An ancient city with an abundance of temples, tuk tuks and tasty food! A different city to the rest of Thailand and a welcome break from the islands and beaches. There are many amazing things to do in Chiang Mai in 2022. Read on for our top 5….
Where to stay in Chiang Mai
Ciang Mai is full of many hotels and hostels for every budget. From the stunning 5* hotels of Shangri-La, Anantara Chiang Mai and the traditional Raya Heritage Hotel.
If you are looking for something more budget friendly then we can recommend the At Chiang Mai Hotel. A traditional hotel within the old city walls. Check Booking.com for many other hotel options in Chiang Mai.
Booking.com
1. Temples
Chiang Mai is packed full with golden, elaborate temples. Make sure to wander the streets and visit a few as one of the most cultural things to do in Chiang Mai in 2022.
Wat Phra Singh is the biggest and busiest of all the temples, get to this one early. Wat Pan Tao was our favourite due to all the beautiful, colourful lanterns everywhere. It was also one of our favourite things to do in Chiang Mai at night when it was all lit up. Wat Chedi Luang is huge, beautiful and well worth checking out. Our final temple on the tour was Wat Inthakhin Sadue Muang close to the main street where we could finish off with cold drinks and food.
2. Sunday Night Market
Sunday Night Market, on Walking Street, is one of the top things to do in Chiang Mai at night. It does get incredibly busy so if you have kids make sure to get there early. It is worth having a wander and seeing the market getting set up before the crowds. Look out for the temples as there are often street food markets and seating areas inside. The street food is to die for – pork kebabs, sweet corn, gyoza, dim sum, pork buns and crab….everything was so tasty and cheap.
The market is full of typical Thai goods – banana/pineapple shirts, beach dresses, books, elephant ornaments, jewelry, bags and sunglasses. If you’re looking for something unique to take home you can pick up some nice souvenirs.
If you are looking to escape the crowds, look up as there are some quiet little bars overlooking the main street. A perfect spot to escape the chaos and family friendly.
Be prepared for a lot of people it does become a human traffic jam. With kids our advice, as always, is go early and come home early. Escape down a side street when it gets too much and jump in a tuk tuk back to the hotel. Despite the crowds it is one of the most fun things to do in Chiang Mai with family.
3. Maerin Elephant Sanctuary
Maerin Elephant Sanctuary is perfect; small, friendly, engaging and hands on. It was obvious the elephants are really well cared for and the people who work there are passionate about helping them. It was easily one of the best things to do in Chiang Mai with family. Our boys still talk about it today.
We wrote a separate post about Maerin Elephant Sanctuary which you can read here for all the details.
*Top Tip – leave your phone/camera in the locker and let the photographer take the photos and buy them at the end – too much mud, excitement and activity to get decent pictures yourself!*
4. Mae Sa Waterfalls
The Mae Sa Waterfalls are located in a National Park in Mae Rim. The waterfalls are found over 10 ‘levels’. It is a nice walk around through the forest following safe, well structured paths to reach each waterfall. There are little bridges, huts and steps to discover and you can get right up close to the waterfalls. There were even people swimming in some of them – although we didn’t do this. We covered 8 of them but didn’t make it to the last 2 as the boys were hot and fed up.
The waterfalls are numbered and really easy to follow. It is not a strenuous trail at all and perfectly accessible for kids. Elis was just 4 at the time and he was more than able to walk all of it.
In the car park there are little food stalls where you can get a meal or snacks and toilets. There are also toilets half way through the walk. Bring plenty of water and a picnic and make a morning of it. It took us around 2 hours to cover the 8 waterfalls with plenty of breaks.
Entry fee for kids is free and it was 100bht per person at the time we went. A wonderful escape into nature.
It was one of our favourite things to do in Chiang Mai with family and would recommend it for something different in Thailand.
5. Elephant Poo Poo Paper Park
If you are travelling to Chiang Mai with kids and looking for something different to do with them then check this out. Elephant Poo Poo Paper has to be one of the best things to do in Chiang Mai with kids. It is a place, as the name suggests, where they use elephant poo to make paper!
Upon arrival there is a quirky gift shop with everything on sale made out of elephant poo, amusing signs and bright, eye-catching pictures. It costs 100bht pp (under 5s free) to enter and this includes a tour and an opportunity to make your own paper.
Elephant Poo Poo Paper Park is located in lush, green gardens and describes itself as an eco-friendly museum park. The tour explains exactly how they dry out, clean and handle the elephant poo before turning it into paper. Before then giving you the opportunity to make your own paper. The tour is very interactive and great for kids, they loved being given an open platform to discuss and laugh about all things poo!
They have many different souvenirs to buy. We ending up buying some Passport Holders made from elephant poo which the boys decorated. It takes around an hour and a half, including a coffee in the small cafe. Definitely worth the visit and the boys particularly enjoyed it.
Chiang Mai is a beautiful city, full of charm, character and traffic! It’s nowhere near as busy as Bangkok although you still have to be mindful when wandering the streets with the kids. We enjoyed our time here walking the streets, stopping off for food and drinks and looking around the little shops. It is definitely worth a stop when in Thailand and we would now like to explore more of Northern Thailand on our next trip……whenever that may be.
If you enjoyed reading this post 5 Amazing things to do in Chiang Mai then check out our Where to Go in Thailand page for lots of ideas. Or our 3-week itinerary to Thailand for some more ideas. You may also enjoy reading about our time in Phuket with fun family activities in Phuket. Also, 6 best family hotels in Phuket and 5 best beaches in Phuket.
If you are looking for other family travel inspiration check out 7 stunning places in Oman and Everything you need to know about Dubai and the UAE. Or for something totally different, A Guide to Albania. Even more ideas can be found on our Destinations Page.
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Hi, Thanks for a great post, we are looking forward to going in the summer. Not sure about the Poo Poo Paper Park, but I guess the kids will love it. Jan
Glad you enjoyed! Haha, we thought the same about the poo poo paper park but it was definitely worth a visit for the kids!
So great to see your travels in Thailand. And, your Awesome pics are inspiring me to go to Chiang Mai again. Hope so!
Thank you – the wonderful Chiang Mai, hope to return one day!