Chiang Mai Thailand was not what I expected. I felt the art vibes everywhere we went. it was full of galleries and great shops & cafes.

Family trip to Chiang Mai – Part 3 – My only conclusion is that you need to spend more time to the city, it’s definitely upcoming and interesting.

FOR PART 2 PRESS HERE 

FOR PART 1 PRESS HERE 

FOR THE BEST OF CHIANG MAI PRESS HERE

Woo Cafe & Art Gallery

When I travel I love to discover unique places that will open my mind. Woo cafe was exactly that. it’s not easy to find a place in Thailand that will make you feel like you are in a great concept store in NY city combined with a tropical jungle feeling.

We went to Woo cafe in the afternoon for coffee and cake ( and some fruit shakes)  already when we entered the place it felt like you are inside a  tropical garden. it was full of tropical plants and colorful flowers ( the ones I wish I had at home) divided into separate areas and different sitting arrangements.

An extension of The coffee area with many rooms for the art items and just beautiful pieces you want to have at home. on the second floor, there is a gallery with painting that changes monthly.

The service was good and friendly ( we were with 4 kids after all ) and the cake and juices were served beautifully and tasty.

I wish I had more time there.

This place is a MUST see for the lifestyle traveler and for people who appreciate great spots of art and food. 

When leaving Woo I realized all the street is full of art galleries and made the family walk for a bit.

Regina Garden

The first place we saw just in front of woo was Regina Garden  – I must admit the cats made me enter but it was like entering a vintage store with interesting things to discover.

have a look once you are there.

Cannonball Gallery & The Meeting Roon Art Cafe

On the same street as the woo cafe, you can also find the meeting room cafe. when we were there it was packed with people having a party. it looked really cool and seemed like a nice place to have a coffee and see some art.

Great place – worth a visit.

Tita Cafe & Gallery 

About 40 minutes from Chiang Mai old city you will find Tita cafe, It’s on the way to the north part of Chiang Mai. An art gallery with selected items and artwork, A nice coffee with delicious cakes and a small shop.

the place combines the tranquility of a coffee house, with a nice loft,  and a casual presentation of art. while outside is nature all around.

If you are in the area or have spare time – go there it’s worth it!

One Nimman

Just 10 -15 minutes taxi ride from the old city and you will find The latest addition to Chiang Mai’s shopping scene. beautifully designed complex with the most luxury brands combine Art, Culture and Contemporary Art Center, an all-in-one complex that is an open concept designed with great taste. There is also a small food court.

But you must visit the area next to one nimman: one side has the Maya mall ( Maya Lifestyle Shopping Center)

I found tons of different markets and cool shops in that area. just take your time and walk around.

Go and see you will love it.`

Think park & Cat Nap

In front of one nimman you will find the Think park ( I love that small park it was stylish with unique restaurants and boutiques and a huge tree above it all) and next to it you will find the Cat Nap – a small street with great vibes that has markets – don’t forget to check the dates here.

In the area on the back of one nimman you can find tons of galleries and cool restaurants like: Rustic and Blue,  Gallery Seascape, Fairytales and more…just walk in Nimmanheamin road.

Unlucky for us we didn’t have time and when we came it was raining too hard to walk around and discover.

Go and see small and sweet.

Fen forest cafe 

In the old city, you can also enter a tropical forest to get away from the sun. we walked a lot to get there and when we entered everyone was so happy, there have fens with trees and it felt cool and inviting. the food was delicious and the pink shake was a big hit! 

Defently a recomanded place. next to it, there is also a luxery spa you should try.

On our way to the fen cafe we entered my secret cafe, unfortunately, it was full but looked very nice too.

Dont miss : My Secret Cafe In Town

Sunday Market & All The Markets

THA PAE WALKING STREET – This is the biggest market in Chiang Mai and it takes place every Sunday. Open around 18:00 until midnight, this is a very big market located inside the old city, starting at the Tha Phae Gate and continuing for around a kilometer along Ratchadamnoen Road. you can find there local crafts, fashion, jewelry, and food. ‘must do’ experiences while in Chiang Mai.

There are many other markets in the city such as the:

Saturday market- located in the south part of the city.

The Warorot Market – opens every day, a food market during the day and a night bazaar at night where you can taste the best flavors of Chiang Mai.

