Every winter I come at least for 10 days to Chiang Mai, I love this vibrant city in the north of Thailand for several reasons. ..
Chiang Mai has still the old charm of traditional Thailand, it's pretty relaxed and beautiful to wander around.
my tip : stay in a guesthouse in the old town, rent a Chinese bicycle with a basket to put your bag and just discover all of the beauty.
Wake up early and ride around the old city, stop and watch the temples, sit and meditate for a while.
refresh yourself with yummy matcha iced tea and then when you are tired have a massage.
I love to book 30 min foot massage, followed by 1 hour of Thai yoga. It’s the best and you can get if for under 8 Euro. I treat myself every day for a massage or spa visit.
please check my tips for the best places in CM.
Eat good and healthy:
no problem here up in northern Thailand . CM is the paradise for amazing fresh food and drinks, it has many vegetarian and vegan restaurants with beautiful gardens to chill or drink your fresh Mango juice, i love Thai food .
So i start my day with a tasty veggie noodle soup, a lemongrass tea .
Later, of course, there is yummy pad Thai noodles or fried rice . If you are a seafood lover you will be happy too.
I love the local markets here and i buy a lot of fresh fruit every day.
pineapple , mango , melon , papaya you name it for pennies!
Smoothies and healthy juices are everywhere.
CM has probably the cutest coffee shops in the world . They produce fresh coffee here nearby in the mountains and it’s super good.
Find cute little and big coffee shops on every corner and enjoy it listening to cool jazz music and just chill or work on your laptop.
I have been a vegetarian for more than 20 years and therefore cm is amazing for me because there are so many veggie and vegan places here .
One of my favourites is Birdsnest, it’s in a super nice and quite small road in the old town where I sometimes stay. It charming wooden deck, chill out corner, good books and the best food and drinks. Try the lunch set which has soup, fresh salad and a yummy sandwich. An old favourite of many Chiang Mai lovers.
this time I stayed in an amazing big flat next to Wat Suang dok , it was my pleasure to go early morning to the temple to meditate a bit , enjoy the surroundings and then go to the lovely slow food vegetarian restaurant pun pun and have my breakfast mostly noodle soup and ginger tea there. It’s so peaceful there, cheap and great fresh and healthy food.
Sometimes I need a good salad, that’s why when I discovered Salad concept I was super happy. They have a big menu with totally awesome salads and other healthy options. It’s big, clean and great to work. Also salad garden is really good try the salmon and quinoa salad, both places are near to Niaman area where most digital nomads like to stay long-term, There are many options for renting an Apartment and hanging out in this trendy area which has 100 of cute coffe shops, little boutiques, massage parlours. It’s like a little dreamy Walt Disney World there.
Digital nomad lifestyle
CM is one of the most popular digital nomad destinations in the world. I understand it because it’s really a great city to live in for a while. You can rent a modern apartment with ac , a kitchen and in many cases a swimming pool and gym for less than 400€ a month.
The food is super cheap and an excellent choice. It's a pleasant city with lots of trees, ancient wood houses, temples, coffee shops and trendy co-working places to choose of.
That is the reason many nomads love it here, I am one of them and I am actually thinking of buying an apartment to come here regularly.
For Transport you can use the local taxis, Uber or grap is easily available. Rent a bicycle or a little scooter and you can discover the city by yourself. Traffic is still smooth, no comparison to crazy Bangkok where I would not dare to drive alone in the city.
Chiang Mai still has this boho ethnic sweetness. That’s why I love it so much ..
Shopping :
you know I am a boho fashion designer so for me it’s a must to come here to CM.
It's here where I find my ethnic textiles and fabrics for my leather bags and the accessories which I design for my brand
The best place to find all kinds of ethnically made textiles, jewellery, handmade clothing, beautiful Thai rattan bags etc is in Chiang Mai Chinatown market called the Hmong market.
I go there for hours and it’s my absolute favourite place for shopping.
of course, I can’t carry all this in my suitcase so I am sending it by cargo freight to Europe ( one kilo is approx 10€ ) this is best for me.
Sunday market
Another most go for shopping for local crafts, souvenirs and the best street food is the Sunday walking streets which happens every Sunday night in the old town .. it’s amazing
tip: go there around 4 pm when the sellers built up their stalls and its still not be growled.
Slow fashion and living
yesterday I discovered a new super cool shop on the Thapea road , called River and Roads.
it's a slow-living lifestyle concept store, they sell really special cute designs hand made in CM with love to detail.
It's also cm the first cosmetic regal and reduced plastic station. You can refill your water bottles there for free.
the great concept we should have in every city.
Say no to plastic !!
bring your own cotton shopping bag and refuse to have all that you buy to be packed in plastic.
carry your water bottle and refill it.
get a lunch box you like and ask the restaurant you buy your take away to have it packed there.
carry your bamboo straw and bamboo toothbrush.
Go around
Chiang Mai is pretty easy to go around
as the old town is in a square surrounded by the old city walls, it’s lovely to walk around and discover it .
I love to ride a bicycle there. You get one of the very comfortable Chinese bicycles with a basket in front very cheap at every corner.
if you live a little outside the old town is very nice to rent a little scooter and discover the city like a local.
so much fun, but only drive if you are used to riding a scooter, please.
I hope my tips about Chiang Mai have made you curious about my favourite city in Thailand. If you want more detailed info , don't hesitate to e-mail me .
much love
Jane