Cheap things to do in Chiang Mai
Ancient temples, great-value street food and vinyl bars on a shoestring
This is Chiang Mai for the traveller who wants to eat well, walk far and spend almost nothing. The Old City is your base for two days of temples, markets and night-time jazz, before the plan pulls you west toward the forest edge and the artist village at Baan Kang Wat. You will not need a taxi, a tour or a reservation for any of it.
Day 1: Old City temples, markets and roti
A morning among Chiang Mai's biggest ruins leads into a working riverside market and ends with vinyl, highballs and an easy walk home.
- 9:30 AM
Fern Forest Cafe
Garden café shaded by ferns off Singharat Rd; an iced coffee here costs less than at home.
Map - 10:15 AM
Wat Chedi Luang
Walk the vast ruined brick chedi, once home to the Emerald Buddha, free to wander and stunning.
Map - 12:30 PM
- 2:00 PM
Warorot Market (Kad Luang)
Working market by the Ping River, pick up sai ua sausage, dried longan and hill-tribe fabrics for next to nothing.
Map - 7:30 PM
Garden to Table Chiangmai
Top-rated cheap Thai dinner in the Old City, solid local cooking without spending much.
Map - 9:00 PM
Fung Record Bar
Vinyl listening bar with records and highballs near Prapokklao Road, low volume, great vibe, easy walk back.
Map
Day 2: Khao soi, jazz and Chang Phuak Gate
The north quarter delivers the city's most celebrated bowl of noodles by day and its best live-jazz room by night, all within walking distance of each other.
- 9:30 AM
Ristr8to
Single-origin arabica from Chiang Mai mountains, by a latte-art world champion, the real deal for a cheap morning cup.
Map - 10:30 AM
Thalat Thannin ตลาดธานินท์
Thanin's covered market is where locals buy cooked northern curries, grilled pork and nam prik by the bag.
Map - 12:30 PM
Khao Soi Maesai
Bowls of chicken or beef khao soi for a few dollars on Ratchaphuek Rd; it sells out by mid-afternoon.
Map - 2:30 PM
Wat Chiang Man
Oldest temple in Chiang Mai (1296), quieter and more local than the tourist circuit, free to enter.
Map - 7:30 PM
Chang Phuak Gate Night Market
Cowboy Hat Lady's legendary pork-leg rice stall, dry-suki and sticky rice, the most celebrated cheap eat at Chang Phuak Gate Night Market.
Map - 9:00 PM
North Gate Jazz Co-Op
Tiny jazz bar by Chang Phuak Gate where players jam into the night and the crowd spills onto the pavement.
Map
Day 3: Forest tunnels and the artist village
The day starts in 700-year-old meditation tunnels, moves through great-value Thai cooking and finishes among pottery studios and natural-dye textiles at Baan Kang Wat.
Where to stay
Sri Pat Guest House
Budget guesthouse a short walk from Wat Chedi Luang, Warorot Market and Fung Record Bar, right in the heart of the Old City plan.
Tamarind Village
Tamarind Village is a splurge in a cheap city; Sri Pat or another moat-side guesthouse keeps it thrifty.
Make Chiang Mai your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Grandma's Home Cooking School: a few days ahead
- Chiang Mai Women's Correctional Institution Massage: a few days ahead
- Doi Inthanon National Park: a few days ahead
- Elephant Nature Park: weeks ahead
- 8Adventures: a few days ahead
- Jungle Flight: a few days ahead
Skip these
- Elephant camps offering riding or scheduled bathing are tourism camps with better branding, however they use the word ethical.
- The Night Bazaar is largely generic imported goods at tourist prices; Sunday Walking Street, Warorot and Jing Jai are the real markets.
- Cheap tours add gem, silk and handicraft factory commission stops; fix songthaew fares in words as total, for all of us.
- Skip tiger selfie attractions, and do not buy Pai as a day trip: six hours in a minivan for about three hours there.
The full Chiang Mai travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around