Chiang Mai, Thailand: description, attractions and interesting facts. Chang Mai Chiang Mai population
Chiang Mai: entertainment and active recreation
In the mountainous area of Chiang Mai, you can test your strength by trying a sport like bungee jumping.
- Tourists are invited to jump from a height of 50 m above the lush, green jungle of the beautiful mountain lagoon. The owner of the attraction was at the origins of this extreme entertainment, so the safety of the jump was thought out to the smallest detail. An elevator will take tourists to the top of the tower.
- Lovers of heights can also try rock climbing. There are three special walls in the city, and beyond it is the famous Crazy Horse Buttress. You can train on the wall at the Night Bazaar, but it’s better to take courses with an instructor and try yourself in real mountains.
- This terrain is good for mountain biking. And almost all travel agencies offer cycling tours.
- In addition to the mountains, Chiang Mai has many rivers and streams - a real paradise for rafting fans. It is possible to raft on both bamboo and rubber rafts. The Mai Kok and Mai Chem rivers are especially interesting; they flow through wild jungles and hill tribe settlements.
- Traditional Thai elephant trekking is organized in the national park. During this walk, tourists not only learn the skills of riding an elephant, but also admire the wildlife.
And at Lake of Dreams and Lake Paradise you can rent fishing equipment and arrange good fishing. The waters of these lakes are home to many species of fish. There are less Famous places, where mostly locals fish, but you can get there for a small fee.
Chiang Mai, surrounded by Thailand's highest mountains, is an idyllic and mysterious northern capital countries. The city is considered one of the most important cultural centers - more than 300 temples were built here.
Chiang Mai is Thailand's fifth largest city, but the atmosphere here remains calm and relaxed. The peaceful and picturesque panorama is not changed either by new stylish shops or modern boutique hotels.
The surrounding tranquility is largely due to the city's proximity to mountains and large green areas, including Mount Doi Suthep and Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, which offers panoramic views. Located within 60 km of Doi Inthanon National Park, highest peak Thailand.
Tourists prefer to book hotels in historical center city, surrounded by picturesque streets, old temples and the city moat. Many hotels are located in the Chiang Khan area, where the famous Night Market takes place.
Loy Kroch is considered the center of the city's nightlife. This is where Ratchadamneung Street runs, where Chiang Mai's main night pedestrian market takes place. Don't forget to buy an umbrella in Bo Sang village and eat a cup of khao soi soup.
You can get to Chiang Mai either by flying to international Airport Chiang Mai, or coming from Bangkok.!
Chiang Mai is located in northern Thailand, close to the border with Laos and Burma. It is the second largest city in the country, after Bangkok.
If in Russia St. Petersburg is called the cultural capital, then in Thailand it is Chiang Mai that is such - not only are numerous royal temples, parks and residences, but also permanent festivals, exhibitions and similar cultural events and activities.
There is no sea here, and therefore Chiang Mai is significantly less popular among tourists compared to other regions of Thailand. But for those for whom the presence of the sea is not a determining factor when choosing a place to live, Chiang Mai does not leave them indifferent. We came to Chiang Mai for the second time, and again only for 1 month, but if it weren’t for our pre-thought-out future plans and purchased tickets, we most likely would have stayed here for 3-4 months. Why? Read on.
One of the most significant advantages of Chiang Mai for us is the climate; it is much milder here than in the southern part of Thailand. This may seem strange to those who are now reading this article, looking out the window at a snow blizzard, but the constant heat is very tiring. Here now the weather is just perfect, in our opinion - I don’t know how many degrees exactly, probably around 27-28 during the day, about 20 in the morning and evening, and 16-18 at night, it’s just wonderful to breathe.
In general, we both love freshness - if possible, we open all the windows wide open, and if it’s hot outside, we turn on the air conditioning. When we were visiting our parents in St. Petersburg last fall, we couldn’t get used to the heating, which made the apartment very stuffy - it was easier for us to put on sweaters and open the windows so that there was a constant flow of fresh air. So in Chiang Mai now this is what is needed in this regard. We don’t even turn on the air conditioner during the day, although when we were looking for housing, this item would have been mandatory for us.
