Chiang Mai Walking Tour

One of the most enjoyable ways to explore Chiang Mai’s old city is on foot, and this walk takes you along narrow, winding lanes and through tranquil temple compounds as you cross from the northeast to the southwest corner. It is best to go in the morning, when the sun sparkles on the east-facing temple facades. Dress appropriately for temple visits, meaning no exposed knees or shoulders, and wear a hat or carry an umbrella to shield you from the sun or rain. A local map will help with orientation.

Begin on the outside of the moat at Si Phum in the northeast corner of the old city. Notice the way the lines of brickwork on the north-facing wall have become wonderfully warped. Facing the bastion, walk south beside the moat, then cross to the inside at the first road and continue past a parade of shops. After a few steps you will reach the entrance to Somphet Market on Moonmuang Soi 6, where vendors of flowers, fruit and tempting snacks set up their stalls.

Turn right into Soi 6, a narrow lane lined with guest houses and cafes; this is the heart of Chiang Mai’s backpacker district, so you will probably see as many foreigners as Thais wandering around. At the end of Soi 6, turn right into Ratchaphakhinai Road. Walk past Wat Lam Chang on your right, and after a few more steps you will see Wat Chiang Man on your left. This is the oldest temple in the city, dating back to 1296.

Take a look inside the viharn on the right, which contains some highly revered Buddha images, then walk round the back to see the oldest and most interesting feature of the temple, a stupa called the Chedi Chang Lom, whose base is ringed by carved elephants. Leave by the side gate to the south of the compound, turn right, then left into Phra Pokklao Road.

Walk about 100 metres to the traffic light, then cross to the Three Kings Monument, set in an open square. King Mengrai, who founded the city in 1296, stands in the centre, flanked by his allies King Ramkhamhaeng and King Ngam Muang. The alliance Mengrai forged with these neighbouring rulers allowed his Kingdom of Lanna to flourish in its early years. Behind the monument, a colonial-style shuttered building houses the Arts and Cultural Centre, well worth visiting to learn more about the city’s long history and complex culture.

Continue south on Phra Pokklao Road, and after crossing Ratchadamnoen Road you will see, almost immediately on your right, the dark-wood walls of Wat Pan Tao, with a lovely glass-inlaid carving of a peacock above the doors that gleams in the morning sun. A few steps on, turn right into the compound of Wat Chedi Luang. Before you is the enormous viharn, and to your left the City Pillar, housed in a cruciform building beneath a towering gum tree; local legend holds that as long as the tree stands, the city is safe from harm. Behind the viharn rises the temple’s main feature, a huge brick chedi built in the 15th century. It once stood 90 metres high until an earthquake damaged it in the mid-16th century, and even at around 60 metres today it remains hugely impressive.

Walk round behind the chedi and out the back gate, turn right onto Jhaban Road and then left onto Ratchadamnoen Road. Continue to Wat Phra Singh, which stands prominently at the end of the road. On your right as you enter is the exquisite scripture library, one of the finest examples of northern Thai architecture, a wooden building on a tall base surrounded by stucco angels.

The main viharn is large and imposing, but of more interest is the smaller viharn set back to the left, the Viharn Lai Kham. It is well worth stepping inside after admiring its gleaming bargeboards and beautifully carved gables. The building houses the Phra Singh, the city’s most revered Buddha image, and some fascinating murals depicting local life in bygone days.

Follow the path to the left of the Viharn Lai Kham and leave the temple by the back gate. Turn left and head straight south along Ratchamanka Soi 9. At the end of the lane, turn left and after a few steps go right into Wat Muen Ngoen Kong, one of the city’s lesser-known temples. Note the colourful figurines along the side of the viharn, then look at the huge reclining Buddha on the south side of the compound. Just to the left is a bo tree, recognisable by its heart-shaped leaves, with a smaller seated Buddha beneath it. Look for a narrow alley behind the tree and follow it between back gardens out to a quiet lane.

Turn right here and follow the lane as it winds southward, crossing several others. Soon on the left you will see a very unusual stepped brick chedi in the compound of Wat Phuak Hong, which has seven rounded tiers containing Buddha images in niches and dates back to the early 16th century. The small, compact viharn, with its red and gold gables, is also attractive, though the hall is not always open.

Continue south a few steps until a gateway leads into a park on your right. This is the back entrance to Buak Hat City Park, the only public park anywhere near the centre of Chiang Mai. At weekends it can get crowded, but on a weekday it is usually quiet and relaxing, a fitting place to end this stroll through the old city.