Chiang Mai on foot: an itinerary to discover the city differently

Chiang Mai, the "rose of the north" is a city particularly suitable for walking and visiting its many temples, among the oldest in the kingdom, once an independent kingdom of Lanna.

Many, rightly so, will happily settle for the central square. The latter defines the old historic Chiang Mai, still partially delimited by the remains of its ancient wall. It is also in this central area that most of the old temples that make the old city famous are located (although there are others just as interesting in the immediate vicinity, I talk about them in a detailed article 5 temples to see outside the old city).

Today, I invite you to explore another part of Chiang Mai, extending to the Ping River, which crosses the city to the west. A walking tour centered in particular around the famous Warorot Market (also called Kad Luang). This little tour that I suggest allows you to discover buildings with interesting architecture and to immerse yourself in the markets that punctuate local life.

The walk on a map

It's not strictly speaking a loop, and to be transparent, I didn't do it all on foot myself (I had rented a scooter that day, especially because we were going to the Jing Jai market that morning, located further north). However, the total journey is less than 4 km and can therefore be happily done on 2-3 hours without worries. If this is the route I took, it is not necessarily essential to follow it to the letter, the part of the loop going to the other side of the river is not necessarily essential, unless you want a good coffee and see an art gallery.

Starting point: Si Phum corner

It is from one of the corners marking the ancient wall of Chiang Mai that I suggest you start this personalized tour. The red brick walls that surrounded the city are, in fact, still visible, especially in the corners and around the old gates, including that of Tha Phae, which serves here as the arrival point for this walking tour.

The fortifications were built 700 years ago by King Mengrai, while he established Chiang Mai as its new capital (which as a reminder, means “new city”). We are then at 14th century, the golden age of the Lanna kingdom, which stretched across the entire northern region of Thailand, and Chiang Mai would replace the former capital, located further north, the aptly named Chiang Rai.

In addition to the wall, you will appreciate the charm of the canals (the old ditches surrounding the city), but you will also have a breathtaking view of the mountain inseparable from Chiang Mai, the Doi suthep.

View of Doi Suthep from the corner of Si Phum.

The famous canals surrounding the city of Chiang Mai.

Coffee break at brewginning coffee

Not necessarily essential, this first step can be an opportunity to try one of the many coffee shops in Chiang Mai (and the country). It may not be obvious at first glance, but if you are a connoisseur of the blog, perhaps you have already noticed my attraction to coffee shops, especially since more and more of them have been offering very good coffees (Arabica, what's more), and the environments and/or decor are often original and pleasant.

Well after here, I actually didn't try their coffee, but I stopped there because I wanted to take some pictures of the neighborhood. I noticed in particular this shop right next door, selling wicker bags and baskets. This shop is clearly popular with the ladies who come there to take a perfect Instagram shot...

Personally, I was more interested in the retro architecture of the brewing coffee and to the few murals that were in the surrounding area.

Chinatown and Warorot market

It turns out that the Warorot Market is in the heart of the small Chinatown from Chiang Mai. In fact, the place is like a mini shopping mall, because there is a fruit market around it, the Chiang Mai Flower Market, but also the nearby Ton Lam Yai market. The latter, combined with Warorot, are locally known as “Kad Luang” (which can simply be translated as “big market”).

The place used to be a cremation ground for members of the Chiang Mai royal family. It was in 1910 that it was converted into a market under the impetus of the Princess Dara Rasmi and named Warorot in memory of his brother, Intawaroros Suriyawong, who was the 8th king of Chiang Mai.

Nowadays, it is an important market appreciated by tourists as well as locals who come to stock up on northern specialties. Indeed, this market is renowned for the sale of local products, rarer in other regions.

For example, there is the famous spicy sausage from the north (Sai ​​Oua), another type of pork sausage, of Vietnamese origin (Moo yo), a spicy curry paste with green pepper (Nam phrik num), and I can also mention the assortments of dried fruits. In addition to local food, there are also clothes, ceramics, fabric, embroidery devices, flowers, etc.

The whole thing is organized on several floors, with, to simplify, food downstairs and clothes upstairs. After Warorot, we also went to the neighboring Ton Lam Yia market, organized in a similar way to its neighbor, you can find everything, like this small hairdresser, wedged between two shops. This brought us out on the side of the flower market, bordering the road that runs along the Ping River.

Inside Ton Lam Yai Market.

Small hair salon lost in the middle of all this joyful chaos.

Chansom Memorial Bridge and Charoen Rajd Road

Located opposite the market, it is a pedestrian bridge, connecting the Kad Luang area to that of Wat Ket Karam. There was a bridge here as early as 1892, called Khua Kula, Khua meaning "bridge" in the northern Thai dialect, and Kula is an ancient term for foreigners (what you know today as farang). The foreigner reference being that the original bridge was built of teak wood and designed by Dr. Marion A. Cheek, a former American missionary working for the Borneo Company, a British forestry company specializing in teak.

The latter was heavily damaged by a flood in 1932, forcing residents to take a ferry to cross. As this junction between these two districts was important, a bamboo bridge was later built to compensate for this shortcoming. But the latter was obviously fragile, mainly used in the dry season and requiring repairs every year. Residents could even go several years without a bridge.

