Chiang Mai is a city of temples—over 300 can be found in and around the city in a variety of architectural styles.
Chiang Mai is the center of northern Thailand’s tourism industry, rich with culture and tradition and plenty of tours leaving for the rest of the north and attractions surrounding the city. But you just might prefer to stay in town and enjoy strolling around from temple to temple, participating in one of the more interesting programs on offer like the monk chat at Wat Chedi Luang, or even a Thai cooking or language course.
For a large city it has an extremely relaxed atmosphere, which is probably the reason many people remain longer than they intended. Traditional wooden houses and quiet, leafy gardens fill much of the old city. I stayed for five days, using Chiang Mai as a temporary place to work remotely. It was pleasant and affordable enough that I plan to return to use the city again for the same reason.
This photo is from Wat Pan Tao, a beautiful teak temple from the late 14th century.
View my Flickr gallery of Chiang Mai.
Photo and text by Stephen Bugno
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wonderful pictures. I love this old wooden buildings and the beautiful reds oranges and golds.
Wat Pan Tao looks magical when they light hundreds of candles on some big festivities.