Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is the largest city in mountainous northern Thailand. Founded in 1296, it was capital of the independent Lanna Kingdom until 1558. Its Old City area still retains vestiges of walls and moats from its history as a cultural and religious centre. Chiang Mai is most famous for its beautiful ancient temples, though there is much more to see and do. The striking mountainous landscape around the city provides a lot of wonderful natural attractions and is home to two tribal villages.

The ideal time to visit Chiang Mai is between October and April. Weather during this period is mostly cool and pleasant with light breeze, which is also why it's peak tourist season. Another good time to visit Chiang Mai is during the festivals when the city is at its vibrant best.

The best things to do in Chiang Mai include visiting some of the city’s beautiful temples and unique sites. The historical capital of the old Lanna Kingdom, Chiang Mai is rich in culture. The Old City – an attraction in itself – hosts most of the best temples, museums and other interesting sites, with many more just outside the ancient city walls and moat. If you’re willing to travel a little further afield, you’ll find that Chiang Mai is ringed with outstanding, unique places to see and things to do. There’s Thailand’s tallest mountain nearby, as well as two different tribal villages and various national parks. Check out our pick of the best attractions in Chiang Mai to make sure that you don’t miss the most important sites and experiences in this outstanding part of Thailand.

Language
While most inhabitants speak Thai, there are many older inhabitants that also speak the former Lan Na Kingdom's unique language known as Northern Thai, Lanna or Kham Mueang. The script used to write this language, called the Tai Tham alphabet, is studied only by scholars, and the language is commonly written with the standard Thai alphabet.[35] Thai, English, Chinese, and Japanese are used in hotels and travel-related businesses.

Museums
Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural Center
Chiang Mai National Museum, which highlights the history of the region and the Kingdom of Lan Na.
Chiang Mai Philatelic Museum, shows the history of postage stamps and the postal development of Thailand, especially in Chiang Mai.
Highland People Discovery Museum, a showcase of the history of the local mountain tribes.
Mint Bureau of Chiang Mai or Sala Thanarak, Treasury Department, Ministry of Finance, Rajdamnern Road (one block from AUA Language Center). Has an old coin museum open to the public during business hours. The Lan Na Kingdom used leaf (or line) money made of brass and silver bubbles, also called "pig-mouth" money. The exact original technique of making pig-mouth money is still disputed, and because the silver is very thin and breakable, good pieces are now very rare.
Bank of Thailand Museum
Northern Telecoms of Thailand Museum, housed in a former telephone exchange building, displays the history and evolution of telecommunications in Northern Thailand.
MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum, a museum of contemporary art which opened in 2016.[39][40] It is one of only two museums of contemporary art in Thailand, with the other museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Bangkok, considered somewhat more conservative in tastes than MAIIAM.