5 days in Chiang Mai Itinerary

During our 14 days trip to Thailand, we spent 5 days in Bangkok , spending a day visiting the city attractions in Bangkok. And then doing a Bangkok to Pattaya day trip and a Bangkok to Ayutthaya day trip. Post this we proceeded to Sukhothai, spending a couple of days there. And visiting the Sukhothai Historical Park. After this, we reached Chiang Mai. And we spent 5 most beautiful days of our trip in Chiang Mai (Not counting the day we reached here). So, here we present to you our 5 days in Chiang Mai itinerary, what we included in it and how it worked out so well for us.

An introduction to Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is one of the largest provinces of Thailand. It is a sprawling city, thriving with both art and culture. While at one hand it has an old city which dates back to centuries earlier with several old temples, ruins, and other architectures to marvel at. At the same time, there are more modern areas like Nimman with an active night life, lots of malls, boutiques and cafes. From night markets to upscale malls, from economical restaurants to high end cafes and upscale dining, street art, cuisine classes and painting classes – there is a lot to do and see in Chiang Mai. And moreover, there is something for everyone.

The town is located in the foothills of the northern hills. Which gives it a picture perfect location and also a nice moderate climate compared to rest of Thailand. There are several day trips that one can take to the nearby areas and towns from Chiang Mai. Of all the places that I visited in Thailand, I liked Chiang Mai the best. In fact, I can’t imagining not including Chiang Mai in your Thailand Trip Packages when you plan your trip to Thailand.

General Information on Chiang Mai

Where to stay in Chiang Mai with family

Whether you are wondering where to stay in Chiang Mai solo or with family, I will highly recommend the Nimman area. And consider where to stay in Chiang Mai old town next. Since, here, we are considering to stay for our 5 days in Chiang Mai itinerary. So, it is good to stay somewhere which is close to the old Chiang Mai city. Since, everyone who goes to Chiang Mai visits the old Chiang Mai City. And then the area should have good facilities in terms of food, transport and everything else. On my own 5 days in Chiang Mai itinerary, I preferred staying somewhere which was not very crowded yet in the center of the facilities, including medical facilities as well. Since I was traveling with my 10 months old toddler.

So, after comparing whether to stay in Nimman or Chiang Mai Old City, I decided on the former. The area was upscale, yet peaceful. And there were lots of restaurants nearby the hotel I stayed in. In fact, the hotel was located in a small street off the main road, that had breathtaking views of the mountains at it’s end. And as soon as you stepped on the main road, there were malls, shops, boutique stores, cafes and restaurants, medicine shops, 7 eleven shops and what not! Even the old town of Chiang Mai was at a walking distance of 1.8 km. And you can easily get songthaew from the main road. What else did I need! So, I booked my stay in The Empire Residency Nimman (Link to book: Agoda, booking.com)

When is the best time to visit Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai has moderate to hot temperature. The temperature starts soaring towards hotter side by march. So, the best time to visit Chiang Mai is October – March. We visited here end of the year. And the climate was very pleasant then. Days were warm and nights cool. So, I highly recommend visiting at this time of year if you don’t want to go in the hot season. Although, visiting off season will have it’s own advantages. Like lower rates and less crowd everywhere.

How to reach Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is well connected by road with Bangkok and other major parts of Thailand. It also has an international airport with several flights connecting it to other parts of the world either via Bangkok or direct. There are flights between Chiang Mai and Bangkok at intervals of half an hour all through the day. While it takes 10 to 12 hours by bus to cover the distance between Chiang Mai and Bangkok. While on our Thailand trip, we flew into Bangkok and then traveled from Bangkok to Sukhothai. And further from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai which was around 5 hours trip.

Then after spending 5 days in Chiang Mai, we took a bus back to Bangkok. The bus journey was comfortable but 10 hours long . And with further delay it became a 12 hour long trip. So, if you are traveling on a budget, you can choose the bus journey which is definitely the most cost efficient. But if you are constrained by time, looking for comfort over cost, or traveling with elderly or kid then better take a flight in and out of Chiang Mai.

