Chiang Mai Ventures | Temple Hopping Travel Guide
Let Chiang Mai the culture capital of northern Thailand fascinate you through a travel venture you’ve never experienced any place else before!
Chiang Mai is a charming city surrounded by lush green mountains and dotted with some of the most stunning temples you’ll find in Thailand. The city has a very laid-back atmosphere, and is a hub of culture offering good vibes and delightful food.
Chiang Mai city was built in 1296, and made to be the capital of the Lan Na Kingdom by the ruler King Mengrai. The Old City in Chiang Mai is unique in that it has a brick walled square moat and gates that were built to defend the city against the Burmese army. As ancient you might think Chiang Mai is, it has now merged with modish trends, all of which complement the city’s history in a unique way. You can spend the day strolling the city streets and hopping around the numerous temples that Chiang Mai is home to. There are over 300 temples (Wats) in Chiang Mai, with over 35 of them being in the Old City – each one of them intricately beautiful in their own way and full of surprises!
✈️🚆🚌 How to get to Chiang Mai?
You can either fly in from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport (DMK) which is a quick 1 hour 10 minutes journey (THB 1200 / USD 36), or opt for the longer and more scenic route on the train which takes around 12-13 hours (THB 650-1000 / USD 20-30), with overnight sleeper berths also available. Private buses are another alternative (THB 500-800 / USD 15-24) but we don’t recommend it because they aren’t so comfortable for a 10-hour journey.
Pro Tip: We suggest paying THB 400-500 (USD 12-15) extra and hopping on a flight, which is the quickest and most convenient option to get to Chiang Mai 😉
🚕 Hailing a Grab is the best way to get around Chiang Mai city; and since many of the temples and sights are next to one other, walking around the city is just as fun of a way to explore it. Make sure to catch hold of a good city map, or download it on your phone and mark the sights you want to visit. Keep Google Maps handy!
🚀 Wiang Kum Kam
The previous capital of the Lan Na Kingdom, Wiang Kum Kam was established in 1281 and is situated 5km south-east of Chiang Mai. Having been destroyed by flooding from the Ping River in 1294, it was only rediscovered in 1984 😲. Today, it is a prominent sight to visit in Chiang Mai, as visitors get to witness the excavated ruins of the underground lost ancient city. Hail a Grab to get here from the city; and hop on a horse-drawn carriage (THB 300 / USD 9) or an excursion cart for a guided tour of the extensive archaeological site. Tours take around 45-60 minutes. Alternatively, walking or renting a bicycle (THB 50 / USD 1.5) are feasible options as well for those who prefer it! Here is a map of the area.
🕣 Opening Hours: 8:00am – 5:00pm daily 🎫 Entry fee: Free
Wiang Kum Kam
Horse-drawn carriages for guided tours of Wiang Kum Kam
Don’t forget to check out the Wat Chedi Liam complex at the starting point of Wiang Kum Kam, where the five-tiered chedi set on a square base is located, as well as the beautiful red and gold temple.
Wat Chedi Liam - Temple of the square chedi
🚀 Wat Lok Moli
The Wat Lok Moli is located just outside of the old walled city, and is also known as the Elephant Temple. The temple grounds is brimming full of symbolism and ornate architecture. There is a towering chedi behind the temple, one of the tallest in the city, containing ashes of the last Mengrai Dynasty Kings. It has a rope pulley with a bamboo canister attached in which devotees/visitors can fill water to deliver it up on the monument as an offering. You’ll find plenty of brick structures in the vicinity embellished with carvings, adding an aesthetic charm to the old temple that dates back to the 1300s.
🕣 Opening Hours: 6:00am – 5:00pm daily 🎫 Entry fee: Free
Wat Lok Moli - Elephant Temple
🚀 Wat Rajamontean
Wat Rajamontean is located right across Wat Lok Moli on the north side of the Old City and is accessible by the wooden pedestrian bridge. Also known as the Dragon Temple, the big Buddha statue against the blue sky and the beautifully detailed burgundy-golden temple with dragon statues on the front offers a scene that will bedazzle you.
Wat Rajamontean
From the wooden bridge, the view of the city’s canal has a feel of the canals of Amsterdam to it. Stunning, to say the least!
