The Navel City Pillar of Chiang Rai is an outdoor monument beside Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong on a low hill near the city centre. Its central pillar and 108 surrounding pillars form a distinctive arrangement, with...
Chiang Mai Attractions
Chiang Mai is one of northern Thailand’s most rewarding destinations for culture, nature and outdoor experiences, with attractions ranging from centuries-old temples and lively markets to national parks, waterfalls and mountain adventures. The current Chiang Mai Travel Hub inventory is organised across major themes including temples, nature, national parks, waterfalls, museums, shopping, hot springs, elephants, adventure and general activities.
The city itself is strongest for temples, markets and cultural attractions, while the surrounding province opens up into mountains, forests and rural areas. That means visitors can easily combine Old City sightseeing with day trips to Doi Suthep, Doi Inthanon, Mae Rim, waterfalls, hot springs and adventure attractions.
Explore Chiang Mai Attractions
- Temples and heritage – Visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh and other important Lanna temples across the city and surrounding hills.
- Nature and national parks – Explore Doi Inthanon, mountain viewpoints, forest trails and protected areas throughout northern Thailand.
- Markets and shopping – Browse Sunday Walking Street, night markets, local produce markets and modern shopping areas for food, crafts and souvenirs.
- Waterfalls and hot springs – Add Sticky Waterfalls, mountain cascades and geothermal attractions to a wider Chiang Mai itinerary.
- Adventure and family activities – Choose from ziplining, trekking, rafting, wildlife experiences, water parks and other outdoor attractions beyond the city centre.
Browse the listings below to discover Chiang Mai temples, nature attractions, markets, adventure experiences and the best places to visit across northern Thailand.
The Navel City Pillar of Chiang Rai
Rop Wiang, Mueang Chiang Rai
Pha Soet Hot Spring
Doi Hang, Mueang Chiang RaiPha Soet Hot Spring, also known as Doi Hang Onsen, is a mineral-bathing destination in Ban Pha Soet Phatthana west of Chiang Rai. An outdoor communal pool and private bathing facilities offer different ways to enjoy the...
Huai Nam Rin Lahu Village
Mae Chedi Mai, Wiang Pa PaoHuai Nam Rin Lahu Village is a highland community in Mae Chedi Mai, Wiang Pa Pao district, Chiang Rai province. The community hosts the Sunshine Network’s Thai massage courses, which bring students from Chiang Mai...
Oub Kham Museum
Rop Wiang, Mueang Chiang RaiOub Kham Museum is a privately established collection in Chiang Rai’s Den Ha area, with royal objects, textiles, silverwork and religious art connected to Lanna and neighbouring Tai cultures. Founder Julasak...
Chiang Saen National Museum
Wiang, Chiang SaenChiang Saen National Museum gives context to the Buddha images, ruined temples and older settlement remains around Chiang Saen. Its collections bring together archaeology and Lanna art, making it a useful place to visit...
Phu Chi Fa Forest Park
Tap Tao, ThoengPhu Chi Fa is a mountain viewpoint in Chiang Rai Province, known for a pointed cliff and sunrise views across the border towards Laos. When conditions suit, mist fills the valleys beneath the ridgeline; on clearer...
Doi Luang National Park
Mae Yen, PhanDoi Luang National Park protects a large mountain and forest landscape spanning Chiang Rai, Phayao and Lampang. Waterfall walks are its most accessible visitor experiences, while the Doi Luang-Doi Nok mountain route...
Khun Chae National Park
Mae Chedi Mai, Wiang Pa PaoKhun Chae National Park protects forested mountains, streams and waterfalls in Wiang Pa Pao, Chiang Rai Province, northeast of Chiang Mai. The landscape rises from wooded valleys to high ridges, making the park a choice...
Doi Hua Mae Kham
Mae Salong Nai, Mae Fa LuangDoi Hua Mae Kham is a highland area near the Thai-Myanmar border in Mae Fa Luang district, Chiang Rai. Its mountain views, villages and seasonal yellow bua tong flowers reward a carefully planned journey beyond the...
Doi Sa Ngo
Si Don Mun, Chiang SaenDoi Sa Ngo is a hillside viewpoint and community tourism area in Chiang Saen district, Chiang Rai province. It looks across the border-country landscape towards Thailand, Laos and Myanmar, with hills, lowlands and...
