Chiang Mai
Capital Of The Lanna Kingdom, Founded In 1296; The Moated Old City Keeps Its Gates And Brick Walls · Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai
The old capital of the Lanna kingdom and the cultural heart of northern Thailand, founded by King Mangrai in 1296 on a plain beneath the forested mountain of Doi Suthep. Its old city is a near-perfect square ringed by a moat and the remains of brick walls, entered through restored gates such as Tha Phae, and packed with more than thirty temples, from the gilded Lanna halls of Wat Phra Singh to the vast ruined chedi of Wat Chedi Luang and the dark teak hall of Wat Phan Tao. High on the mountain above, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep looks out over the valley from the top of a long naga staircase. The city's weekend walking streets, the Night Bazaar and Warorot market sell northern crafts, while khao soi curry noodles and sai ua sausage are the dishes to hunt down. Cafes line Nimmanhaemin Road, cooking schools and elephant sanctuaries fill the countryside, and the lantern festivals of Yi Peng and Loy Krathong light the November sky. Come in the cool season; the smoky burning season from about February to April can make the air unhealthy.
Tha Phae Gate, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: old-city temples open from about 6 or 7 am to 5 or 6 pm, with halls often closed at lunchtime or late afternoon; Wat Phra That Doi Suthep from about 6 am to 6 or 8 pm. The Sunday Walking Street runs on Sundays from about 4 or 5 pm to 10 or 11 pm, the Wualai Saturday market on Saturdays at similar times, and the Night Bazaar every evening. Warorot market runs from early morning to evening. Traps: the burning-season smoke from about February to April, Songkran water fights in mid-April, sold-out rooms at Yi Peng, khao soi shops that sell out by early afternoon, and temples that close halls for ceremonies.