🚀 Wat Khuan Khama
Also known as the Horse Temple, Wat Khuan Khama is just a minute walk from Wat Rajamontean. The temple’s complex is quite small, but has few golden horse statues that were built in memory of the soldiers’ beloved horses. The intricately colourful exterior of the temple will leave you in awe of its dazzling beauty!
🚀 Three Kings Monument Square
Straight and to the left, about 12 minutes walk from Wat Khuan Khama, is the Three Kings Monument Square at the heart of Chiang Mai Old City. It features bronze statues of King Mengrai and his two friends who helped him build the city in the late 1200s, King Ramkamhaeng of Sukothai and King Ngam Muang of Payao. You’ll find a few flame trees in the area, which are the royal poinciana orange blossoms giving off a Japanese flair against orange brick roofs of the traditional buildings that have a Chinese feel to them. So many cross-culture observances!
🚀 Wat Phan Tao
The Relic of the Lord Buddha and Arahants can be found at Wat Phantao, which is a 4-minute walk from the Square. The temple is made out of teak and has golden accents, a striking architecture sure to mesmerize you! The golden Buddha statue against the exterior of the front side of the dark teak temple is an astonishing sight. There is a garden and a pond on the back side of the temple where the monks spend time chanting and gardening.
🕣 Opening Hours: 6:00am – 5:00pm daily 🎫 Entry fee: Free
🚀 Wat Chedi Luang
Walk for another 4 minutes and reach Wat Chedi Luang. Being the most famous temple complex of the Old City, Wat Chedi Luang is known as The Temple of the Great Stupa housing the ruined 60 metres high Lanna-style chedi that was built in 1441. The complex is also home to Chiang Mai’s reclining Buddha, and where the Emerald Buddha was previously housed before it was shifted to What Phra Kaew in Bangkok. The Grand Hall (Wat Chedi Luang Varaviharn) is a large prayer hall in the vicinity where heaps of devotees come to pray and offer flowers and fruits. You’ll also find people whispering their prayers as they place a coin in each one of the 108 prayer bowls for good luck.
🕣 Opening Hours: 6:00am – 5:00pm daily 🎫 Entry fee: Free
🚀 Wat Sri Suphan
Located towards the south and outside the city walls, in a corner of Wua Lai alleyways is the absolutely spectacular Silver Temple – a 10-minute drive or 20-minute walk from Wat Chedi Luang. This place is an important centre preserving the silversmith tradition of the city. The temple is astonishing at night, with the crafted silver monument shining beautifully against the coloured lighting. Oddly, women are not allowed inside the ordination hall.
Monks in saffron robes populate the vicinity and are available to chat from 5:30pm till 7:00pm, after which visitors are welcome to join the group chanting and meditation until 9:00pm. The aura in the air is palpable during the meditation; it distracts you from the sort of materialistic atmosphere into a more ephemeral spiritual zone.
One of the monks told us about a dream he had in which Lord Ganesha appeared and ordered him to build His statue in front of the Silver Temple; the monk had to give in to the request because he trembled with the fear of being cursed if he did not obey the God’s order. What an interesting story, and yet another case of cross-culturalism 🐘!
🕣 Opening Hours: 6:00am – 9:00pm daily 🎫 Entry fee: THB 50 in the afternoon or free if you are attending the ceremony at night
Wat Sri Suphan - Silver Temple
Pro Tip: There are many QR code panels in and around the attractions of Chiang Mai that offer tourists information about that particular place or sight. Be sure to have a QR Scanner app handy to get some insightful information as you hop around sight-seeing.
QR code panel for tourist information
🚀 Chiang Mai Night Bazaar
End the day by visiting the city’s night bazaar that is open every night of the week. You’ll find dime a dozen vendors lined on the street of Chang Klan Road selling clothes, colourful handbags, jewellery, souvenirs, lamps, pillow cases, paintings, and heaps of local food varieties.
Chiang Mai is a total wanderlust that will stay embedded in your mind. There’s something mysteriously enchanting about the city, in a way that will leave you curious and radiant. We temple-hopped, taking in the beauty of every monument, acknowledging the quantum of efforts that went behind the development and construction of the sights that collectively make up what Chiang Mai is today. How inspiring it is that even though time goes on, the old works of people remain for new people to discover 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Chiang Mai also offers lots of delicious food varieties to indulge in. Read more about the best dishes we tried here.
Fascinating architecture! :O Thank you for the lovely read.