8 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Wat Phra That Lampang Luang
A walled Lanna temple on a raised earth mound, its 15th-century wooden wihan among the oldest standing in Thailand. A dark chamber projects an inverted camera-obscura image of the golden chedi onto a cloth.
38 km · about 45 min drive
landmark
Chiang Mai Sunday Walking Street
A vibrant weekly market stretching through the Old City with local handicrafts, street food, and live music performances.
39 km · about 45 min drive
landmark
Chiang Mai Old City Temples
A moated square mile containing over 30 ancient Buddhist temples including the revered Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh.
40 km · about 45 min drive
natural wonder
Pha Chor Canyon
Thirty-metre columns and fins of compacted sediment left after the Ping River shifted course, eroded into a narrow gorge you walk through on a sand floor. It sits in the southern arm of Mae Wang National Park.
43 km · about 50 min drive
landmark
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
A sacred golden temple atop a mountain overlooking Chiang Mai, reached by a 309-step staircase flanked by mythical serpents.
44 km · about 50 min drive
landmark
Mae Kampong
A tea-and-coffee village at 1,300 metres in the hills east of Chiang Mai, its wooden houses stacked along a stream with a waterfall at the top of the lane. Weekday mornings are near-silent.
50 km · about 60 min drive
photogenic
Wat Chaloem Phra Kiat Phrachomklao Rachanusorn
White chedis perched on bare limestone pinnacles above Chae Hom, linked by narrow ladders and catwalks bolted to the rock at around 815 metres. The final approach is by songthaew then a steep scramble.
52 km · about 60 min drive
landmark
Chiang Mai Elephant Sanctuaries
Ethical elephant sanctuaries in the hills around Chiang Mai where visitors can observe, feed, and bathe rescued elephants.
56 km · about 65 min drive