Chiang Mai

The subtitle ‘Capital of Lanna’ discloses the common thread of this future nomination: Lan Na, the long independent Northern Thai state which developed the fortified city of Chiang Mai as its capital from the 13th til the 18th century. Chiang Mai in the past decades has rediscovered itself and found the need to distinguish itself from Bangkok and ‘mainstream’ Thailand. A lot of effort has been put into the restoration of its monuments, which had lain in the rubble for a long time.

I read up a bit beforehand on Lanna art and architecture, but for a non-expert the differences with the classic Thai Buddhist structures are subtle. Teak is often used in construction, and typical buildings have steep overlapping roofs. Overall they show stronger Burmese influences.

In February 2023 I went to all 4 locations that are now considered to be in scope according to the latest information presented at the Forum, which differs from the official TWHS description.

On my first day in Chiang Mai, I visited some 10 temples that all lie within the walled old city or close to it. I still walked 12.6 km! The remains of the city wall itself aren’t much to look at, the wide moat however is still fully present and filled with water.

My Top 4 of these temples consist of:

1. Wat Chedi Luang: huge brick chedi (originally 82m high), with a lot of interesting smaller shrines and temples surrounding it. The …

July 2016 - after a few day sidetrip to Cambodia we headed north by bus to Chiang Mai. Its probably the capital of cats. In every corner, at every temple they were appearing and made for some nice pictures. In the one times one km of the old city there about 40 temples if i remeber correctly. We borrowed bikes and took a whole day to visit as many as possible. some are marvelous, some are antique, some just have a nice atmosphere. Besides the temples there is also quite a lot of street art and it is a very green and quite city. Next day we drove up to Doi suthep, to see the winter palace and the most south-eastern foothills of the Himalaya. for Thailand it was our highlight, and there would be much more to discover north of the city. But we still wanted to visit some more WHS sights and headed further south again.

Chiang Mai is also a good place to visit one of the elephant camps. Although it appears as a cheap tourist attraction, spending the day with baby elephants in the nearby jungle, is quite an adventure.

Chiang Mai is such a rich city. I don't mean this economically, but culturally. The Lanna nation, although they speak the same language as the rest of Thailand, seems almost a world away. Despite the core similarities in food, it's the differences that stick out. Likewise, despite the core similarities in temple architecture, it's the differences that stick out. I visited Chiang Mai for 3 days back in July 2018, this time not just with my family, but with a group of my parents' college friends too. While the private car and driver in Chiang Mai were a nice change, this turned out to be quite a burden to my in-depth, fast-paced, no-nonsense way of travel, so unfortunately, all I got of the site was a visit to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and a night at the market within the Old City Walls and Historic Centre of Chiang Mai, which did, at least give me a good idea of the site and its highlight, Doi Suthep Temple (sorry, the name is just so long, so I'm sticking with this from now on).

Doi Suthep is a mountain overlooking the city and was our first stop upon arriving in Chiang Mai. Doi Suthep Temple seems to be on the peak, which took us about 30 minutes drive from the base of the mountain due to a traffic jam, and it would really be quite a long walk if one doesn't have a vehicle to ride. At the entrance, you …

After just one visit to Chiang Mai, I knew that it was easily one of my favorite places in the entire country. I spent a year in living in there and it truly is the “Rose of the North,” as they like to say. Chiang Mai holds the heartbeat of Lanna Thai culture, which is actually quite different from the culture and food of southern Thailand.

One of the key reasons to visit is for the well-preserved culinary history present that represent all of the influences neighboring regions and countries have had on Thailand over the centuries. In the streets of Chiang Mai, it was easy to sample both traditional Northern Thai food, Issan dishes, and cuisine from neighboring Burma (Northern Thailand has a large population of Burmese refugees, and this presence is evident in the food selection and the Burmese markets taking place all of the Chiang Mai region. 

The food is what attracts, but it's the fascinating range of cultural groups and ethnic minorities that keep it interesting for those keen to really explore the nuances of the Lanna Thai Kingdom. Head to a market on the outskirts of town and you are likely to find a bustling place where food, flavors, and cultures combine. One of my favorite parts of living there was undertaking a coffee journey that operated as a Thai social enterprise in the city, and strove to help tourists culturally engage and understand the unique culture. 

Then there are the …

Chiang Mai is a major tourist hub in northern thailand, especially for the backpacking crowd. Luckily, it is also very beautiful, with lots and lots of temples and ruins scattered around the town. I spent the whole day just walking from temple to temple in the core of the old city, but skipped the more out-of-town elements. The temple architecture seems to be more varied and playful than the more majestic ones in Bangkok, which was fine for me. Most temples are active places of worship and not just tourist ruins, so the place feels quite lively. With its sheer beauty and high concentration of interesting buildings, Chiang Mai seems to be a worthy candidate for a WHS, although I am not sure if each and every component of the voluminous proposal is necessary.

Visited in January 2014

Importance 4/5 Beauty 5/5 Uniqueness 4/5 Environment 3/5 Experience 5/5