The best method to get around is to flag a red truck or a songthaew and ask if they are heading your direction and confirm the price of 20 baht. Because there is a lack of an official local bus system here, these red trucks are like buses but instead of taking you to a specific stop, they will take you wherever you need to go. Most drivers are honest, but there are some who see that you are a tourist and try to get a higher fare from you. The typical ride will start at 20 baht. The cost from Nimman to any of the night markets in the Old City (south and east quadrants) will cost 30-40 baht. Anywhere beyond that will be extra. You can even hire these red trucks for the day by asking if they will take you someplace and come to an agreement on pricing. Drivers hardly say no, but if they do, it is usually because they are not heading your direction, just flag the next one down and inquire or cross the street to the other side and try. Red trucks that are in motion tend to not jack up prices compared to those who are parked.

Try to avoid tuk tuks as they are a novelty and mostly tourists or locals who need to transport a large amount of goods use these. It’s nice to ride in once for the experience or use during traffic hours if you have somewhere really important you need to get to since they can zip around quicker than the red trucks, but other than that, they charge premium price. Rides usually start at around 100 baht, so negotiate as best you can.

The current rate (as of June 2016) is $1 USD = 35 Thai Baht. For travelers with tighter budgets, costs can be kept lower if eating local dishes, but cost of Western dishes are still cheaper compared to back home.

Thai people are very courteous, polite, and respectful and follow traditions closely. While visiting temples and interacting with monks, please observe the following and behave properly out of respect. Learning a few simple words in Thai will be beneficial for you and locals will be more appreciative that you try to speak their language.

• No shoes in the house or while visiting the interior of the temples. The feet are considered the dirtiest part of the body.
• Do not sit pointing your feet towards the Buddha statue or towards monks.
• Do not touch anyone’s head. The head is the most sacred part of the body and it is rude to touch it.
• Monks cannot be touched by women. Women must have their shoulders and knees covered when visiting temples. Women may not be allowed inside certain temples because they are considered unclean, especially during menstruation.

Temple Tour

With over 300 temples in Chiang Mai’s Old City, there is plenty to do to immerse yourself in the Buddhist religion and watch locals worship and pray. At some temples, you can also partake in “Chat with a Monk” sessions to speak directly with a monk or join in on a meditation retreat. Check out our list of top temples below.

Night Market

The night markets in Chiang Mai are the best that we experienced all throughout Thailand. The largest night market is the one held on Sunday. All night markets offer street food sold in stalls or from carts and clothing, souvenirs and gifts. There is also usually entertainment in the form of music and there are a lot of them who are blind musicians. Thai foot massage are also widely available at a very deep discount. Check out our list of night markets below.

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary

Book a visit with the elephants who were rescued from intense labor, being ridden on, being chained up and tortured with Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. You get to feed these gentle giants, give them a mud bath scrub, and bathe them under the waterfall. There are half-day (which is all you really need), full-day, and you can even train to be a mahout or elephant caretaker. There are numerous companies which offer elephant encounters. Please double check to make sure they are in no way treated cruelly. We looked at Elephant Nature Park and Happy Elephant Home but decided to go with the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary because we felt we got the most interaction with them and there was a photographer who took photos for us.

Elephant Poo Poo Paper Park

A great place to go and get your hands dirty and learn about how paper is made in an interactive process. You can also lend a hand and make your very own paper from elephant poo! See our post here for more information. The store sells amazing postcards and greeting cards made from elephant poo. There are some even made from panda poo as well.

Karen Hill Tribe Village

The location is right next door to the Elephant Poo Poo Paper Park and requires a 500 Thai Baht entry fee which takes you to a row of vendors selling scarves, brass jewelry, and other souvenirs made by these long necked ladies.

Thai Massage

At 200 THB (under $6), you can get a 1-hour full body massage. You can also get foot massages at the night markets for a lot less. The masseuse tend to get really close and intimate and a full body Thai massage is a strong massage to work out the kinks from deep kneading and stretching.

