If you have planned a trip to Chiang Mai, get ready for a lot of temple hopping! This travel guide for the top 10 Chiang Mai temples to visit lists the most beautiful temples that you just cannot miss. Plus, essential practical information you need to know like timings, entry fees and special tips. Let’s begin!

Chiang Mai is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Thailand. Located near the mountains of the north, Chiang Mai used to be the capital of the Lanna dynasty for 500 years. Often considered as Thailand’s cultural capital, Chiang Mai is home to more than 300 temples. You can easily find a temple or two in every street here.

The heart of Chiang Mai is the old city, surrounded by a moat which is the original heritage area with some of the most beautiful temples in Thailand.

It can get confusing and overwhelming as to what temples you should visit and which ones to skip among this huge lot, so I made this top 10 Chiang Mai temples list. This way you can check out the most beautiful ones that should’nt be missed in Chiang Mai.

Some of these temples are very famous while others are little known gems. I am a huge temple lover myself and had an amazing time visiting these temples and photographing them. If you wanna visit all of these, I suggest keeping aside an entire day in Chiang Mai for these temples.

HOW TO REACH CHIANG MAI

1. FROM BANGKOK:

BY FLIGHTS: There are plenty of cheap flight connections from Bangkok that take only 1.5 hours time.

BY TRAIN: There are 5 daily trains from Bangkok central station to Chiang Mai that cover the 750 kms distance in 10-14 hours depending on the type of train. The day trains are faster while the overnight sleeper trains are a bit slower. Prices vary based on the ticket type: ranging from third to first class. Book train tickets from Bangkok to Chiang Mai HERE.

BY BUS: Travelling by bus might be a bit quicker than trains as some fast buses take 8-9 hours for the journey. There are sleeper buses, VIP and luxury buses as well. Look up bus tickets HERE.

2.FROM CHIANG RAI: The journey takes 3-4 hours and buses are the best transfer option in this case. Look up bus tickets from Chiang Rai here.

3.FROM LAOS: You can travel by either flights, bus and ferry. Many backpackers opt for the slow boat to Huay Xai, a Lao border town close to Thailand. From there, you gotta cross the border by vans to Chiang Khong and take a bus to Chiang Mai. The bus takes 6-7 hours to finally reach Chiang Mai.

I highly recommend booking your train and bus tickets through 12goAsia a very safe, affordable and convenient booking option.

TEMPLE TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND

• All temples are religious places so make sure to wear modest clothes covering your shoulders, chest and knees while visiting one.
• Keep a scarf in hand for a spontaneous visit.
• Maintain silence and behave respectfully.
• Many temples won’t have any specific written instructions at the gate or temple guards to supervise. However, you should still dress respectfully.
• You can also participate in a ‘Monk Chat’ in many of these temples in the old city. Look up the schedule and timings online or in the temple office.

WHAT IS A MONK CHAT?

One of the interesting activities to do in Chiang Mai is to participate in a monk chat. This is basically an informal discussion that takes place in many of the temples where novice monks have conversations with interested visitors.

The monks are friendly and take part to practise their English as well as share views on different things.

Some temples have fixed days and timings while others usually offer chats all day. If you want to take part, look up the timings online and go to the temple office to see if any monks are available to chat. Usually, you will find a monk or two sitting around with their books.

We participated in a monk chat at Wat Chedi Luang and exchanged our views on Buddhism, spirituality, philosophy and Hinduism. We ended up chatting for almost an hour and I would have stayed more had it not been lunch time. I liked the experience a lot and highly recommend it as a way to understand more about Buddhism and Thailand.

TIP: Women can chat with a monk but make sure you are modestly dressed and refrain from touching the monk.

WHERE TO STAY IN CHIANG MAI

If you are visiting Chiang Mai for the first time, I suggest staying in the old city itself. Staying here will give you easy access to most of the beautiful temples that you want to visit. You can wake up early and walk to some of the nearby ones to enjoy and photograph them in peace before more people start coming in. Here are some well reviewed hotel options in the Chiang Mai old city:

HOW TO SEE THE TEMPLES

Except for 3, all the other temples in this list are located within the old city itself. If you stay inside the old city, you can see a lot of them by walking around. Take a tuk tuk if you are tired and it’s too hot. Tuk tuks offer a 2 hour temple tour covering some of the temples inside the old city and you can use that too. For the ones that are outside, take tuk tuks, songthaews or Grab taxi.

