Chiang Mai Datasheet
Chiang Mai is the capital of north Thailand. It's a laid back city which feels more like a big town. Theres something for everyone, although the city's best nightlife accurs only during weekends theres always some fun to be had. There are small coffeeshops, foreign-owned bars and typical Thai and Western restaurants all around the city, street food is quite popular in Chiang Mai. The good thing about this place is it's location: in the middle of nature, it takes about 20 mins by motorbike to be in the middle of a ricefield or hillside forest.
City population: approx. 150,000
Metro population: approx. 950,000
How to get there: by airplane from Bangkok airport (60 mins) or by Bus departing from any provincial capital in Thailand
![[Image: chiangmai.jpg]](http://muay-thai-santai.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/chiangmai.jpg)
Accomodation
Chiang Mai is truely heaven when it comes to cheap accomodation.
Cheap: in the "old part of town" which is basicly in the middle of the city on the inside of the canal is where you'll find the budget hotels. Starting for as little as 3$ a night for the sleazy backpackers going up to 18$ a night for a clean serviced room. You'll find small hotels with hot & cold water, cable TV, internet wifi and airconditioning for 10$ a night or only 200/300$ a month including daily cleaning service. These places are more like guesthouses and you'll find good deals all year round.
Luxury: there are also luxurious hotels starting at 35$ a night going up to 300$. I recommend staying in one of the "Lanna style" hotels. Lanna style is a specific style of decoration and architecture from Thailand, you will find Lanna style hotels with swimmingpool, airconditioning, poolside bar and restaurant starting at 65$ up to 150$ a night located in the city centre.
Condominiums & Houses: there are some condotels and nice housing areas around the city. It's a bit confusing because I found alot of apartments, condos and houses in this and prices are all very different. For example once I found a 1 bedroom apartment in the downtown area for 115$ a month, it was on the 5th floor without elevator, no airconditioning but it had a 100m² (950 sqft) roof top terrace and it was clean inside. On the other hand I also found 1 bedroom condos fully furnished with flatscreen TV, US kitchen, airconditioning and elevator for 500 US$ a month, unfortunately the landlords usually want you to sign a 6 or 12 month rental contract but it might be negociable if the landlord is a foreigner.
Food
You don't need to cook while you're there. Eating out is cheap and you'll find something to bite on 24h/7d. Street food is popular, theres the classic Thai noodle soup stalls but that's not what i'm talking about: there are some great Japanese food stalls around Huay Kaew road (the big road going to Doi Suthep).
Western and Thai food is all around the city especially in the tourist areas.
There is a good upscale restaurant located along the riverside on the other side of the bridge when you're coming from the city centre (note: not the canal).
Transportation
Rent a brand new motorbike for 4$ a day, use the red trucks (0,75$ a ride) or negotiate a rate with any of the private tuk-tuk drivers.
You won't be able to flag down a taxi in Chiang Mai, the only available taxis are the ones departing from the airport or arranged by your hotel/guesthouse or travel agency.
Tourist attractions
Elephant riding
![[Image: elephant-riding.JPG]](http://theminters.eu/travel/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/elephant-riding.JPG)
Visit the famous buddhist temple located on Doi Suthep (Doi means mountain in Thai, Suthep is a name)
![[Image: steps-to-doi-suthep.jpg]](http://blog.asiahotels.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/steps-to-doi-suthep.jpg)
Visit the Chiang Mai waterfalls
![[Image: chiang-mai-waterfalls-excursion.jpg]](http://breathingspacethailand.com/images/chiang-mai-waterfalls-excursion.jpg)
Bungee jumping
![[Image: Bungee-Jumper-002_230_313.jpg]](http://www.chiangmai.ourthailandholidays.com/user/gimage/Bungee-Jumper-002_230_313.jpg)
Visit one of the Hilltribe villages
![[Image: long-neck-hilltribe500.jpg]](http://www.goway.com/asia/thailand/thai_img/long-neck-hilltribe500.jpg)
Visit one of the Royal Gardens (30 mins ride by motorbike)
![[Image: sss_0105.jpg]](http://blog.tourismthailand.org/EugeneTang/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/sss_0105.jpg)
Nightlife
The best nightclubs open Friday and Saturday and are located in the Nimmanhemin road area which is where most students hang out and where you'll find some good restaurants, there are some other nightclubs where most foreign tourists hang out and where you'll meet semi-pros and pros who would love to go to your room and do their job. There are also quite a few foreign owned bars where you can play some pool and where you can probably hook up with some of the bargirls who are easy prays. Theres a very good Bowling centre at Central Shoppingmall on Huay Kaew road.