Also, Chiang Mai is located on a hill, among small mountains, and there is no such humidity as in coastal cities and, especially, on the islands - it’s easier to worry about equipment, which in conditions of high humidity has the unpleasant property of becoming moldy.
2. People
Located in Chiang Mai prestigious university, offices of many IT companies. European, Australian, American, and Russian expats who come to live here are more focused on working in comfortable conditions than on idleness in the tropics. So here, there's a lot less of that Rastafarian crowd that smokes weed and plays drums on the beach all day.
Of course, there are different people, IT specialists also have their own specifics, but in general, we can say that the intelligentsia lives here to a greater extent, in the good sense of the word
3. Infrastructure
Chiang Mai is not the capital, so it doesn’t have the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. We have already expressed our dislike for the Thai capital more than once.
With all our tolerance and desire to find the positive in everything, Bangkok somehow doesn’t grab us, no matter how hard we try to love it. It’s not that there was any disgust towards it, no, it’s just that, for example, it’s not a city, but a dream, and – it’s just great city, and Ho Chi Minh City is not bad, but for some reason I don’t like Bangkok, we don’t understand why so many people love it so much.
The shops
So, Chiang Mai does not have the disadvantages of the capital, but at the same time it is Big City, and accordingly, the infrastructure here is well developed. There are shops and hypermarkets for every taste (including Macro with cheese and chocolate), shopping centers with cinemas, .
There are also specialized stores, including those with photographic equipment. Prices, however, are a little higher than in Bangkok, as it seemed to me, and now is not the best time for purchasing equipment, but still. When I needed to change the polarizer (filter), I couldn’t buy it.
Cafes and restaurants
The city has great amount cafes, restaurants and coffee shops, and for any budget, from Thai small-town eateries to pretentious and themed restaurants 
Coffee shops, by the way, are especially popular here. We now live 4 kilometers from the center, there are, in principle, not many foreigners here, and there are at least 5 coffee shops in the area, and Thais hang out there all the time. Well, the prices are good news - a good cappuccino starts from 40-50 baht ($1.3-1.5).
Medicine
Chiang Mai has several excellent hospitals of European level, as well as good Thai hospitals (we wrote a little about this in an article about).
Although, however, in Thailand everything is generally fine with this, there are large hospitals almost everywhere, even on the islands (Phuket,) with the exception of very small islands, like Koh Chang, etc.
Distant work
Coworking spaces are also popular in Chiang Mai. We work at home, so this doesn’t particularly concern us, but for many, for one reason or another, it is more convenient to work in specially equipped places where there are work desks, good Internet, a snack bar, coffee, etc. 
True, working in such a place may not always be safe - in the summer, one of these coworking spaces was raided by representatives of the immigration office due to suspicion of illegal work. Then, however, everyone seemed to be let go, they thought something was wrong there, mistook this place for some kind of hangout, but the sediment, as they say, remained.
By the way, the issue of remote work in Thailand is not completely clear. On the one hand, working without a work visa is prohibited here. On the other hand, an employer who is located in another country does not seem to be a violation - and just the Chiang Mai immigration office itself made an official explanation confirming this hypothesis. But at the same time, this clarification is not the ultimate truth, so this point can be interpreted in different ways.
Services
The service sector in the city is well developed in every sense - there is a huge selection of hairdressers, beauty salons and massage parlors with the most different types massages at reasonable prices.
There are even a couple of centers where massages are given to the blind (they are famous for their skills) - this is the type of activity that allows them to earn a living, despite their illness.
We had such a massage - it’s tough, friends. In ordinary salons, we always ask you to do it harder, because masseuses very often suck and do it half-heartedly, but here we almost died!
Those. They do everything correctly and very well, it’s clear that it’s useful, but still, it’s very painful, so we don’t dare to go again yet)) But it’s definitely worth trying at least once, we recommend it.
Housing
Chiang Mai is very a good choice housing - from simple rooms for $150 per month, to multi-room houses for $1000-2000 per month and more. Studios and 1-2 apartments in condominiums, including those with a swimming pool and fitness center on site, are very popular.
