Chiang Mai Old City Temples

Chiang Mai is interspersed with picturesque nature, surrounded by majestic mountains and countless of romantic canals as in myths, thereby attracting many tourists all year round. Chiang Mai is a beautiful city in Northern Thailand with a richness of history and culture. It is also known as one of the most temple lands with most of the temples here possessing the uniquely beautiful Lanna style architecture. If tourists happen to or intend to visit the temples in Chiang Mai, you will probably be amazed by the list of millions of temples in this old city because of its ubiquity. However, to narrow down your choices, this is the list of most beautiful and worth visited temples in the ancient city of Chiang Mai.

If this is the first time you steep foot to Chiang Mai, you should not miss Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (referred to as Doi Suthep for short). The journey to the beautiful city of Chiang Mai will not be complete if you have not visited this place. Especially for photography enthusiasts, you will have wonderful sublimation moments with the special beauty of the temple. This magnificent temple is located 15 km from Chiang Mai city, with sparkling gold highlights on the mountainside under the spectacular blue sky that you can observe from almost anywhere in the city. Most visitors coming to Thailand don't even know it's one of the most sacred temples in Thailand, but above all in terms of religious significance and great beauty, this is a truly surprising destination and destined to highlight your trip to the beautiful country of Thailand. The view of Chiang Mai from this area is very impressive while the temple has a lot of interesting things for history lovers and tourists.

Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep

To reach the temple, visitors must climb up 309 stairs. From the temple courtyard, looking down below is a panoramic view of the city in the morning mist. An hour or two may be enough for you to visit the whole temple but in fact because the scenery and architecture are so beautiful and significantly different under the changing shades of the sun, you may want to spend the whole day here. Right from the entrance are the majestic ancient Buddha statues, followed by rows of gold plated statues of all sizes in majestic position. Outside the central area, you'll find the White Elephant temple, with a story of its origin.

According to legend, King Geu Na chose Doi Suthep hill to build the temple. First, the king put a piece of the shoulder bone, relics of Buddha on the back of a white elephant and let it go. The white elephant walked towards the mountainside in the east forest. After climbing to the top of Doi Suthep hill, the elephant took his last breath and fell to the ground to die. King Geu Na ordered the construction of a golden stupa at the spot where the white elephant fell and worshiped the relics of Buddha in it called Chedi. Doi Suthep Temple was later built around the stupa with countless Buddha statues stretching from the road to the depths of the temple of all sizes and shapes. All are extremely sophisticated, giving tourists the feeling of solemnity, respect. To pray for good luck, light incense and walk around Chedi for 3 rounds.

Located in the old town, amidst the bustling of restaurants, hotels, Wat Chedi Luang was built in the years 1385 - 1402, during the reign of King Saen Muang Ma. The temple is also a symbol of Chiang Mai city that every tourist must stop by. Possessing the unique architecture of Lanna, all the decorative motifs on the works here are meticulously elaborated and exquisitely carved in the style of ancient Mayan architecture.

Wat Chedi Luang

Beside Wat Chedi Luang, the most famous temple in Old City is probably the Wat Phan Tao temple. Although being small, Wat Phan Tao has sophisticated architecture, decorated with many patterns and statues scattering around the garden making this place more impressive and unique than any other temples in Chiang Mai. At night or during special occasions, candles are lit in the grounds of the temple, bringing tourists the once-in-a-life-time halcyon atmosphere.

Wat Phan Tao Temple

Meanwhile, the ancient and sacred Ton Kwen Temple has witnessed many ups and downs in the history of Chiang Mai. So far, this temple has gradually become an attractive destination not to be missed when tourists come to Chiang Mai. If you are looking for some truly ancient architecture, the next temple is destined for you to explore.

Ton Kwen Temple

One of the most magnificent and impressive buildings in Chiang Mai is Wat Phra Singh. Built in the Lanna architectural style with curved pointed roofs and sparkling patterns under the sun, this destination will definitely guarantee tourists with countless of scenic photos.

Wat Phra Singh

Another structure dating even older than Phra Singh Temple is the Chiang Man Temple. This architectural complex was built in 1292. Like many other temples built during this time, Chiang Man pagoda still carries the typical Lanna architecture. The buildings here are carved with extremely delicate lines. Along with that, the temple currently owns two ancient Buddha statues, prominent is the statue of the Rain God Pra Seh-Taang Kamaneeee made entirely from glass, which is an extremely famous artistic masterpiece of the temple.

Wat Chiang Man

The final must-visit temple with an interesting shape is Wat Ku Tao. Originally, the temple was named Wat Veru Vanaram. The old name of the temple means "watermelon" because the temple was built to resemble the shape of a watermelon. The uniqueness in the architecture of this project lies in the fact that the outside of it is attached with many pieces of porcelain in many colors, which is very eye-catching and photographic.

Wat Ku Tao

As a usual regulation, tourists must dress up properly in order to enter the temples in Chiang Mai. The entrance fee varies from temples to temples, so tourists should check out the price and prepare some cash in advanced.