Three days in the old northern capital: a moated square of temples, a mountain temple above the city, and the craft villages and markets that fill the valley.
Chiang Mai · 3 days Thailand
Best time: November to February for cool dry days.
The old cityDay 1
⛩️9:00 AM
Wat Phra Singh
The most revered temple inside the moat, with a gilded Lanna-style assembly hall and a working monastery around it.
🚶 ~9 min · 🚗 ~1 min · 0.3 mi
⛩️12:30 PM
Wat Chedi Luang
The ruined fifteenth-century brick chedi at the centre of the old city, partly collapsed by an earthquake and left that way.
🚶 ~12 min · 🚗 ~1 min · 0.4 mi
🌆6:00 PM
Sunday Walking Street
If your stay covers a Sunday, the main east-west street closes to traffic and fills with craft stalls and food carts.
Doi Suthep and the westDay 2
⛩️8:30 AM
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
The mountain temple above the city, reached by road then a 300-step naga staircase, with the valley spread out below.
🚶 ~48 min · 🚗 ~6 min · 1.8 mi
📍1:00 PM
Huay Kaew Waterfall
A short forest walk on the lower slope of the same mountain, a cool break in the middle of the day.
🚶 ~35 min · 🚗 ~5 min · 1.3 mi
📍6:00 PM
Nimmanhaemin
The university-side district of coffee roasters, design shops and small bars, busiest in the early evening.
Crafts and the riverDay 3
📍9:30 AM
San Kamphaeng craft road
The road east of the city lined with umbrella, silk and silverware workshops where you can watch the making rather than just buy.
🚗 ~40 min · 11 mi
⛩️2:00 PM
Wat Umong
A forest monastery west of the moat with brick meditation tunnels and a wooded grounds full of birds.
🚗 ~11 min · 3.2 mi
📍6:30 PM
Night Bazaar
The nightly market along Chang Khlan Road, the older and more commercial of the city’s night markets.
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Best time to goNovember to February for cool dry days. March and April bring agricultural burning and heavy haze; the rains run roughly June to October.
Getting aroundRed songthaew shared trucks work as shared taxis on flagged-down routes; ride-hailing apps also operate. The old city inside the moat is small enough to walk.
Local tip: Temples here ask for covered shoulders and knees, and you remove your shoes at the door of every prayer hall. Carry slip-on shoes and it stops being a nuisance.
The same day-by-day plan as text. Times are starting points, not homework.
Day 1: The old city
9:00 AM
Wat Phra Singh
The most revered temple inside the moat, with a gilded Lanna-style assembly hall and a working monastery around it.
12:30 PM
Wat Chedi Luang
The ruined fifteenth-century brick chedi at the centre of the old city, partly collapsed by an earthquake and left that way.
6:00 PM
Sunday Walking Street
If your stay covers a Sunday, the main east-west street closes to traffic and fills with craft stalls and food carts.
Day 2: Doi Suthep and the west
8:30 AM
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
The mountain temple above the city, reached by road then a 300-step naga staircase, with the valley spread out below.
1:00 PM
Huay Kaew Waterfall
A short forest walk on the lower slope of the same mountain, a cool break in the middle of the day.
6:00 PM
Nimmanhaemin
The university-side district of coffee roasters, design shops and small bars, busiest in the early evening.
Day 3: Crafts and the river
9:30 AM
San Kamphaeng craft road
The road east of the city lined with umbrella, silk and silverware workshops where you can watch the making rather than just buy.
2:00 PM
Wat Umong
A forest monastery west of the moat with brick meditation tunnels and a wooded grounds full of birds.
6:30 PM
Night Bazaar
The nightly market along Chang Khlan Road, the older and more commercial of the city’s night markets.
Make this Chiang Mai plan yours
Forward your real booking confirmations to Petrel and it builds this exact day-by-day view for you: flights, hotels, reservations, live flight status, and the travel time between stops. Under a minute.
