Thapae Walking Street

The Walking Street serves as a venue for various kinds of local events, not only dance recitals but also beauty pageants and the sois (known as lanes) on either side of the main road feature stages as well as performance spaces. This kilometer and a half - stretch of road is known as the biggest walking street in Thailand. It begins at the ThaPae Gate and runs along Ratchadamnoen Rd. As the name suggests, it takes place every Sunday between 16:00 and around midnight. During the week, the road is much like are closed. Any other places which are filled with cars driving by but when the weekend comes along, the roads are absolutely closed. As one of the most popular tourist attractions in this city, it becomes so busy.

Thapae Walking Street

The walking street has a lot of interesting things to offer to both Thais and foreigners. Local handicrafts, hill tribe products, wood carvings, clothes, lamps, woven silk and fabrics. Moreover, various artworks are just some of the things that visitors can get to see and buy. Furthermore, this area will keep you entertained with some live musical performances and dances from pros as well as amateurs alike.

Thapae Walking Street

From morning to noon, Chang Khlan Road is such an ordinary street full of hotels, shops and restaurants of all types including the Burger King and Starbucks, along with the first McDonalds in the city. There are also many large shopping arcades running off the main street. But when the night come, the place really turns alive. If you get there in the late afternoon, you will see lots of busy workers who are wheeling the little metal stalls out and then lining them up side by side on the footpaths down both sides of the main road. When the sun sets over Chiang Mai all the street vendors turn up and load their goods for purchase into their stalls. The fans, lights and portable TVs are plugged in and turned on. After that, the tourists start arriving in numbers. You will most likely find the same vendors appearing in the same spot every night. In the Night Bazaar, you will easily find a huge variety of brand name designer goods (real as well as fake) and local Thai goods at extremely low prices.

Thapae Walking Street

Remember to bargain for any of your purchases. It is expected of you and is all part of the fun. Bargaining is well-known as a national sport in Thailand. Even though the prices appear cheap by your normal standards, it is suggested that you should always bargain to get another 20-30% off the beginning price. While you are in the Night Bazaar, make sure you check out two other good markets, Asunarm Markets and Kalare Night Bazaar. Both of them are offshoots from the main Chiang Mai Night Bazaar. Kalare Night Bazaar is an arcade style bazaar which is situated approximately 1/3 of the way down from the main Night Bazaar’s top end of. Asunarm Markets is positioned about 1/3 of the way up from the main Night Bazaar’s bottom end.

There is a tiny number of burger, pizza shops and restaurants along the Night Bazaar. Moreover, a heap of mobile food street stalls for anyone who are in need of a quick bite - Banana Roti, yum. Daddy's Pizza & Steakhouse Restaurant is also highly recommended for their great Chinese food. For the really hungry try either the Asunarm Market or the Kalare Night Bazaar for perfect sit down meals. If you are thirsty, let’s go to the 7 Eleven or better yet try the Downunder Pub or The Red Lion pub, both in Loi Khro Road or O'Mally's Irish Pub down the road in the Asunarm Market square. Even if you do not want to buy anything, simply going for a stroll up and down the Night Bazaar is an interesting experience. The place is alive with brightly colored lights, the sounds of tourists bargaining for goods, music and the aromatic smells as you pass by a hot food vendor. Each open bit of space becomes a place for someone to set up a stall.

The bustling Sunday Walking Street

Thanon Kon Dern Tar Paer or Sunday market is on Tar Paer Street heading to the Ratchadamnoen Road. It is open on Sunday from 5 p.m. till 10 p.m. Because of the various attractions in this area and the large number of people that gather every weekend. It is no surprise that Thapae Walking Street has become a popular and undeniably iconic symbol of Chiang Mai. If you missed out on Wualai’s Saturday walking street, do make sure you can come to Thapae’s Sunday walking street. This place is definitely the most perfect way to end any busy week before Monday comes along.