Night bazar palace, Kalare Night Bazaar, The Chiangmai Complex- Student Market and many more:)

As you can see you won’t be able to miss the markets while you are visiting…

The regular things

Don’t worry, we also managed to do all the regular things like:

Ride the tuk-tuk or a big taxi van, Make massage every day, Saw the historic temples in the city

Tried the street food and walked in the old city.

But they were all regular Great things you will do in Thailand no matter where you are… comparing to the places I wrote above that you will probably find them on every post you will read about Chiang Mai and Thailand…

here are some regular photos :

Do regular its a must in Thailand

For Great Experience in Chaing Mai try Withlocals ( you will earn 15 euro from this link) I use this App all the time.

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Chiang Mai Thailand was not what I expected it was a big surprise.

This is part 1 of all the posts about Chiang Mai.

You will find in this post:  the hotels we stayed in, some of the activities we did,  the places we visited and the restaurants you shouldn’t miss In part 2&3

FOR PART 2 PRESS HERE 

FOR PART 3 PRESS HERE

FOR BEST OF CHIANG MAI PRESS HERE

As I started to plan this vacation I understood I have made a mistake and that 6 days would not be enough.

Most of the people I know who visit chiang mai do a lot of extreme sports and enjoy the wild nature.  While planning and organizing our vacation I found art galleries, concept stores, interesting markets, restaurants and much more.

But it was a family trip and kids stuff were a must so I managed to plan an itinerary that maximized our time there and the truth was that we didnt get to see half of the things that I was aiming for. ( a very good reason to come back again)

Family trip to Chiang Mai – Part 1

The Hotels:

Sibsan Resort & Spa Meataeng, Chiangmai

Most of the activities we did where in the Maetaeng area of Chiang mai so I decided to take a resort near this area and found this beautiful resort.

We took 2 rooms ( a family of 6 ) and they gave us a very nice area of 2 rooms with a small pool near the river. it was stunning.

The room had everything we needed and much more. a lot of space, a great bathroom. everything felt perfect.

Taking breakfast by the pool you get a feeling of being in the wild and the food was great.

My recommendation is to stay at least 3 nights here.

Thai Akara

After doing all the attractions in the north part of chiang mai we wanted to go to the center of town.

Thai Akara was perfect for us, rooms where Big and the hotel was small and intimate. actually we needed more time because we did not get to spend too much time in the hotel. we didnt even go into the pool.

rooms where great with everything we needed and more. the breakfast was superb and the staff were very friendly.

What you should do while visiting Chiang Mai 

There are so many things to do in Chiang Mai But when I was planning the vacation I tried to take the best ones. so here are my recommendations of what you should and should not do.

For Great Experience in Chaing Mai try Withlocals ( you will earn 15 euro from this link) I use this App all the time.

ZIP LINE – OMEGA 

If you ask Amit ( my small boy) what did he love the most in Thailand he will tell you the “OMEGA” and he will mean our zipline experience in north chiang mai . We arrived there at noon and took the shorter ride because I felt it will be enough for us. it was exactly what we needed. The place was well organized and we felt safe. we had 3 instructors joining us and we all had a great time ( from age 5 to 49 ).

Put on your to do list.

 Elephant camp

It was very important for me that the children will not ride the elephants and only take care of them and this place was perfect for our short time ( I would recommend staying longer it was very nice there ).

We arrived and got dressed in the blue uniforms so that the elephants will not be afraid from us ( it’s the local villages uniform) we got to understand what the elephants eat and how to feed them, walk with them and bath them ( which was a funny experience)

Definitely a must do.

Traditional bamboo rafting 

Traditional bamboo rafts were how locals traveled and carried goods for trade in the past.

Many tourist go to chiang mai and do regular rafting that can be a lot of fun too but in my group ( 3 girls and a 5 year old boy ) the traditional bamboo rafting is enough.

I must say it looked very touristic and we went in a big crowded place in order to get there But the ride was very calm and relaxing and we all enjoyed it.

Not a must but if you are already in the area and have time – why not:)

Long Necks’ villages attraction

Ok, Its very hard for me to write this part. when I was planning our trip to chiang mai I read many articles about this attraction and it was a big dilemma. should I support this attraction?  in the end I decided to go and see.

