Chiang Mai’s moated Old City contains more temples per square kilometre than anywhere else in Thailand — the ancient capital of the Lanna Kingdom has over 300 wats within its ancient walls. This chiang mai walking tour companion is paired with “Chiang Mai Evening Walking Tour | Old City, Night Markets & Temples | 4K” — an evening walk through the temple-dense lanes of the walled city and into the night market culture that makes Chiang Mai’s evenings legendary.
About This Walking Tour
This 4K evening walking tour captures Chiang Mai’s Old City as it transitions from afternoon quiet to evening activity — the hour when the day’s heat eases, temple grounds fill with worshippers, and the night market culture that defines northern Thailand’s tourist life begins to build. The video covers the main temple precincts within the moated square kilometre: Wat Phra Singh, the most revered temple in Chiang Mai; Wat Chedi Luang, the partially-ruined 15th-century chedi that dominates the Old City’s skyline; and the surrounding streets where monks in orange robes move between temple gates and traditional Lanna wooden shop-houses survive alongside modern cafes.
The evening walk extends beyond the moat walls to the Night Bazaar area on Chang Klan Road — a daily market operating from 6pm that specialises in hill tribe handicrafts, silverware, and Chiang Mai’s renowned traditional crafts — and to Kalare Night Market and the walking street markets that operate on weekends. The Sunday Walking Street on Wualai Road (Chiang Mai’s silver street) is considered Thailand’s largest weekly street market.
Highlights of Chiang Mai’s Old City
Wat Phra Singh, founded in 1345 at the western end of the Old City, is Chiang Mai’s most important temple and houses the Phra Singh Buddha image — a revered statue claimed to have magical properties, housed in a beautiful Lanna-style library building decorated with intricate stucco and gilded finials. The temple’s main viharn, with its sweeping low roof and carved naga balustrades, is one of the finest examples of Lanna Buddhist architecture.
Wat Chedi Luang, founded in 1297, grew in the 15th century when its central chedi was enlarged to stand over 80 metres — at the time the tallest structure in the Lanna Kingdom. An earthquake in 1545 damaged the upper portion and it remains ruined, giving the temple its dramatic partially-collapsed appearance. The original Emerald Buddha now enshrined in Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaew resided in this chedi from 1468 to 1551. A replica Emerald Buddha is now in place at the original niche.
Wat Chiang Man, the oldest temple in Chiang Mai (founded 1297 by King Mengrai when he established the city), contains two sacred Buddha images: the Crystal Buddha and the stone Phra Sila. The temple’s elephant chedi, with a row of elephants supporting the base, is a distinctive Chiang Rai-style structure. The moat surrounding the Old City was part of Mengrai’s original fortification and has been restored to its original form.
A Brief History of Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai was founded in 1296 by King Mengrai of the Lanna Kingdom as his new capital — a strategic move that unified the northern Thai city-states. The Lanna Kingdom remained independent for over 260 years before annexation by the Burmese in 1558; it was subsequently controlled by Burma for 200 years before becoming part of the Siamese kingdom in 1774 through an alliance with King Taksin. The city’s relative isolation in the northern mountains allowed its distinctive Lanna culture — different from central Thai culture in language, cuisine, temple architecture, and customs — to survive largely intact.
Chiang Mai’s development as a tourist destination began in the 1980s and has grown substantially, with the Old City’s concentration of temples, the surrounding mountain and forest landscape, and the proximity to hill tribe villages making it Thailand’s most visited destination after Bangkok. The city has a population of approximately 150,000 in the city proper.
Practical Tips
Chiang Mai International Airport is 5 kilometres from the Old City. Red songthaew shared trucks serve as the city’s main local transport; Grab is also available. Thailand uses the baht. Most Old City temples are free to enter or charge 20–40 baht. Dress modestly in temples (shoulders and knees covered). The Sunday Walking Street operates 5–10pm along Wualai Road; the Night Bazaar area on Chang Klan Road is open daily from 6pm. Doi Suthep mountain temple above the city requires a songthaew or taxi (approximately 30 baht shared).
Best Time to Visit
November through February is the cool season — the best weather for temple walks. November brings Yi Peng, the lantern festival where thousands of paper lanterns are released into the night sky, one of Southeast Asia’s most spectacular events. March–April brings the Songkran water festival. Avoid burning season (February–April) when smoke from agricultural burning affects air quality.
Watch & Explore More
The full 4K evening walk through the Old City and night markets is embedded above. Explore more Thailand content at the @walkingtoursvideoscom channel. Related posts: Bangkok’s Grand Palace and Wat Pho walk and Luang Prabang’s alms ceremony and Mekong walk.