You want to travel North Thailand but have no idea what to add to your itinerary? Or maybe you are deciding if moving your way up North is worth it at all. This post will explain how and where to travel in North Thailand.
After visiting Thailand twice, we can surely confirm traveling to North Thailand is an amazing experience. The region is filled with lucious greenery and wide spread mountain ranges. It has two main cities (Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai) rich with excellent food, temples and night markets. If you are looking for an ideal balance between culture an adventure, then this is the perfect itinerary for you.
This post is all about North Thailand travel. It includes places like Chiang Mai, Pai, Chiang Dao and Chiang Rai.
Travel North Thailand
Two weeks is an excellent amount of time to have a feel of this region. With two weeks you’ll be able to see everything that is mentioned here, with the flexibility to adapt everything to your liking.
Day 1 – 3 Chiang Mai: The Ancient Capital of The North
Day 1: Arrival
As you arrive in the Northern city of Thailand, Chiang Mai, you’ll be quickly greeted by a tranquil vibe and fresh mountain air. The city is famous amongst backpackers and other travelers since it is rich in cultural sights and the perfect gateway for adventures.
Make your way over to the Old City, since this is the best area to stay. Both the train station and the airport are only a short bus or taxi ride away. You will pass by the ruins of the city walls as you arrive in the main center. It is filled with restaurants, bars, historical and cultural sights.
Check into your accommodation, and depending on the time you have, start strolling around the little alleys and visit a night market (the Night Market on Rachadamnoen Road or Ploen Ruedee Night Market).
Day 2: Doi Suthep Temple and National Park
Wake up early for this one! The iconic Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (oh and if you’re new to Thailand, if you read “Wat”, it means temple) is really most beautiful before peak times.
How to get there? Take a taxi or wait for a shared songthaew (the red open trucks – they wait until they have 8-10 passengers and you’ll pay 40-50 baht per person). There is also a hike, starting from the Chiang Mai University or the Chiang Mai Zoo. We opted for the latter for some extra activity. It is a 5km hike.
What makes this temple so special? It is located at the top of a mountain with a beautifully gold plated stupa and excellent views. You’ll need to do 306 steps to reach the top.
Entrance fee: 50 baht
Opening hours: 6am – 8pm
After this cultural sight, let’s continue with a more adventurous one.
What most people don’t realize is that Doi Suthep is actually a national park. From the temple, go a bit further down to the Park office, and hike around 3.5km on a jungle trail to the Mon Tha Than waterfall.
Continuing with the Mon Tha Than Waterfall Trail, you can hike a loop that will bring you past 2 other waterfalls (Sai Yoi). Be aware this trail is more dense and an extra 2km. Use maps.me to see the trail, since it is not visible on Google Maps. Make sure you are fueled and hydrated before you start.
Entrance fee National Park: 100 baht – per vehicle + 30 baht
Day 3: Chiang Mai Old City
Have a slow morning, since that is what the peaceful town is all about. Maybe try a morning yoga or meditation class, or go for a massage. After breakfast it is time to finally explore the charming Old Town of Chiang Mai. On today’s list are ancient temples and quaint coffee shops. Get ready to be amazed by the world of Buddhism and old traditions.
Temples to visit:
- Wat Chedi Luang
- Wat Phantao
- Wat Phra Singh
- Wat Jet Lin
Where to eat in Chiang Mai:
- Breakfast/coffee: Blue Diamond The Breakfast Club, The Moon Eatery, Into the Woods
- Lunch/dinner: Always Thaifood (local food), Khao Soy Maesai (local food), Accha Indian Restaurant, Ploen Ruedee Night Market
- Drinks: Hardcocktail Bar, The North Gate Jazz Co-op, Soldier Bar
Where to stay in Chiang Mai: basically anywhere within the “square” of the old town, or right outside of it. If you open Chiang Mai on Google Maps, it is very clear what we mean.
Day 4-6 Pai: Modern Hippie Town
Day 4: Travel day: Chiang mai to Pai
Since the drive from Chiang Mai to Pai is around 6 hours long, it’s best to book an early bus. Pretty much at every homestay or ho(s)tel, you can book a seat in one of the white vans leaving from Chiang Mai, or you can book it online (via 12go.asia). We recommend securing a spot around 2 days before leaving. Alternatively you can book a private taxi.
