Updated September 2026.
I recommend starting a northern Thailand itinerary with two decisions: how many times you want to change hotels, and whether the trip is mainly about towns or mountain roads. Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai make a straightforward week. Pai and Mae Hong Son suit a journey built around the western mountains. Lampang, Phrae and Nan offer a different route through old neighbourhoods, textiles, temples and regional food.
Trying to include all of them in one week uses too much of the holiday in transit. My choice for a short trip is two bases, with the countryside visited from each. With two weeks, I favour the eastern route described below, allowing several nights in Nan.
Where the north begins, and which direction to choose
Northern Thailand includes Chiang Mai, mountain provinces bordering Myanmar and Laos, and lower valleys farther south. It is also distinct from Isan, Thailand’s northeastern region. Regional boundaries vary between administrative and tourism definitions; for planning, the useful distinction is between the routes you can actually travel.
I divide the upper north into three broad journeys:
- Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai: the most convenient introduction, combining older temples, contemporary art, food and excursions to gardens or the Mekong.
- Pai and Mae Hong Son: west and northwest of Chiang Mai, with winding roads, valley towns and Shan cultural influences. This works best when the road journey itself appeals.
- Lampang, Phrae and Nan: east and southeast of Chiang Mai, with historic houses, textile communities and smaller provincial centres. Nan’s mountain districts need additional road travel beyond the city.
Chiang Mai stands on the Ping River, Lampang on the Wang, and Nan on the Nan River. Those valleys have their own towns and transport corridors. They help explain why a short distance across a map may involve a much longer journey around the mountains.
When I prefer to travel north
For a trip built around walking and mountain views, my preferred starting window is November through January. The north is generally cooler and drier then, although a warm afternoon in Chiang Mai tells you little about the temperature on a high mountain the next morning.
February moves toward the hot season. March and April require particular attention to haze and air quality, as well as heat. Check current PM2.5 readings in Air4Thai for the places you intend to visit before committing to strenuous outdoor days. A clear-looking morning or a hotel high in the hills is not a substitute for an air-quality reading.
The rainy season broadly runs from mid-May to mid-October. August and September are generally among the wetter months in upper Thailand. Green valleys and rice fields make this an appealing time for a flexible trip, but mountain paths, waterfalls and smaller roads can close after heavy rain.
I keep rainy-season outdoor bookings flexible, with a town day available to swap with a mountain day. A textile workshop, museum or cooking class is easier to rearrange around rain than a remote overnight trek. Look at the forecast for the district you are visiting; conditions in Chiang Mai city do not settle the question for Mae Hong Son or Nan.
Chiang Mai: my base for food, temples and one mountain day
Chiang Mai makes arrival easy because food, accommodation and local transport are readily available. For a short stay, I favour the Old City or an address close to it. Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chedi Luang and the surrounding lanes can be explored on foot, with meals and coffee stops between them.
Nimman suits travellers who place more weight on cafés, contemporary shops and evening restaurants. A countryside resort serves a different purpose: allow for transport whenever you want to eat or explore in town. For me, the hotel area matters more than the pool.
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is the natural mountain excursion from the city. Plan the uphill journey and temple visit together, then decide how much energy remains for the afternoon. A cooking class offers a useful change of pace on another day, particularly if you want to recognise ingredients when ordering northern food later in the trip.
Doi Inthanon needs a separate day. Thailand’s highest mountain reaches 2,565 metres, and the summit area is reached by road followed by a short walk. Longer trails are separate activities; Kew Mae Pan has seasonal access and requires a local guide. Choose the trail, summit and waterfall combination you want before booking a tour, because different tours give very different amounts of walking time.
For evenings, distinguish the Night Bazaar from the weekend walking streets. The Saturday market is around Wualai Road; the Sunday market occupies streets in the Old City. Put a particular market into the itinerary only when the day of the week matches.
Chiang Rai: give the city and the province separate days
Chiang Rai’s best-known attractions are spread around the city. The White Temple lies to the south, while Baan Dam is north of town. The Blue Temple fits between the northern outskirts and the centre. Baan Dam is an art museum associated with Thawan Duchanee, rather than a Buddhist temple with a different colour scheme.
My preference is to spend one day on art and temples, then choose one provincial excursion. Doi Tung pairs the Royal Villa with Mae Fah Luang Garden. Mae Salong focuses on tea, Yunnan food and settlement history. Chiang Saen and the Golden Triangle combine the Mekong with archaeology and the history of the opium trade.
These excursions head into different districts. Choose the one that interests you most, or stay longer. A transfer from Chiang Mai with several sightseeing stops can be useful with a private driver, but it needs more time than a direct bus journey and should be priced as a sightseeing day.
A realistic seven-day itinerary
This route includes arrival and departure days and uses six hotel nights. It assumes arrival in Chiang Mai and departure from Chiang Rai. Check that the onward flight works with your wider trip before booking the hotels.
- Day 1 — arrive in Chiang Mai. Settle into the Old City, take a short walk and find dinner nearby. A late arrival simply means starting the sightseeing tomorrow.
- Day 2 — old temples and food. Visit Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang, leaving time for lunch and the lanes between them. Choose the evening market appropriate to the day.