Moreover, you can live in the city - in a busy or quiet area, in the center or on the outskirts, in a 20- or 3-story house, or even in a separate house with its own green area or in a protected village, also with all the amenities.
We now live in a 19-story condominium, in a studio apartment on the 17th floor, with this view from the window 
The balloons, of course, do not fly all the time, but only a few days a year, but the view is still not bad. True, there is a large road under the windows, and because of this, the apartment, even though it is located so high, is still quite noisy.
But the building has its own swimming pool, so we go swimming almost every day - it’s very convenient, it’s a pity that the fitness center is under renovation.
For an apartment with an area of 46 sq.m., “full furnitured”, i.e. with furniture and a fully equipped kitchen (there is a microwave, and 2 multicookers, and an electric stove, with all sorts of fancy functions), we pay 8,500 baht + internet (350 baht/month) + water and electricity.
In principle, this is a pretty good option, and if it weren’t for the noise, it would be ideal. We were offered an apartment with windows on the other side; it was most likely much quieter there. But it already costs 14,000 (although there is also newer furniture). Previously, we probably would have chosen it, but now we couldn’t bear to pay almost 30,000 rubles for an apartment =)
4. Transport connections
Despite the fact that Chiang Mai is located far from the central part of Thailand, intercity transport is well developed here. transport connection– there are bus terminals, a railway station and an international airport.
For example, we're leaving straight from here. Well, more precisely, we fly from here, and besides that there are many direct flights to Burma, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Macau, not to mention domestic flights in (to Bangkok, Surat Thani, Hat Yai, Phuket).
So, the sea is not so far from here - only $70 and a two-hour flight away :) By the way, you can find a good flight here.
The only thing that is significantly less developed here than in Bangkok is public transport. Its role here is played by songthaews (covered pickup trucks), which, in principle, drive along certain routes, but the drivers do not always speak English, and periodically strive to offer their services to the farangs (us, that is), as a personal taxi.
You can probably get used to this if you live longer, but we public transport, in general, we don’t use it, we usually go everywhere on a motorbike.
5. Leisure
Everything is also fine with the organization of leisure time in Chiang Mai. Center, aka Old city, the so-called “square”, surrounded by a canal and the remains of a fortress wall, is quite compact, 2x2 km, you can walk around the whole thing if you wish.
Inside is the old city with temples and palaces, 
restaurants, hotels and guesthouses for tourists of any income – from backpacker hostels to luxury hotels.
Behind the square there are many green corners, parks with lakes, flowers, fountains. Also very picturesque surroundings - National parks, waterfalls, mountains.
For example, I like the Doi Suthep Temple, it is located very close to the city, at the foot of national park with waterfalls, but from the temple itself, with observation deck, excellent view of the city, if there is no fog or haze)) 
Also, some people go to Chiang Mai for enlightenment, both spiritually and materially. There are centers for teaching yoga, meditation can be learned in the same Doi Suthep, 
or go to the Dharma Center and take it (the center is an hour’s drive from Chiang Mai) - this was the second time we took the course there.
You can also learn different massage techniques; there are about a dozen massage schools here, each with its own concept, but in general, the technique from northern Thailand is highly valued among massage therapists.
There is also plenty of room for sports fans. There are several stadiums in Chiang Mai, on the territory of one of them there is an excellent 50-meter swimming pool, under open air. Just the other day, annual running competitions were held - you could run a marathon, half-marathon or 10 km.
And, of course, there is entertainment for every taste - culinary master classes, walks along the river, Segway excursions, in one of the shopping complexes there is even an ice skating rink))
Chiang Mai is also famous for its huge zoo - we walked around it for a couple of hours, and then we only managed to see a third, probably :) Some animals can be fed, and some you can just watch 
Pandas are of the greatest interest to everyone - not every zoo has these funny little animals, so many people come here just for them 
There is also plenty of entertainment in the vicinity of the city - elephant riding and bathing, rafting, kayaking, eco-tourism, extreme parks in the jungle, etc.
And if we are just about to go to the cinema and the skating rink, then we have already spent the day in an extreme park in the jungle. Read about how we had fun on all kinds of zipping and met wild gibbons in the forest in the next article :)
Chiang Mai is also the starting point for the charming village of Pai and the city of Chiang Rai, with its famous White Temple. We were both there and there, we’ll tell you someday, so stay with us!
