Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Th Ratchadamnoen; 4pm-midnight Sun)
The old city's central avenue is closed to traffic for the
weekly Sunday Walking Street, a convergence of provincial culture, commerce and
people-watching. It is also a resurrection of the itinerant merchant tradition from the an-
cient caravan days.
Vendors line the length of Th Ratchadamnoen. The temples host food stalls selling
northern Thai cuisine and other shopping-stamina boosts. The market gets very crowded,
so come early. There is also a Saturday Walking Street (
Click here
)
.
Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Centre
( 0 5321 7793; Th Phra Pokklao; adult/child 90/40B; 8.30am-5pm Tue-Sun)
This museum offers a fine
primer on Chiang Mai history. The 1st floor has engaging and informative historical and
cultural displays. The 2nd floor rooms have life-sized exhibits of bygone eras, including
an early Lanna village.
Nearby are two sister museums: Chiang Mai Historical Centre and Lanna Folklife Mu-
seum. A combination ticket for all three costs 180B.
The Arts & Cultural Centre is housed in a lovely 1920s building that used to be Chiang
Mai's former Provincial Hall.
MUSEUM
Lanna Folklife Museum
(Th Phra Pokklao; adult/child 90/40B; 8.30am-5pm Tue-Sun)
This new and professional museum is a
sister site to the other cultural attractions near Anusawari Sam Kasat (Three Kings Monu-
ment). Life-size dioramas explain northern Thai religious beliefs and customs, temple
paraphernalia and symbolism, traditional crafts and other features of ordinary life. The
displays have artistic merit and informative English signage and the atmospheric building,
once a former royal residence and later used by the court system, is a pleasure to stroll
around. Combination tickets to nearby museums are available.
MUSEUM
Chiang Mai Historical Centre
(Th Ratwithi; 8.30am-5pm Tue-Sun; adult/child 90/40B)
This new museum covers the area's history
with professional and well-signed displays. Topics cover the founding of the capital, the
MUSEUM
