at least this post on your blog. That is impressive!
Steve L recently posted…3 Months in Central America: What I WISH I Packed
Thanks so much for your comment, Steve! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed Chiang Mai along with my recommendations 🙂 Also, thanks for letting me know that others on your trip were familiar with this blog post too – always nice to hear! 🙂
Great holiday Package! Really Chiang Mai is a beautiful city. Its my dream to go this tour and from your blog post its really easy to make plan to go on Chiang Mai tour. Your Blog is very informative its give us maximum detail about the package.Thankyou for sharing with us your post.
Did you book a tour for the elephant Nature Park? Or how did you get there
Yes, we booked a tour on their website and they picked us up!
Hi! Thank you so much for your post! Can you recommend a yoga retreat or practice in Chiang Mai?
Thank you!
I have enjoyed reading your accounts of Chiang Mai. My wife and I have been inspired and will be holidaying there in early February this year. Our doctors have scared us with talk about mosquitoes. I see from your photos that you were wearing short t-shirts while with the elephants. No mosquitoes? Using lots of deet? Any advice?
The mosquitoes were definitely out in full force and were incredibly annoying, so I do recommend bringing a strong insect repellent with deet. I know some travelers take anti-malaria pills, but for me personally I didn’t feel it was necessary.
Kelly, thanks a lot for this informative post. Just noticed that the guesthouse you’ve recommended above has shut down permanently. Any other alternative recommendations for places to stay? I’ll be spending a few days end of June.
Thanks in advance!
Narayanan Hariharan recently posted…Foreign tourists arriving in India with e-visas to get free pre-activated SIM cards
Aw man, that’s such a bummer – it was a really great guesthouse! That’s actually the only place I’ve ever stayed in Chiang Mai so I don’t have any other places I can personally recommend, but I do recommend searching for similar guesthouses on TripAdvisor, as that’s where I found the original one. I think if you look for something locally owned with good reviews, you can’t go wrong. Have fun in Chiang Mai 🙂
Thanks for your guide, I’ll be in Chiang Mai in November and following you advice!
That’s awesome, have fun!!
Thanks for your guide, I’ll be in Chiang Mai in November and following your advice!
Jen Horsfall recently posted…Phuket, Phang Nga Bay & Phi Phi Islands
Cool Post! I love Chiang Mai, it’s such a laid back place to visit, filled with so much history. It’s my favorite place in Thailand.
It’s my favorite place as well – it has a little bit of everything, and it’s so pretty!
I was reading your post yesterday to figure out what to do on our vacation to Thailand next year, but something in your linked post about elephant parks really hit a nerve for me, and after sleeping on it, I just can’t get it out of my mind and just gotta get it off my chest. Apologies for being off-topic in advance! 🙂
Especially this sentence you wrote got me thinking:
“Before an elephant can be ridden, its spirit must be broken–which typically includes being separated from its mother at a young age and being continuously starved, beaten and abused until it is “tamed,” leaving it with many physical and emotional wounds.”
I recently watched a movie about animal welfare around the world and realized that if you replace “elephant” with “cow” in your sentence, it still holds for the most part.
I didn’t know this before but it turns out that cows, like humans, are pregnant for 9 months before they give birth. I always thought that they continuously give milk and that we’re doing them a favor by milking them, but turns out that like us, they only lactate after the birth of a baby and the milk is to feed the calf, not people (which I guees is weird anyway if you think about it, drinking breast milk of another species..). But because it wouldn’t be profitably to let the calf suckle for a year like it normally would, it is separated from its mother within the first 48 hours after birth.
I’m a dad myself and, oh my word, I got chills seeing how cows cry after their babies:
https://youtu.be/zBnZPJJ2QG4
I feel sick writing this but the industry has what they call “rape racks” where they inseminate the cows so that they are continously kept pregnant, so that they can keep producing milk after each birth. The stress from the constant cycle of pregnancy, birth, separation from the calf and milking, cuts down their life from 20 to 4 years, because that’s when their utters get more and more infected, start emitting more puss than is legally allowed and start bleeding more into the milk. Some cows can barely stand at the end. So when they are no longer profitable, they get turned into hamburgers. Male baby cows get turned into veal after 18 weeks, females will have the same fate as their mothers.
I so wanted to believe that this wasn’t the norm, but no, it’s like this around the world. My cousin has a free-range organic dairy farm where I always thought that the animals were treated with respect, but he just confirmed that these practices are done on all dairy farms, including his. After using the animals till they are literally milked dry, we kill them…I mean, what the heck?!
Now I’m not some grass-munching hippie and up until now I never really thought about what I ate as long as it’s tasty, but I guess seeing the movie and reading your article made me realize what an arbitrary line we draw between we consider animal abuse and what we see as normal treatment of animals. It’s like we punish certain animals because they didn’t have the good fortune to be born in the “right” shape of an animal that we would consider too cute and cuddly to exploit…
Hi Greg,
Well I have to say, your comment is not the usual type I see on my Thailand travel posts! Haha but seriously, I’m sad to say I had never heard about the practices you mentioned in your comment before, but I can definitely see where your feelings on the topic come from! I agree that that it’s a bit strange the way we (humans) think about what’s right vs. wrong in terms of animal treatment. Obviously most people from first world countries would agree that “cute” animals like dogs, elephants, and cats deserve to be treated with love and respect, but pigs and cows are just “food” and nothing more. Thanks for enlightening me on the subject, I sincerely hope that one day humankind starts to learn that we’re not the only species on this planet!
Great post!
Thanks!!
YAY! this is exactly what I’ve been looking for, I’ve got a few days to kill in Chiang Mai and have been trying to find things to do that arent completely temple based or require constant travel back and forth Bookmarked and now going through your other posts, really loving this blog!
Thank you 🙂
Happy I could help!! Chiang Mai is such a fun city, enjoy!
Definitely gotta get here next time I’m in the region to everything on this list (except the elephants). Great tips!
Mehndi recently posted…Mehndi Songs & Videos: 50 Best Music [List] (Updated 2017)
There are so many incredible day trips you can do around Chiang Mai, absolutely in love with this city! I also love coming to Doi Suthep at sunset or sunrise, if I get up early, it’s so refreshing up in the mountains and the views are simply stunning!
Thanks for your post! Very detailed review and ideal itinerary in Chiang Mai. In comparison with Chiang Rai, which one do you prefer?
I enjoyed your post so much. My family and I are planning a trip and thanks to your post we now have an itinerary of what we plan on doing here.
Thanks for this great article!
Very helpful, thank you Kelly!
Entertaining and informative post about Chiang Mai!