An overview walk linking 18 places, from the workshops of Wua Lai and the Silver Temple through a leafy park, ancient monasteries and Three Kings Square to Warorot Market and the Wat Ket quarter across the river. Discover the Lanna kingdom, silver craftsmanship, everyday city life and Chiang Mai's trading communities. Major visits alternate with short stops at smaller temples, gates, a merchant house and a footbridge. Allow 7–8 hours including lunch and breaks; the preliminary route length is about 10 km. Have lunch in the Old City and save room for northern snacks at Warorot. The Saturday Wua Lai market and Sunday Walking Street are bonuses on those days; the rest of the walk does not depend on them.
Coming soon
You can browse the whole walk now. Buying opens a little later.
The walk, stop by stop
The first three stops are free to read here — the rest come with the route in the app.
1
Wua Lai Road
Wua Lai Road, Hai Ya, Mueang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai 50100
Titles and photos, without the stories: those are what you unlock. Nothing here is a spoiler.
4
Wat Phra Singh
King Phayu founded this temple in the fourteenth century to enshrine the ashes of his father, King Kham Fu. After warfare and abandonment damaged Chiang Mai’s religious institutions, Kawila restored the monastery as part of his deliberate revival of the old Mangrai capital.
5
Wat Lok Moli
A historic Buddhist temple with unique north-south orientation and bare brick chedi.
6
Chang Phueak Gate
The white-elephant legend begins at Chiang Mai’s northern city gate: King Kue Na is said to have released the relic-bearing elephant here and followed it toward Doi Suthep. The gate was then called Hua Wiang; its later name means “White Elephant Gate,” although that name probably derives from a separate monument to two royal retainers rather than the relic-carrying animal.
7
Wat Chiang Man
Wat Chiang Man is known for being the oldest temple in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
8
Three Kings Monument, Chiang Mai
A monument dedicated to the founding fathers of the Lanna Kingdom.
9
Wat Inthakhin Sadue Mueang
This small temple marks Chiang Mai’s symbolic “navel,” where the city pillar originally stood after Mangrai founded the capital in 1296. Local tradition also identifies the vicinity as the place where Mangrai was killed by lightning; during Kawila’s restoration, the pillar was transferred elsewhere, leaving the old spiritual center behind.
10
Wat Phan Tao
Wat Phan Tao is best known for its teak wood viharn and historical significance.
11
Wat Chedi Luang
Wat Chedi Luang is best known for its grand stupa and historical significance in Chiang Mai.
12
Tha Phae Gate
The eastern gate belonged to the fortified capital laid out under Mangrai after consultation with his allies Ramkhamhaeng and Ngam Muang. The photogenic brick structure is actually a 1985–1987 reconstruction, and scholars have even debated whether the old photograph used as a model showed this gate or a different Chiang Mai gateway.
13
Wat Buppharam
A historic Buddhist temple with unique Burmese architectural influences.
14
Kiti Panit General Store
Opened under the name Yong Tai Heng in the late nineteenth century, this Chinese-family emporium sold fashionable clothing, perfume, crystal and imported household novelties to Lanna royalty and wealthy officials. Burmese-influenced craftsmanship recalls the Shan, Burmese and Pa-O workers drawn to Chiang Mai by British logging firms; after decades of changing uses and abandonment, descendants restored it as a restaurant.
15
Warorot Market
Princess Dara Rasmi ordered this permanent market created in 1910 on the former royal cremation ground, naming it for her brother Inthawarorot. The surrounding streets became the commercial heart of Chinese Chiang Mai, where Teochew and Hainanese families traded beside Sikh and Muslim merchants arriving through regional networks.
+3 stops
How it works
Unlock it here or in the app — one payment, no subscription.
Download it once; the audio and the map work without signal.
Walk at your own pace, start and stop whenever you want.
