Must-see attractions in Northern Thailand

  • Sukhothai Historical Park

    Sukhothai

    The Sukhothai Historical Park ruins are one of Thailand’s most impressive World Heritage sites. The park includes the remains of 21 historical sites and…

  • Stalactite cave Tham Lot in Thailand.

    Tham Lot

    Mae Hong Son Province

    About 9km northeast of Soppong is Tham Lot (pronounced tâm lôrt and also known as tâm nám lôrt), a large limestone cave with impressive stalagmites,…

  • Wat Chang Rob temple in Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park.

    Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park

    Northern Thailand

    A Unesco World Heritage Site, the Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park features the ruins of structures dating back to the 14th century, roughly the same time…

  • Mae Fah Luang Art and Culture Park in Chiang Rai, Thailand.

    Mae Fah Luang Art & Culture Park

    Chiang Rai

    In addition to a museum that houses one of Thailand’s biggest collections of Lanna artefacts, this vast, meticulously landscaped compound includes antique…

  • Hill Tribe Museum and Education Center, Chiang Rai, Thailand.

    Hilltribe Museum & Education Center

    Chiang Rai

    This museum and cultural centre is a good place to visit before undertaking any hill-tribe trek. Run by the nonprofit Population & Community Development…

  • Hall of Opium Museum interior, Golden Triangle, Thailand.

    Hall of Opium

    Chiang Rai Province

    One kilometre north of Sop Ruak on a 40-hectare plot opposite the Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa, the Mae Fah Luang Foundation has established the…

  • Wat Rong Khun

    Chiang Rai Province

    Wat Rong Khun’s construction began in 1997 by noted Thai painter turned architect Chalermchai Kositpipat. It's a striking structure that, from a distance,…

  • Baandam

    Chiang Rai Province

    The bizarre brainchild of Thai National Artist Thawan Duchanee, and a rather sinister counterpoint to Wat Rong Khun, Baandam unites several structures,…

  • Sergeant Major Thawee Folk Museum

    Phitsanulok

    This fascinating museum displays a remarkable collection of tools, textiles and photographs from Phitsanulok Province, as well as many knick-knacks from…

  • Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat

    Phitsanulok

    The main wí·hăhn (sanctuary) at this temple, known by locals as Wat Yai, appears small from the outside, but houses the Phra Phuttha Chinnarat, one of…

  • An ancient pagoda in Si Satchanalai Historical Park.

    Si Satchanalai-Chaliang Historical Park

    Sukhothai Province

    The ruins of the old cities of Si Satchanalai and Chaliang date from the 13th to 15th centuries. Located 50km north of Sukhothai and set among hills, they…

  • Wat Saphan Hin of Sukhothai Historical Park in Thailand.

    Sukhothai Historical Park Western Zone

    Sukhothai

    The western zone of Sukhothai Historical Park, at its furthest extent 2km west of the old city walls, is the most expansive. In addition to Wat Saphan Hin…

  • Sukhothai Historical Park Central Zone

    Sukhothai

    This is the historical park’s main zone and home to what are arguably some of the park’s most impressive ruins. On Saturday night much of the central…

  • Wat Ratburana

    Phitsanulok

    Across the street from Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat, Wat Ratburana draws fewer visitors but in some ways is more interesting than its famous neighbour. In…

  • Doi Khun Tan National Park

    Northern Thailand

    This 225-sq-km national park straddles the mountains between Lamphun and Lampang Provinces. It ranges in elevation from 350m in the bamboo-forest lowlands…

  • Asia, Thailand, Chiang Mai Province, Wat Phra Singh temple. (Photo by: JTB Photo/UIG via Getty Images)

    Wat Phra Singh

    Chiang Rai

    This temple dates back to the late 14th century, and its oldest surviving original buildings are typical Northern Thai–style wooden structures with low,…

  • Wat Phra Kaew

    Chiang Rai

    Originally called Wat Pa Yia (Bamboo Forest Monastery) in the local dialect, this is the city’s most revered Buddhist temple. The main prayer hall is a…

  • Pai Canyon at sunset

    Pai Canyon

    Pai

    Pai Canyon is located 8km from Pai along the road to Chiang Mai. A paved stairway here culminates in an elevated lookout over high rock cliffs and the Pai…