Sticky Waterfalls (Bua Thong Waterfalls)

You can scale up the face of the Bua Thong Waterfalls into the cascades because the rocks here have a porous surface made from minerals. This requires a 1-2 hour drive out and back.

Bo Sang Umbrella Village

You can watch the process of paper parasols or paper umbrellas and gigantic fans being made entirely by hand. From Saa paper being made, assembling parts using bamboo for the umbrella, gluing the paper, drying, and painting. There are also painters there who will paint on anything of yours for a small fee.

Thai Silk

Silk made in Thailand is beautiful. Here you can see silkworms in their phases of life, watch the silk being processed ready for coloring, threading, and weaving. There are many weaving machines and weavers creating silk fabric. After learning about the process of silk being made, you can visit their air conditioned store to view all the scarves, clothing, and accessories for sale. You can also have them custom make an outfit for you.

Silver Smithing

Make a quick visit to the silver-smithing area where silver jewelry, home decor and silver tiles are made right next door to the Thai Silk.

Chiang Mai Old City has over 300 temples, which would be challenging to see them all. As we have only been to a handful, we highly recommend Wat Umong, Wat Doi Suthep, Wat Chedi Luang, and Wat Sri Supahn. You can rent a bike for the day or walk around the Old City and visit the temples in Old Town or catch a carpool bus/taxi ride by songthaew or the red trucks who can take you there for a negotiated price, starting from 20 THB, with higher rates for the further the distances and whether you want them to wait for you.

North Gate Market

Here you will find the infamous cowboy hat lady, Anthony Bourdain visited, serving up a delectable dish of pork leg with egg over rice. Another item to try here at Thai Suki, for their Thai soup noodles.

Sunday Night Walking Market

The largest night market offering souvenirs and plenty of street food. Pick out what you like.

Saturday Night Walking Market

Smaller and a bit easier to navigate compared to the Sunday Night Walking Market.

Khao Soi Curry (ข้าวซอย)

This curry noodle soup is a locally made Chiang Mai dish (and can also be found in Chiang Rai). This mild coconut curry based soup is thinner than most curries from other regions of the world. It is served with soft egg noodles in the broth and it is decorated with crispy egg noodles on top. Toppings on the soup, like chicken, pork, beef, seafood, vegetarian or even some Northern Thai sausages are open for you to select. A side dish is served with the khao soi include a lime wedge, pickled cabbage and some chopped onions which you put inside your dish and enjoy the vibrant flavors and textures. Khao Soi can be found with street vendors or in restaurants and is more prevalent in Northern Thailand and can also be found in Chiang Rai. It has gained so much popularity that Bangkok also serves Khao Soi. Dishes range from 30-70 baht depending on where you eat.

Northern Thai Sausages (Sai Oua, ไส้อั่ว)

These tasty, spiced pork sausages are found everywhere in the North and are also known as “Chiang Mai Sausages.” The sausages fuse signature Thai flavors together and include sour notes from lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, heat from chillies and a kick from the galangal or ginger. These sausages are prepared in spiral lengths and are sold at street stalls, local markets, restaurants, and are found in a Khantoke Table while you enjoy the Northern Thai Cuisine while being entertained.

Fermented Pork Sausage (Naem, แหนม)

A minced pork and sticky rice sausage with a unique sour taste from a 2 day fermentation process. Flavoured with garlic and chilli this meaty treat is not so different to the better known Isan sausage from nearby North East regions. It is also one of the few Northern Foods common to Bangkok streets often found sizzling and skewered over hot charcoals at city street food vendors. While Naem can be eaten raw I would stick with the cooked option.

Mango/Durian Sticky Rice

Mango or durian with sticky rice is a great treat topped with condensed milk and crunchy coconut bits.

BBQ Kebabs

You will see a lot of various BBQ kebabs