Chiang Mai Budget Travel Guide provides you all the tips for planning an economy-conscious trip to Chiang Mai, the capital of northern Thailand. As a budget traveller myself, I do not want a limited budget to prevent me from having a great time. I hope the information I assemble here will be of help to you.
Budget Travel to Chiang Mai
Flying would be the most practical way to reach Chiang Mai. Several budget airlines such as Thai AirAsia now flies this route, and offers fantastic fares.
Chiang Mai's airport is located on the southwest part of the city. For details, read Getting to Chiang Mai by Plane.
If you wish, you can pre-arrange an airport transfer so that there's a van waiting to pick you up and take you to your hotel in Chiang Mai. Find out more about Chiang Mai airport transfer here.
Chiang Mai Night Market(25 October 2006)
© Timothy Tye
Where to stay in Chiang Mai
I would recommend staying somewhere between Modern Chiang Mai (2 on the map) and the Old City (3 on the map). In any case, the city is small enough for you to walk around on foot, and if you're a hardy walker with stamina, you can explore much of it without resorting to any form of transport. For most people, however, it is faster and more convenient to simply hire a tuk tuk for a single journey, or to charter it by the hour or even the whole day.
Wat Chedi Luang, one of the most famous ruins in Chiang Mai(24 October 2006)
© Timothy Tye
Now a bit about Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai, also written Chiangmai and Chiengmai, is the second largest city in Thailand. It is located at an elevation of 313m above sea level in the Ping river valley, a broad fertile plain that includes Chiang Mai and nearby Lamphun. The Ping river runs from north to south across the eastern side of Chiang Mai. The old city was the capital of the ancient Lanna kingdom. Once the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Lanna (Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields, also called Lannathai), Chiang Mai is the capital of Chiang Mai Province as well as the largest city in Northern Thailand. Chiang Mai is also the centre for culture and handicraft.
Located on the southern branch of the ancient Silk Road, Chiang Mai has long seved as an important centre for handicrafts, including umbrellas, jewellery - particularly silverware, and woodcarving. Increasingly modern, and with a population of 700,000, Chiang Mai is one of the most livable cities in Asia.
Chiang Mai's old town is located on the west side of modern Chiang Mai. The most apparent remains of the medieval city is the fortress that forms a square encircled by a moat. The area within the Old City is dense with temples, but it is not a historically preserved quarter. Apart from the temples, the buildings within the Old City are the same in form and style as elsewhere in Chiang Mai.
Although much of the fortress had either been torn down or broken down, parts of it still remains, and have been systematically restored. It is actually more significant than impressive. To the eye of most beholder, the remains of the fortress look like nothing more than a red-brick wall.
Layout of ancient Chiang Mai
Similar to Angkor Thom and Mandalay, ancient Chiang Mai was laid out as a square with a moat around it. Most of the ancient temples still exist within the old quarters surrounded by the moat and old city fortress.
Going to Chiang Mai by Train
You can also go to Chiang Mai by train from Bangkok (though personally I find it too time consuming). Tickets can be purchased 60 days in advance. It is advisable to book in advance. The distance is 751km (467 miles), and the journey takes 13 hours. It is certainly much slower than flying from Bangkok, but you will get to view the Thai countryside all the way in between. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) website, www.railway.co.th provides information and time table for the trains.
There are six train services between Bangkok and Chiang Mai daily. According to the SRT website, the first train of the day leaves Bangkok's Hualamphong Station at 8:30am in the morning and arrives at 8:30pm the same day. It is a 2nd Class train with no sleeper berths. The next train is the Overnight Train. It leaves Bangkok at 2:30pm in the afternoon, and arrives in Chiang Mai at 5:30am the next morning. At 6:00pm, another overnight train leaves Bangkok, arriving at 7:15am the next day. Other trains leave Bangkok at 7:20pm, 7:35pm and 10:00pm, arriving in Chiang Mai at 7:40am, 9:45am and 12:45pm respectively.
Hill tribe huts in the northern Thai highlands(26 October 2006)
© Timothy Tye
Budget Travel within Chiang Mai
Getting around in Chiang Mai is possible by foot. The Old City is quite walkable, and you will be able to view the sights at a more unhurried pace. However, the city can get blazingly hot in the afternoon. It may be less time consuming to take a tuk tuk or songthaew.
I would not have recommended tuk tuk or songthaew if you were exploring Bangkok, where there are better modes of transport such as taxis and mass rapid trains. In Chiang Mai, however, the taxis are not that many - it takes a long time before you see a taxi passing by on the road. As Chiang Mai is also less crowded and less polluted than Bangkok, it is possible, even enjoyable, to explore it by tuk tuk.
Calling a taxi
A taxi would be a convenient option for transfers between Chiang Mai and the airport, especially if you have a lot of luggage. There are now about 50 taxis in Chiang Mai, a very low number if compared to the over two thousand songthaews in the city. Call 053-279291 when you are in Chiang Mai to get a taxi. The rates are 30 baht for the first 2 km followed by 4 baht for every subsequent km.
Hill tribe weaving(25 October 2006)
© Timothy Tye
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