Best Chiang Mai cultural experiences

Chiang Mai is the largest city in northern Thailand. The city is surrounded by mountains and forests, approximately 300 kilometers above sea level and approximately 700 kilometers from Bangkok. Chiang Mai is home to many historically and culturally interesting sites and temples. The city, also referred to as the “Rose of the North”, has a reputation for its cool weather, pretty girls, historic temples, and mountainous jungle surroundings.

Chiang Mai is one of the favorite destinations in Thailand for its unique cultural, culinary, and lifestyle experiences.

Visit the old city wall: Chiang Mai's old city with brick walls, protective moats, and the fortress makes the ancient atmosphere. The first wall was built here in the late 13th century, but the remaining present fortresses were from the 18th century, which are rebuilt many times. This is an ideal place for you to take a walk under the trees and discover interesting secrets. 

Explore the museum: Formed in 1296, Chiang Mai has a turbulent history. This was the capital of the Kingdom of Lan Na before being abandoned and gradually merged into the Kingdom of Siam. To learn more, you can visit the Museum of Arts and Culture, the historic center or the Lanna Folklore Museum right near the old town. 

Going to the market: The lively markets are ideal places for tourists to feel the life of Chiang Mai. You can stroll at Muang Mai wholesale fruit and vegetable market, try dried fruits or Thai tea. Local markets often appear at dawn, in which the crowded area is located at the city gate, with many delicacies for you to enjoy such as sai oua sausage or nam phrik num sauce. 

At night, the markets is deal to try street food, such as rice and stew dishes at Chiang Phuak night market. In addition, this is also a place to sell local handicraft items and souvenirs for visitors. 

Culinary experience: Traveling to Chiang Mai, tourists should try the typical Khao Soi. This is the ideal lunch, with soft and crunchy noodles, filled with curry-flavored broth made from chicken or pork. Other popular dishes are kaeng hang lay - stewed pork curry simmered with ginger; or miang kham, including green mango, onions, peanuts, and ginger rolled in betel leaf. 

Buy handicrafts: Southern Thailand is famous for its unique crafts. You can buy hand-woven silk scarves, silverware, pottery, umbrellas... at the "walking streets" for weekends such as Wualai Street or Ratchadamnoen Street. In addition, visitors can also go to the factories to learn about the process of making these products. 

Visit temples and pagodas: Chiang Mai and the surrounding area have about 300 large and small temples, with colorful tiled roofs and impressive Buddhist-themed carvings. Some favorite temples of tourists are Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang with unique architecture. In addition, smaller temples also have many interesting things for visitors to explore. 

Attend the festival: Chiang Mai has many festivals throughout the year, in which the most famous are the Songkran water festival and the Loy Krathong lantern festival. However, you can experience indigenous culture at smaller festivals such as the spring flower festival or the Inthakin festival in the summer. 

Learning new skills: If you are a good learner, Chiang Mai is an ideal destination for you. The city has many attractive and affordable courses like cooking, massage, meditation or boxing. You also have many opportunities to try as a jeweler, a silk weaver or a yoga instructor. 

Visit the golden temple Wat Doi Suthep: Doi Suthep is a 1,000 m high mountain located in the west of Chiang Mai and is home to the sacred temple of Wat Doi Suthep. From here, you can view the city and Ping valley below. You can spend the night at a tent in a national park and go hiking and sightseeing. 

To book a tour to Chiang Mai or any destination in Thailand, you can contact Travel Authentic Asia via email: [email protected] or WhatApp: +84 912221442. Travel Authentic Asia is the tailor made tour operator based in Vietnam since 2011, which has delivered excellent travel experiences up to 4000 travellers over the world.