Chiang Mai is the kind of place that sneaks up on you. One minute, you’re navigating Bangkok’s chaos, and the next, you’re in this laid-back, temple-studded, food-lover’s paradise. Nestled in the mountains of northern Thailand, Chiang Mai is famous for its rich history, breathtaking temples, world-class street food, and of course, ethical elephant sanctuaries. Whether you’re a culture buff, a foodie, or someone who just wants to chill with some elephants, this four-day itinerary will help you make the most of your time in Chiang Mai.
We spent over a month in Thailand, so check out some of our other blogs about Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, Ao Nang, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, and Bangkok!
Curious about other destinations on our journey? Check out our blogs on Japan, Indonesia, or the Philippines!
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TLDR 🫣
Chiang Mai is a laid-back city where ancient temples, vibrant night markets, and rich Northern Thai cuisine come together for an unforgettable cultural experience.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival & Exploring the Neighborhood
- Lunch at Kalm Kitchen, a modern spot in Chiang Mai’s historic Old City, where we indulged in Northern Thai cuisine.
- Cooking Class at Grandma’s Home Cooking School – One of the highlights of our trip! We learned to make classic Thai dishes, including Pad Thai, Tom Yum, and Mango Sticky Rice.
- Sunday Night Market – A vibrant street market filled with food, crafts, and souvenirs.
Day 2: Temples & Culture
- Explored Chiang Mai’s serene temples: Phra Singh, Wat Rajamontean, Wat Lok Moli, Wat Saen Mueang Ma Luang, and Wat Chiang Mun.
- Enjoyed a Koi Soi lunch at a small local eatery.
- Refreshing afternoon snack at Khunkae’s juice bar.
- Visited the Tha Phae Gate and Wat Phan Tao.
- Ended the day at the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, indulging in street food and drinks.
Days 3-4: Elephant Sanctuary Adventure
- Spent two days and one night at an ethical elephant sanctuary—an unforgettable experience worth the splurge!
- Immersed ourselves in caring for elephants, learning about conservation, and enjoying nature. Check out our blog, How to Spend 2 Days at an Ethical Elephant Sanctuary
Pro Tips:
- Cooking class: Email Grandma’s Home Cooking School for possible discounts!
- Markets: Bargain politely to get great deals.
- Elephant sanctuary: Invest in an ethical experience—it's 100% worth it.
Top Awards:
- Best Experience: Spending 2 days at an ethical elephant sanctuary—one of our top memories of all time!
- Best Eats: Grandma’s Home Cooking School – The best Pad Thai we’ve ever had, and we made it ourselves!
- Best "Bang for Your Buck" Hotel: 33 Poshtel, cheap and close to city center (old city)
- Best e-SIM: Airalo (You can use our referral code “CELINA4205” to save $4.50 CAD OFF your first purchase).
HOW TO GET TO CHIANG MAI
Chiang Mai is quite far north of the capital city of Bangkok. So, we flew from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, which is the easiest and fastest way to get there. The flight takes about an hour, and multiple airlines operate daily routes at reasonable prices. If you’re feeling adventurous (or just really love trains), you can take an overnight sleeper train from Bangkok—it’s a slower but scenic way to travel.
Flight Cost: $72 pp
(An overnight bus would have cost $36 pp, so we decided to opt for comfort and speed by paying double ~$36 CAD per person)
HOW TO GET AROUND CHIANG MAI
Once you’re in Chiang Mai, getting around is a breeze. Here are your best options:
– Songthaews (Red Trucks): The budget-friendly way to get around. Think of them as shared taxis.
– Grab (Southeast Asia’s Uber): Convenient and affordable.
– Motorbike Rental: If you’re comfortable riding, this is a great way to explore on your own.
– Walking: The Old City is compact, and strolling around is one of the best ways to take it all in. (This is how we primarily got around)
WHERE TO STAY
We stayed at 33 Poshtel – Adults Only – Hostel, Chiang Mai, and it was perfect. The location is fantastic—close to all the main attractions, walkable to temples, and near the night markets. Plus, it’s stylish and budget-friendly, and we had our own private bathroom.
It’s quietly tucked away in the middle of a very small road, but vans for all our excursions were able to pick us up without an issue.
ITINERARY
Day 1: Arrival & Exploring the Neighborhood
After checking in, we kicked off our Chiang Mai adventure with lunch at Kalm Kitchen. It’s nestled in a super modern complex amongst the historic Old City. Quite a juxtaposition.
The food was incredible—only $10 CAD for a full meal. Right away, we noticed Northern Thai cuisine is different from Bangkok and southern Thailand.
What makes Northern Thai food unique?
– It’s less coconut-heavy than southern Thai food, although Coconut soup is still a favourite here.
– Strong Burmese and Chinese influences.
– Lots of hearty curries, sticky rice, and herbal flavours. We could really taste the spices and earthy undertones of all the dishes.
We had soup noodles that were rich, fragrant, and absolutely soul-warming. Plus, the ambiance at Kalm Kitchen is super earthy, strong, and rustic—exactly what we needed to set the mood for this part of our trip.
Up next: Cooking Class at Grandma’s Home Cooking School
Next, we were beyond excited for our cooking class, one of the best things we did in Chiang Mai! We researched a bunch and landed on Grandma’s Home Cooking School—affordable and highly rated. (Pro Tip: Email them for possible discounts!) We paid $74 CAD for two people, prepaid online.
Upon arrival, you’re shown these beautiful, open-air huts, where you and your group will spend the next ~four hours cooking. Beside these stations, there’s also a garden and tons of natural greenery to explore.