  • Wat Luang

    Northern Thailand

    This is the oldest wát in Phrae, probably dating from the founding of the city in the 12th or 13th century. There's also a museum here displaying some…

  • Doi Phu Kha National Park

    Nan Province

    This national park is centred on 2000m-high Doi Phu Kha, the province’s highest peak, in Amphoe Pua and Amphoe Bo Kleua, about 75km northeast of Nan…

  • Mae Sam Laep

    Mae Hong Son Province

    The riverside trading village of Mae Sam Laep is close to the end of a 50km winding mountain road from Mae Sariang, within the boundaries of Salawin…

  • Wat Phra That Cho Hae

    Northern Thailand

    Named for the cloth that worshippers wrap around it, this hilltop wát is famous for its 33m-high gilded chedi (stupa). Like Chiang Mai’s Wat Doi Suthep,…

  • Oub Kham Museum

    Chiang Rai

    This slightly zany private museum houses an impressive collection of paraphernalia from virtually every corner of the former Lanna kingdom. The items,…

  • Wat Phra That Hariphunchai

    Northern Thailand

    This temple, Lamphun’s most famous, spans back to the Mon period, having originally been built on the site of Queen Chama Thewi’s palace in 1044 (or 1108…

  • Phae Meuang Phi

    Northern Thailand

    The name Phae Meuang Phi means 'Ghost Land', a reference to the bizarre pillars of soil and rock here that look like giant fungi, most likely the result…

  • Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao

    Lampang

    The main chedi here, which was undergoing renovations at the time of research, shows Hariphunchai influence, while the adjacent mon·dòp (the small square…

  • Wat Saphan Hin

    Sukhothai

    This wát is located on the crest of a hill that rises about 200m above the plain. Its name means ‘stone bridge’ – a reference to the slate path and…

  • Wat Mahathat

    Sukhothai

    Completed in the 13th century, the largest wát in Sukhothai is surrounded by brick walls (206m long and 200m wide) and a moat that is believed to…

  • Salawin National Park

    Mae Hong Son Province

    This national park covers 722 sq km of protected land in Mae Sariang and Sop Moei districts. The park is heavily forested with teak and Asian redwood and…

  • Wat Si Chum

    Sukhothai

    This wát contains an impressive mon·dòp (small, square, spired building) with a 15m brick-and-stucco seated Buddha. This Buddha’s elegant, tapered fingers…

  • Thai-Japan Friendship Memorial Hall

    Mae Hong Son Province

    At the northern end of town is the Thai-Japan Friendship Memorial Hall, which details Khun Yuam's role as a Japanese base during WWII. It's an impressive…

  • Sangkhalok Museum

    Sukhothai

    This small but comprehensive museum is an excellent introduction to ancient Sukhothai’s most famous product and export, its ceramics. The ground floor…

  • Wat Nang Phaya

    Sukhothai Province

    South of Wat Chedi Jet Thaew, this chedi is Sinhalese in style and was built in the 15th or 16th century, a bit later than the other monuments at Si…

  • Wat Pongsanuk Tai

    Lampang

    Despite having lost much of its character in a renovation, the mon·dòp at Wat Pongsanuk Tai is still one of the few remaining local examples of original…

  • Khun Nan National Park

    Nan Province

    Khun Nan National Park is located a few kilometres north of Ban Bo Luang and has a 2km walk from the visitor centre that ends in a viewpoint looking over…

  • Wat Chao Chan

    Sukhothai Province

    The central attraction here is a large Khmer-style tower similar to later towers built in Lopburi and probably constructed during the reign of Khmer King…

  • Buranathai Buddha Image Foundry

    Phitsanulok

    Almost across the street from Sergeant Major Thawee Folk Museum, and also belonging to Sergeant Major Thawee, is the Buranathai Buddha Image Foundry,…

  • Vongburi House

    Northern Thailand

    The two-storey teak house of the last prince of Phrae has been converted into a museum. It was constructed between 1897 and 1907 for Luang Phongphibun and…

  • Dhanabadee Ceramic Museum

    Lampang

    Dhanabadee claims to be the first producer of the emblematic ‘chicken bowls’ used across Thailand. In 2013 the company opened its doors to visitors and…