Khun Korn Waterfall
Huai Chomphu, Mueang Chiang RaiKhun Korn Waterfall is a tall forest cascade southwest of Chiang Rai, reached by a roughly 1.4-kilometre walking trail from the ranger and parking area. The approach through shaded vegetation is part of the appeal...
Central Chiangrai
Rob Wiang, Mueang Chiang RaiCentral Chiangrai, formerly known as CentralPlaza Chiang Rai, is a shopping centre on Phahonyothin Road south of Chiang Rai’s city centre. It combines department-store shopping, supermarket supplies, restaurants...
Chiang Rai Walking Street
Wiang, Mueang Chiang RaiChiang Rai Walking Street turns Thanalai Road into a Saturday-evening market of food, handicrafts, clothing and local entertainment. Also called Kad Chiang Hai Ram Luk, it gives you a longer street-based browse than the...
Wat Klang Wiang
Wiang, Mueang Chiang RaiWat Klang Wiang is one of Thailand’s most ostentatious temple, thanks to the elaborate pattern work on each and every structure on location.
Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong
Rop Wiang, Mueang Chiang RaiWat Phra That Doi Chom Thong has been one of the most sacred sites in Thailand. It is the abode of spirits prior to the spread of Buddhism in the region.
Wat Phra That Doi Tung
Huai Khrai, Mae SaiWat Phrathat Doi Tong, also Wat Phra Maha Chinathat Chao, is situated at the peak of Doi Din Daeng, and is believed to be the site of the first chedi.
Wat Phra That Pha Ngao
Wiang, Chiang SaenWat Phra That Pha Ngao combines a wooded hillside temple with broad views over the Mekong near Chiang Saen. Its lower shrines invite a slower look at Buddhist images and Lanna woodwork, while the upper grounds bring the...
Dhanabadee Ceramic Museum
Phra Bat, Mueang LampangDhanabadee Ceramic Museum in Lampang tells the story of the familiar rooster-patterned bowl used in noodle shops and homes across Thailand. Its guided visit connects that everyday object with local clay, family craft...
Wat Phra Phutthabat Sutthawat
Wichet Nakhon, Chae HomWat Phra Phutthabat Sutthawat is the mountain temple in Lampang commonly known as Wat Chaloem Phra Kiat, or the Floating Pagodas. White and golden stupas stand on sharp limestone peaks above Chae Hom, creating one of...
Wat Chedi Sao Lang
Ton Thong Chai, Mueang LampangWat Chedi Sao Lang is a temple near Lampang named for its group of twenty chedis. The clustered white stupas and gilded details are its defining sight, bringing Lanna and Burmese architectural influences together in a...
Wat Pong Sanuk
Wiang Nuea, Mueang LampangWat Pong Sanuk is a historic temple in Lampang whose raised sanctuary and carefully restored timber pavilion reward a close look. The best-known section is Wat Pong Sanuk Nuea, or the northern temple, where the chedi...
Doi Khun Tan National Park
Tha Pla Duk, Mae ThaDoi Khun Tan National Park occupies forested mountains between Lamphun and Lampang, southeast of Chiang Mai. Its defining outing combines the Northern Line railway at Khun Tan with an uphill walk into the park and a...
Pai Memorial Bridge
Mae Hi, PaiPai Memorial Bridge, also called Tha Pai Memorial Bridge, is a steel pedestrian bridge over the Pai River beside Highway 1095, about 9-10km south of Pai. Its truss frame, river setting and wartime associations make it a...
Pai Village Farm
Mae Hi, PaiPai Village Farm is a small garden-and-animal attraction associated with Pai Village Boutique Resort. A stroll among fruit plants, flowers and animals offers a gentle break from Pai’s shops and roads, with sheep...
Coffee in Love
Thung Yao, PaiCoffee in Love is a hillside café beside Route 1095, a few kilometres south of Pai. Coffee, cake and the view across the valley are the main reasons to stop, with the neighbouring yellow European-style house adding a...
Love Strawberry Pai
Thung Yao, PaiLove Strawberry Pai is a strawberry-themed cafe and photo stop on Route 1095 south of Pai. Large berry decorations, the Love Strawberry Pai sign and views towards the surrounding hills make it a colourful place to break...
Pai Chinese Village
Wiang Tai, PaiPai Chinese Village, better known as Santichon Village, is a Yunnanese Chinese community about four kilometres west of Pai in Mae Hong Son province. Visitors come for Chinese-style buildings, tea, regional food and a...