It is a though one but try to look outside and enjoy the picturesque landscapes and mountain roads.
Read this! If you have the slightest sensitivity to road sickness, we recommend taking a tablet. It is a long drive with strong curvy, windy roads for the most part. And if your driver is like ours, he won’t take it easy.
Upon arrival it will probably be time for late lunch or dinner in Pai. Take it easy and visit the Pai Night Market (on Chai Songkhram Road).
Day 5: Pai by foot
This itinerary cover two days in Pai, and getting around by motorcycle is the easiest. However, we love to add in some activity and explored the first day by foot. From the center of Pai, start walking to the North East of the town and pass by the following places:
- Ban Mai Saha Samphan: a tiny, charming village with a local Chinese community. They have seemed to built a part of the village specifically for tourists. Try to avoid that part (you’ll know when you see the souvenir stalls).
- Yun Lai Viewpoint: 20 baht entrance for a beautiful view. There is a restaurant next to it.
- Mo Pang Waterfall: small waterfall with the possibility to take a refreshing swim. 100 baht entrance fee.
In total this is a 15km walk. If you skip the waterfall, it is a bit less than 10km.
Alternatively you could visit the Nam Lod Cave, but you would definitely need to hire a motorcycle for this. It is 1 – 1,5 hour drive.
End the day with a beautiful sunset and refreshing drink at Two Huts Pai.
Day 6: Driving around Pai
Try to spent at least one day by driving around since you will be able to see far more. Here is a suggested list, in combination with day 1, you will have seen most gems of Pai.
- Big Buddha Pai
- Sai Ngam Hot Springs
- Wat Si Don Chai
- Pai Canyon (sunset)
You could add the Bamboo bridge to your list. Our honest opinion is that it felt more like a tourist trap with cheesy photo spots, and the road there it isn’t the easiest. Though, it might be worth it if you are certain the ricefields are bright green. We were there during dry season.
Motorcycle Rental Shops: (tip: wake up early because Pai tends to run out of motorcycles… the available shops can’t always keep up with the amount of tourists).
Taxi: Taxis are difficult to find around Pai, but we saw a few locals driving around with a selfmade TukTuk.
Where to eat Pai:
- Coffee/breakfast: Rainy Cafe, Bom Bowls, Fat Cat Cafe, Breakthefast
- Lunch/dinner: Na’s kitchen (local food), Maya Burger Queen, Witching Well (Italian food), Cafecito (Mexican food), Ci Xin Jai (local food, vegan), Khao Soi Restaurant (local food)
- Drinks: Sunset Bar, R Jah dee Studio, Jikko Bar, Spirit Bar
Day 7-8 Chiang Dao
Day 7: Travel day: Pai to Chiang Dao
Taking a minivan to Chiang Dao isn’t as obvious as taking one to Chiang Mai since it is more off the beaten track. Not every ho(s)tel will be able to help you.
Go to the Pai Bus station and ask for a ticket to “Mae Ma Lai” (Mae Taeng), they will know which van to put you on. The mini vans are used as “public buses” by locals.
Price: 150 baht
From the Mae Malai terminal, walk to the Mai Malai market around the corner. The market is located on a busy road that leads to Chiang Dao. In front of the police station, next to the market there is a bus stop. You’ll have to ask every bus driver that passes if they stop in Chiang Dao. The police even helped us to get on the right bus. We had to wait for about an hour.
Price: 40 baht
Day 8: Exploring the surroundings of Chiang Dao
The town of Chiang Dao is slightly upcoming but apart from some homestays, coffee bars and a local market, it isn’t that much. However, there are some gems well worth a visit, and after the popular Pai, it is nice to not be surrounded by many tourists.
- Giant Trees Alley
- Wat Tham Chiang Dao & Chiang Dao Cave
- Wat Tham Pha Plong
- Chiang Dao Hot Springs
Where to eat: KAMP (coffee), VELAR, Microkosmos Craft Beer & Burger bar
Day 9-10: Doi Chiang Dao Trek
The main reason we stopped in the town of Chiang Dao, was to embark on a two day jungle/mountain trek to the peak of Doi Chiang Dao. Unfortunately, due to burning season we were not allowed to go.
Doi Chiang Dao is the third highest peak of Thailand, and is surrounded by lush jungle. In general, the trek is open from November until January and nowadays you are obligated to join an official guide. The foot of the mountain is located in Chiang Dao.
