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If you’re traveling in the north of Thailand, you’ll probably make a stop in the lovely city of Chiang Mai. One of the highlights of many trips is visiting Chiang Mai’s Night Bazaar! As the sun sets and the bustling cityscape transforms, this vibrant and lively marketplace that captivates locals and visitors with its kaleidoscope of colors, scents, and sounds, comes to life. But, is the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar worth it?
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai, located in the picturesque mountains of northern Thailand, is a captivating destination for conscious travelers that offers a perfect blend of some of the most beautiful temples in Southeast Asia, vibrant festivals, and a welcoming atmosphere for ex-pats and food enthusiasts.
Chiang Mai is especially a great destination for its many cultural festivals. One of the most celebrated festivals in Chiang Mai is Loi Kratong, where the city comes alive with a sea of floating lanterns and illuminated krathongs (decorative floats) released onto the river. This mesmerizing event, held annually in November, symbolizes letting go of negativity and making wishes for the future.
Another spectacle is the Chiang Mai Flower Festival, held in February, when the city bursts into a riot of colors and fragrances. Stunning floral parades, intricate flower displays, and cultural performances create a feast for the senses in the streets around the moats.
Furthermore, Chiang Mai has also become one of the best places in Asia to get up close to one of the most majestic Thai animals, the Asian elephant. There are many elephant sanctuaries in and around Chiang Mai. Just make sure the one you visit is run in an ethical way.
Food enthusiasts flock to Chiang Mai for its vibrant culinary scene. From savoring the wonderful flavors of traditional Thai cuisine to exploring the trendy street food markets, the city is a paradise for epicureans. Moreover, Chiang Mai has emerged as a hub for vegan and vegetarian travelers in Thailand, with numerous restaurants and cafes catering to plant-based diets.
Visiting the many markets in the city is one of the best things to do in Chiang Mai. In this post, we’ll have a closer look at the immensely popular Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai. Also referred to as, Chiang Mai Night Bazaar or simple Chiang Mai Night Market, we’ll dive into what this market has to offer and more importantly, if it’s worth it to make a visit!
Food courts at the Chiang Mai night bazaar
The Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai is one the most popular night markets among tourists in Thailand and also one of the largest ones in size.
With hundreds of stalls selling goods like clothes, souvenirs, and jewelry and a few large food courts, it’s no wonder that the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar has become one of the most famous landmarks in the city.
As it often goes with well-liked tourist spots, the danger arises of becoming a victim of it’s own popularity. Read on the find out if a visit to the Chiang Mai Night Market is still worth it in 2023!
Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The Chiang Mai Night Market is located east of the center of the city and doesn’t just cover one street or square but rather a whole neighborhood.
To find the heart of this bustling marketplace head to the intersection of Chang Khlan Road and Loi Kroh Road. From there you can walk a few blocks in every direction as the market spreads out along the main streets and smaller alleyways.
You can find the epicenter of the Chiang Mai night Bazaar here on Google Maps.
→ PRO TIP: Traveling soon? check out my ultimate packing list for Thailand!
The Chiang Mai Night Bazaar operates every day of the week. From Monday to Sunday, the Night Bazaar welcomes visitors between dusk until late in the evening, typically from around 6 P.M. to 11 P.M. although setting up the stalls can start earlier.
The Chiang Mai Night Bazaar typically opens in the late afternoon, around 5 P.M. or 6 P.M. However, it’s important to note that exact opening times may vary slightly depending on the specific stalls or shops within the bazaar.
Some vendors may start setting up earlier, while others may open a bit later. Nevertheless, by early evening, the Night Bazaar is usually in full swing,
Pad Thai at the Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai
At the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, you’ll find a great array of Thai street food dishes to satisfy your taste buds. Here are some popular (vegan) food options you can enjoy:
These are just a few dishes I encountered at the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar for vegans. Obviously, there is much more and there are a lot of options for meat-eaters like BBQ grills and plenty of seafood.
At the night market, you can even find Western-style food like pizza and pasta.
Here are the websites I personally use whenever I travel to Thailand:
Booking.com: For the best guesthouses, homestays, or small hotels
Hostelworld: To find the best hostels located in the cities
Homestay: For a unique immersive homestay experience in the big cities or the countryside
12GO and Bookaway: The best transport websites for long-distance buses and train travel in Thailand
Thai Railway: To check timetables and connections for trains
Grab: The Uber of Southeast Asia is a convenient and cheap ride-hailing app
Skyscanner: For affordable flights to Bangkok or Phuket
Viator and Get Your Guide: book all kinds of activities from a vegan cooking class in Bangkok to a half-day meditation retreat at a waterfall temple with a monk.
Thailand is very easy to enter because you can stay in the country for up to 45 days with a tourist visa on arrival. If you want to spend more time in Thailand, check out the official Thai e-Visa website.
If you’re looking for travel insurance, the one with the best benefits online is without a doubt Heymondo! It’s very easy to ask for a quote on the website and if you book with this link you’ll get 5% off!
Get access to mobile data straight away when entering the country with a Thai E-sim or an Asialink E-sim when traveling through multiple countries. If you are already in Thailand, the best local prepaid sim card is AIS.
Street side stalls at the night bazaar in Chiang Mai
The Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai offers everything a tourist can expect from an Asian Night Market. The Goods on offer include housewares, T-shirts, elephant pants, jewelry, shoes, bags, sunglasses, and much more.
