Among the most handsome wát outside the old city, Wat Mahawan shows the obvious influence of the Burmese teak traders who used to worship here. The whitewashed chedi and Burmese-style gateways are decorated with a stucco menagerie of angels and mythical beasts. You can also get a massage here to support the wát (from 150B).
Getty Images/Flickr RM
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
4.97 MILES
Overlooking the city from its mountain throne, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is one of northern Thailand's most sacred temples, and its founding legend is…
0.58 MILES
Wat Chedi Luang isn't as grand as Wat Phra Singh, but its towering, ruined Lanna-style chedi (built in 1441) is much taller and the sprawling compound…
0.87 MILES
Chiang Mai's most revered temple, Wat Phra Singh is dominated by an enormous, mosaic-inlaid wí·hăhn (sanctuary). Its prosperity is plain to see from the…
0.39 MILES
Chiang Mai's oldest public market, Warorot (also spelt Waroros) is a great place to connect with the city's Thai soul. Alongside souvenir vendors you'll…
0.49 MILES
Without doubt the most atmospheric wát in the old city, this teak marvel sits in the shadow of Wat Chedi Luang. Set in a compound full of fluttering…
-
Nam Tok Bua Tong (Sticky Waterfall)
20.11 MILES
Ever walked up a waterfall? An increasingly popular day trip from Chiang Mai to Si Lanna National Park's 'Sticky Waterfall' allows visitors (with no magic…
-
4.08 MILES
A hidden jungle temple tucked into the mountain along the way to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Old stone structures, intricate carvings, naga-flanked…
0.5 MILES
Set inside the former Provincial Court, dating from 1935, this imaginative museum re-creates Lanna village life in a series of life-size dioramas that…
Nearby Chiang Mai attractions
0.06 MILES
Historic wát just east of the old city with an ancient-looking mosaic-decorated stupa.
0.14 MILES
This friendly neighbourhood wát is a monument to jade, with an impressive collection of jade Buddhas and jade and nephrite boulders in the main wí·hăhn.
0.15 MILES
The biggest of Chiang Mai's ancient gates is lively with tourists snapping photos and feeding the pigeons.
0.2 MILES
This highly ornate temple shows the clear influence of the Burmese teak merchants who immigrated to Chiang Mai during the 19th century. The eye-catching…
0.23 MILES
A large and colourful wát with an impressive, mosaic-tiled chedi that blends Burmese and Lanna styles. The chedi is guarded by lion figures and an old…
0.3 MILES
The entrance to Chinatown is marked by this traditional Chinese welcome gate.
0.3 MILES
Chinatown is also home to a small population of Sikh migrants from Myanmar who specialize in selling bolts of fabric. They worship at the nearby Namdhari…
0.3 MILES
Fringed by gilded Buddhas, the stately chedi at this prosperous wát is visited by scores of locals after dark. There's a coffee shop and massage pavilion…