Our 5 days in Chiang Mai Itinerary

1. Arrival in Chiang Mai

 

We booked a private transfer from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai. After breakfast at our hotel Sabai Sabai Sukhothai, we started for Chiang Mai. And reached our accommodation in Chiang Mai, Hotel Empire Residence Nimman by around 4:00pm. (Although we would have reached earlier but unfortunately one of our cab tires gave up on the way and needed repair). After checking in into our hotel, we went out for a late lunch. And there after I went to the Sunday Night Market in old Chiang Mai city with my friends. I was simply blown away with the variety of products available in the market, and the reasonable prices at which they were available.

The market starts at around 5:00pm and by 6:00pm it was super packed with tourists and locals. With three columns of small roadside make shift shops selling a variety of products. A few products that really grabbed my attention were – painted T-shirts, a variety of stoles and shawls, dresses, handmade small coin purses and pouches, bags, handbags and backpacks, food products, essential oils and extra virgin coconut oil products, paintings, magnets, stuffed toys, kids wear, foot wear. (And a lot more actually!). Before we knew it was over 8:00pm. Post which we returned back, had dinner and slept off.

2. A self planned free walking tour of the old city of Chiang Mai

Today I had panned a self planned free walking tour of the old City of Chiang Mai with my group. As a part of this walking tour, we headed to old Chiang Mai city after breakfast at our hotel. And then took this walking tour of the old city, hopping from temple to temple and several other beautiful spots on the way. We walked at our own pace (That is the biggest advantage of self planned self guided tour of any place!). I have written this detailed post on our self planned free walking tour of the old City of Chiang Mai. It also includes the google map that we followed on this trip. You can use it to your convenience or do the exactly same trip using this map! So, do check it out. The post also contains details of where we stopped for lunch.

Our self planned free walking tour of the old city of Chiang Mai

 

3. Chiang Mai to Doi Inthanon National Park day trip

Today we did this day trip from Chiang Mai to Doi Inthanon National Park. Actually, today was 31st December. And a crowd was expected at Doi Inthanon National Park. Although, after having visited several places in India which are always crowded, we didn’t feel the crowd at all 🙂 However, if you want it less crowded, do visit on weekdays and avoid public holidays. Nevertheless, it took us around 2 hours to reach the Doi Inthanon National Park. First we did a trip to the top of the mountain to get some nice views from there.

And then we proceeded on a trip to the beautiful Stupas of Doi Inthanon National Park along with the landscaped gardens around it. Soon, I will write the complete details of a trip to the Doi Inthanon National Park from Chiang Mai. We started back from Doi Inthanon National Park around 3:00pm . And on the way back we visited Wachirathan Waterfall. It is an enormous and one of the most refreshing waterfalls that I have ever visited. We spent a good hour here before heading back to Chiang Mai. Once back to the town, we explored the Maya mall which was at walkable distance from our hotel in Chiang Mai. If you have more time at hand, or you are fit for hiking, we will highly recommend you take this hiking tour to Doi Inthanon National Park from Chiang Mai.

Doi Inthanon National Park trip from Chiang Mai

 

 

4. Exploring the art culture of Chiang Mai

Today was 1st January. Although originally I planned to take this trip to Pai from Chiang Mai today. But few people in my group went to late night party on the night of 31st and woke up really late today. So, we dropped the idea of day trip to Pai. Instead, I decided to get closer to the art and cultural scene at Chiang Mai. As a result, I signed up for a water color painting session with the famous artist Worawuth at the three owls gallery in Chiang Mai. After a lazy start of the day and a lavish breakfast, I stepped out with my camera. And clicked the beautiful locality of Nimman. Here, I found some really beautiful street arts, cute cafes and beautiful boutique stores to click. There after we had lunch. Post lunch I went for the watercolor class. Which turned out to be one of the best experiences that I took home from Chiang Mai, along with a finished water color painting.

But more importantly, I learnt a lot of techniques and lessons from Worawuth. And want to keep practicing them. Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the first day of my new year!! Only if I had more time at hand, I would have done more such classes to get even closer to the art and culture of Chiang Mai. Maybe some classes like these:-

Thai Cooking class and local market tour

Thai Cooking class and farm visit

I highly recommend taking up one of these classes. They will definitely give you an experience of a lifetime. For the painting class, you can email them on the email address mentioned on their website.

