Things to do in Chiang Mai, splurging
Serious coffee, destination dinners and the Old City at its best
This is Chiang Mai for people who care about what's in the bowl and what's in the glass. Three days move from the temple lanes of the Old City out to the forest edge and back, with acclaimed lunches, tasting menus that need a reservation weeks in advance and cocktail bars worth staying up for. If you're happy to spend on the right things and walk off the calories between meals, this is your itinerary.
Day 1: Old City temples and a heritage table
The day opens on the city's best single-origin cup, drifts through the moat-side ruins of Wat Chedi Luang and lands at the finest Khao Soi in the neighbourhood before an evening at Chiang Mai's definitive destination Thai table.
- 9:30 AM
Ristr8to
World-champion latte-art founder, single-origin Chiang Mai mountain arabica, the city's most serious cup.
Map - 10:30 AM
Nong Buak Haad Park สวนบวกหาด
Shady lawns and lotus ponds in the Old City's southwest corner; locals jog here before the heat sets in.
Map - 12:30 PM
Khao Soi Lung Prakit Kad Kom
Great-value cult spot, darker, beefier broth and slow-cooked beef, the best khao soi in the south moat area.
Map - 4:30 PM
Wat Chedi Luang
The 15th-century chedi cracked by the 1545 earthquake once held the Emerald Buddha; late light suits its brickwork.
Map - 7:30 PM
THE HOUSE by Ginger
Thai plates in a colonial-style house on Moon Muang Rd; book the main room and share a northern curry.
Map - 9:30 PM
Fung Record Bar
Fung Record Bar, vinyl listening bar steps from the Old City, great highballs and a low-key groove to close the night.
Map
Day 2: Warorot Market to a splurge table
A morning deep in the city's best working market, an acclaimed Northern Thai lunch steps away, then an elevated ethnic Thai dinner that is exactly the kind of cooking this trip is built around.
- 9:30 AM
Fern Forest Cafe
Garden café shaded by ferns off Singharat Rd; iced coffee and a slice of carrot cake under the trees.
Map - 10:30 AM
Warorot Market (Kad Luang)
Dive into the city's best working market, grab sai ua sausage, nam prik and dried longan straight from the stalls.
Map - 12:30 PM
Kiti Panit
Northern Thai a short walk from Warorot: order the gaeng hang lay pork curry and grilled sai ua.
Map - 5:30 PM
Night Bazaar
Chang Klan Rd's evening stalls for textiles, silver and lacquerware; go as the stalls open and bargain gently.
Map - 7:30 PM
Ekachan The Wisdom of Ethnic Thai Cuisine
Chef Ake's regional Thai in a teak house by the Ping: get the crab omelette and beef kaeng ra-waeng.
Map - 9:30 PM
Day 3: Forest temples, a tasting menu, live jazz
The day slows down at Wat Umong's brick meditation tunnels, earns a great-value lunch at Sanae, then ends at Blackitch's 16-seat seasonal counter before spilling onto the pavement at North Gate Jazz Co-Op.
- 11:00 AM
Wat Umong
Walk the 700-year-old brick meditation tunnels and peaceful forest pond at Doi Suthep's foot, one of Chiang Mai's most atmospheric temple complexes.
Map - 12:30 PM
Sanae
Halal Thai kitchen near Baan Kang Wat known for beef: get the beef fat rice and spicy beef shank soup.
Map - 7:30 PM
Blackitch Artisan Kitchen
Chef Black's small counter tasting menu built on house ferments and northern produce; book weeks ahead.
Map - 9:30 PM
North Gate Jazz Co-Op
Tiny beloved live-jazz room by Chang Phuak Gate, spilling onto the pavement.
Map
Where to stay
Rachamankha
A 25-room heritage property right inside the Old City walls, minutes from Day 1 and Day 2 on foot, with the quiet and design sensibility this traveller will appreciate.
Akyra Manor Chiang Mai
A sleek Nimman-area boutique hotel with a rooftop pool and bar, close to the design shops and an easy ride to every stop on the plan.
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