Chiang Mai: What to Know Before You Go

Short answer: use the four gates of the square Old City moat as your compass, hail shared red songthaew trucks or book Grab and Bolt rides for short hops, carry modest layers for active Lanna temples, and vet any elephant sanctuary carefully before reserving.

How the Old City square and outer neighbourhoods fit together

Chiang Mai is one of the easiest cities in Southeast Asia to navigate on foot because its historic centre is a clean square surrounded by a moat and brick wall remnants, roughly 1.6 kilometres along each side. Four main gates mark the cardinal points: Tha Phae Gate on the east (facing the Ping River and night markets), Suan Dok Gate on the west (pointing toward the university and Doi Suthep mountain), Chang Phueak Gate on the north (famed for evening street-food stalls) and Chiang Mai Gate on the south. Inside the moat, numbered narrow lanes (sois) shelter timber-roofed Lanna temples and leafy courtyard guesthouses. Ten minutes north-west of the moat lies modern Nimmanhaemin (Nimman), directly beneath the flight path of the nearby airport; compare bases in where to stay in Chiang Mai.

Temple etiquette and monk chats

Chiang Mai's temples (wats) are living monastic communities rather than museum ruins. Always wear clothing that covers your shoulders and knees before entering a temple compound, remove your shoes and hat before stepping inside any assembly hall (viharn) or ordination hall (ubosot), and sit with your feet tucked behind you rather than pointed toward a Buddha image. Women should never touch a monk or hand an object directly to him. Several major temples, including Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Suan Dok, host informal daytime Monk Chats where visitors can sit at outdoor tables and help young novices practise conversational English while learning about Buddhist monastic life.

Cash, cards and weekend market timing

While speciality coffee shops in Nimman and boutique hotels accept Visa and Mastercard, you will need Thai baht notes for red songthaew shared trucks, temple entry boxes, khao soi noodle shophouses and night markets. If your itinerary includes a weekend, keep Saturday evening free for the Wua Lai Silver Street Market and Sunday evening for the huge Tha Phae Walking Street inside the Old City.