Wat Ket & The River
The east bank of the Ping was where the foreign traders, missionaries and river merchants lived, and the neighbourhood still shows it — teak shophouses, a small museum in a temple compound, a church, a mosque and a Chinese shrine within a few hundred metres of each other. It is the quietest interesting corner of the city.
An in-city day, written to be done on two wheels. Inside the moat a small scooter is faster, cheaper and far easier to park than a car, and several of these lanes are closed to cars anyway. There are no distances here on purpose: you park once and walk.
The day
- 1
Wat Ket Karam & its museum
A temple with a magpie museum attached: photographs, household objects and river trade oddments donated by the neighbourhood over decades. Uncurated and much better for it.
1 hr · donationTourism Directory →Ministry of Tourism & Sports · Ministry of Tourism & Sports, Thailand 🚶 5 min - 2
The Wat Ket lanes
Old shophouses, small galleries, a few good restaurants along the riverbank, and almost no traffic.
1–2 hrs · free
Wikipedia →Christophe95 · CC BY-SA 4.0 🚶 10 min - 3
The riverside at dusk
Sit on the east bank and watch the light go. The bars along here are quieter and cheaper than anything across the river.
1 hr · free
Wikipedia →Christophe95 · CC BY-SA 4.0 🚲 10 min - 4
Chiang Mai Night Bazaar
Times varyBack across the river on Chang Klan Road. Large, busy and frankly touristy, but it has been the city's night market for fifty years and the food courts behind the stalls are good.
evening · free
Wikipedia →Christophe95 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Getting around
Cross by the Nawarat or Iron Bridge and park anywhere; this side of the river is the easiest parking in the city. The lanes are best walked.