When we visited the small village ( near our hotel ) it didnt feel that the vibe there was bad. and I wanted to give them money and shop without arguing. we stayed there a very short time and my dilemmas where and are still remain. if they are in this situation then they need the money and it will help them, but if we will support this it will never stop.

I guess for this attraction its every person to his own. – not a must do.

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Chiang Mai Thailand was not what I expected it was a big surprise. nature at its best, full of art and design. we all had such a great time it became our favorite vacation place of this trip and even 3 months later the kids are talking about it.

Here you will find the hotels we stayed in, the activities we did, the places we visited and the restaurants you shouldn’t miss.

There are 3 posts about Chiang Mai :

FOR PART 1 PRESS HERE 

FOR PART 2 PRESS HERE 

FOR PART 3 PRESS HERE 

I’ve been to Thailand 5 times before but only now I discovered Chiang Mai. when I started organizing our trip to Thailand I understood I made a mistake and took only 6 days in Chiang Mai and the surrounding areas. If you really want to discover Chiang Mai you need at least one week ( I would take 2 weeks)

For Great Experience in Chaing Mai try Withlocals ( you will earn 15 euro from this link) I use this App all the time.

Maybe I am a dreamer But I love to see the beauty in every place I visit and something in Chiang Mai made me fly.

Quick Facts 

When to visit Chiang Mai:

In my opinion, there is no Best time to visit. you may get : Hot, Cool and Rainy

The Hot period is between March to June – it will be hot and dry but you might get good prices

The Cool period is between November to February- there is not too much rain and it might even be chilly.

The Rainy period is between July to October- it might not rain all day But you will have rain.

We visited at the beginning of August.  Here is a fact:) In tropical countries, its considered to be the rainy season between May to October  But after visiting many in the last 20 years I know that in the Mid Rainy season ( between July and August ) its a good time to visit.

How to get to Chiang Mai:

There are 2 best ways to get to Chiang Mai:

1. By a flight from Bangkok ( there are about 50 flights a day) the airport is about 15-20 min to the old city.
2.  With a car from Chiang Rai if you are arriving from there. this will take between 3-4 hours.

In Chiang Mai, you can get from place to place with many options, some traditional like the tuk-tuk and some modern like Uber:

A private car ( you can rent)

Tuk Tuk – the symbol of Thailand – all you need is to jump on, the problem is that usually it will be for 3 people max and if you are a big family you’ll need to split.

Songthaew – the red truck works as a shared taxi picking passengers on the street ( we used this option a lot cause we were 6 and it was the easy way to travel all together )

Taxi / Uber – an easy way to move around the city but more expensive

You can also walk and use motorcycles and bicycles.

To get out of the city or in the city you can book tours on get your guide Chiang Mai

Where to stay in Chiang Mai 

There are a lot of options for accommodation in Chiang Mai, lots of styles for every budget.

It was hard to choose from the large variety the city has to offer.

When I planed the trip I saw that we were spending a lot of time traveling in the car if we were to sleep in Chiang Mai every night, and for this reason, I chose to sleep 2 nights in a different location.

If I had more time I would sleep 1-2 days in every location (north/south) and than spend more nights in Chiang Mai.

The best locations to take a hotel in Chiang Mai city are: The Old City, Night Bazaar and Riverside.

Here is the hotel I took in the north part of Chiang Mai and the hotel I took in the center of the old city. for more info please go to post 1.

Sibsan Resort & Spa Meataeng, Chiangmai

Thai Akara 

For more hotels – have a look here

Attractions in Chiang Mai

There are so many options that you can get lost. best is to find your favorite things and to try and do 1-2  attractions a day so you won’t get too tired or drive too much:)

You may find all the attractions we made in POST 1 & POST 2. For more options press HERE.

One more option is to get a tour with WITH LOCALS. I use this all the time and its great fun (with this link you will get a 15 euro discount)

Where and What to eat:

The north of Thailand has a lot to offer in food flavors and you have a huge variety to choose from: you can eat on the streets, in the markets and small restaurants and in luxury places, most likely you will enjoy them a lot

You can check all the posts I wrote about the food we had ( Post 3 is full with cool coffee spots) but for more information try the web, here are some options :

Try here  and here

I am sure no matter what you do, you will have a very tasty time.

 Now all you need to do is to book a flight and let me know how it was 

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