How Many Days In Chiang Mai Is Enough In 2024?
One of the most common questions I get asked about the north of Thailand is “How many days in Chiang Mai is enough?”
It’s one of my favourite places in the world, so personally, I could stay there forever.
Being so far north and “out of the way”, you need to stay enough days to make it worth the journey, but equally, you probably don’t want to spend too long in the mountains when there are such beautiful beaches on offer in the south.
So to help you get the best of both worlds, I’ve put together a complete guide for how many days to stay in Chiang Mai.
How Many Days In Chiang Mai Is Enough?
How many days in Chiang Mai is enough is different for everybody. There is no one-size-fits-all answer.
If you only have 2 weeks in Thailand, then you probably don’t want to stay there for too long. But if you have one month, you can spend a bit longer.
My personal answer is at least 4 full days. I think this is enough time to make the journey worth it, and it gives you enough time to experience what the city has to offer both in the Old City itself and on day tours.
When I was backpacking in Thailand, I stayed in Chiang Mai for 8 days and I still feel like I missed out on some things to do.
During those 8 days, I did a 2-day jungle trek, visited an elephant sanctuary, took a day trip to Chiang Rai, took a cooking class, visited Doi Inthanon National Park and so much more.
But I also missed some Chiang Mai “must-dos” such as ziplining and visiting the Sticky Waterfalls.
So if you have time to spend, then I would stay in Chiang Mai for as long as you can justify. If you’re short on time, I would stay for at least 4 full days, so in some cases, this may be 5 nights.
What To See In Chiang Mai
To help you decide on how many days in Chiang Mai is right for you (because everyone is different), I’ve put together a list of some of the best things to see in the city. There’s a lot on offer, so depending on how much you want to see will affect how many days you need.
1) Wat Phra Singh: The most picturesque temple in Chiang Mai Old City is Wat Phra Singh. It’s the temple that you’ll see on many of the postcards in Chiang Mai and for good reason – it’s stunning. Seeing it in real life is even more beautiful as the shine of the gold is mesmerising…make sure you bring sunglasses!
2) Tha Phae Gate: Chiang Mai Old City is a walled city, and one of the most significant spots along the wall is the Tha Phae Gate. It’s the main entrance to the historical centre and while it’s nothing spectacular in terms of appearance, it’s still pretty cool to see. The area is also lively with music, dancing and usually lots of street food too.
3) Three Kings Monument: Statues and monuments in Thailand are nowhere near as common as in the US or Europe, but Chiang Mai does have the Three Kings Monument which honours the founders of Chiang Mai, so it represents a big part of Chiang Mai’s culture, history and identity. It’s definitely worth seeing while you’re walking about.
4) Doi Suthep: Just outside of Chiang Mai’s Old City is a large mountain, and at the top of the mountain is Doi Suthep. It’s another picturesque temple and another which commonly features on Chiang Mai’s brochures and postcards. Unfortunately, when I went, there was construction work going on, but I could still appreciate its beauty. Plus, the view over the city is breathtaking too.
5) Wat Chedi Luang: Going back into the Old City, another temple you need to see is Wat Chedi Luang. There are over 300 temples in Chiang Mai, so admittedly, many of the things to see are temples, but it’s all part of experiencing a new culture. Wat Chedi Luang has a massive pagoda made out of stone which is the perfect example of Lanna architecture.
6) Wat Sri Suphan: Personally I can only visit so many temples before I start to get bored, so the last one which I recommend visiting is Wat Sri Suphan, but it’s quite unique in design. It’s made out of silver metal, so it’s very different in appearance from the traditional red/yellow/white temples which make up the majority of Buddhist temples in Thailand.
7) Nice sunsets: Sunsets in Chiang Mai are stunning – there is always a pretty combination of colours and they’re usually vibrant too. This picture below isn’t edited, for example. What I really like about sunsets in Chiang Mai is you don’t even need to get somewhere high up to enjoy the view. Because there are no skyscrapers or tall buildings in the old city, you can get a good view of the sky from anywhere.
8) Mae Sa Waterfall: Not too far from the centre of Chiang Mai is the Mae Sa Waterfall. In truth, there are a lot of waterfalls in the area and all of them are pretty nice so it doesn’t matter too much which one you see, but I like Mae Sa Waterfall because it’s not too busy that it ruins it, but it’s popular enough that it’s accessible and easy to get to.