The "deliverance" would come in 1965. That year, Chansom, the wife of a businessman of Pakistani origin, died. The latter, Montri Kosalaphirom, owned a fabric store in the Warorot market. He then financed the construction of the bridge in her memory, hence the name Chansom Memorial, But also Khua Khaek In Thai, the term "Khaek" refers to Pakistani/Indian individuals. The original bridge, again, suffered too much damage following the major floods of 2011, and was replaced by the current, wider and more modern bridge in 2015.

Wat Ket Karam visible across the bridge.

If we did not visit the Wat Ket Karam in question, which includes a museum that may be worth a look, we were mainly interested in the area surrounding the temple, which includes many nice little cafes, especially along the river.

The facades are colorful, it has charm. After with the pandemic, it is desperately deserted and half of the cafes are also closed…

There are also some beautiful buildings, some of which are now part of prestigious hotels. I can mention the 137 Pillars House, which included nothing more and nothing less than the offices of the American mentioned above, Mr. Cheek! We didn't walk past it, but we did cross paths with the Baan Orapin Bed & Breakfast, where there is a café in front of it that I indicate on my map, because it has an excellent reputation.

Despite this, this is not where we set our sights for a little break that was starting to be felt. Continuing our route towards the Nakhon Ping bridge, in order to return to the other side, we passed in front of an art gallery, housed in an old house whose architectural style I would place in the 50s. Thinking that we would also find something to eat there as is often the case in Thailand, we decided to take a look at The Luna Gallery.

Entrance leading to Baan Orapin Bed & Breakfast.

Khna Coffee Brewers, another good spot for a coffee break.

The Luna Gallery.

Unfortunately, we quickly understood that there was no café there... But this time, due to the pandemic, there were not many people and the staff was delighted to show us the works then exhibited (and for sale...). At the crossroads before crossing the bridge, we come across another wooden house, quite imposing and on two floors.

Seeing that it was for sale, we fantasized about the price that such a location could be worth, with a nice plot of land adjoining the river. It was shortly after the bridge that we finally sat down for this long-awaited coffee, at Rustic Boutique River. While I have no doubt that this is a welcoming hotel (the reviews are pretty good), it is not where I would recommend enjoying a good coffee (for that I refer you to the khna coffee brewers, attached to Baan Orapin).

For sale.

The Hmong Market

Once our break was over, we returned to the neighborhood around the warorot market, because we still had a part to visit. Before going there, I took a look at the passage at small Chinese shrine of Kuan U, nothing really exciting when you're used to this kind of place, but hey, sometimes you find surprises in temples so why not.

It is also an opportunity to stroll through the lively shopping streets that Thailand is so good at offering us. The area is mainly occupied by vendors selling all kinds of clothing, although there are shades of indigo and patterns and colours more typical of the north.

And then further on, at the bend in the alleys, there is in fact another market, called “Trok Lao Zhou” (ตรอกเล่าโจ๊ว), with Chinese products and hmong communityThe Hmong bring local products and crafts there, sold in its alleys and in a small dedicated area bringing together several families.

I imagine that in normal times it's more lively, there was no one there... that didn't prevent a few moments of happiness like these two little boys enjoying their ice cream with undisguised pleasure!

Tha Pae Road

To end this walk, how can we not end with one of the main arteries leading to Chiang Mai, Tha Pae RoadThe road starts from the ancient fortified gate “Tha Pae Gate”, and joins the edge of the Ping River at the Narawat Bridge, the first bridge in Chiang Mai.

We find there some old houses, some of them centuries old, and even recently renovated. It is a shame, however, that there is a lack of development and that many old houses have now disappeared.

One of the best known is the Yong Chiang's Mansion, a Chinese merchant who built this two-story house in 1903. It is located at the intersection of Tha Pae and Wichayanon Road. The first time I saw it a few years ago, it seemed in a bad state and more or less abandoned. Recently, it has found a new lease of life, and it is nice to see such heritage preserved as old houses disappear too often in Thailand.

Along Tha Pae Road.

Yong Chiang's home.

The tuk tuks didn't have many people to carry...

Another example of preservation, Kitipanit Manor. A beautiful two-story teak building, built in 1880. It was the first general store in Chiang Mai, opened by a family of Chinese immigrants. The house is still owned by the fifth generation of descendants who arrived here at that time, and who, after abandoning the establishment for 70 years, finally transformed the place into a nice restaurant.

Obviously, if you pay attention, you will notice other facades, without me being able to name these buildings or know their origin. But for those interested in architecture, it is interesting to observe. And the loop will be (almost) complete when you arrive at the square of Tha Pae Gate, a true symbol of the city.

The superb Kitipanit house.

Another old house lining Tha Pae Road.

For us, the day wasn't over, but it was time to take a break, and for you too! The rest will take you to the temples located just north of the city, but I'll cut that out in another article that I'll share with you soon, so as they say, stay tune!

What was the outcome of this walk? Well, it allowed me to see another side of Chiang Mai, other than just the temples, and it's a great way to soak up the city's charms. Without all the tourists, I happily rediscovered the corners of Chiang Mai that I knew the least about and I really enjoyed doing this tour.