You’re also given a little piece of paper, where you can check off what you want to cook tonight. We decided to try different types so we could share as many cuisines with each other as possible.
You then meet the rest of your classmates and your teacher (our teacher’s name was Levin), get to wear a big straw hat, and then get taken to the gardens to pluck your very own herbs!
Here’s an example Half-Day Evening Session Schedule with Timestamps:
3:30-4:00 PM: Hotel pick-up
4:30 PM: Arrival at the school with drinks & snacks. Ryan ordered the thai milk tea and I got the butterfly pea flower tea which tasted like one of those pink drinks from Starbucks.
4:45 PM: Organic farm tour (we collected different types of basil and herbs!). We even got to eat some of them! Here’s Ryan trying lemongrass straight from the gardens!
5:15 PM: Curry paste making. This will be stored on the side and saved for when we make our curries.
5:30 PM: Soup session & tasting. Ryan decided to make Tom Yum (thai hot and sour soup) with shrimp while I made Coconut chicken soup. Both tasted so delicious! You could really taste that sourness in the Tom Yum
6:00 PM: Stir-fried dishes (Pad Thai!)—your only decision here is which protein to choose. I went with chicken, while Ryan stuck with shrimp. There’s something about making your own Pad Thai that feels quintessentially Thai—maybe because it’s our all-time favourite Thai dish. We didn’t hold back on the spices (extra tamarind, please!), and Ryan’s dish turned out to be the best Pad Thai we’ve had thus far in Thailand!
6:30 PM: Curry. Remember that curry paste we made at the beginning. Well, it’s time to use it now.
Ryan chose the chicken Koi Soi and I went with the chicken Red Curry. It was fantastic! Rich, flavourful, creamy. Exactly how you expect a strong Thai curry. Probably my favourite dish after Ryan’s Pad thai!
7:00 PM: Dessert session. Mango sticky rice with butterfly pea colouring
C’mon. Just look at these dishes altogether. They are so beautiful!
7:30 PM: Back to town
After stuffing ourselves with homemade Thai food and thanking our teacher, we hit the Sunday Night Market, one of the best markets in Southeast Asia. From clothes to crafts to mouthwatering street food, there’s something for everyone.
Day 2: Temples & Culture
Chiang Mai is full of stunning, less crowded temples, offering a more authentic and peaceful experience compared to Bangkok. Here’s what we explored:
Phra Singh Temple – A well-preserved temple with intricate Lanna-style architecture. Home to one of Thailand’s most revered Buddha images. Entrance for two people cost ฿80.00.
Wat Rajamontean: This temple was not originally on our list, but we were walking to the next temple when we stumbled across this beautiful one.
Then it was time for a lunch break. We ended up spotting this super local, side of the street, Koi Soi restaurant where they only serve one thing. You guessed it…Koi Soi! We also ordered two iced longan and lotus root drinks. The total came up to ฿160.00, which was about $6 CAD.
Wat Lok Moli – The temple commemorates the site where monks from Burma, were housed during the Mangrai dynasty
Wat Saen Mueang Ma Luang – also known as Wat Hua Khwuang. It is situated on the north side of the inner city. It is a beautiful Burmese style temple.
Wat Chiang Mun – The oldest temple in Chiang Mai, featuring stunning golden chedis and an ancient crystal Buddha.
After walking in the heat of Chiang Mai, it was time to get a refreshing afternoon snack! We stopped by Khunkae’s juice bar for this smoothie bowl (฿90.00) and then shared some icecream (฿138.00 – 2 cones; mango and passionfruit).
Tha Phae Gate – Not a temple, but an iconic historic city gate and a great photo spot.
Wat Phan Tao – An ancient Temple that sits right next to the sacred Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai town
In the evening, we checked out the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, a must-visit market packed with food, souvenirs, and live music. Pro Tip: Bargain politely, and you’ll get some great deals!
We started with some pad thai (฿60.00) and a jackfruit smoothie (฿40.00).
And then enjoyed some street meat (฿100.00) and beer (฿41.00) to cap off Day 2.
Days 3-4: Elephant Sanctuary Adventure
Now, for the best part of our Chiang Mai trip—a visit to an ethical elephant sanctuary! We spent Days 3 and 4 (2 days and 1 night) at a sanctuary, and it was worth every penny of the $437 CAD we paid. Believe me – we’re budget travelers who believe on splurging for the right experiences and this one was one of our favourite memories (not only in South East Asia, but among all of our travels).
We won’t spoil all the details here, but we wrote a separate blog post about this incredible experience: How to Spend 2 Days at an Ethical Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand.
TOTAL COST for 4 Full Days in Chiang Mai (Approximate CAD for 2 people):
Activities (Cooking Class, Elephant Sanctuary, Tips): $520
Accommodations (3 nights): $110
Food: $69
Transportation (Grabs, Tolls, Flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai): $167
Souvenirs (clothes): $11
TOTAL: $878 (Roughly $110 per person, per day)
FINAL THOUGHTS
Chiang Mai stole our hearts. The mix of delicious Northern Thai cuisine, stunning temples, vibrant night markets, and unforgettable elephant experiences made for an amazing four days. Whether you’re into food, culture, or nature, Chiang Mai has something for everyone.
Would we do it again? 1000% YES.
Have you been to Chiang Mai? Drop your favorite spots in the comments!
Feel free to ask us questions in the comments! Curious about other destinations on our journey? Check out our blogs on Japan, Indonesia, or the Philippines!
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