THE TOP 10 CHIANG MAI TEMPLES TO VISIT

1. WAT DOI SUTHEP: THE MOST ICONIC TEMPLE IN CHIANG MAI

If you have to visit just one temple in Chiang Mai, it has to be Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, one of the most iconic and sacred temples in all of Thailand. Built in the 13^th century, this temple is located on top of Doi Suthep mountain inside the Doi Suthep National Park and offers spectacular views of Chiang Mai city. It is considered as the top temple to visit in Chiang Mai.

Legend goes that a royal white elephant carrying a bone of Buddha fell down, trumpeted three times and died and the temple was built at the very same spot. There are 306 stairs leading to the top and the beautiful Naga staircase is something to see.

Inside, there is the beautiful golden chedi, many statues, gardens, koi ponds and other details. Visit very early in the morning when it is peaceful and serene or pre sunset to see the beautiful colours.

PRO TIP: Do not forget to check out the stunning Pavilion with teak wood carvings for a beautiful shot!

2. WAT SRI SUPHAN/ SILVER TEMPLE: THE MOST BEAUTIFUL (In my opinion)

One of the most stunning temples I have ever seen is the gorgeous Wat Sri Suphan. It is  located  just outside of the old city’s Chiang Mai gate (South gate), near the Saturday walking street and the area is actually the Silver district.

While the original temple is 500 years old, the ordination hall is recently built. This hall is Silver, hence called as the Silver temple’. In reality, it has been built with a mixture of silver, nickel and aluminium.

The details on the silver metalwork are intricate and very beautiful showcasing the work of the Lanna silversmiths. There is also a silver Ganesh idol in the complex, a symbol of Hinduism’s early influence and cross over in Thailand. Take some time to check out these details and get lots of shots!

The area around the Silver temple is home to many silver craftsmen and artisans and you can catch them in action in their workshops after 10am.

NOTE: Women are not allowed inside the silver ordination hall due to religious and traditional restrictions. But are allowed inside the temple complex so you can see it from outside.

3. WAT PHRA SINGH: THE MOST POPULAR

Built in the 14^th century by the king to house his father’s ashes, Wat Phra Singh is today the most popular (and crowded) temple in Chiang Mai. It has been bestowed the title of a Royal First class temple and is located in the heart of the old city.  

The temple is named after the ‘Phra Singh’ Buddha or Lion Buddha that was brought from Sri Lanka and is kept here. During the Songkran festival, the Buddha statue is taken in a procession around town and is sprayed with water by the devotees who hope to gain some merit in doing so.

Some of the details to note here include: the pair of lion statues guarding the gate, the wax monk figures that creepily look lifelike in the main hall, the wooden carvings and murals inside the main hall, the beautiful golden chedi and the statue of the Sleeping/reclining Buddha in a small room in the back.

An interesting thing I found here was the Wisdom path, a small natural walkway with wise sayings and quotes hung up from the roof. with Wat Phra Singh is a classic example of the typical Lanna architecture and there are many photography spots here. Come early at opening time if you want photos without people in them.

4. WAT RAJAMONTEAN

This beautiful temple is one of the lesser visited temples in Chiang Mai. Located on the outer Northern walls of the old city, Wat Rajamontean cannot be missed if you are in this area thanks to the big Buddha statue in the outer complex. The temple has a distinct red and gold design which looks beautiful.

5. WAT LOK MOLI: THE MOST UNIQUE

Wat Lok moli or molee is one of the oldest temples in Chiang Mai and used to be a royal temple during the time of the Lanna dynasty. It is one of the most beautiful and unique temples to visit in Chiang Mai due to it’s unusual design and colours.

The temple is made of teak and decorated with black and white lacquer designs that makes for a distinctly unique appearance. I actually felt it was one of the best for photography purpose.

There many beautiful details here like the reddish entry gate, the elephants guarding the gate and the Naga serpents. Apart from the main Viharn, there are many other buildings, smaller temples and statues in the complex dedicated to various Gods and I also found Hindu motifs and influences here.

The Chedi is different as it is kept original without the typical Golden covering and it houses the ashes of various royals of the Mengrai dynasty. There are also monks living in this temple complex since the beginning.