We recommend to do at least one jungle trek when you travel North Thailand. We heard this area has the most impressive views (and we could tell driving around the village). Alternatively, and more popular, is booking a jungle trek from Chiang Mai.
If you are not quite ready to make a commitment to the jungle or a strong hike. Doi Lhung Chiang Dao Viewpoint in Chiang Dao is reachable by car or motorcycle, and has a great view over the mountain range.
Google maps can be confusing since there are multiple pins with the same name. So here’s an overview of the places mentioned:
- Doi (Luang) Chiang Dao or ยอดดอยหลวงเชียงดาว
- Doi Luang Chiang Dao Campground
- The town of Chiang Dao
- Doi Lhung Chiang Dao Viewpoint
Day 11-14 Chiang Rai
Day 11: Chiang Dao to Chiang Rai
Expect a full day for your journey to Chiang Rai, the driving will take around 4 to 5 hours. We ended up needing to take 3 buses.
- Go to the Chiang Dao bus station and buy a ticket to Fang. (1 hour – 60 baht)
- From Fang, hop on a bus to Mae Chan (+/- 2 hours – 140 baht)
- Here you can take a last bus to the city of Chiang Rai (+/- 1 hour – 25 baht).
Day 12: Historic sights of Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai is another Northern city close to the border of Myanmar and Laos. It is older and less visited by tourists than Chiang Mai. It has a bigger and busier feel, and much is to be discovered.
The must-do-sights can be done in two days. Or packed into one day, if you have plans to do an adventurous day trip around Chiang Rai.
- Clock Tower: since 2005 this golden piece stands tall at a central roundabout. It performs a light show up at 7, 8 and 9pm at night, every day.
- Wat Phra Kaew Chiang Rai or Temple of The Emerald Buddha: one of the oldest Buddhist temples in the North of Thailand. The original Emerald Buddha was discovered here, in 1434, and you can still find an exact copy of it. However, the real one lies in The Grand Palace, Bangkok. There is an interesting museum on site.
Entrance fee: free – Opening hours: 6am – 7pm - Blue Temple (Wat Rong Suea Ten): a recently renewed/renovated temple, popular because of it’s completely blue exterior and interior. Together with the golden and white details the Blue Temple makes for an interesting look.
Entrance fee: free – Opening hours: 6am – 6pm
Day 13: Cultural or adventure
If you are not templed out yet, we suggest going the following interesting temples or museums. They are a bit outside of the center, but well worth a visit:
- Baan Dam Museum or Black House: a private art museum that consists of 40 houses spread over a green site. It is home to many different sculptures and paintings. The most popular sight is a wooden house, representing the traditional architecture of North Thailand.
Entrance fee: 80 baht – Opening hours: 9am – 5pm - White Temple (Wat Rong Khun): a recent temple rebuilt, and going on project of the famous artist Chalermchai Kositpipat. He plans on creating 9 buildings in total. The white temple is known for the remarkable fully white exterior and interior, surrounded by interesting “darkt themed” sculptures. It is very unique looking and impressive. It might feel more like a museum than an actual, traditional temple.
Entrance fee: 50 baht – Opening hours: 8am – 6pm
Or plan a day trip to Pu Chi Fa viewpoint & surrounding area if you are craving some more hiking and being in nature.
Where to eat in Chiang Rai:
- Breakfast/coffee: Laan-Tim’s cafe, The Hungry Nest, Couple Cups CEI
- Lunch/dinner: Barrab Restaurant (local food), ครัวโกเบย์ (local food), Kunda Vegan cafe (burgers, vegan), Oasis Vegetarian (local food), Heaven Burger, Walking street Chiang Rai (local food)
Day 14: Leave to next destination
And so, these two weeks have probably flown by. Leave Chiang Rai with a heart filled with memories of cultural wonders, nature’s finest and delicious dishes. They will last you a lifetime!
Extra Things To Do
- Mae Hong Son: a motorcycle loop starting from and ending in Chiang Mai, passing by Pai.
- Doi Inthanon National Park & Mae Ya Waterfall (also from Chiang Mai)
- Mae Taeng River area: Jungle Trek (leaving from Chiang Mai)
After reading this post, you will hopefully have an idea on how to travel North Thailand and where to go. This beautiful region has so much to offer!
