Northern Thailand · CHIANG MAI OLD CITY WALKING TOURS
The moat squares off about a mile and a half of lanes, wats and coffee, and it is flat. These 9 walks are compared on length, how many temples they enter and which ones run early enough to beat the heat.
Walk Chiang Mai’s Old City with an English-speaking local guide, visiting Wat Chedi Luang, teak-built Wat Phan Tao, and lavish Wat Phra Singh. Guides such as Nana, Sunny, TomTam, and Popcorn are praised for clear history, humor, meditation tips, and helpful photos.
“Nuttata is a really great tour guide. I learned a lot about Chiang Mai and thai people as well as buddhism :)”
Ride 12 to 14 km through Chiang Mai’s Old City with guides such as Kitty, Mai, Farm, or T. Visit Tha Phae Gate, Wat Chedi Luang, historic monuments, temples, and a local market. Choose a cooler evening ride or a quieter morning outing.
“Farm our guide was full of local knowledge and very attentive and safely conscious on the busier roads looking after us well. I learnt a lot about the temples and local knowledge plus the food market was great too.”
Cycle about 12 kilometers through Chiang Mai’s flat Old City with an English-speaking guide. Visit Tha Phae Gate, Wat Chedi Luang, the Three Kings Monument, historic temples, and a local market. Morning tours visit a fresh market, while night departures focus on street food and evening atmosphere.
“We did this on our first day in Chiang Mai, it was absolutely amazing! The tour guide we had was so much fun, taught us loads about Chiang Mai, took loads of photos and took us on a really cool route. We saw areas of Chiang Mai we wouldn’t never have seen. Back streets, where all the local food markets were (we had the best coconut we’ve had our whole trip here), he got us some fresh fruit from the market. We had a small group of just 3 of us, which was perfect it felt really personal. He took us down a really beautiful canal and did a little…”
Spend about four hours in a private tuk-tuk visiting Tha Phae Gate, Wat Chedi Luang, the Three Kings Monument, Silver Temple, Wat Phra Singh, and local markets. Pickup covers hotels within 5 km of Chiang Mai Old City. Your driver may offer useful tips, but an English-speaking guide is not included.
“Driver was a lovely older fellow. He showed us ahead of time on a card which temples we would visit, and remembered my special request about not visiting the tourist trap silk and silver factory. We hopped around to a few temples and markets. When dropping us off at a location, he showed us where we would find him.”
Ride 12 to 14 easy kilometers through Chiang Mai’s Old City with a private English or Thai-speaking guide. Visit Tha Phae Gate, Wat Chedi Luang, the Three Kings Monument, temple lanes, and a local market. Night rides add cool air, fewer crowds, and beautifully lit wats.
“Our family of four with two girls (14 and 12) had a super tour by bike with Don. We visited a number of sites in the city and as it was only the four of us in the group he was happy to adjust it to match our interests. Travelling by bike was safe and comfortable with good quality equipment and great care guiding by Don. He was also great fun to spend time with and very knowledgeable. A great experience and highly recommended -thank you.”
Ride a private tuk-tuk through Chiang Mai’s Old City with a local driver such as Alan, Oy, or Paphada. Visit Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh, Wat Sri Suphan, Tha Phae Gate, and two food markets. This is mainly private transport, not a fully guided temple tour.
“Oy was our driver and being our third tuk tuk ride this was the safest I felt. We were first taken to some stores that stock jewellery, then a Thai upmarket homewares store. Felt quite pushed to buy items by salespeople. We then went to the Thai silk farm which was interesting. Saw lots of temples and went to a market. Oy was most gracious when we asked to finish up our tour early. She was helpful, friendly and we would highly recommend her.”
Ride at an easy pace through Chiang Mai’s old town and back lanes with an English-speaking guide such as Vivi, Kom, or Lek. Stop at quiet temples, Warorot Market, and a blacksmith community, with snacks, lunch, a city bike, helmet, and photos included.
“The tour was excellent with my guide Vivi, since I was the only one for the tour it became a private tour. so glad that they didn't cancel the trip as only 1 person had showed up. they usually have 8 slots. Vivi was very knowledgeable and shared a lot of history about the old town. we exchanged lot of similarities with my own culture, it was almost like touring with a friend. Cycling in the old town was a good way to discover it although one needs to be a bit careful about the traffic. The local markets are so interesting especially the fresh markets. The mango sticky rice…”
Walk Chiang Mai’s Old City with an English and Thai-speaking guide, visiting Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phan Tao, and Wat Phra Singh. Guides such as Gan, Koi, Nick, and Booncharoen have been praised for clear stories, humor, and thoughtful answers. Entrance fees cost extra.
“This tour is a great way to explore the temples, and to understand the history of Chiang Mai. Booncharoen, our guide, was great: knowledgeable, open to questions and clearly loves this city.”
Meet your English-speaking guide at Wat Phra Singh for a three-hour twilight walk through Chiang Mai’s Old City. You’ll visit Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang, hear about their art and royal past, then finish at the Three Kings Monument. Bring temple-appropriate clothing and 100 THB for entrance fees.
“Good tour, but should maybe have a discounted pricing for children. Tour guide was very kind and explained us how things works in Thailand. We maybe wish a better level of English to be easier to understand”
Pick a mountain, a market or a kitchen.