9) Old City Walls & Moats: Chiang Mai used to be the capital of the Lanna Kingdom, which was Thailand before Thailand became Thailand. There is evidence of this period all throughout the city such as the Tha Phae Gate and Wat Chedi Luang, but the walls and moats which surround the city are the perfect example. It’s like Dubrovnik but with moats too – pretty cool!
10) Street art: Chiang Mai has a lot of personality about it, and one of the perfect examples is street art. Down side streets and alleyways, you can find lots of beautiful spray paintings and pieces of art. Of course, there is some graffiti too, but try to focus on the street art. There is a Chiang Mai street art map you can use to find the best spots.
What To Do In Chiang Mai
Now that I’ve given you all of the best things to see in Chiang Mai, I’ve also put together a list of the best things to do. Again, use this to decide how many days in Chiang Mai is right for you, because if you want to do all of the things on this list, you will need more than 4 days. But if you don’t want to do any of these things, then maybe it’s not worth visiting Chiang Mai at all.
1) Go trekking in the jungle: One of the main reasons to visit Chiang Mai is the opportunity to explore the nature which surrounds the city. The best way to do this is by taking a jungle trek. I took an overnight 2-day trek when I was in Chiang Mai and I absolutely loved it – it was one of my favourite experiences from my 2 months in Thailand.
🥾 Book your Chiang Mai trekking tour here 🌳
2) Take a cooking class: If you ask me, Chiang Mai has the best food in Thailand, which also makes it the best place to take a cooking class. You can learn to make a variety of traditional Thai dishes, and of course, you get to eat them afterwards. Another bonus of doing a cooking class in Chiang Mai is the north of Thailand is less expensive than other parts of the country, so you save money too.
👨🍳 Book your Chiang Mai cooking class here 🍚
3) Visit the Elephant Nature Park: Another big reason people visit Chiang Mai, and Thailand in general, is to have an experience with elephants. You see photos online of people feeding, bathing and walking elephants, but the best way is to visit the Elephant Nature Park which is the most ethical sanctuary in Thailand. You watch the elephants roam freely from a distance where the elephants aren’t forced into human interactions.
Important Note: If you choose to visit another elephant sanctuary, you should never visit one which includes riding the elephants. It is extremely unethical. At the most, walking, bathing and feeding is “fine”, but definitely do not ride them.
4) Enjoy the delicious food: As I said when talking about the cooking class, Chiang Mai has the best food in Thailand in my opinion. There are so many local dishes such as Khao Soi and the Chiang Mai sausage which you can’t get anywhere else (easily). Plus, it’s so cheap and convenient. I really like the South Gate Market in Chiang Mai. I ate there nearly every night.
5) Take a Muay Thai class: When you visit a new country, you want to experience the culture, right? Muay Thai is a big part of the culture in Thailand, and taking a Muay Thai class is not only good for your fitness and good for trying new things, but it’s also sooo fun. You can find classes in Thailand for as low as 300 baht which last 2 hours. It’s very rewarding too as it’s easy to pick up the basics quickly.
🇹🇭 Book your Muay Thai experience here 🥊
6) Relax in Nong Buak Haad Public Park: While Chiang Mai is pretty chill in general, and nowhere near as crazy as Bangkok is, it’s still nice to find a peaceful place to relax. The best place is Nong Buak Haad Public Park. It’s a really scenic park with lots of greenery and plants to look at. It also holds the Chiang Mai Flower Festival each year, which is one of the main three festivals on the calendar (alongside the Festival of Lights and the Thai New Year).
7) Visit Doi Inthanon National Park: Doi Inthanon National Park is a must-visit while in Chiang Mai in my opinion. It’s not only home to lots of nature and wildlife including the tallest mountain in Thailand, but it’s also home to one of the most picturesque temples. The view of the temple and its gardens with a view over the surrounding area is indescribable. Words can’t do it justice.
⛰ Book your Doi Inthanon day trip here 🛕
8) Go ziplining: If you fancy a go on the longest zipline in Thailand (1000 metres!) or the longest zipline roller coaster in the world (1100 metres) then you should definitely head to Chiang Mai because you have the opportunity to both in the same day here, as well as a load of other small ziplines. It’s one of the most fun days you can have for sure.
🌳 Book your zip-lining tour here 🤐
9) Go white water rafting: There are 5 main tours people book when visiting Chiang Mai: jungle trekking, elephant sanctuary, cooking class, ziplining and this one, white water rafting. If you’re someone who loves adrenaline, this one is for you. I love white water rafting and it always gets my heart going, and to be honest, the spray of the water is actually quite nice to cool you down from the heat of the sun!
