Chiang Mai in 3 Days: Itinerary With Fees and Hours

Spend the first day on the Old City temples and Warorot, the second at Doi Suthep, and the third on one activity of your choice. Wat Chedi Luang is THB 50. Warorot is open 6 AM-6 PM. Foreigners use a separate entrance at Wat Chedi Luang, left of the main entrance.

By Vincent Nguyen

On this page
  1. Chiang Mai in 3 days: stops, hours and entry fees
  2. What to see in three days
  3. Staying 5 days?
  4. What 3 and 5 days cost
  5. Who this plan suits (and who should skip it)
  6. How to get between stops
  7. When to go and how long
  8. Nearby and how to combine it
  9. Before you go
  10. Step by step
  11. Common questions

On this page

  1. Chiang Mai in 3 days: stops, hours and entry fees
  2. What to see in three days
  3. Staying 5 days?
  4. What 3 and 5 days cost
  5. Who this plan suits (and who should skip it)
  6. How to get between stops
  7. When to go and how long
  8. Nearby and how to combine it
  9. Before you go
  10. Step by step
  11. Common questions
Water in the city moat beside a sloping brick bastion with flags and trees
The Old City moat.

Chiang Mai in 3 days: stops, hours and entry fees

Stop Open Foreign entry
Wat Chedi Luang — THB 50
Warorot Market 6 AM-6 PM None listed
Night Bazaar — None listed
Saturday market, Wualai Road — None listed

What to see in three days

First day: Old City temples and Warorot Market

Path through the temple grounds with flags, a white hall on the right and the brick chedi in the distance
The chedi seen from the grounds.

Start at Wat Chedi Luang. Foreigners use a separate entrance, left of the main entrance.

Wooden hall with a tiered roof and naga stair railings beside a lawn
Viharn Lai Kham at the back of the compound.

Second day: Doi Suthep

Gold chedi and a tall umbrella silhouetted against a pink dusk sky
The chedi at dusk.

Third day: choose one

Pick one half-day activity (the other two fit day 5 if you stay longer). Cooking classes start from THB 1,000, such as Mama Noi’s morning course; see the cooking classes guide.

For elephants, choose a sanctuary with a hands-off rule such as BEES; see the ethical elephant sanctuaries guide.

For massage, Lila’s traditional Thai massage starts from THB 400 for 1 hour, and the massage guide has more options. Keep the evening for whichever market matches the weekday.

Staying 5 days?

Days 1 to 3 stay as above. Add one day trip and one easy day.

Fourth day: one day trip

Pick one by how much time you want on the road:

More options are in Pai, Doi Pui Hmong Village and Bua Tong sticky waterfall.

Fifth day: an easy day

Take the half-day activity you did not pick on day 3: cooking class, ethical elephant sanctuary or massage. Spend the evening at a market.

What 3 and 5 days cost

Totals add entry fees, songthaew and Grab fares and the day trip. They leave out the bed and food: no nightly hotel price is sourced on this site yet, and the number of dishes you eat is your choice.

Item 3 days 5 days
Entry fees: Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh chapel, Doi Suthep with funicular THB 140 THB 140
Return songthaew to Doi Suthep THB 80 to 100 THB 80 to 100
City transport, sample day of THB 170 THB 510 for three days THB 680 for four days
Day trip, one of the three above None THB 400 for a Mae Kampong minivan, up to THB 1,900 for a Chiang Rai tour
Total without bed and food THB 730 to 750 THB 1,300 to 2,820

Who this plan suits (and who should skip it)

Wide street full of walkers between lines of market stalls on a Sunday evening.
Ratchadamnoen Road during the Sunday market.

How to get between stops

Three red pickup trucks lined up on a road below a large painted billboard of a temple
Red songthaews lined up on the road to the temple.

For Doi Suthep, clearly marked songthaews leave from the 7-Eleven at Chang Phuak Gate.

Bhubing Palace is about 4 kilometres from the temple, with no public transport.

Wat Chedi Luang
QXPP+QCQ, 103 Prapokklao Road Old City Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open Wat Chedi Luang in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Wat Phra Singh Woramahawihan
2 Samlarn Rd Old City Tambon Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open Wat Phra Singh in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Warorot Market (Kad Luang)
Wichayanon Rd, Tambon Chang Moi, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open Warorot Market in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

When to go and how long

Crowd browsing lit stalls under tents along a narrow street at night.
Wualai Road on a Saturday evening.

The best month for the weather is covered in when to visit Chiang Mai.

Nearby and how to combine it

Shoppers walking through a covered hall of market stalls under a high ceiling.
Inside the main building of Warorot Market.

Each stop has its own guide with more detail: Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh, Doi Suthep, Warorot Market, Sunday Walking Street and the night markets.

For getting around, see the red songthaew guide and the getting around guide. The full list of sights is in things to do in Chiang Mai.

Before you go

Red pickup truck with a covered passenger bed driving along a city street
A red songthaew, the shared truck taxi of Chiang Mai.
Photo credits

↑ Contents

Step by step

  1. Spend the first day in the Old CityAdd Warorot Market, open 6 AM-6 PM.

Not confirmed: Buddhist-holiday hours for the temples, Warorot Market and the Night Bazaar are unconfirmed: no operator page publishes them. Songthaew wait times at Chang Phuak Gate are not published.

Common questions

How much does it cost to enter the temples?

Wat Chedi Luang is THB 50.

How do I get to Doi Suthep without a tour?

Clearly marked songthaews leave from the 7-Eleven at Chang Phuak Gate.

Places in this guide

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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