12 Historical Tours in Chiang Mai Worth Booking

1.Historic Temples and City Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 650 reviews · 3 hours · from $21Our pick

Spend three hours walking Chiang Mai’s old city with an English-speaking local guide such as Jen, Pun, or Danny. Visit four important temples, hear Buddhist and Lanna stories, and finish at Wat Chedi Luang. Small groups, water, and a low-impact route make this a useful first look at Chiang Mai.

“Excellent walking tour around the old city of Chiang mai. Our guide Pun was extremely knowledgeable and explained lots about the history of the city and its temples. A great way to see the old town and understand the history and culture. Recommended”

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2.Historic Old City Bike Tour – Morning or Night

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 263 reviews · 4 hours · from $39

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.”

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3.Historic Old City Bike Tour – Morning or Night

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 202 reviews · from $39Top rated

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…”

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4.Private Historic Old City Bike Tour – Night

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 143 reviews · 4 hours

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.”

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5.Historical and Culture Exploration Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 40 reviews · 3 min · from $15Best value

Walk Chiang Mai’s old city with an English or Thai-speaking guide, meeting at the Three Kings Monument before visiting Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang. Guides such as Bim, Bin, Emmy, Farm, and Amy explain Lanna culture, Buddhist customs, art, and local history in a group of up to eight.

“Amazong experience tour in Chiang Mai with the best Guide of the city Amy! 100% recomended!!”

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6.1 Day Sukhothai Historical Park from Chiang Mai Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 29 reviews · from $194

Travel from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai Historical Park by private vehicle, then explore Thailand’s former royal capital by bicycle with a guide. Expect about three hours in the park, included admission, hotel pickup and drop-off, and personal service from guides such as Tong, Em, M, or Oki.

“M was a great tour guide! Provided great historical insights, funny stories, single handedly drove a long distance in a very clean and nice car, and took great care of us - even recommending delicious lunch food and buying nice snacks for us tRead more”

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7.Old Town History and Culture Walking Tour at Chiang Mai

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · from $15

Walk from the Three Kings Monument to two major Chiang Mai temples in 2.5 hours. Your English-speaking guide explains King Mangrai, Lanna architecture, Buddhist customs, and temple art. Guides named in guest feedback include Kitty and Khun Bim, though assignments can vary.

“It was great tour with friendly and knowledgeable guide, who managed to provide both detailed and interesting information. We were beforehand asked if we want to get blessing from monk for luck which was very thoughtful as not every person wants to participate in something of other religion. Overall this tour is great value for it's cost.”

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8.History & Mouth Watering Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 12 reviews · 3 hours · from $67

Meet your guide at the Three Kings Monument for three hours of Chiang Mai food and culture. Walk through the old city, visit Lanna temples, sample local dishes, explore Warorot Market, and use local transportation. Groups are limited to eight, with private tours also available.

“I had a great tastings tour and my guide Lynn was fantastic. We tried a lot of different foods and she even tailored the tastings on the fly to make them more vegetarian. One of the highlights of my time in Chiang Mai for sure.”

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9.No.1 Chiang Mai: Historical City Bike Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · from $56

Ride through Chiang Mai’s old city and tucked-away lanes with a professional guide such as Jane, stopping at temples, historical sites, markets, and local eateries. A comfortable hybrid bike, helmet, water, lunch, insurance, and hotel pickup and return are included.

“Fantastic guide. Helped just being the 2 of us but a great way to find out about the city and the history of Chiangmai and Thailand”

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10.Lanna Heritage Walking Tour: A Journey Through History

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 7 reviews · 4 hours · from $45

Spend four hours with Richard on a private walk through Chiang Mai’s Lanna story, from Tha Phae Gate and Wat Chiang Man to royal sites, local markets, Wat Phra Singh, Wat Phan Tao, and Wat Chedi Luang. Entry fees, snacks, water, coffee, and hotel transfers are included.

“The history of making of Chiang Mai n architecture of Lanna versus others.”

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11.Chiang mai Foodies and Historic Walk

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · from $53

Meet your guide, possibly Peh, Pe, or Koppi, at the Three Kings Monument for a three-hour walk through Chiang Mai’s Old City. Visit Wat Phra Singh, taste local food at Warorot Market, then sit down for coffee and khao soi. Groups are capped at 15.

“I had a destination wedding in Chiang Mai and wanted to take my guests on a food tour. It was a large group - perhaps 13 people - and some folks had to peel off before the end to go to another activity they previously planned. Despite all thRead more”

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12.Historic Temples and City Guided Walking Tour in Chiang Mai

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · from $16

Walk Chiang Mai’s old city with guides such as TwoTwo, Jen, Pang, or Tin, visiting Wat Chiang Man, Wat Phra Singh, Wat Phan Tao, and Wat Chedi Luang. Expect clear history, local legends, plenty of questions, and a small group capped at 10 people.

“TwoTwo was a great guide. He provided a lot of information about the temples and was able to answer our many questions. This was a nice way to hit the highlights of a few major temples in Chiang Mai.”

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