For couples · Chiang Mai · Thailand
Romantic things to do in Chiang Mai
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: JJ Harrison ( https://www.jjharrison.com.au/ ), CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Chiang Mai suits couples with its riverside teak hotels, temple-lined lanes, mountain views and the lantern-filled skies of Yi Peng. Couples tend to stay in Nimmanhaemin.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 1
- Area for couples
- Nimmanhaemin
- Best months
- November–February
Romantic ideas
1.Yi Peng and Loy Krathong
Float a krathong on the Ping River together under the November full moon as lanterns drift overhead.
2.Riverside dinner
Eat at a riverside restaurant on Charoen Rat Road with live music and lights on the water.
3.Sunrise at Doi Suthep
Reach the temple terrace early to watch morning mist lift off the city below.
4.Couples' massage
Book a traditional Thai massage or herbal compress treatment at a spa in the old city.
5.Night in Mae Kampong
Stay in a mountain homestay among coffee gardens and cool, quiet nights.
Sights couples love
Experience · Old City
Thai cooking class
Choose a small class that lets you pick your own dishes, and say if you need vegetarian versions.
- Time needed
- Half to full day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Food
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Couples
Where couples should stay
$$$ · Best for food lovers, nightlife, solo travellers and couples
Nimmanhaemin
Nimmanhaemin Road and its numbered sois west of the old city are Chiang Mai's modern face, with speciality coffee shops, co-working spaces, boutique hotels, the One Nimman complex and Maya mall. It is popular with digital nomads and young Thais, and Doi Suthep and Chiang Mai University are close.
- Good
- Best café and restaurant scene; Modern hotels and apartments; Short ride to Doi Suthep
- Watch out
- Little traditional character; Heavy traffic on Huay Kaew Road
- Nearby
- One Nimman, Maya Lifestyle Shopping Center, Chiang Mai University, Wat Suan Dok
Romantic day trips
- Doi Inthanon National Park (About 2 hours by road) — Thailand's highest mountain, at about 2,565 metres, has cool cloud forest, a boardwalk at the summit, the twin royal chedis with gardens and views, and large waterfalls such as Wachirathan.
- Mae Kampong (About 1.5 hours by road) — A mountain village of wooden houses among tea and coffee gardens at about 1,300 metres, with homestays, cafés by a stream and a nearby waterfall.
- Chiang Dao (About 1.5 hours by road) — Doi Chiang Dao, a dramatic limestone mountain, rises above a valley of guesthouses.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Khao soi, Nam prik noom and Gaeng hang lay. Tap water is not drinkable, but restaurants serve free drinking water or cheap bottled water.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Chiang Mai romantic?
Chiang Mai suits couples with its riverside teak hotels, temple-lined lanes, mountain views and the lantern-filled skies of Yi Peng.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Chiang Mai?
Yi Peng and Loy Krathong: Float a krathong on the Ping River together under the November full moon as lanterns drift overhead.
+Where should couples stay in Chiang Mai?
Nimmanhaemin: Trendy grid of cafés, galleries and condos near the university.