This is your sign to take your kids to Chiang Mai

I’m going to be honest. Chiang Mai suprised us. I expected a busy city similar to Bangkok but what we found was a place that is rich in culture and dripping in charm. A vibrant city surrounded by mountains.

What to do

There is so much to do with kids in Chaing Mai and you could easily spend a week exploring the city and surrounding areas. Here are 7 of our favourite things to do.

1. Walk around the Old City

Chiang Mai’s old city is full of culture, delicious food, fascinating history and friendly locals. The city is surrounded by ancient walls built more than 700 years ago. You could easily spend a whole day wondering the streets, visiting museums and shopping for handmade goodies. When the kids get tired, stop for a fresh juice at one of the many cafes.

A quick google search will list a number of museums within the city for you to visit. We happened upon the Treasury Museum and were pleasantly suprised. The free museum gave an interactive look at the history of currency in Thailand. Although small it was well laid out, informative and great for kids. It was well worth the visit and the girls were given a special souvenir to take home.

A quick stop on your wander around the city is the Three Kings Monument. THE sculpture is an iconic image in its representation and commemoration of the founding of Chiang Mai. It’s a must-see while exploring the city.

Another great stop with kids is Non Buak Hard Public Park. This is the only park in the city and is very popular with the locals. There is exercise equipment, a walking track, basketball court and a beautiful playground all surrounded by flowers. No matter where in the world you find yourself kids always love a playground.

2. Shop at a night market

Held every Sunday at Tha Pae gate are the walking street markets. They begin at 4pm and your best bet to avoiding massive crowds is to get there early. While similar to many night markets throughout Thailand, the difference is the sheer size, the line of market stalls extending nearly 1.5 kilometres. This is a great night out and an awesome place to find cheap, delicious food, homemade goods and souvenirs.

3. Visit POOPOOPAPER park

This is a must-see for the kids. The girls had heard about it from a friend and could not wait to go. The park is an outdoor museum where you can take a guided, interactive tour to discover the process of creating paper out of poo. We love seeing innovative, sustainable and eco friendly ways of the future and what they’ve done here is pretty cool.

After the tour you can do a DIY crafting activity for an extra fee. Decorate your own bookmark, journal or card – all out of poo poo paper of course. This was one of our favourite activities we did while in Chiang Mai.

4. Fly through the rainforest on a zipline

If your family joys enjoys a bit of adventure than strap yourselves in because Skyline Jungle Luge is the place to go. Fly through the rainforest on the worlds longest Zipline that stretches nearly one kilometre long.

The team leading the adventure are extremely proficient meaning there’s was no waiting around. The packaged deal included lunch prior to all the action, abseiling, sky bridges, 21 zip-lines and the luge. They’ll also pick you up and drop you back to your accomodation. The girls were 6 and 8 at the time and if you ask them it was their favourite thing we did in Thailand.

5. Learn to cook

What better way to immerse yourself in a new culture than learn how to cook their food. There are so many options when it comes to cooking classes in Chiang Mai but if you get the chance, book yourself in with Noodle from Yummy Tasty Thai Cooking School. She has such a passion for cooking and is an incredible teacher. You’ll get hands on experience where your taste buds will explode!

Before class she took us to a local market showing us around and helping identify the different produce being sold. We bought ingredients for our lesson before getting to work and creating some of Thailands most well known and delicious meals.

6. Climb a sticky waterfall

If you’re looking for a great morning out out near Chiang Mai, Bua Tong, also known as Sticky Waterfalls, is a must do. The waterfall get its name from the grippy limestone rocks that you can safely climb up and down. We took the stairs to the bottom of the waterfall and climbed up using the fixed ropes (when needed).

The water was so clear and delightfully cool, coming from a bubbling spring at the top of the falls. You will easily spend a couple of hours here climbing up and down and playing in the water.

7. Ride in a Tuk Tuk

While the tuk tuk is no longer the cheapest way to get around (you’ll pay more than a taxi) its a fun experience that your kids will love. Being a tourist they’ll likely try to inflate the price, so be prepared to haggle (another fun cultural experience). We laughed as we zipped through streets, the wind in our hair, watching the world around us.

Honest thoughts:

You absolutely would not want to be in Chiang Mai during the burning season (Feb – April). The best time would be November after the summer rain. The season began early while we were there and it was terrible. After contacting our insurance we were set to cancel the rest of our plans but thankfully we had a day of rain which improved the air quality.
I was surprised by Chiang Mai. While there is certainly a large expat community and lots of tourists, the city remains authentically Thai. We loved getting to know the people, hearing their stories and learning more about the history and hopes of Thailand.
Stay within the Old City if you can. Its easily walkable, convenient and charming.
The best Thai food we had (other than cooking with Noodle) was street food.

If you have time make sure to visit nearby Chiang Rai. Most people head there for a night or two but as we discovered there is so much more to do.

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