In all of Thailand, we love two places most of all - Koh Phangan and Chiang Mai. What are your favorite places in Thailand?
Or maybe not in Thailand, but in other countries :) Share in the comments!
Chiang Mai is the most important center of northern Thailand, the capital of the province of the same name, as well as the cultural capital and second most important city, after. total area- 40,216 sq. km, population - 150,000 people. Chiang Mai is located along the Ping River, on a wide plain, at an altitude of 330 m, 702 km from and 245 km from the border with Myanmar (Burma).
Sometimes in Russian transcription the name of the city is written as Chang Mai and Chiang Mai, less often Chang Mai and Cheng Mai.
It dates back to 1296, when the King of Lanna - a state that was located here in ancient times - appointed the city as the capital, moving it from Chiang Rai and giving it the name Chiang Mai, which translates as “ New town».
It is surrounded along the entire perimeter by a large ditch, which was dug many centuries ago and served as protection from the attacks of the Burmese conquerors. Currently, this artificial moat is practically the only one in all of Thailand, which makes it one of the main attractions, along with temples and other ancient monuments.
There are not many high-rise buildings or long highways in Chang Mai, as, for example, in Bangkok; the entire city has retained its traditional contours and is fully consistent with the status of the cultural capital of the Kingdom of Thailand. Despite this, the infrastructure is very well developed; you will not lack a choice of hotels, restaurants, massage parlors, bars or tour agencies.
Chang Mai is considered by tourists to be one of the most beautiful places in Thailand. The landscape of the city and its surroundings is a combination of mountains and plains, waterfalls and jungles, rice fields and fruit plantations.
The main source of income for the capital and the entire province of Chiang Mai is the export of rice, vegetables and fruits. Since the late 90s of the last century, tourism began to develop at a rapid pace, which also began to bring tangible profits.
Chiang Mai is divided into Old and New City. Majority historical monuments located in the old part, there are also many inexpensive hotels and restaurants (especially in the east). This part is clearly visible in satellite map and from above it is seen as a square (these are two parallel highways encircling the city and having one-way traffic).
Besides administrative division, there is a natural division - the city is crossed from north to south by the Ping River, which is a tributary of the Chao Phraya.
In general, Chiang Mai is an average city, smaller than Bangkok, but larger than Pattaya and the main resorts in Phuket. During rush hours there are often traffic jams, albeit minor ones. In the Old Town, traffic is busy only along the perimeter, and on the remaining streets there are few cars and motorcycles.
Chiang Mai on the map of Thailand
How to get there
You can get to Chiang Mai in Thailand by various means of transport: by plane, bus, train. You cannot get here directly from Russia, Ukraine, or Kazakhstan, since Chiang Mai Airport only accepts domestic flights.
Cheap flights to Bangkok
You can buy air tickets to Thailand as profitably as possible using special search engines that collect data from all airlines.
If you are already in Thailand, you can use domestic flight. If you want to save money, buy bus tickets at bus stations or travel agencies, as well.
Who should go to Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is a different Thailand. If you are tired of crowds of tourists (sometimes very drunk), pestering Thais who are trying to sell you something or somehow scam you out of money, of the stuffy climate and high humidity, then welcome to Chiang Mai. Here this is much less pronounced - there are not so many vacationers, only taxi drivers are trying to cheat, and the climate is much cooler and there is not much moisture in the air.
The province of Chiang Mai is located in the north of Thailand, so it does not have a sea. But it is beautiful in other ways - with amazing mountains and valleys, which are not found in the south and central part of the country. In its capital - the city of the same name - many ancient sights have been preserved (one brick wall, which in the past encircled the entire city, is worth it). Particularly interesting are the temples, which are much older than in other areas of the country. The city of Chiang Mai was the capital of the Lanna kingdom even at a time when Bangkok was a tiny village, which only residents of neighboring villages knew about.
