Old City Temples in Chiang Mai: Fees, Hours, Walking Route

Wat Chedi Luang charges foreigners THB 50, cash only. Wat Phra Singh's reason to visit is Viharn Lai Kham, where the Phra Buddha Sihing image sits. The Monk Chat programme runs Monday to Friday, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, at Wat Suan Dok. Visitors should not wear sleeveless tops, crop tops or revealing clothing.

By Vincent Nguyen

On this page
  1. Old City temples: fees and opening hours
  2. What to see in the Old City temples
  3. Who each temple suits (and who should skip it)
  4. How to get between the temples: one half-day route from 08:00
  5. When to go and how long
  6. Nearby and how to combine it
  7. Before you go
  8. Common questions

On this page

  1. Old City temples: fees and opening hours
  2. What to see in the Old City temples
  3. Who each temple suits (and who should skip it)
  4. How to get between the temples: one half-day route from 08:00
  5. When to go and how long
  6. Nearby and how to combine it
  7. Before you go
  8. Common questions
Dark teak hall with stacked steep tiled roofs and small yellow flags along its front
The teak hall at Wat Phan Tao.

Old City temples: fees and opening hours

Temple Foreigner fee Hours
Wat Chedi Luang THB 50, cash only. —

What to see in the Old City temples

Wat Phra Singh: the one hall worth paying for

King Phayu built it in 1345.

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

The reason to come is Viharn Lai Kham, where the Phra Buddha Sihing image sits. Its walls are covered in murals showing Lanna customs, dress and scenes from daily life.

  • First-timers who want one temple with a real interior.
Gold chedi at dusk between two dark wooden temple roofs
The chedi at dusk.
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 (วัดพระสิงห์) in Google Maps (opens in a new tab). The full guide is on the Wat Phra Singh visit guide.

Wat Chedi Luang: the broken brick chedi

The chedi at Wat Chedi Luang (วัดเจดีย์หลวง) was 82 m high before the upper part collapsed in an earthquake in 1545. It was reconstructed in the early 1990s with UNESCO and Japanese government money. Foreigners pay THB 50, through a separate entrance left of the main one.

Brick chedi with a broken top rising above a stepped base and a central staircase flanked by statues
The brick chedi seen from its front steps.

Also on the grounds are the city pillar, Sao Inthakin.

  • Practising English with monks: the Monk Chat programme runs Monday to Friday, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
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.
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). The full guide is on the Wat Chedi Luang visit guide.

Wat Phan Tao: the teak hall

The assembly hall is made of teak and supported by 28 wooden pillars. A carved peacock decorated with glass sits above the main door.

Full address: 105 Prapokklao Road, Old City Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200.

Wat Phan Tao
105 Prapokklao Road Old City Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Wat Chiang Man: the oldest temple, no ticket

Gilded chedi on a stone base carved with elephants beside a dark-roofed hall under blue sky
The elephant chedi at Wat Chiang Man.
Gold-decorated temple hall front with a tiered roof and a wooden door at sunset
The viharn at Wat Chiang Man.

Wat Chiang Man is at 171 Ratchapakhinai Road, Old City Tambon Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200.

Wat Chiang Man
171 Ratchapakhinai Rd Old City Tambon Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Wat Lok Molee: brick chedi outside the moat

Dark wooden hall with steep stacked roofs and a brick chedi behind it, with a green lawn in front
The viharn and brick chedi at Wat Lok Molee.
Hall front with a pointed gable, white nagas on the stair rails and a blue sky behind
The viharn front at Wat Lok Molee.

Wat Lok Molee is at 298/1 Manee Nopparat Road, Tambon Si Phum, Chiang Mai 50200.

Wat Lok Molee
298/1 Manee Nopparat Rd, Tambon Si Phum, อำเภอ เมืองเชียงใหม่ Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Wat Suan Dok: white chedis west of the moat

King Kue Na founded Wat Suan Dok in 1370. The large 48-meter-high bell-shaped chedi is built in a Sri Lankan style and can be seen from afar. The temple is on Suthep Road, approximately one kilometre west of Suan Dok gate.

White shrine chedis around a tall gold chedi under blue sky and clouds
The gold chedi and white shrines at Wat Suan Dok.

The Chiang Mai campus of the Buddhist Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University is housed within the temple compound. The university’s Monk Chat office is here.

  • Monk Chat, Monday to Friday, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

  • You are staying on foot inside the moat: it is one kilometre west of the gate.

Hall with a gold-decorated gable above wide steps, seen from the front
The main hall at Wat Suan Dok.
Wat Suan Dok
139 Suthep Rd, Tambon Su Thep, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open Wat Suan Dok in Google Maps (opens in a new tab).

Wat Umong: tunnels in the forest

Brick tunnel with a curved ceiling and a lit tiled floor, with moss-covered walls either side
A tunnel entrance at Wat Umong.
Bell-shaped dark chedi ringed at its base by weathered statue heads, with sun behind it
The chedi at Wat Umong.
Wat Umong Suan Putthatham
135, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open Wat Umong in Google Maps (opens in a new tab).

Doi Suthep: the temple on the mountain

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is 15 kilometres from the city at an elevation of 1,073 meters.

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

The Doi Suthep guide has the fee split and the songthaew boarding points.

Who each temple suits (and who should skip it)

  • If you see one temple: Wat Phra Singh, for the Lai Kham chapel murals.
  • The ruin and the history: Wat Chedi Luang, the chedi reconstructed in the early 1990s.

How to get between the temples: one half-day route from 08:00

Phan Tao and Chiang Man turn it into a full half day.

The red songthaew guide explains how to flag one. See things to do in Chiang Mai for the rest of the city.

When to go and how long

For the afternoon, Monk Chat runs Monday to Friday, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Nearby and how to combine it

For a longer plan, see Chiang Mai in 3 days and things to do in Chiang Mai. To live inside the moat, read the Old City living guide.

Before you go

Visitors should not wear sleeveless tops, crop tops, or tight or revealing clothing. Take off your shoes before entering the chapel or other buildings, and place them on the shoe rack near the doorway.

  • Do not step on the threshold.
  • Do not sit with your feet pointed toward the Buddha or monks.
  • Do not take a selfie with a Buddha image.
  • Do not photograph people praying or making merit.
  • Keep quiet in the grounds and in a chapel.
Photo credits

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Not confirmed: Gate fees move: Wat Chedi Luang is quoted at THB 50, cash only.

Common questions

Which Old City temples charge foreigners an entry fee?

Wat Chedi Luang charges foreigners THB 50, cash only.

What should I wear to a Chiang Mai temple?

Skip sleeveless tops, crop tops and tight or revealing clothing. Take your shoes off before any chapel or building.

Is there a Monk Chat in Chiang Mai?

The Monk Chat programme runs Monday to Friday, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The office is at Wat Suan Dok.

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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