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CHIANG MAI TRAVEL GUIDE

Northern Thailand's regional capital is dubbed the "Rose of the North" because of its natural beauty and the profusion of flowers that drapes its ancients walls and lines its moat and river bridges.

Chiang Mai, a city surrounded by a ring of mountains, has weathered seven hundred years of fascinating history. Chiang Mai has its own very distinctive culture, arts, festivals, and traditions as well as an exciting mix of local, ethnic as well as expatriate communities from all over the world. It has been voted one of the top destinations to live in Asia and is a modern and cosmopolitan city, while not having lost its traditional old charm.

Chiang Mai was founded in 1296 AD, the culturally rich city of Chiang Mai is the longest continuously inhabited settlement in Thailand. Chiang Mai is particularly located amidst the rolling foot hills of the Himalayan Mountains 700 km north of Bangkok, it could only be reached by an arduous river journey or an elephant back trip until the 1920s, isolation which has helped keep Chiang Mai's distinctive charm intact to this day.

Chiang Mai's historical centre is the walled city (chiang in Thai, hence Chiang Mai - "New Walled City"). Sections of the wall remain at the gates and corners, but of the rest only the moat remains.

Inside Chiang Mai's remaining city walls are more than 30 temples dating back to the founding of the principality, in a combination of Burmese, Sri Lankan and Lanna Thai styles, decorated with beautiful wood carvings, Naga staircases, leonine and angelic guardians, gilded umbrellas and pagodas laced with gold filigree. The most famous is Doi Suthep, which overlooks the city from a mountainside 13 km away.
 

Modern-day Chiang Mai has expanded in all directions, but particularly to the east towards the Ping River (Mae Nam Ping), where Thanon Chang Klan, the famous Night Bazaar and the bulk of Chiang Mai's hotels and guesthouses are located.Loi Kroh Rd is the centre of the city's nightlife including its small and unthreatening red light district. The locals say you've not experienced Chiang Mai until you've seen the view from Doi Suthep, eaten a bowl of kao soi, and purchased an umbrella from Bo Sang. Ratchadamneon Rd, the main walking street from Thapae Gate to the very popular Wat* Phra Singh, is fast becoming the place to go in the evening if you want somewhere a little more relaxed.

Weather in Chiang Mai. Come to Chiang Mai in summer (March-June) and you will at times find the weather quite uncomfortably hot, though the skies are clear. However, because of the lack of rain, vegetation and the countryside can appear to be quite barren and dry. In the rainy season (July-October) you will be lucky to get a week of clear skies, but monsoon rains can be beautiful and the mountains are lush and green. The favourite time for many visitors is therefore in winter (November-February) when temperatures drop to a pleasant cool with bright sunshine and clear blue skies. There is also an abundance of flowers, making this a time when Chiang Mai is at her prettiest.

Nightlife. Chiang Mai's party people has so many clubs, pubs, bars and entertainment venues throughout the city.
Though pubs shut early (1 a.m.), there are always late night venues to be found in Chiang Mai. The night starts young and there are great outdoor pubs and beer bars in gardens, by waterfalls and lakes, chic and classy lounges and wine pubs, local whiskey haunts, expat style pubs, a huge live music scene as well as some happening clubs to be found on every corner of the city.
Go go bars, girlie bars, pink neon bars and massage parlours are plentiful in Chiang Mai and visitors don't have to look far in order to find them. There are certain areas in town, which have a proliferation of these types of bars such as Loy Kroh Road, which is open from sundown until around one o'clock in the morning. Here you will find a couple of dozen bars, inexpensively priced with lovely girls to chat to. The Chiang Mai Land Road has an abundance of karaoke bars which also provide willing female company, all set in comfortable air-conditioned venues with leather seats - hence the inflation in drinks' prices. Then there are the go go bars, such as Star Six, Foxy Lady and Spotlight which has masses of girls dancing and doing interesting shows, these bars have no cover charge.