Experience Lanna from Shopping in Chiang Mai
Most the people know Chiang Mai is a “Land of Handicraft” resulted from the numbers of artists from different skills has gathered here for ages.
At Chiang Mai, you can enjoy your trip and also the shopping experience especially the night markets that is such a beautiful and remarkable experience. Besides the very much favorite weekends walking street at Tha Pae Sunday Walking Street and Wua Lai Saturday Walking Street, there are a lot of more shopping locations in Chiang Mai that you can entertain your shop until you drop.
As the home of handicraft, the shopping venues in Chiang Mai also features uniqueness in the characteristic of the products. Those products are the delicate and beautiful craftsmanship from local also available here for you to buy as a gift or keepsake before you leave the town. For example, silk, woodcraft, silverware, ceramics, decoration items, traditional style clothes, accessories, hill-tribe goods, Lanna products (the products produced within the northern territory of Thailand), and more.
Here are the should not miss shopping locations in Chiang Mai city.
Tha Pae Walking Street (the Sunday Walking Street)
The famous tourism website “Trip Advisor” recommended Tha Pae Walking Street in Chiang Mai is the 1# ranking of the most famous market in Thailand in 2016. The original walking street of Thailand that anyone who comes to visit this charming city should not miss. Tha Pae Walking Street locates at Ratchadamnoen Road covered the area from Tha Pae Gate and lines through Wat Phra Singh. It is considered as the longest walking street in the north of Thailand.
The products that you can find here are variety including handicrafts, gift and souvenirs, and food, also the talented street show. Tha Pae Walking Street opens only Sunday weekly between 5.00 – 10.00pm.
Wau Lai Walking Street (The Saturday Walking Street)
Another important walking street in Chiang Mai which the vendor mostly are the villagers are “Wau Lai Walking Street”. Although the site is smaller than Tha Pae one, it is not less interesting to visit. Wau Lai Walking Street is home of the silversmith village in which both manufacturer and distributer the products, including silverware and lacquerware, also other handmade goods. If you visit the place on the public holidays, this village turns to be crowded with a vast number of visitor both domestic and foreign tourists.
Apart from that, Wua Lai Walking Street also a place that you can find many delicious street foods and northern Thai local food available all along both sides of the street, too. And if you have enough time, we recommend you to visit the fascinating religion site at Wau Lai village which is the venue of the first silver Buddhist chapel in the world “Wat Sri Suphan.”
The site also is the learning center to train the silversmith and displays lots of delicate and artistic pieces of work including ones that furnished of both the exterior and interior of the ordination hall of the monastery complex. Plus, the stupa to store the ashes of the venerable Buddhist monk of Lanna “Kruba Sriwichai” is here, as well. Wua Lai Walking Street operates every Saturday between 5.00 – 10.00pm, however, the village and temple open for public daily.
Nimmanhaemin Road
Nimmanhaemin or better known shortly as “Nimman Road,” the hippest shopping street in Chiang Mai which is the favorite destination among many tourists both local and abroad. This place is so vibrant and never empty with the visitors since it is a center of the delicious restaurants, coffee shop, dessert café, and chic boutique accommodations. So-called the commercial district of Chiang Mai, Nimmanhaemin Road is rich in exciting shops and entertainments with are outstanding in the design and decoration.
So, if you find some stylish and trendy lifestyle shopping place in Chiang Mai, you would not disappoint to check in at Nimanhaemin. And to enjoy your experience here at the max, we recommend you to come here in the afternoon because the place will be lively and most of the shops will open during this time.
Warorot Market
Warorot Market or well-known for local as “Kad Luang” is the biggest market in Chiang Mai with the long period of its background for over the century. The old marketplace is where the tourist and even local people come to shop fresh food and other gift and souvenir, especially the local products and preserved food and snacks. The highlight products are northern style food – spicy sausage, sour & spicy sausage, Nam Prik Noom (northern style green chili dip, pork crackling, preserved veggie and fruit.
Chiang Mai Night Bazaar
Apart from a stroll along the walking street at Wua Lai and Tha Pae, unsurprisingly that lots of people would think about Chiang Mai Night Bazaar. The original night market has been favored among the tourist especially the foreigners for decades. Night Bazaar is a real entertainment place for nightlife with a large variety of food and gift and souvenirs. The site that covers the area from Chang Klan Road, Tha Pae to Loy Kroh Road which is about 2 kilometers long.
Chiang Mai Night Bazaar opens daily from the afternoon to the nightfall consists of the Lanna style building “Kalare Bazaar” the place that offers the visitors with the partitioned vendor shops, entertainment patio, beer garden, local food court, and traditional Thai massage & spa.
San Kamphaeng, the Handicraft Walking Street
The walking street at San Kamphaeng is another interesting “street of culture” in Chiang Mai that appeals lots of visitors to come and to shop. The classic style walking street provides the diversity of products including handicrafts that are genuine handmade all along the route – beautiful Thai silk, fine handmade souvenir, traditional outfits, also the delectable street food stalls that you can enjoy both dine in or take away. Come and touch the simple way of shopping street at San Kamphaeng that you would fall in love, definitely.
Bo Sang Handicraft Village
When we talk about San Kamphaeng it would not be completed for the trip without this lovely handicraft village, Bo Sang handicraft Village. The community is well-known as the most important manufacturer of the paper umbrella, one of the most famous souvenirs of Chiang Mai. The location is in San Kamphaeng district about 9 km from Chiang Mai town on the highway Chiang Mai – San Kamphaeng.
Definitely, the highlight product is the handmade umbrella that makes major income for the citizen of Bo Sang from time to time. The tourist can witness the manufacturing process and purchase the umbrella here as a gift or for the keepsake.
Wat Ket District, Shopping along the Ping Riverside
Wat Ket district situates on Charoenrat Road or also called locally as “Na Wat Ket Road” is a riverside community across to Waroros Market or Kad Luang. The site is both residence area and cultural tourist attraction in Chiang Mai city that lures many visitors to experience the traditional lifestyle of this city. Wat Ket community is a former significant business district of Chiang Mai in the past which rich in its fascinating culture, architecture, and diversity of religious beliefs.
Within the location, you will see the numerous beautiful architectures in the vintage design that some of them are renovated to be the shop, restaurant, and guesthouse. So, it could say that the place is second to none for the charm to check in for your shopping (you would find many rare items especially one with creative and handmade) and enjoy the rustic chic way of life (eat, pray, living) with the picturesque landscape of the old artistic buildings with Mae Ping River as the background.
Now, last but not least, the shopping tips for the foreigners is “price bargain” is something usual and regularly for shopping in Thailand. So, it will be alright for you to negotiate for the desire and reasonable price before you deal your purchasing. However, it is not including the fixed rate in the shop and shopping mall. And one more important thing, please practice your bargain politely and smile. Enjoy your shopping!
