Chiang Mai Love Affair: A Romantic Couples’ Travel Itinerary
Chiang Mai was the first stop on our month around Thailand, North of Thailand is completely different from the rest of it. Here you will find all the temples, the mountains and visit Elephants in the wild.
Things To Do In Chiang Mai
1.Check Out The Ruins Of Wat Chedi Luang Temple
Right in the center of the city you will find an ancient temple known as the Temple of the Big Stupa. Before an earthquake in 1545 that destroyed most of it, the temple used to be home of the Emeral Buddha, the holiest religious object in all of Thailand. The temple is still an active worship place so you will still see monks going about their daily work as well as several Buddha shrines.
Tip: Remember to remove shoes and hats before entering into any temple.
2.Wat Phra Singh
Wat Phra Sing is a Buddhist temple and monastery that was founded in the 14th century. Known as the Temple of the Lion Buddha it houses two Buddha statues. There are almost 700 monks living in the temple, they are normally very friendly and love talking to tourists to practice their english.
Heading to Chiang Rai next? Read of TRAVEL GUIDE HERE
Tip: Remember to cover your shoulders before entering into a temple, I always bring a scarf with me
If you want to know more about temples check my Chiang Rai Guide
3.Weekend Night Market
On Saturdays and Sundays after 5-6pm the city comes to live, its main streets and the small ones close early and starts setting up a market, where you can find all kind of souvenirs to food like smoothies or noodles. Each street is usually has a specific theme, you will find the art street, the clothing street etc.
It is the perfect time to buy all the gifts for your family and friends. They usually open till 10 pm or midnight depending on how busy it is.
4.Visit To Doi Suthep
Doi Suthep is about 15km outside of Chiang Mai. The temple is located on top of a mountain that has a fantastic view over all of the city. It is a 13th century temple that is home to a large white elephant shrine as well as a replica of the Emerald Buddha.
Doi Suthep is perfect for a half day trip as you can explore its park and maybe some coffee plantations along the way.
If you are only coming to Chiang Mai for a short time, I’d skip this place.
5.Get a Massage
We all know Thailand is famous for its massage centers, here in Chiang Mai, most of them are part of a rehabilitation center for ex-prisoners. We tried the Thai Massage which consists in a full body massage with pressure points all over it! You can find them for only 4-7$.
6.Stay at an Elephant Sanctuary Chai Lai Orchid
One of our dreams was staying at an elephant sanctuary, learn about them and live this incredible experience. We finally made our dream come true when we arrived to Chiang Mai, north of Thailand. We wanted to stay somewhere we knew the elephants won’t suffer any kind of animal cruelty and they are free, rescued from horrible owners
Check here to find out everything about this Elephant Resort and an cruelty free resort.
7.Wat Suan Dorg
Doi Inthanon National Park is home to the highest mountain in all of Thailand, an extension to the Shan Hills and made mostly from granite. The park covers a land area of 48,240 hectares. whilst visiting the Park you cannot help but notice the number of birds that you will see, Doi Inthanon is home to more species of bird than anywhere else in Thailand
8.Shop at Warorot Market
Most of the other markets in this city are night markets but Warorot opens early in the morning and closes when darkness descends. This is the market where the locals shop so the prices are low and not inflated like so many of the tourist markets, although they will try to charge you more if prices are not listed. Apart from food you can also find some souvenirs too.
9.Day Trip or Overnight at Chiang Rai
We’d recommend spend at least one night in Chiang Rai as it already takes a long time to get here from Chiang Mai and you will be able to enjoy the temples by yourself.
Check EVERYTHING YOU CAN DO IN CHIANG RAI full blog post
You will need to go to the Main Bus Station 15 mins outside the city center by songthaew, it is a red little bus (1.30$/person). I strongly recommend that you book the bus tickets online before you go and don’t make the mistake we did, as we got there hours in advanced and all the tickets where sold out and had to wait for 3 hours. Here you can buy them. We paid around 15-20$ return but you can find them cheaper if you buy them in advanced for around 10$ in “economy class” or 16$ for “first class”. We bought first class as they were the only available ones, the only different is that the bus is nicer, faster and you get complimentary water.