- Day 3 — choose your excursion. Doi Suthep and an afternoon in town, or a full day at Doi Inthanon. A cooking class can replace either option if food is the main interest.
- Day 4 — transfer to Chiang Rai. Reserve the bus or arrange a driver. Keep the remainder of the day for checking in, a city temple and dinner.
- Day 5 — Chiang Rai art and temples. White Temple, Baan Dam and the Blue Temple, with a proper lunch break. Reduce the number if you prefer more time inside each place.
- Day 6 — one provincial route. Choose Doi Tung, Mae Salong, or Chiang Saen and the Golden Triangle. Return to your Chiang Rai hotel.
- Day 7 — depart. Choose any morning sightseeing around the flight time and stay close to town.
If the flight home leaves from Chiang Mai, use day six to return there and sleep in the city. That removes the provincial excursion but makes the final departure much easier to manage. The other option is an eighth day.
My two-week alternative through Lampang, Phrae and Nan
For a longer trip, my alternative is Chiang Mai, Lampang, Phrae and Nan, returning to Chiang Mai. This replaces Chiang Rai and the western mountains. It allows time for places whose appeal often lies in a neighbourhood or a craft process rather than a single headline attraction.
- Days 1–4: Chiang Mai, four nights. Arrival, old temples, one mountain outing and a food or craft day. Leave one afternoon free for something discovered after arriving.
- Days 5–6: Lampang, two nights. Travel on day five, explore the old riverside trading quarter, and arrange a separate visit to Wat Phra That Lampang Luang. The temple is outside the city centre.
- Days 7–8: Phrae, two nights. Continue to Phrae for historic houses and mo hom clothing workshops around Thung Hong. If travelling by rail to Den Chai, arrange the onward road transfer into Phrae.
- Days 9–12: Nan Province, four nights. Travel to Nan, spend time around Wat Phumin and the old city, then decide between a city base and an overnight trip toward Pua and Bo Kluea.
- Day 13: return to Chiang Mai, one night. Treat this as a travel day. Book the intercity journey before organising the final dinner.
- Day 14: depart. You are already in the city serving the flight.
The thirteen nights add up to fourteen calendar days. Four nights in Nan leave three full days after the arrival day: enough to combine the city with a mountain overnight, provided the road conditions suit. A train serves Lampang and Den Chai, but neither Phrae city nor Nan city is a stop on the existing northern railway.
Where Pai and Mae Hong Son fit
Pai is a sensible replacement for Chiang Rai on the shorter itinerary if valley scenery, cafés and time outside a larger city appeal more than museums. Keep several nights there; the winding road from Chiang Mai makes a one-night visit disproportionately heavy on travel.
The full Mae Hong Son loop links Chiang Mai, Pai, Mae Hong Son town and Mae Sariang before returning to Chiang Mai. I would allocate five or six days for that circuit so there is time to stop between overnight bases. That is my preferred pace, rather than a minimum driving time.
A car with a driver is an option if the scenery appeals but driving does not. Scheduled Prempracha services also connect Chiang Mai with Pai, Mae Hong Son and Mae Sariang; check the specific service and intermediate stops for the journey you want. A complete loop using public transport needs more attention to departures than an out-and-back visit to Pai.
Northern food I recommend beyond khao soi
Khao soi is an easy introduction: egg noodles, coconut curry broth and crisp noodles, with accompaniments added to taste. For a shared meal, I recommend sai ua, an herb-seasoned pork sausage, and nam prik num, a roasted green-chilli dip served with vegetables and often pork crackling.
Gaeng hang lay brings a rich pork curry without a coconut-milk base. Nam prik ong combines tomato and minced pork in a dip. Sticky rice lets a group share several dishes without ordering a complete separate meal for everyone.
Food changes with the route. Mae Salong adds Yunnan-style pork and steamed buns; Phrae’s nam yoi meals bring noodles with a dry chilli, garlic and shallot condiment. Those regional dishes are a reason to leave a few meals unplanned. If avoiding meat or seafood, ask about the paste and stock as well as the visible ingredients.
How I plan transport and the budget
For arrival from Bangkok, compare a flight with the overnight train to Chiang Mai. The train takes a substantial part of the evening and following morning, so keep the arrival day flexible. Lampang and Lamphun are useful railway stops for a trip progressing north in stages.
Greenbus serves several routes from Chiang Mai, including Chiang Rai, Phrae and Nan. Book against the exact destination and departure date; routes, service classes and terminal stops matter more than a general fare quoted for “the north.” For the western mountain towns, look at Prempracha’s services.
Within Chiang Mai, red songthaews can work as shared rides or hired vehicles depending on the arrangement. Establish the destination and fare before boarding. Other provinces have their own local services; the Chiang Mai red-truck system should not be assumed everywhere.
I budget intercity travel and excursions separately. A modestly priced city room can fit a food-and-temple trip well, while several private mountain outings may dominate the total cost. Compare a driver’s full-day quote with a group tour that covers the same stops, checking admission fees, meals, waiting time and the return journey. Book the expensive fixed activities first, then choose accommodation that leaves enough money for the parts of the route you came to enjoy.