Monkey Club has a more mature crowd & (open Friday & Saturday). Good music, cocktails are 6$ and the people look fresh and clean.
Warm Up is located on Nimmanhemin road, lots of students, theres an outside terrace where most of the people hangout and theres a small inside-club with good electronic music. Open Friday & Saturday, this place is usually packed!!
President Club is where most people go when Monkey Club & Warm Up close, this is a very well decorated and organised nightclub located downstairs of the President hotel. On the left side is mostly Thai music and on the right side is mostly electronic music. Entrance is 300 baht (10$), this is where you'll meet the well educated Thais. Open Friday and Saturday night.
Paris Club located in some kind of a huge basement downstairs of Central shoppingmall, mostly Thai people. Weird ambiance. Been there 1 time and stayed less than 5 mins.
Downstairs of the Pornping tower are 2 nightclubs, one with livebands and one with hip hop, rnb & house music. Lots of foreign tourists semi-pros and the usual Thai crowd. Open 7 days a week.
Spicy is a small bar/club located across the old part of town, lots of sleazy foreigners, and backpackers go to this place. Easy to pull a local girl here but they usually are semi-pros or pros. This place is as sleazy as it gets in the north of Thailand. Open 7 a days a week.
Lucky club is located close to Spicy, this is where all the sleazy people go for some afterparty.
Mandalay is a good place to go if you are with a Thai girl or a group, Thai livebands. Thais pay no entrance, foreigners pay 10$ entrance fee. Try to go there with your date, don't go there alone. Open 7 days a week.
Chiang Mai girls
Most northern Thai girls go study in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai girls are known to have lighter skin than Isan & Southern Thai girls. Most girls you'll meet will be a little bit shy while being approached by a foreigner (!), learn some Thai words. I used to just go around the shoppingmalls, coffeeshops and talk to alot of girls, although it might get boring in Chiang Mai after a while because I remember I once went to a hospital to flirt with the nurses out of pure bordem.
Chiang Mai girls are not as cosmopolitan as Bangkok girls, not as sleazy as the Pattaya & Phuket girls, overall a good place to go and chillout but I wouldn't recommend it if it's your going for a short girly holiday.
I recommend going to shoppingmalls, student areas and talk to as many beautiful local girls you see. Use internet dating before you go there to line up some girls ready to meet you.
Chiang Mai is the capital of north Thailand. It's a laid back city which feels more like a big town. Theres something for everyone, although the city's best nightlife accurs only during weekends theres always some fun to be had. There are small coffeeshops, foreign-owned bars and typical Thai and Western restaurants all around the city, street food is quite popular in Chiang Mai. The good thing about this place is it's location: in the middle of nature, it takes about 20 mins by motorbike to be in the middle of a ricefield or hillside forest.
City population: approx. 150,000
Metro population: approx. 950,000
How to get there: by airplane from Bangkok airport (60 mins) or by Bus departing from any provincial capital in Thailand
Accomodation
Chiang Mai is truely heaven when it comes to cheap accomodation.
Cheap: in the "old part of town" which is basicly in the middle of the city on the inside of the canal is where you'll find the budget hotels. Starting for as little as 3$ a night for the sleazy backpackers going up to 18$ a night for a clean serviced room. You'll find small hotels with hot & cold water, cable TV, internet wifi and airconditioning for 10$ a night or only 200/300$ a month including daily cleaning service. These places are more like guesthouses and you'll find good deals all year round.
Luxury: there are also luxurious hotels starting at 35$ a night going up to 300$. I recommend staying in one of the "Lanna style" hotels. Lanna style is a specific style of decoration and architecture from Thailand, you will find Lanna style hotels with swimmingpool, airconditioning, poolside bar and restaurant starting at 65$ up to 150$ a night located in the city centre.
