The Northern Capital of Thailand, Chiang May - the second most visited city of the country, but from the point of view of its size, of course, cannot be compared with Bangkok. It is much smaller, and people live there at times less.
Nevertheless, Chiang May attracts tourists from around the world. Attracts with its center filled with sparkling temples, restaurants and unique markets - all this, and you can easily reach on foot.
If restaurants and shops are interested in the last place, and in the first interests of Thai temples, then Chiang May can offer a lot. Nna Top Hill is worth Wat Doyceuthep - the largest pebble in the crown of the city's attractions. The old town is all filled with traditional Thai temples, such as Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chedya Luang and Wat Chiang Man - the three main temples of the region. The temples of the city and the other architecture are so popular in the fact that one of the most luxurious hotels in Chiang May even built on the likeness of this beautiful temple.
There are also a few excellent museums in the city, in particular, a lot of them in the center of the Old Town. It can be said that Chiang May itself is as a huge living museum with sleepy alleys, cute traditional houses and noisy markets.
The city is quite cosmopolitan, compared with other northern Thai provinces, and even entertainment in the city is quite good. And still there are some of the best restaurants in Northern Thailand - this is not a small town, so, you will definitely be hungry here.
The most famous and any dish is here - Khao Soi.
Burmese dish, wide famous in North Laos and Northern Thailand. This is essentially the usual rice noodles with all sorts of delicious, welded by a special way. You can dine in the city right on the street, but there is also a provisional number of more elite restaurants. The choice is impressive, just a head is spinning! And if you are tired of Thai cuisine, you will find a lot of European restaurants on the streets. Thanks to its proximity to Burma and Laos, in the markets and in the cafe of the city you can also try the same dishes and products of these countries. Although they, for greater Chatsi, are very similar to Thai.
In Chiang Mae a lot of places for the night. There are a lot of options - from budget pensions to luxury hotels and resorts. In the area of the Old Town, the step has nowhere to step - Some Gasthauses!
According to the North Thai standards, Chiang May offers a comprehensive nightlife, from fashionable coastal bars with live music to cheap fun student bars and pubs where expata are collected.
In the center, everything is intended to ensure that the tourists meet as many tourists as possible - something like a mini Khao San Road (Bangkok Street). Not really, but very similar. Also a lot of entertainment places In the Ping River area.
In general, the city has fun late in the evening (and early in the morning too). Locals, as a rule, live their usual life, to a greater degree, on the eastern part of the city (near the Nimmanhamin RD) and in the north of the city.
But most foreign holidaymakers find themselves in Chiang May not for the sake of temples, no delicious Thai food, nor entertainment establishments, but rather for the sake Trekking On the mountains and admiring mountain views and mountain settlements.
Recent decades Chiang Mai organizes such events, there are several beautiful tourist companies, some of them, by the way, are very dubious - do not forget to read the reviews on the Internet before you go to such a trip.
Many travelers now prefer to start their hiking in the mountains of Mae Hong Dream, Pai or Soppag, such experience is perceived as "genuine", but it is more difficult. Also popular trekking in the areas of Chiang Rai or Nan. But if you decide to make a similar move from Chiang May, allocate for several days on this tour - three days, at least.
Take a trip In the Park Doyceuthep (DOI SUTHEP), Which is less than an hour drive from the city center.
Excursion to the park you will be offered in various travel agencies of the city at a completely different prices - from 1,300 baht to 500 baht. And be prepared for the fact that the guides will not speak English at all. By the way, the entrance fee in the park is in the area of 30 baht, so that, much more economical and easier to come there by having caught the prospectuses with information. By the way, the return route from the park is much more expensive than there (if you take a taxi), cunning them, taxi-see that there is nowhere to go to the tourist!
Stroll by Night market where you can buy all sorts of things.
In Chiang May, there are really many wovers (temples), but an unprepared and unreigned tourist, perhaps quite quickly become boring and "tired".
It is best to take a car or a motorcycle rental and explore the region, and not spend too much time in this city, which is essentially just a reduced (and less interesting) version of Bangkok. Or sign up for some excursion. Although independently cooler. Whereas in the old town sometimes simply do not push back, a walk around the neighborhood can lead you to the areas of the city, not affected by tourism, where you will feel the only foreigner a few kilometers miles. And this is very interesting, the same Local Thais live?
It seems that every time you go to the center, it is some kind of different. Ignore what your guidebook tells you, and instead of wreating in the vicinity and discover the city yourself. The only minus, perhaps, is that in some areas of the city the air is ridden.
The city offers a breathtaking look at a more modern, more cosmopolitan, more "urban" Thailand. This is a great place to stay in Thailand, which can boast of all that a picky tourist can only wish (except beacies, although there is a couple along the rivers in the south of the city, but this is also not the sea). Chiang May, perhaps most suitable city in Thailand, and fun, and calmly, and beautiful, and inexpensive, and people are friendly and friendly. Incredibly friendly!
Even when you know that they are trying to have, it is difficult to get angry. Just laughing on yourself! In general, come and admire!