Pai River
Wiang Tai, PaiThe Pai River winds through Pai’s valley landscape, giving the town a riverside setting and a starting point for several different outdoor experiences. A relaxed view from a riverside cafe, a guided bamboo-raft...
Lod Cave
Tham Lot, Pang MaphaLod Cave, also called Tham Lod or Tham Lot, is a river cave near Soppong in Pang Mapha District, Mae Hong Son Province. A guided visit combines lamp-lit limestone chambers with a bamboo-raft journey along the stream...
Yun Lai Viewpoint
Wiang Tai, PaiYun Lai Viewpoint looks across the Pai valley from the hillside above Santichon, the town’s Yunnanese Chinese village. Fields, scattered buildings and mountain ridges fill the panorama, with sunrise bringing the...
Mo Paeng Waterfall
Mae Na Toeng, PaiMo Paeng Waterfall is a forest waterfall near Ban Mo Paeng, about 10 kilometres west of Pai in Mae Hong Son Province. Its stepped cascades, broad rock surfaces and pools make it a popular countryside outing from town...
Chedi Phra That Mae Yen
Mae Hi, PaiChedi Phra That Mae Yen is the hilltop temple east of Pai known for its large white seated Buddha. The statue looks out across the valley, while the climb to its platform gives visitors a chance to take in the town...
Lanna Folklife Centre
Si Phum, Mueang Chiang MaiLanna Folklife Centre, also widely known as Lanna Folklife Museum, explores the beliefs, craftsmanship and everyday traditions of northern Thailand. Its displays give meaning to details you may already have seen around...
Wat Phan On
Phra Sing, Mueang Chiang MaiWat Phan On is a small Buddhist temple just inside Chiang Mai’s eastern Old City, a short walk west of Tha Phae Gate. A bright golden chedi, decorated assembly hall and tree-shaded courtyard make it an appealing...
Lanna Architecture Centre
Phra Sing, Mueang Chiang MaiThe Lanna Architecture Centre occupies Khum Chao Burirat in the heart of Chiang Mai’s Old City. Also called KHUM Museum, it combines a historic nobleman’s residence with exhibitions about the region’s...
Wat Chai Phrakiat
Si Phum, Mueang Chiang MaiWat Chai Phrakiat is a small Buddhist temple on Ratchadamnoen Road in Chiang Mai’s Old City, a short distance east of Wat Phra Singh. Its compact layout makes it easy to add to a walk, while the mix of Lanna and...
Wat Fon Soi
Phra Sing, Mueang Chiang MaiWat Fon Soi is a small Lanna temple just inside the southern part of Chiang Mai’s Old City. Its naga stairway, decorated assembly hall and white-and-gold chedi make it a worthwhile pause on a walk north from...
Wat Khuan Khama
Si Phum, Mueang Chiang MaiWat Khuan Khama is the Golden Horse Temple on Sri Poom Road, just inside Chiang Mai’s northern Old City moat. Golden horse statues at the entrance and along the wall make it easy to recognise, while the compact...
Wat Muen Nguen Kong
Phra Sing, Mueang Chiang MaiWat Muen Nguen Kong is a Buddhist temple in the southwestern part of Chiang Mai’s Old City, reached from the Samlan Road area. Its reclining Buddha, decorated Lanna halls and golden chedi make it a rewarding stop...
Wat Pan Waen
Phra Sing, Mueang Chiang MaiWat Pan Waen is a small active temple in the southern part of Chiang Mai’s Old City, where an unusually decorated white chedi rewards a closer look. The shaded grounds and ornate assembly hall make it a worthwhile...
What are the top attractions in Chiang Mai?
Popular attractions include Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Wat Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai Old City, Doi Inthanon National Park and the city's famous walking streets and night markets.
What is Chiang Mai best known for?
Chiang Mai is best known for its historic temples, Lanna culture, mountain scenery, markets, northern Thai food and easy access to nature and adventure experiences.
What can you do for free in Chiang Mai?
Popular free options include Tha Phae Gate, One Nimman, Sunday Walking Street and several temples and natural attractions, although donation or parking charges may apply at some locations.
How many days do you need in Chiang Mai?
Three to five days gives most visitors enough time to explore the Old City, major temples, markets and at least one or two day trips into the surrounding mountains or countryside.