The city was built in 1296 and currently Chiang Mai is the cultural capital of Thailand. The infrastructure here is quite well developed with hotels, restaurants and bars, and there are many travel agencies offering excursions around the province. Eat night life and establishments for strawberry lovers, but all this is not very prominent, as in many popular resorts.
In general, if you like these historical places, then Chiang Mai is definitely worth a visit.
What to do and what to visit
Climate
The good thing is that it is not as hot here as in the rest of Thailand, when there is no rest from the heat even at night. Here, after sunset, it becomes noticeably cooler, and in the winter months the thermometer can drop below +20 degrees (and, for example, in Pattaya, Phuket or Samui at any time of the year and at 2 am from +26...+28).
Chiang Mai - the capital of Northern Thailand. The city is located about 700 km north of Bangkok, among fertile valleys, green meadows and forested mountains.
The city of Chiang Mai was founded by the king of the Lanna kingdom in 1291. The king built a wall around the city to protect against Burma. Now this wall is dilapidated, only some fragments of the walls and the central gate remain - Thapae Gate. Inside this fortress wall - a square - is the old city.
The fortress wall and the central gate - Thapae Gate - the entrance to the old city 
Near the entrance to the old city - shopping arcades Although Chiang Mai is landlocked, hundreds of tourists from all over the world come here every year, because there is so much to see in Chiang Mai and the surrounding area. In the city and its surroundings there are about 300 Buddhist temples, the winter residence of the Royal Family, and 100 km from Chiang Mai there is the most high mountain Thailand - , whose height is 2565 m above sea level.
The climate in Chiang Mai is significantly different from the climate in Bangkok and southern Thailand. In winter (November - February) the weather in Chiang Mai is dry, quite warm during the day, but at night the temperature can drop to 15 degrees, and a little further, in the mountains, to 0. In the summer (from May to August) it is the rainy season in the North of Thailand . It can rain for several days and flood the roads so that driving to many cities becomes impossible.
How to get to Chiang Mai
1. By plane. Low-cost airlines fly from Bangkok to Chiang Mai - AirAsia, NokAir. Flights depart from Bangkok's old airport, Dong Muang. The cost of a plane ticket is about 2000 baht ($70), but if you buy a ticket in advance as part of a promotion, you can buy a ticket for 600-900 baht ($20-30).
Also, planes from Bangkok Airways and Thai Airways fly from Bangkok to Chiang Mai; they depart from Suvarnabhumi Airport. The cost of a ticket Bangkok - Chiang Mai is about 3000 - 4000 baht ($100-130). Tickets for these airlines can be purchased on the website aviasales.ru
You can also get to Chiang Mai directly from - the flight is operated by Bangkok Airways, one flight per day, ticket price from 4,000 baht ($130).
You can fly to Chiang Mai from Phuket, Krabi, as well as from Kuala Lumpur, some cities in China, and Australia on AirAsia flights. See AirAsia.com for prices and schedules.
2. By train. You can get to Chiang Mai by train from Bangkok. Trains depart from the central railway station, you can also buy tickets there. The schedule and cost can be found on the Thailand Railways website. There are currently five trains from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Travel time is about 12 hours. The cost of a ticket depends on the class of the carriage; in addition, the lower bunk is slightly more expensive than the upper one. We bought tickets for the Bangkok – Chiang Mai train on Samui; the cost of a ticket for a second class carriage with air conditioning was 800-900 baht ($27-30).
3. By bus. You can get to Chiang Mai by bus from Bangkok's northern bus station, Mo Chit. (MoChit). The ticket price depends on the class of the bus - 600-1000 baht ($20-33), travel time is about 10 hours.
How to get around Chiang Mai. Transport in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai - Big city, you can’t get around it on foot. Songtreo (minibuses) are popular among public transport here; the fare is 20-50 baht.
You can get around by taxi (metered taxis, like in Bangkok, there are no taxis in Chiang Mai)
It's best to rent a bike. There are many rental offices in Chiang Mai, the cost of renting a bike 150-200 baht per day ($5-7). The roads in the city are good and wide enough 
Accommodation in Chiang Mai: hotels and guesthouses
There are many hotels and guesthouses in Chiang Mai, but it is still better to book a hotel in advance during peak season. To find and book a hotel in Chiang Mai, I advise you to use the website booking.com or book a hotel using the form below. Just enter the dates you need and choose a hotel.
