Shopping · Chiang Mai · Thailand
Shopping in Chiang Mai
Shopping streets, markets and souvenirs worth the suitcase space.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Stefan Fussan, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Chiang Mai is northern Thailand's crafts capital: hill-tribe textiles, silverwork, carved wood, celadon ceramics and paper umbrellas. The weekend walking streets are the best hunting grounds, and craft villages line the road to San Kamphaeng. Best souvenirs: Bo Sang umbrellas, Hill-tribe textiles and Silverware.
Key facts
- Shopping areas
- 3
- Markets
- 4
- Top souvenir
- Bo Sang umbrellas
Where to shop
Nimmanhaemin
Design boutiques, galleries and the One Nimman and Maya complexes.
Wua Lai Road
The silversmiths' street, with workshops and the Saturday walking-street market.
San Kamphaeng Road
Craft villages and factories for umbrellas, silk, lacquerware and silver on the road east of the city.
Markets
Sunday Walking Street
Handicrafts and street food along Ratchadamnoen Road every Sunday evening.
Saturday Walking Street
Crafts and silverwork along Wua Lai Road on Saturday evenings.
Night Bazaar
Nightly stalls and market halls on Chang Khlan Road.
Warorot Market
The main local market for food, fabrics and northern snacks.
What to buy
Bo Sang umbrellas
Hand-painted paper and cotton umbrellas from the village of Bo Sang.
Hill-tribe textiles
Embroidered Hmong and Karen fabrics, bags and indigo-dyed clothing.
Silverware
Hand-beaten bowls and jewellery from the Wua Lai silversmiths.
Celadon pottery
Jade-green glazed ceramics made in workshops around Chiang Mai.
Northern Thai coffee
Beans from hill-country farms roasted in the city.
Saa paper
Handmade mulberry-bark paper notebooks and lanterns.
Streets and markets worth a wander
Market · Old City
Sunday Walking Street
Every Sunday evening, Ratchadamnoen Road from Tha Phae Gate to Wat Phra Singh closes to traffic and fills with stalls selling handicrafts, textiles and snacks, with food courts in temple grounds along the way.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Food
- After dark
- Kids
Market · Tha Phae and Night Bazaar
Night Bazaar
Chang Khlan Road becomes a long strip of stalls every night, with covered market halls, food courts and live music.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- After dark
- Food
Market · Tha Phae and Night Bazaar
Warorot Market
Known locally as Kad Luang, this multi-storey market near the Ping River is where residents buy northern snacks, sai ua sausage, nam prik chilli pastes, dried goods and fabrics.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- Shopping
- Rainy day
Street · Nimmanhaemin
Nimmanhaemin Road
Chiang Mai's café street and its sois are lined with coffee shops roasting northern Thai beans, design boutiques, galleries and restaurants, with the One Nimman complex at the main junction.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- Shopping
- After dark
Neighbourhood · Doi Suthep foothills
Baan Kang Wat
A small artists' village of wooden studios and shops near Wat Umong, where ceramicists, painters and craftspeople work and sell, with cafés around a central amphitheatre.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Shopping
- Off the beaten path
Food and drink to take home
Edible souvenirs travel best when they are dry or sealed: consider Sticky rice, Mango sticky rice and Northern Thai coffee. Served with almost every northern meal and sold in small bags at markets. Check your home country's rules on bringing food and drink back.
Shopping by neighbourhood
| Area | Price level | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Old City | $$ | Temple-filled square inside the moat, with guesthouses and quiet sois |
| Tha Phae and Night Bazaar | $$ | Market streets between the east moat and the river |
| Nimmanhaemin | $$$ | Trendy grid of cafés, galleries and condos near the university |
| Riverside | $$$ | Boutique hotels and teak houses along the Ping River |
| Santitham | $ | Local residential area north-west of the moat |
| Chang Phueak | $ | North Gate area of evening food stalls and a jazz bar |
| Mae Rim | $$$ | Countryside resorts in the hills north of the city |
Paying and bargaining
Prices are in THB. Tipping is not expected but appreciated. Round up the bill in restaurants, leave a small tip for massage therapists and guides, and note that upmarket restaurants may already add a 10% service charge.
- Eat at markets and noodle shops; a filling meal costs a fraction of tourist-restaurant prices.
When to shop
Shops and markets are quietest in March and May–September; the busiest months are November–January.
- January: Bo Sang Umbrella Festival (usually mid-January)
- January: Chinese New Year at Warorot Market (January or February)
- February: Chiang Mai Flower Festival — floral floats and displays (usually the first weekend of February)
- April: Songkran — Thai New Year water festival (13–15 April, longer in Chiang Mai)
- May: Inthakhin city pillar festival at Wat Chedi Luang (usually May or June)
- November: Yi Peng and Loy Krathong — lantern and floating-offering festival (usually November full moon)
Staying near the shops
$$ · Best for shopping, first-timers, nightlife and families
Tha Phae and Night Bazaar
Market streets between the east moat and the river
Questions travellers ask
+What should I buy in Chiang Mai?
Bo Sang umbrellas, Hill-tribe textiles, Silverware and Celadon pottery.
+Where is the best shopping in Chiang Mai?
Nimmanhaemin: Design boutiques, galleries and the One Nimman and Maya complexes.
+What are the best markets in Chiang Mai?
Sunday Walking Street, Saturday Walking Street, Night Bazaar and Warorot Market.