Chiang Mai

A 14th-century royal temple perched at 1,073 metres on Doi Suthep mountain, reached by a 309-step naga staircase with panoramic views over the entire Chiang Mai valley.

An enormous partially-ruined 15th-century chedi stands at the spiritual centre of the old city, where monks host informal conversation sessions with visitors each evening.

Chiang Mai's oldest and largest covered market sprawls across several floors selling dried longan, northern sausage, hill-tribe textiles and bulk spices to locals since 1910.

An ethical rescue sanctuary in the Mae Taeng valley where visitors walk alongside rehabilitated elephants and feed them baskets of bananas and watermelon in a river landscape.

A forest monastery built into earthen tunnels southwest of the city, where ancient sayings are nailed to trees and resident monks tend a lake full of enormous catfish.

A vivid yellow Chinese-Muslim mosque tucked inside the Chiang Mai night bazaar district, anchoring a neighbourhood of Yunnanese halal noodle shops that open before sunrise.

A low-key university neighbourhood market near CMU where students and locals buy bags of hot khao tom, grilled corn and fresh-squeezed sugarcane juice for almost nothing.

A quiet cluster of wooden studios and shops on the road to Doi Suthep where local designers sell ceramics, illustrated prints and handwoven fabric directly from their workshops on weekends.

A sprawling garden restaurant near the Ping River serving elevated northern Thai dishes like khao soi with house-made egg noodles and slow-braised Chiang Rai beef cheek.

A relaxed upscale spot in the old city that expertly bridges Thai and European technique, with a terrace overlooking a heritage teak house and a serious natural wine list.

A tiny 10-seat counter-dining restaurant in Nimman where chef Chanon serves a seasonal tasting menu built around northern Thai ingredients foraged from markets and mountain suppliers.

A candlelit Franco-Thai restaurant on Nimman Soi 1 that has been plating refined European classics with local produce—think duck confit with tamarind jus—since 2003.

The anchor of the old city's backpacker bar strip, with cheap buckets, long communal tables and a lively open-air courtyard that fills shoulder-to-shoulder every night of the week.

A rotating tap list of Thai craft brews from Phuket Lager to Sandport IPA poured in an industrial-style Nimman bar where knowledgeable staff guide you through tasting flights.

A Chiang Mai institution on the east bank of the Ping River with live acoustic sets, cold Singha on tap and a wooden deck where you watch long-tail boats pass at dusk.

A book-lined, plant-draped courtyard bar near Tha Phae Gate favoured by expat writers and locals for its affordable wine list and notably unhurried, non-touristy atmosphere.

A legendary basement live-music club beneath Maya Mall in Nimman hosting nightly sets from jazz trios, indie bands and funk collectives drawn from Chiang Mai's thriving local music scene.

A small open-fronted venue directly beside the Pratu Chang Phueak gate where Thai jazz musicians jam every night from around 9 PM, attracting a mixed crowd of locals and visitors.

Chiang Mai's best-known open-air club near the moat plays Thai pop, EDM and hip-hop until 2 AM for a young predominantly local crowd packed onto a large outdoor dancefloor.

A smoky, intimate blues and rock venue on the Charoen Rat riverside strip where the house band covers Stevie Ray Vaughan and original Thai blues until the early hours.