Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai does not feel like it belongs to the same country as Bangkok. Where the capital is relentless, noisy, and enormous, Chiang Mai is measured, green, and human in scale. The old city sits inside a square moat, its corners marked by ancient gates, its interior a dense grid of temple lanes, wooden shophouses, and small guesthouses with garden courtyards. Beyond the moat, the city expands into modern neighbourhoods of cafes and creative studios before giving way to the Ping River valley, and beyond that, mountains that stretch north into Myanmar and Laos. This is northern Thailand — a distinct culture, a different cuisine, and a different way of being in the world.

The temple count stands at over 300 within the city limits, which sounds improbable until you start walking and discover a gilded spire tucked behind every second corner. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is the one that defines Chiang Mai's skyline — a 16th-century temple perched at 1,073 metres on the mountain that rises directly above the city, reached by 309 Naga steps or a funicular, and commanding a panorama over the entire valley that rewards the climb at any hour. At dawn, monks in saffron robes receive offerings from faithful Thais lining the streets below; the tak bat (alms-giving) procession is a genuine act of devotion, not a performance, and visitors who observe it respectfully will find it one of the most striking sights in Thailand.

Wat Chedi Luang in the old city was the tallest structure in the Lanna Kingdom when it was built in the 14th century — its partially collapsed chedi (spire) still stands 60 metres high, and the complex hosts monk chats on weekday mornings where the resident monks practise English with visitors in a mutually useful exchange. Wat Phra Singh contains the Phra Singh Buddha image that gives the temple its name, carried in procession each Songkran — the image is believed by many Thais to be the most sacred in northern Thailand.

The food scene is built on a cuisine that is categorically different from what Bangkok exports to the world. Khao soi — the essential Northern Thai dish — is a coconut curry broth containing both braised and crispy fried egg noodles, served with pickled mustard greens, raw shallots, and a squeeze of lime. Every Chiang Mai resident has a loyalty to a particular khao soi stall, and these loyalties are passionate. The Sunday Walking Street on Wualai Road covers a full kilometre of street food and craft stalls from 5pm to midnight; the Night Bazaar near the river is more tourist-focused but still produces excellent grilled pork skewers and mango sticky rice. Cooking classes are Chiang Mai's great visitor activity — spend a morning at a farm market with a teacher, then cook six dishes, then eat them. The standard of teaching is consistently higher here than anywhere else in Southeast Asia.

The Elephant Nature Park is 60 kilometres north of the city in the Mae Taeng valley — an ethical sanctuary that rescues elephants from logging and tourism exploitation and allows visitors to walk with, feed, and bathe them without riding. It is the template for responsible elephant tourism in Thailand, and a visit here makes it very difficult to understand why anyone would choose a riding camp instead. Book weeks in advance during peak season.

Doi Inthanon National Park, 60 kilometres southwest, contains Thailand's highest peak (2,565 metres) and some of the most biologically diverse forest in the country. The Ang Ka nature trail passes through cloud forest so dense and moss-covered it looks prehistoric. The Royal Project agricultural stations throughout the highlands — established to replace opium cultivation with cash crops — sell extraordinary strawberries, macadamia nuts, and highland vegetables through their own roadside shops.

Muay Thai training is a Chiang Mai institution. Dozens of camps operate at various levels of seriousness, from tourist-friendly one-day introductions to residential programmes where serious fighters train twice daily for weeks. Lanna Muay Thai and the Tiger Muay Thai-affiliated camps in the Mae Rim area are among the most established. Meditation retreats are equally accessible: Wat Suan Dok offers monk-led sessions for visitors, and Doi Suthep above the city has a meditation centre open to all. For longer practice, Vipassana centres in the province offer 10-day silent retreats on a donation basis.