Located in the north of Thailand, Chiang Mai City Centre offers an alternative, more tranquil urban getaway to the busy, chaotic streets of Bangkok. Chiang Mai lies in the shadow of a mountainous rainforest and although it is an urban centre, it is easy to escape the city and get lost in the surrounding nature. It is the fifth largest town in the country, the centre is home to 170,000 people, and many refer to Chiang Mai as the “Rose of the North”.
Chiang Mai City Centre is full of cultural attractions, hosting an abundance of royal palaces and Buddhist temples, with the ruins of Wat Chedi Luang being a particularly beautiful piece of history dating back over 700 years. Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural Centre is another favourite tourist destination, where visitors can discover the creative works that define the city, its culture, and heritage. Visitors can try local Thai food at any of the street vendors or many markets, like Warorot Market in central Chiang Mai, or discover the culinary art first hand by partaking in a typical cooking class. Another cultural experience is to receive a genuine Thai massage where visitors can indulge in an hour of relaxation, done by local experts for low prices.
Visitors flying into Thailand can reach Chiang Mai City Centre through the local International Airport, which has global and domestic flights and transit services into the city, including local buses and taxis. There are also regular trains travelling from Bangkok, and although they take 12-15 hours to reach Chiang Mai, they can be very comfortable, are an excellent way to see the landscape of Thailand, and take visitors directly to the city centre. Once in the city, visitors can travel by songthaew, a mix between a bus and a taxi that carries numerous people, or by foot, as the old city is only a square kilometre.
Chiang Mai is full of history dating back to the 13th century, with the existing remains of the ancient city walls revealing the heritage of the centre, which was once the capital of the ancient Kingdom of the Lanna people. Due to its remote location in the Himalayan foothills, early travellers struggled to journey to the city, and so Chiang Mai retained the local and charming small town atmosphere it still has today.