If you want to discover the temples click here
The journey takes around 3hours with no stops.
Important: Remember to get out at the 2 stop of Chiang Rai, not the first one (it’s an industrial stop)
Where To Eat (vegan friendly)
We came to Goodsouls every morning for breakfast as it was delicious! We had the pancakes, scramble tofu and smoothie bowls. You always get complimentary water with your meals. Price is a bit more expensive compared to local restaurants, but is the average for vegan restaurants.
Tip: Click on every restaurant for their exact Google Maps location.
We didn’t try Reform Kafe, but it was on our list. It’s located on the north part of the old city, next to GoodSouls. It’s also a vegan restaurant that we will try next time for sure.
Mr Green is a traditional Thai vegan restaurant in the old city, just remember at the moment it doesn’t open during the weekends.
Bodhi Tree is the first restaurant we went to and it was really good, cheap and the staff is very friendly. They serve traditional food, smoothies and coconuts. You can also book a room upstairs or join their yoga classes.
It’s a vegan restaurant near the temples where they also offer cooking classes.
Taste From Heaven, was our favorite restaurant in Chiang Mai! We were so sad we discovered the last day! They have won many awards for vegan food. They serve traditional food but using meat substitutes in a very creative way. Highly recommend it.
It’s located on one of the main streets where all the restaurants are. They were very nice and had good prices. Food was good but I’d try Taste Of Heaven, Bodhi Tree and Goodsoul first 🙂
Another vegan traditional restaurant where you will find typical dishes for a good price.
Bali inspired restaurant, you will fall in love with their decoration as soon as you enter!. Remember to try their smoothes.
Where To Stay
Low Budget
We stayed at this hotel during our stay in Chiang Mai, prices start at 25-30$ a night.You can find cheaper options if you are willing to share a room or a toilet. For this price it was quite a nice hotel. 9/10 Clean and modern rooms, 7/10 nice pool but doesn’t get much sun, 10/10 location and breakfast 8.5/10 for vegan options. They have several options upon request, it was good compared to other hotels.
Nourish Vegan Bed and Breakfast
We discovered this place when we were in Chiang Mai, it is a cozy and modern Bali style Vegan Hostel. Rooms start at 24$.
Away is another vegetarian hotel located near the city center, around 10 mins walking. It’s more a mid. budget hotel as prices start at 70$.
This is the second veggie hotel in the city, we were thinking to stay here as it reminded us so much about Bali, but decided not to due to their price, it’s around 55-70$ a night.
Luxury Hotels
Here you will find the most famous luxury resorts in Chiang Mai
This 5 star hotel starts at 654$ a night and have a traditional thai architecture that reminds me of a Buddhist temple. One of the most photogenic hotels in Chiang Mai
Photo by Leonnie Hanne
Anantara Chiang Mai Serviced SuitesStarting at 230$/night.
Sireeampan Boutique Resort and Spa Starting at 230$/night
Na Nirand Romantic Boutique Resort Starting at 120$/night
Four Seasons The famous FS in Chiang Mai starts at 350$/night
How to get Here
Best way to get to Chiang Mai is by plane from Bangkok or your previous destination. We paid around 20$ one way from Bangkok and only took 1h.
You can also come from bangkok by bus or the night train, it will take around 7 to 14h to get here, and it will be almost the same price as the flight.
Once you are at the airport, to get to the city center, you have 5 options: you can take the airport bus (0.70$), get a taxi (4.90-7$), ride a songthaew, it is a red little bus (1.30$/person), or hop on a tuk-tuk (3.30-15$ depending on how much you are willing to pay).
Another option is Uber (4$). Travel time for the 5km distance from Chiang Mai Airport to the city center is 15 to 30 minutes depending on traffic.