It is best to live near the square of the old city. I don’t recommend living in the square itself if you have a car. The roads there are narrow, it’s difficult to drive through, let alone park a car.
The ideal location of the hotel in my opinion is between the square of the old city and the night bazaar. We lived there. I can safely recommend the Chiang Mai Thai House, Thapae hotel for accommodation, but you need to book it in advance, it is very popular among tourists. The second time we were unable to stay there.
What to see in Chiang Mai? Sights of Chiang Mai
There are many in the city Buddhist temples, we visited some of them. 
Wat Phra Singh Temple 
Wat Chedi Luang is the most famous temple Chiang Mai. Once its height was 82 meters, it was the tallest building in the city. Later the temple was destroyed.
To the detriment of our visit to Chedi Luang, a Thai dance performance took place near it 😎 
On the territory of Chedi Luang there is a club for communicating with monks! Anyone can come and chat with the monks at English language, ask them about life, ask any question of interest. We didn’t go to the monks, although Lesha really wanted to talk to them. 
There is another one just behind Chedi Luang interesting temple— wooden temple in Chiang Mai: Wat Phan Tao. 
And another temple, to be honest, there are so many temples in Chiang Mai that we got confused in them while we were walking 😎 Maybe we went to the same one several times, but from different directions 😎 
And even near the temple there is a market! 🙂 We visited the library and museum of Buddhism next to one of the temples 
But to one of the most famous temples - Wat Doi Suthep, located on high mountain, which offers a magnificent view of the city, we unfortunately did not have time to visit.
A couple in Chiang Mai interesting monuments. Here is the monument to the three kings, which was built in 1984. The monument depicts the king of the Lanna kingdom and his two sons 
And here is a monument to a fireman saving a girl 
One of the attractions of Chiang Mai is the Chiang Mai Zoo, a huge zoo where pandas live. We really liked the zoo! I recommend!
Speaking about the attractions of Ching Mai, it is impossible not to mention the markets of Chiang Mai. Very popular with tourists and local residents and weekend markets: Sunday and Saturday market.
You can visit the king's winter residence - Bhubing Palace. We did not find this palace, although we had the coordinates of this place. The navigator led us through mountains, fields, meadows, but we never got to our destination 😥
One of the attractions of Chiang Mai is Royal flora Ratchaphruek– a magnificent flower garden. But we didn’t have time to go there.
If we talk about the attractions around Chiang Mai, there are a great many of them! Any travel agency in the city, or even a hotel, will offer you excursions around Chiang Mai for every taste: trips to waterfalls, to a village with northern tribes, elephant riding, rafting and many other interesting tours.
Or you can rent a car or bike and travel to all the interesting places yourself
Rome is located in May tiger nursery , where you can touch a tiger cub and take a photo with a tiger!
Be sure to visit the hot springs, located 36 km from the city.
And on the way to the springs, make a stop at Bo Sang Umbrella Village(umbrella villages). We stopped at the umbrella village on the way to Chiang Mai from the hot springs, but it was already late, everything was closed and we didn’t look at the production of umbrellas. 
Every year more and more people visit Chiang Mai more tourists. After all, there are so many interesting things in the area!
The city of Chiang Mai is becoming more and more popular among Russian winterers. After all, the city has all the conditions for a comfortable life, and prices are cheaper than in the same place. The city has many shops, Tesco Lotus, Big C. A room in a condo can be rented for 6-10 thousand baht (200 – 330$) per month. But mostly rooms and houses are rented out for a long period, from 6 months.
Chiang Mai is also famous for its Thai massage. There are many salons in the city where you can get a Thai massage or foot massage for 150-200 baht. But we were unlucky - in all the good salons recommended on the forums there was a queue for a massage, then we went to the first salon we came across, but the massage there did not impress us 😥 At the San Kampaeng hot springs, the massage was much better.
If you are still thinking about whether to go to Chiang Mai or not, because there is no sea here, which is a priority for many, feel free to cast aside all doubts and go to Chiang Mai to see a different, less touristy Thailand.