Clothes at the night bazaar in Chiang Mai
The Chiang Mai Night Bazaar offers a wide array of clothing options to suit every taste and style. From traditional Thai garments like colorful sarongs and embroidered blouses to funky bohemian dresses, elephant pants, and accessories, the bazaar offers a diverse selection of fashion finds at affordable prices.
Jewelry at the Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai
If you have wondered why so many long-term travelers arrive back home with necklaces, macrame bracelets, or earrings made from recycled bombs, this is it. you can find a large display of these things at the Night Bazaar and Asian markets in general.
Souvenirs at the Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai
If you’re looking for souvenirs to take home with you then the Chiang Mai night Bazaar is the place to be in Chiang Mai. You can almost find everything you might think of here, from fragrant spices to recreate Thai dishes at home to Buddha statues or handcrafted wallets, it’s all there.
Beware though that you don’t buy anything that is made from unethical materials like ivory or rare types of wood.
The Chiang Mai Night Market is a haven for those seeking unique housewares and decorative items. you’ll discover an assortment of home decor treasures from beautifully handcrafted ceramics and pottery to intricately woven textiles and tapestries.
Aside from that, you can find ornate lanterns, wooden carvings, cushion covers, and other delightful items that add a touch of Chiang Mai’s cultural charm to your home.
Bags at Chiang Mai Night Bazaar
looking for a new purse or a beach bag before heading south to the Thai islands? you can find a variety of different bags at the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, from beautifully woven handbags to pouches made from bamboo. Don’t buy anything that’s made from leather.
The Chiang Mai Night Bazaar is a fantastic place to explore and purchase art. You’ll find a wide range of artistic creations from talented local artists and craftsmen. The bazaar offers a variety of art forms, including paintings, sculptures, and traditional Thai artwork.
The Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai had become a hotspot among tourists and that also translates into prices that are above the average of Thai standards. A meal at one of the food stalls can easily cost double of what you would pay at a simple roadside stall in the streets around the city.
Of course, the setting of the night market with its many food courts decorated with flag lines and cozy nooks and crannies add to the charm and by that, also the pricing.
The prices of souvenirs were also a bit on the higher side but this is not unusual. The vendors expect you to test your haggling skills on them.
After traveling through Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos before arriving in Thailand I couldn’t wait to get back to Chaing Mai. Having visited in 2016, the city was the start of my journey into veganism after visiting a lovely vegan restaurant that unfortunately doesn’t exist anymore today.
I have to say that a lot has changed since then. The city had become more crowded and more focused on tourists but, luckily, the city is still able to maintain its typical authentic charm.
Having only visited the Tha Pae Sunday Walking Street Market on my previous visit I wasn’t sure what to expect from a visit to the Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai.
Food courts at the Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai.
Coming from Luang Prabang, I have to be honest that my opinion is also probably biased by the fact that I absolutely loved the Luang Prabang Night Market a lot for it’s serenity and convivial atmosphere. This is absolutely not the case at the Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai!
To keep it short, here is what I learned from visiting the Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai:
The Night Bazaar is huge with hundreds of stalls and many food courts. The stalls sell incredibly beautiful goods (also sometimes cheap stuff but I suppose you know what to look out for) however, I found the prices to be a bit inflated and geared towards tourists (unlike prices in Luang Prabang where the same things cost about half the price).
As for the food courts, they provide a lovely ambiance but you won’t see many locals here. They are mostly overrun by tourists and I also had the feeling it were a lot package tourists who were there to spend the evening. Prices were heavily inflated at most food stalls, however, I was still able to find a vegan Pad Thai for 50 baht.
If you want my advise, visiting the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar is certainly something that is worth experiencing, especially of you’re looking clothes or souvenirs, but, due to the inflated prices, I wouldn’t go back there next time to have a meal. It’s also extremely busy, with stalls perched on the sidewalks so don’t expect a visit to be a walk in the park.
Chiang Mai is the main city in the north of Thailand and therefore an easy travel destination to get to from a lot of places in Thailand and surrounding countries.
It is possible to fly into Chiang Mai from other continents, however, most travelers will start their journey in Thailand from Bangkok. From Bangkok, Chiang Mai is easy to reach either by flying, bus transfer, or train.
I can highly recommend taking the train to get to Chiang Mai. Having traveled both from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and Chiang Mai to Bangkok by sleeper train, I can assure you this is one of the most fun ways of traveling.
If you happen to travel from Laos to Chiang Mai, a great experience is taking the 2-day slow boat trip from Luang Prabang to the Thai border followed by a bus ride the next day to Chiang Mai.
You can find a wide array of accommodation options in Chiang Mai and, aside from the old town, there are various cool neighborhoods to stay in Chiang Mai outside of the moats.
There you go! With this guide, I’ve been meaning to provide you with a general overview of the Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai and additionally, how I experienced it.
If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments below or drop me a message through my contact page.
Want to plan your trip in a sustainable way? Don’t forget to have a look at the platforms and resources I personally use and have a peek at my personal travel gear.
ENJOY!
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Hi! I am Annelies and this is Travelers & Dreamers, a blog about conscious travel which means traveling in a more mindful way, with a positive impact on the world and yourself!
On this website, I cover different topics like slow travel, plant-based food guides, responsible travel, sustainable packing, eco-travel, and more!
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