• Kome Loy : Hot air balloons

    Kome Loy : Hot air balloons

  • Close to Nature

    Close to Nature

  • Old City and Temples

    Old City and Temples

  • Art and Cultural Handicraft : Night market : Walking street

    Art and Cultural Handicraft : Night market : Walking street

  • The Paradise of a Coffee Lover

    The Paradise of a Coffee Lover

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About Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai (เชียงใหม่)[1] is the hub of Northern Thailand. With a population of over 170,000 in the city proper (but more than 1 million in the metropolitan area), it is Thailand's fifth-largest city. Chiang Mai is a cultural and natural wonderland with ethnic diversity, a multitude of attractions, and welcoming hospitality.

 

Historical Background

Chiang Mai literally means “new city” and has retained the name despite celebrating its 700th anniversary in 1996. King Meng Rai the Great founded the city as the capital of the Lanna Kingdom on Thursday, April 12 1296 around the same time as the establishment of the Sukhothai Kingdom. King Meng Rai even conferred with his friends, King Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai and King Ngam Muang of Phayao before choosing the site where the capital of the Lanna Kingdom was to be founded. Henceforth, Chiang Mai not only became the capital and cultural core of the Lanna Kingdom, it was also to be the center of Buddhism in northern Thailand, King Meng Rai himself was a very religious leader who even founded many of the city’s temples that remain important to this day.

Tourist Attractions

Chiang Mai is one of the few places in Thailand where it is possible to experience both historical and modern Thai culture coexisting side by side: the city features centuries-old chedis and temples next to modern convenience stores and boutique hotels. This dichotomy is best appreciated within the moat-encircled old city, which retains much of the fortified wall that once protected the city center as well as the four main gates that provided access to the former Lanna capital city. With its distinctive culture, arts, festivals, and traditions, Chiang Mai has been voted one of the top destinations to live in Asia, for it is a modern, cosmopolitan city that has not lost its traditional charm.

There are many experiences you can find:

 Maps

Map of Chiang Mai, Thailand

Click here to open the high-resolution map of Chiang Mai

 

Thanks

[1] The information of Chiangmai from : http://wikitravel.org/en/Chiang_Mai

[2] The nice introduction Videos of Chiangmai from : http://thai.tourismthailand.org