5. Chiang Mai to Doi Suthep and Umbrella Making Artist Village day trip

Doi Suthep

 

On the second last day of our 5 days in Chiang Mai Itinerary, we visited Doi Suthep and Umbrella Making Artist Village. The trip started post breakfast. Also known as Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, it is one of the most prominent Buddhist temples in Chiang Mai Province. The temple is believed to have been founded in 1383 AD. Although there are different versions of the story behind it’s origin. From the car parking area there are 309 stairs that lead to the temple. Alternatively, one can also take a lift to the temple. For this, one can buy the lift ticket along with the temple entrance ticket from the counter near the car parking. The day we visited here, there was a lot of crowd. So, we suggest don’t plan to visit on a weekend or holiday or in the peak season if you can. If hiking and biking are your cup of tea, we highly recommend you take this hiking and biking tour to Doi Suthep national park. Or, you can also take this trekking trip to the Doi Suthep.

Inside, there is the main stupa and several other smaller temples. You can visit each one of them. While inside the temple, do dress modestly just like most of the other temples of Thailand. With knees and shoulders covered. Also, you must visit inside the premises with your shoes off. So, deposit your shoes in the lockers available before entering into the temples or simply leave them on a side. You can take this excellent combined tour to cover the major temples as well as the handicrafts of Chiang Mai in one day.

 

Umbrella Making Artist Village

After visiting Doi Suthep, we headed to the Umbrella Making Artist village of Chiang Mai. It is located a little out of the main town. And we reached here in another 30 minutes. The place once again won my heart. You can see here the whole process of how the famous umbrellas of Chiang Mai are made. Right from the base and the fabric to the completion process. And then you can also work hand in hand with the artists . Wherein you can either try your hands on painting the umbrellas yourself. Or, you can buy a plain umbrella and they will paint it then and there for you. Along with umbrellas they also paint on phone covers, backpacks and some other stuff which you can then carry as souvenirs.

There is also an outlet here where you can buy a lot of hand painted stuff including umbrellas in all possible sizes, table mats, trays, lanterns, wall hangings, wallets, handbags and a lot many other stuff. I am sure no one can return back from here without getting attracted to the beautiful hand painted stuff. And buying at least one souvenir.

6. Last day of our 5 days in Chiang Mai Itinerary

Today, we originally planned to do this day trip from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. But our flight was rescheduled due to which we had to leave early. So, after breakfast, we took a bus back to Bangkok. Then we reached Bangkok by evening 9:00pm. From the bus stop we took a cab to the Bangkok Airport from where we had our return flight. I highly recommend if you want to save on time do book a flight directly from Chiang Mai. Instead of taking a bus to Bangkok. You can conveniently book this shared transfer to and from Chiang Mai international Airport and your destination. As, our full day today went in the bus journey which could have been easily saved. Assuming you will have time to visit Chiang Rai on the last day of your 5 days in Chiang Mai Itinerary, we recommend this trip for you:

Chiang Rai Temple group tour from Chiang Mai

 

 

Summary of our original 5 days in Chiang Mai Itinerary

Conclusion

Of the many places that I have visited so far traveling around the world, Chiang Mai is one of the few where I can easily spend months. (If I had the time!). Two other similar places that made me feel the same way are Florence & Kodaikanal. Florence in particular has a lot of similarities with Chiang Mai. Particularly with respect to the laid back lifestyle. And yet the thriving art and culture scene. Maybe the vibes of such kind of places attract me. Overall, if I get a chance to return back to Thailand some day, Chiang Mai is definitely going to be the place I will land at. And I will love to do a lot more here. Which I couldn’t during my 5 days in Chiang Mai Itinerary.

More things to do in Chiang Mai

Some of the things I will love to do next time include this trip from Chiang Mai to Pai, taking a cooking class, this Chiang Mai Street food tour, further exploring the Chiang Mai street Art, taking this trip to Chiang Rai. Some of the adventure trips that you can take up around Chiang Mai are this cave exploration, cycling to the sticky waterfalls and this jungle zip line roller coaster ride. Further, of the many free things to do in Chiang Mai, practicing my water colour painting will always top the list. And there will be free walking tours like the one we took in the old town of Chiang Mai.

Oh you see…there is so much to do in Chiang Mai still on my list. So, I am definitely going to return back here some day. And I will suggest on your 5 days in Chiang Mai Itinerary plan, do consider some of the above activities from my wish list along with my itinerary.

 

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