Condominiums & Houses: there are some condotels and nice housing areas around the city. It's a bit confusing because I found alot of apartments, condos and houses in this and prices are all very different. For example once I found a 1 bedroom apartment in the downtown area for 115$ a month, it was on the 5th floor without elevator, no airconditioning but it had a 100m² (950 sqft) roof top terrace and it was clean inside. On the other hand I also found 1 bedroom condos fully furnished with flatscreen TV, US kitchen, airconditioning and elevator for 500 US$ a month, unfortunately the landlords usually want you to sign a 6 or 12 month rental contract but it might be negociable if the landlord is a foreigner.
Food
You don't need to cook while you're there. Eating out is cheap and you'll find something to bite on 24h/7d. Street food is popular, theres the classic Thai noodle soup stalls but that's not what i'm talking about: there are some great Japanese food stalls around Huay Kaew road (the big road going to Doi Suthep).
Western and Thai food is all around the city especially in the tourist areas.
There is a good upscale restaurant located along the riverside on the other side of the bridge when you're coming from the city centre (note: not the canal).
Transportation
Rent a brand new motorbike for 4$ a day, use the red trucks (0,75$ a ride) or negotiate a rate with any of the private tuk-tuk drivers.
You won't be able to flag down a taxi in Chiang Mai, the only available taxis are the ones departing from the airport or arranged by your hotel/guesthouse or travel agency.
Tourist attractions
Elephant riding
Visit the famous buddhist temple located on Doi Suthep (Doi means mountain in Thai, Suthep is a name)
Visit the Chiang Mai waterfalls
Bungee jumping
Visit one of the Hilltribe villages
Visit one of the Royal Gardens (30 mins ride by motorbike)
Nightlife
The best nightclubs open Friday and Saturday and are located in the Nimmanhemin road area which is where most students hang out and where you'll find some good restaurants, there are some other nightclubs where most foreign tourists hang out and where you'll meet semi-pros and pros who would love to go to your room and do their job. There are also quite a few foreign owned bars where you can play some pool and where you can probably hook up with some of the bargirls who are easy prays. Theres a very good Bowling centre at Central Shoppingmall on Huay Kaew road.
Monkey Club has a more mature crowd & (open Friday & Saturday). Good music, cocktails are 6$ and the people look fresh and clean.
Warm Up is located on Nimmanhemin road, lots of students, theres an outside terrace where most of the people hangout and theres a small inside-club with good electronic music. Open Friday & Saturday, this place is usually packed!!
President Club is where most people go when Monkey Club & Warm Up close, this is a very well decorated and organised nightclub located downstairs of the President hotel. On the left side is mostly Thai music and on the right side is mostly electronic music. Entrance is 300 baht (10$), this is where you'll meet the well educated Thais. Open Friday and Saturday night.
Paris Club located in some kind of a huge basement downstairs of Central shoppingmall, mostly Thai people. Weird ambiance. Been there 1 time and stayed less than 5 mins.
Downstairs of the Pornping tower are 2 nightclubs, one with livebands and one with hip hop, rnb & house music. Lots of foreign tourists semi-pros and the usual Thai crowd. Open 7 days a week.
Spicy is a small bar/club located across the old part of town, lots of sleazy foreigners, and backpackers go to this place. Easy to pull a local girl here but they usually are semi-pros or pros. This place is as sleazy as it gets in the north of Thailand. Open 7 a days a week.
Lucky club is located close to Spicy, this is where all the sleazy people go for some afterparty.
Mandalay is a good place to go if you are with a Thai girl or a group, Thai livebands. Thais pay no entrance, foreigners pay 10$ entrance fee. Try to go there with your date, don't go there alone. Open 7 days a week.
Chiang Mai girls
Most northern Thai girls go study in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai girls are known to have lighter skin than Isan & Southern Thai girls. Most girls you'll meet will be a little bit shy while being approached by a foreigner (!), learn some Thai words. I used to just go around the shoppingmalls, coffeeshops and talk to alot of girls, although it might get boring in Chiang Mai after a while because I remember I once went to a hospital to flirt with the nurses out of pure bordem.
Chiang Mai girls are not as cosmopolitan as Bangkok girls, not as sleazy as the Pattaya & Phuket girls, overall a good place to go and chillout but I wouldn't recommend it if it's your going for a short girly holiday.
I recommend going to shoppingmalls, student areas and talk to as many beautiful local girls you see. Use internet dating before you go there to line up some girls ready to meet you.