Old city
Old city temple walk, from Wat Chiang Man to Wat Chedi Luang
- Four temples and the Three Kings Monument
- On foot, no minibus
- Best for
- Four temples on foot, in a morning
7 tours
Guided Temple Tours
Guided walks and days out, from the founding temples of the old city to Doi Suthep and Chiang Rai.
Two of these tours never cross the moat. A guide walks you between Wat Chiang Man, the oldest temple in the city, the Three Kings Monument, Wat Phra Singh and its Wihan Lai Kham, the teak hall of Wat Phan Tao and the broken chedi of Wat Chedi Luang. Two to three hours on foot, no minibus, and the fastest way to stop confusing one golden roof with the next.
The old city temples are the reason Chiang Mai looks the way it does, they are all within twenty minutes' walk of each other, and they are now on Thailand's tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage. Walking them with someone who knows the legends is a better first day than a three-hour drive.
Two others turn that into a full-day drive. Chiang Rai is three hours north, which makes them the longest days on the site, and they are worth it for one reason: Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple, is not a historic monument but a working art project that Chalermchai Kositpipat began in 1997 and still hasn't finished. The bridge over the sea of reaching hands is the image you've seen; the murals inside are stranger.
Two more temples justify that drive. Wat Rong Suea Ten, the Blue Temple, is a 2016 build in cobalt and gold, and Wat Huay Pla Kang is dominated by an 80 m white Guan Yin you can ride a lift inside.
Three more tours go up the mountain west of the city. Two half days visit Wat Pha Lat and Wat Phra That Doi Suthep by road, one in the morning and one from late afternoon into the evening, and a full day walks the Monk's Trail to Wat Pha Lat before adding an elephant visit in Mae Wang.
The seven we list
Old city
Old city temples and Lanna legends with a local host
- Small group, guide from Chiang Mai
- The city pillar shrine at Wat Inthakin
- Best for
- A small group and a guide who grew up here
- Skip if
- Doi Suthep is what you came for
Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai temples day trip with hot springs
- Hot spring stop on the way
- Long day, early start
- Best for
- Chiang Rai's three coloured temples in one day
- Skip if
- Long days in a vehicle wear you out
Chiang Rai
Lalitta Cafe and the White, Blue and Red temples
- All three coloured temples
- Waterfall cafe stop
- Best for
- All three coloured temples, plus the waterfall cafe
- Skip if
- You dislike long days in a vehicle
Doi Suthep
Wat Pha Lat and Doi Suthep, morning half-day
- Wat Pha Lat first, then Doi Suthep
- Back in town around midday
- Best for
- Going up early and being back for lunch
- Skip if
- You want to walk up through the forest rather than drive
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Dates, price and full details
Doi Suthep
Wat Pha Lat and Doi Suthep, late afternoon into evening
- Pickup around 4 pm, back after dark
- Evening city views, per the listing
- Best for
- The later light, and the city seen from above as evening comes
- Skip if
- The view is the reason and you travel between mid-February and April
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Dates, price and full details
Doi Suthep and Mae Wang
Monk's Trail, Doi Suthep and an elephant visit in Mae Wang
- Guided walk on the Monk's Trail
- Lunch included; the listing states no riding
- Best for
- The trail, the temple and elephants, when you have one day for all three
- Skip if
- You would rather give the mountain and the elephants a day each
Check availability ▸
Dates, price and full details
For the old city walks, the practical detail is short: they start mid-morning or mid-afternoon, they cover about two kilometres at conversation pace, and the small foreigner admissions at Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang are the only things you may pay on the day. Take water and a hat between March and May.
For Chiang Rai, leave early. Both tours pick up between 6 and 7 am, and that is not padding: the White Temple is calm at 9 am and shoulder-to-shoulder by 11. The tour that includes the hot springs adds a stop on the way up, which breaks the drive but adds an hour to the day.
Dress for temples in both cases: shoulders and knees covered, everyone, everywhere on this page. Sarongs can be borrowed at the bigger entrances, but the queue for them is its own delay, and a light scarf in the bag settles it.
Common questions
Do I need a guide for the old city temples?
No. They are free or nearly free, open all day and walkable from anywhere inside the moat. What a guide buys you is the reason each one exists: why Wat Chiang Man came first, what the city pillar in Wat Inthakin is for, what the earthquake took off Wat Chedi Luang. Three hours with a guide on the first day makes the rest of the week make sense.
How long is the walking tour, and how much walking is it?
About three hours and roughly two kilometres, flat, with long stops. Shoes off at each hall, so wear something you can slip on and off without sitting down.
How long is the drive to Chiang Rai?
About three hours each way on Route 118, plus stops. Expect a twelve-hour day door to door on either of the two Chiang Rai tours.
Is the White Temple finished?
No, and by design: Chalermchai Kositpipat plans nine buildings and expects the work to continue past his lifetime. What you visit is the completed ordination hall and grounds.
What's the dress code?
Shoulders and knees covered, in the old city and in Chiang Rai alike, for everyone. On the Chiang Rai days, wear something you can walk in for eight hours; the sites are spread out and mostly outdoors.