Chiang Mai’s Old City is a square about 1.5 km on each side, ringed by a moat that King Mengrai’s builders dug more than seven centuries ago. Inside it sit more than 30 temples, so many that you pass a gilded gable or a crumbling brick chedi on almost every block.
This walk crosses the square diagonally, from the Si Phum bastion in the northeast corner to Suan Buak Haad park in the southwest. On the way it takes in the oldest temple in the city, Wat Chiang Man, the Three Kings Monument, the ruined giant at Wat Chedi Luang and the finest Lanna woodwork at Wat Phra Singh, then slips down quiet back lanes to two little-visited temples.
The route is about 4 km and takes three to four hours with stops. Start by 8am, when the east-facing temple fronts catch the morning sun and the heat is still bearable.
At a Glance#
- Route: Si Phum corner, Somphet Market, Wat Chiang Man, the Three Kings Monument, Wat Phan Tao, Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh, Wat Muen Ngoen Kong, Wat Phuak Hong and Suan Buak Haad.
- Distance and time: about 4 km, three to four hours at an easy pace.
- Best time: early morning, ideally from November to February when it is cool and dry.
- Costs: most temples are free; Wat Chedi Luang charges foreigners a small entry fee, and the City Arts and Cultural Centre has its own ticket.
- Dress: shoulders and knees covered for every temple, and shoes off inside the halls.
Si Phum to Wat Chiang Man#
Start outside the moat at Si Phum, the northeast corner bastion, where the lines of old brickwork on the north-facing wall have warped into waves. Walk south beside the moat, cross into the old city at the first road, and after a few steps you reach Somphet Market on Moon Muang Soi 6, a small morning market of flowers, fruit and snacks. It is a good place for a coffee or a bag of mango before you set off.
Turn right into Soi 6, a narrow lane of guesthouses and cafes at the heart of the backpacker quarter. At the end, turn right into Ratchaphakhinai Road, pass Wat Lam Chang on your right, and you reach Wat Chiang Man on your left.
Founded by King Mengrai at the end of the 13th century, around the time he established the city in 1296, Wat Chiang Man is the oldest temple in Chiang Mai. The viharn on the right holds two revered small Buddha images, one in crystal and one carved in stone, behind a grille. Walk round to the back for the temple’s best feature, the Chedi Chang Lom, whose square base is ringed by brick elephants that look as if they are carrying the stupa on their backs.
The Three Kings and Wat Chedi Luang#
Leave Wat Chiang Man by the side gate to the south, turn right, then left into Phra Pokklao Road. About 100 m on, at the traffic lights, cross to the Three Kings Monument. King Mengrai stands in the centre, flanked by his allies King Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai and King Ngam Muang of Phayao, who helped him choose the site for his new capital. The shuttered colonial-era building behind them, once the provincial hall, is now the Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural Centre, a good introduction to the history of the Lanna kingdom if you want a break from the sun.
Continue south on Phra Pokklao and cross Ratchadamnoen Road. Almost at once on your right is Wat Phan Tao, a viharn built entirely of dark teak, with a glass-inlaid peacock above the door that glitters in the morning light.
A few steps further is the gate of Wat Chedi Luang. Ahead is the large viharn; to the left, in a small cruciform shrine under a towering yang tree, is the City Pillar, or Sao Inthakhin. Local belief holds that while the tree stands, the city is safe. Behind the viharn rises the temple’s great brick chedi, built in the 14th and 15th centuries and once around 80 m tall, until an earthquake in the 16th century brought down its top. Even in ruin it is the largest structure in the old city, with stone elephants along its base and a replica of the Emerald Buddha in its eastern niche, where the real one sat for some 80 years.
Wat Chedi Luang runs a free “monk chat” most afternoons, where novice monks practise their English and answer questions about Buddhism. If you are walking later in the day, it is a good place to sit down.
Wat Phra Singh#
Walk round behind the chedi and out the back gate, turn right onto Jhaban Road and then left onto Ratchadamnoen Road, which ends at Wat Phra Singh, the most important temple in the old city.
On your right as you enter is the scripture library (ho trai), a wooden building on a tall whitewashed base decorated with stucco angels, one of the best examples of classic Lanna architecture. The main viharn is large and modern; the building to see is the smaller Viharn Lai Kham behind it to the left. Its carved gables and gilded bargeboards are superb, and inside sits the Phra Singh, the city’s most revered Buddha image, under walls painted with murals of everyday life in 19th-century Lanna: courting couples, market scenes, local dress. The image is paraded through the streets each April during Songkran, the Thai New Year.
Back lanes to Suan Buak Haad#
Take the path to the left of the Viharn Lai Kham and leave by the back gate. Turn left and walk south along Ratchamanka Soi 9. At the end of the lane, turn left and after a few steps right into Wat Muen Ngoen Kong, one of the city’s lesser-known temples, with colourful figurines along the side of the viharn and a large reclining Buddha on the south side of the compound. Beside it a bo tree, with its heart-shaped leaves, shelters a smaller seated Buddha. A narrow alley behind the tree leads between back gardens to a quiet lane.
Turn right and follow the lane as it winds south, crossing several others. Soon on the left you reach Wat Phuak Hong, whose round, stepped brick chedi has seven tiers of niches holding Buddha images and dates from the early 16th century. It looks nothing like any other chedi in the city. The small red and gold viharn is not always open.
A few steps further south, a gateway on the right leads into Suan Buak Haad, the only public park in the old city, with ponds, lawns and shade. It is busy with joggers and families at weekends but usually quiet on weekday mornings, and the southwest corner bastion is just beyond it.
Practical tips#
Wear light clothes that cover shoulders and knees, because you will enter at least six temples, and shoes that slip off easily. Carry water, a hat or umbrella for sun or rain, and small notes for donation boxes and entry fees. A map app with offline maps helps in the back lanes, where soi numbers are not always posted.
From the park, a red songthaew (shared pickup) back to the Tha Phae area costs about 30 baht per person, or you can walk east along the southern moat. If you want to keep going, the Saturday Walking Street on Wualai Road in Wualai starts just south of Chiang Mai Gate, and the Sunday Walking Street runs along Ratchadamnoen Road through the route you have just walked. Our Chiang Mai temples guide covers the other temples in and around the city, and Chiang Mai itineraries shows how to fit this walk into a longer stay.
Stops on the walk#
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More Things to Do#
Chiang Mai walking tour FAQs#
How long does it take to walk around Chiang Mai Old City?
This route is about 4 km and takes three to four hours with temple visits. Walking the full moat around the outside is about 6 km and takes around an hour and a half without stops.
What should I wear to visit temples in Chiang Mai?
Cover your shoulders and knees, and take your shoes off before entering any viharn or ubosot. Light trousers or a long skirt and a T-shirt are fine, and sarongs are sometimes available to borrow at the bigger temples.
Do Chiang Mai temples charge an entry fee?
Most are free. Wat Chedi Luang charges foreigners a small entry fee, and a few others ask for a small fee or donation. The Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural Centre has its own ticket.
What is the best time of day for a walking tour of Chiang Mai?
Early morning, from about 7 or 8am, when it is cooler, the temples are quiet and the sun lights the east-facing temple fronts. Late afternoon is the second choice, and lets you end at the Sunday Walking Street on a Sunday.
Can I do this walk in the rainy season?
Yes. Rain from about June to October usually comes in heavy afternoon bursts, so walk in the morning and carry an umbrella. The temple halls make good shelter if a storm hits.