🌊 Book your white water rafting tour here 🚣♀️
10) Climb the Sticky Waterfalls: Last but by no means least of these things to do in Chiang Mai is to climb the Sticky Waterfalls. The Sticky Waterfalls are exactly as the name suggests, waterfalls that are sticky. The water is rich in calcium carbonate which makes it easy to climb the waterfall up the rocks and gives the water the appearance of being sticky. Pretty unique!
⛰ Book your trip to the Sticky Waterfalls here 💦
How To Spend 4 Days In Chiang Mai
Since I said 4 days was the minimum you need to spend in Chiang Mai, I’ve put together a quick brief on how to spend 4 days in Chiang Mai. Obviously, you can change it to suit what you want to do and visit the things you want to visit, but this is what I would recommend.
- Day 1: Chiang Mai Old City & Doi Suthep
- Day 2: Single-day jungle trek with Elephant Nature Park
- Day 3: Cooking class and Muay Thai
- Day 4: White water rafting or zip-lining
Day Trips From Chiang Mai
If you want to spend a bit of a longer period of time in Chiang Mai, then you’re in luck as the city makes for a great base for taking day trips. The most popular is Chiang Rai, known for its temples, and Doi Inthanon is a close second as I’ve mentioned throughout the post. Mon Jam is a lesser-known option and it’s a nice option IMO.
Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai is the most popular day trip to take from Chiang Mai and it takes about 3 hours to get there by bus.
In Chiang Mai, the 3 main sights are the White Temple, the Blue Temple and the Ban Daam Museum.
The White Temple looks normal on the outside but on the inside it has a load of cartoon character paintings which is quite unique. The Blue Temple is very blue as the name suggests, inside and out.
Ban Daam Museum is an art gallery but with a twist. All of the paintings are interactive and if you scan them with your phone, they come to life, which is pretty cool.
🛕 Book your Chiang Rai day trip here 🏛
Doi Inthanon
I’ve already spoken about Doi Inthanon quite a lot throughout the post, so I’ll keep this one brief.
This majestic peak is about a 2-hour drive from Chiang Mai. As Thailand’s highest mountain, it offers breathtaking views, cascading waterfalls, and a cooler climate that provides a refreshing escape from the city’s heat.
So yeah, it’s worth taking a day trip if you have time to fill in Chiang Mai.
Mon Jam
Mon Jam is a lesser-known day trip from Chiang Mai. It’s not quite a hidden gem, but there are far fewer tourists than in other places.
Mon Jam is part of the Royal Project, an initiative to promote sustainable farming practices among hill tribes.
By taking a day trip, you are able to explore the beautifully landscaped gardens filled with a variety of flowers, vegetables, and fruits. It’s a great spot to learn about the local way of life and the community’s efforts in sustainable agriculture.
Plus, by visiting, you are helping them continue their protected way of life.
FAQs
Below are some questions related to how many days to spend in Chiang Mai along with my answers to each question.
You need at least 4 days in Chiang Mai to do everything the city has to offer both within the Old City and by taking day tours. It’s also long enough to make the journey up from Bangkok worthwhile.
3 days in Chiang Mai is enough to see what the Old City has to offer and take one or two day tours such as to an elephant sanctuary, zip-lining or white water rafting. The longer you have in Chiang Mai, the better, but 3 days is better than none.
No, 5 days is not too long in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is a great place to use as a base for taking day tours. Elephant sanctuaries, jungle trekking, white water rafting, zip-lining and Doi Inthanon National Park are all popular day trip options.
No, 7 days is not too long in Chiang Mai. I spent 7 days in Chiang Mai and I still felt like I left without doing some “must-dos”. Chiang Mai is an amazing place for taking tours. The main 5 are trekking in Doi Inthanon, visiting an elephant sanctuary, zip-lining, white water rafting, and visiting Chiang Rai.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it, a complete answer to how many days in Chiang Mai is enough.
My opinion is that you can’t have too long in Chiang Mai. There is a reason that so many people move there to live and it’s because there are so many things to do in the city and from the city.
As I said in the post, I recommend at least 4 days, but I emphasise the “at least”.
Oh and if you’re looking for somewhere to stay in Chiang Mai, I recommend Smile Robotist Hostel.
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