For many generations the daily markets that take place throughout Chiang Mai have been the focal point of Thai life.
Thai people have always bought all their fresh food requirements on a daily basis, the main reasons for this are:
* to ensure that all the ingredients are always as fresh as possible, a key requirement for the fresh & spicy dishes synonymous with Thailand.
* by buying smaller amounts, there is very little food wasted, also the limited money goes further !.
* even today many Thai households do not have fridges or freezers, merely vented cabinets to keep the flies away from the food, and the households that do have fridge freezers, a large proportion of the freezer sections remain empty, other than being used for ice.
I can bear full witness to this fact, we have a large fridge freezer at home, and my wife Rose keeps it immaculately clean, BUT EMPTY, she refuses to use any ingredients that have been frozen.
The Western retailers who have successfully established themselves in Thailand, namely Tesco & Carrefour despite making valiant marketing efforts to entice the locals to make their fresh food purchases at their stores by attempting to re-create the “market place”, have failed miserably,
Whenever I quiz Rose about why she will not buy any fresh foods, fruits or vegetables in the stores she always says “not fresh, not delicious !!”.
I think in a generation or two’s time this attitude towards the daily shop will have changed to being more Westernised, but if you can remember back that far, its not so many years ago that the Western consumer shopped in EXACTLY the same way.
Chiang Mai has an excellent selection of daily markets that delight both residents and the many visitors alike.
This guide is a summary of the main daily markets in Chiang Mai, some of the larger more important markets have a linked page dedicated to them, other I have summarised within this page.
Please “click” on the links below to find out more about the best markets in the city.
The Night Bazaar
is without doubt the most famous market outside of Bangkok !, it is heavily visited by both travelling Thai’s, and a multitude of foreign visitors.
You can buy pretty much anything at the bazaar, many of the goods sold are cheap copies, but there are also good quality items which are still highly affordable.
The Warorot Market
is the most important single daily market in the whole of Chiang Mai, and is known locally as "Kad Luang" or Royal Market.
It was built in 1910 by Jao Warorot, a member of the Lanna Royal Family. Following its completeion a large number of Chinese & Thai/Chinese families settled in the area, many of them subsequently opening businesses which later led to the area being known as Chiang Mai's China Town (see below for more details).
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The Ton Lamyai Flower Market is the primary flower market in Chiang Mai and is located close by the Warorot Market and runs along the Ping River towards Thapae Road. The market is the best place in Chiang Mai to buy fresh cut flowers and always abounds with colour & fragrances.
The Muang Mai Wholesale Market is the main daily market for fresh produce in Chiang Mai used by all the city's hotels & restaurants and for anyone interested in food it is well worth a visit.
The market is located to the west of Wang Singkam Road (which runs along the west side of the Ping River) a couple of blocks north of the Warorot Market.
Chiang Mai's China Town is located around "Lao Jo" or "Lao Jow Street" and is one of the busiest shopping areas in the whole of Chiang Mai.
It is located directly in-between both the Warorot Market & Ton Lanyai Market by the edge of the River Ping.
The area is like a rabbit warren, lots of small streets jammed full of EVERY conceivable type of goods that you could every possibly want to buy.
There are also quite a few gold shops,all trying to tempt you to purchase some of the purest gold available anywhere in the world.
Here you'll also find a whole string of inexpensive Chinese Food shops, the dishes are rice and noodle based, most of them offering variations on Tae Jiu (Chao Zhou) and Yunnan style cooking.
I would personally recommend "Aomngurn", its an interesting looking place with blackboard signs outside serving fantastic grilled chicken and various Chinese/Thai dishes, there are also English menus, its right next door to the New Mitrapap Hotel.
The VERY best time to visit Chiang Mai's China Town is during the annual Lunar Festival (Chinese New Year), which occurs each January.
The whole area is decked out in red lanterns, streamers & traditional Chinese decorations, lots of fire crackers, the smells and sounds are fantastic !!.
Sompet Market which is on the inside of the moat on Moon Muang Road. Sompet is a fresh food market that is a particularly good place to buy fruit.
Being located in a tourist area near many hotels and guesthouse it is an easy location for tourists to sample a local style market whilst wandering around the old city.
Pratu Chiang Mai Market is on the southern part of the city moat on Bumroongburi Road and the Chiangmai Gate, its a buzzing neighborhood market during the day its a great place to find tasty snacks as well as meat, fish, produce and other makings for a Thai, home-cooked meal.
This market however is most active at night-time when the local parking lot is turned into an outdoor restaurant area.
Wualai Saturday Market runs from Chiang Mai Gate on the south side of the Old City in the old silversmith district of the city.
The market opens at around 4pm and runs until 11pm. The market consists of traditional crafts and there are particularly some great silver items to be found along side the usual array of food and drink stalls offering tasty snacks !.
Kad Sum Murd Market takes place each evening from Thursday to Saturday in front of Kad Suan Kaew (Central) shopping centre.
The market is candlelit and atmospheric and buzzes with local shoppers. The markets sells craft goods, cheap clothes & shoes.
The Sunday Walking Street Market, Chiang Mai really is a great place to just wander around,even if shopping isn’t your thing, just go and enjoy a cheap meal & drink and do some serious people-watching!.
The Khamtieng Plant Market, Chiang Mai has to be one of my FAVOURITE places in the whole of this wonderful city to visit. I just love to wander around the streets, taking in the atmosphere & looking for that unusual new plant to add to my collection!.
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The Western retailers who have successfully established themselves in Thailand, namely Tesco & Carrefour despite making valiant marketing efforts to entice the locals to make their fresh food purchases at their stores by attempting to re-create the “market place”, have failed miserably,
I'm Kevin - This site is packed with really useful information not only about Chiang Mai but also about the other major tourist destinations in Thailand, we really hope you enjoy your visit, and please remember to bookmark our site for later reference!.