6. WAT SUAN DOK: THE ROYAL CEMETERY

Built in the 13^th century on the royal flower gardens, Wat Suan Dok is one of the must visit temples in Chiang Mai. There are several highlights to check out here: the 48 metres high golden chedi, the 5 metres high Big Buddha statue inside the hall and the highly picturesque Royal cemetery.

This beautiful cemetery is a collection of smaller white Lanna style chedis housing the ashes of the royal family and has a very peaceful atmosphere. The Doi Suthep mountain in the background makes for a pretty picture.

Wat Suan Dok used to be the learning centre for monks from the Lanna kingdom and today it houses a Buddhist university in the complex. Monk chats are held here thrice a week and it also holds meditation retreats. While it is a part of some temple tours, I found much lesser people here compared to the most popular ones.

7. WAT CHEDI LUANG: THE TEMPLE WITH ‘RUINS’

One of the oldest temples in Chiang Mai, Wat Chedi Luang was built in 1401 and used to be the highest structure in town at 90 metres tall. In 1545, it was damaged in an earthquake and later when the city was being retaken from the Burmese. Wat Chedi Luang is also the 2^nd most popular temple after Wat Phra Singh so can find it very busy from 9am onwards.

It is famous for it’s towering pyramid shaped chedi that has been kept as it was without rebuilding it in the typical golden style. Hence, the chedi looks like ‘ruins’ and gives off an authentic/original look. It also used to house the Emerald Buddha (Phra Kaew) that is now kept at Bangkok’s grand palace. A replica of the statue is still kept at the chedi. I liked the ‘Naga’ statues flanking the staircases on all four sides.

Today, there is a  Buddhist university inside the complex and monk chats are held daily. In fact, we participated in our monk chat experience in Wat Chedi Luang.

8. WAT PHAN TAO: THE TEAK TEMPLE

Instead of the typical golden design of most Chiang Mai temple, Wat Phan Tao is made up of teak thereby making it somewhat unique. The main hall has 28 teak pillars and the roof has teak panels making it’s appearance a bit darker.

It was originally built to be a palace but later was converted into a temple. I also like the design of the reddish low entry gate where you have to duck your head to enter. There is a golden chedi here as well along with Naga serpent and lion details .

9. WAT CHIANG MAN: THE OLDEST TEMPLE

Located in the North eastern part of the old city, Wat Chiang Man is the oldest temple in Chiang Mai and cannot be missed. It was built in 1296 by King Phaya Mengrai when he founded the city of Chiang Mai. The chedi here is very different from the others in that the golden spire contrasts with the dark base which has 15 stone elephants carved into it. Apart from this, check out the lotus pond and the wooden library.

10. WAT UMONG: THE TUNNEL TEMPLE

A hidden gem that is located in the mountains inside a forest. It features a 700 year old chedi with an underground complex of tunnels that house many Buddha statues.

Location: Google Map Link

How to reach: By songthaew, Grab or bike

Timings: 5am-5pm

Entry Fees: Free

BONUS TEMPLES INSIDE THE OLD CITY IF YOU HAVE EXTRA TIME AND INTEREST:

 11. WAT SAEN MUANG MA LUANG: I think this is one of the true ‘hidden gems’ in Chiang Mai. It is located near the more famous Chiang Man temple and is very colourful and beautifully decorated. The viharns are impressive with three tier roofs and naga statues guarding the entrance. Entry is free.

12. WAT JET LIN: This temple is located near the Chiang Mai gate and worth checking out if you are there in that area. It is known for it’s labyrinth, Buddha head and the ancient looking chedi in the complex.

13. WAT INTHAKIN: Located just besides the road with a signature black assembly hall.

BONUS TEMPLES TO VISIT OUTSIDE THE OLD CITY IF YOU HAVE INTEREST

14. WAT CHIANG YUEN: Located half km from Wat Lok Molee, this temple used to be the national temple of Chiang Mai. It is known for it’s Towering white and gold chedi with lions in all 4 corners and the giant Buddha statue.

15. WAT PHA LAT: Popular for the monk’s trail hike in the Doi Suthep mountains, this forest temple used to be a resting place for pilgrims and monks walking up to Doi Suthep temple. As it is well hidden inside the forest, it is truly off beat without many people around. It exudes a very peaceful vibe and there are many statues and artefacts scattered around. For the full experience, hike the monk’s trail to reach the temple.

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