Favourite destinations

Favourite destinations

CHIANG RAI

Chiang Rai is a province in the North of Thailand, which was once the capital of the bright Lanna royal dynasties. Till this day, Chiang Rai still retains the atmosphere of the ancient capital of Thailand and is increasingly attracting tourists by its cultural quintessence, green forest trips and many other interesting surprises. A 3-day trip in Chiang Rai will definitely give you extremely unique and fascinating cultural experiences.

The first stop that you definitely must visit is Wat Rong Khun (also known as the White Temple). It stands out with dominant pure white, representing the most quintessence of Buddhism. Wat Rong Khun is ranked as one of the five most visited temples in the world with a higher rank than Wat Pho in Bangkok. The temple is highlighted not only by color, but also by the strange combination of carvings and patterns which are not often found in other temples such as the pool of reaching hands and carvings of caged heads…. All bring symbols of Buddhist beliefs. It will cost about 50 baht to enter but it's really worth it.

Once a famous place in the world with vast poppy fields, the Golden Triangle will be a destination that will surprise tourists by its wild and natural beauty today. Coming to this land, you can leisurely admire the scenery and experience the unique cultural features of the native people. A 1-day Chiang Rai tour including the Golden Triangle and the White Temple is one of the most popular tours in Chiang Mai.

In addition to White Temple, Wat Rong Seua Ten (Blue Temple) is also a great destination characterized by magical emerald green, which will help you get a memorable picture. Besides, there are many unique cultural destinations that you cannot miss. They are Doi Chom Thong - the location of Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong, one of the most sacred places in Chiang Rai; or Wat Klang Wiang - one of the most beautiful architecture in Chiang Rai. If having a lot of time, let explore these destinations to fully understand the typical temple architecture of Thailand.

As same as other cities in Thailand, the night market in Chiang Rai is also very bustling and vibrant. Chiang Rai is a diverse place with traditional Thai cuisine as well as Western dishes. Chiang Weekend Night Market in Chiang Rai is always crowded with tourists by a full range of items and a lot of cuisine of Chiang Rai at a very affordable price.

A journey to Doi Tung Hill - the highest mountain of Chiang Rai will fascinate all your senses. In the flower season, you will be stepped into an extremely large sea of flowers with all the scents of "botanical" with extremely colorful colors and landscapes.

Chiang Rai not only attracts tourists by its culturally rich locations but also brings many other interesting experiences. From Chiang Rai, you can visit some of the best tea plantations, spend time with Hill Tribe Village, relax around the waterfall, climb the surrounding mountains in the nearby National Park or have relaxing moments with traditional Thai’s massage. Chiang Rai will make you want to stay longer in this city.

As an ancient and quite quiet city, the best way to explore this place is to hire a bike. Or if you're afraid the bike won't go far, you can always rent motorbikes at prices ranging from 500 - 1200 baht at your hotels.

There are many ways to get to Chiang Rai, but the two most popular ways are to depart from Bangkok or Chiang Mai:

• From Bangkok: Usually you will fly to Chiang Rai as the flight time is quite short of about 1 hour 15 minutes while the bus and train will take about 11 hours. There are many daily flights from airlines to choose from. The Bangkok - Chiang Rai route of Thai airways offering regular daily flights with the price of only from USD107/one way and many attractive deals monthly is always the first choice of tourists.

• If moving from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, you can choose from some ways:

+ Buses: Round-trip buses from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai at the Arcade bus station departing hourly are the most suitable means of transportation. The preferred big bus company is Vip Bus, which offers seat classes that suit the budget and purpose of each passenger.

+ By air: There are very few direct flights from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai while the ticket price is quite high and the distance between the two cities is quite close to each other. Therefore, this ways is not recommended.

The best and most effective way to explore all of Chiang Rai's great destinations is to start in Chiang Mai. A tour of Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai departing from Chiang Mai and discovering the most attractive destinations of Chiang Rai will be completely suitable for tourists.

Chiang Rai is also a great starting point to discover more about the North of Thailand. Northern Thailand tours and other Chiang Rai tours will definitely make you unable to stop.