After cramming as much as we could into our three days in Bangkok, it was time for a short flight north to Chiang Mai.
The second city on our Thailand trip, Chiang Mai, translates to ‘new city’. We stayed at Kantara Hills, which is conveniently near a main road with most things you could need, and only a short tuk tuk or taxi ride from the city centre.
Shopping
Chiang Mai has a completely different vibe to Bangkok, and we found it much nicer here. Again there are lots of shopping opportunities, tons of places to eat and many temples to visit. Nearest to where we were staying was shopping centre called Maya, which contained a small food court.
Food
The standards for street food seemed a little higher here than in Bangkok, and if you chose not to eat street food you will not be short of restaurants or bars. There are lots of dessert places in the more touristy areas, such as Guu Fusion Roti, and I even spotted a few vegetarian spots!
I also recommend booking the Kantoke experience the Old Cultural Chiang Mai Centre for some great food and traditional entertainment.
Breakfast at our hotel was really basic, and they have absolutely no idea how to cook eggs! If you’re after a good breakfast spot (with avocados!) then head on over to Smoothie Blues.
Temples
In the centre of town, in the old town square, there are over 50 temples as well as a large mosque by the night market. If you’re a bit “once you’ve seen one temple you’ve seen them all”, then you might not find them that interesting. We visited one slightly outside of the central city called Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.
Transport
Sadly there’s no Skytrain in Chiang Mai so expect to do most of your getting about via foot, taxi-bus, or tuk tuk. Tuk tuk drivers are some of the most cunning salesmen I have ever encountered. One cheeky driver insisted a journey was much farther than it really was and we ended up paying waaaaay more than we could have haggled for. Beware!
More posts on specific things to eat and do in Chiang Mai to follow!
