Best Temples In Chiang Mai: Top 10, Timings, Fees & Dress Code

Temples in Chiang Mai at a glance

No other guide lays the temples side by side, so start here. Fees and hours change and are indicative per person; confirm on the day. 'Free' usually means a donation box at the door.

What is a wat, and the temple dress code

A wat is a Buddhist temple-monastery, and Chiang Mai's are built in the Lanna style of the old northern kingdom: multi-tiered wooden roofs, gilded gables, and serpent-like naga balustrades running down the stairs. Inside a compound you will usually find a chedi (the bell-shaped stupa that holds relics), a viharn (the open assembly hall where people pray), and an ubosot (the ordination hall for monks). Knowing those three words is enough to read any temple you walk into.

The dress code is the one rule worth getting right, because it is enforced at the bigger temples. Cover your shoulders and your knees. That rules out vests, short shorts and short skirts, so carry a light scarf or a sarong, or rent one at the door for a few baht. Take your shoes off before you step into any hall, never point the soles of your feet at a Buddha image (tuck them behind you when you sit), and take your hat off. Women should not touch a monk or hand anything to him directly. Photos are usually fine in the grounds, but look for 'no photography' signs inside the halls, and never climb on a Buddha for a picture. Dress modestly and move quietly and you will be welcome anywhere.

The 10 best temples in Chiang Mai

These are the ten worth your time, roughly in the order most people rank them. The three biggest each have their own detailed guide, linked below, with live timings and fees.

1. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. The one temple you should not skip. It sits high on Doi Suthep mountain about 15 km northwest of the city, and the gold-plated chedi at its heart is one of the most sacred in northern Thailand, said to enshrine a relic of the Buddha since 1383. You reach the terrace by climbing the 309-step Naga staircase or riding the little funicular tram, and the reward is the chedi glowing in the sun and a wide view over Chiang Mai below. Go early to beat the tour buses and the haze. See our full Wat Phra That Doi Suthep guide and its timings for the latest hours.

2. Wat Phra Singh. The grandest temple inside the Old City, at the western end of Ratchadamnoen Road. It houses the revered Phra Singh Buddha image and, in the small Wihan Lai Kham, some of the finest Lanna woodcarving and mural painting in the north. The layered, feather-edged roofs are the classic Chiang Mai postcard. It is the heart of the city's Songkran celebrations each April. Full details and current timings are on our Wat Phra Singh page.

3. Wat Chedi Luang. Home to the largest chedi in Chiang Mai, a vast brick stupa that once stood over 80 metres tall before a 16th-century earthquake took off its top. It briefly housed the Emerald Buddha now in Bangkok, and the city's guardian pillar shrine sits in the same compound. This is also one of the two easiest places to join a Monk Chat. Read the Wat Chedi Luang guide with its timings and entry fees, or the deeper Wat Chedi Luang feature.

4. Wat Chiang Man. The oldest temple in the city, founded in 1296 by King Mangrai when he laid out Chiang Mai itself. It is a quiet spot in the northeast corner of the Old City, best known for the elephant-buttressed Chang Lom chedi and two small, much-revered images, the Crystal Buddha and the Marble Buddha. It takes ten minutes to see and gives you the founding story of the whole city.

5. Wat Lok Moli. Just north of the moat on Manee Nopparat Road, and often missed. A tall, weathered brick chedi rises behind a dark teak assembly hall carved with fine Lanna detail, and because it is a short walk out of the tourist core it stays calm even at midday. Editorial guides increasingly name it as a highlight, so it earns a place on the short list.

6. Wat Phan Tao. Right next door to Chedi Luang, and easy to pair with it. The viharn is built entirely of dark teak panels, a former royal residence rather than a masonry hall, which makes it unusual and photogenic. It is at its most beautiful during the Yi Peng and Loy Krathong lantern festival in November, when the pond and grounds fill with candlelight.

7. Wat Sri Suphan (the Silver Temple). In the Wualai silver-making quarter south of the moat, this is the temple whose ordination hall is clad head to toe in hammered silver and aluminium, a genuinely one-of-a-kind sight. One catch, and it is a real rule: women may not enter the silver ordination hall itself and view it from the doorway, though the rest of the grounds are open to everyone. Come on a Saturday evening for the lit-up hall and the monk-chat tables.

8. Wat Umong. A forest temple at the foot of Doi Suthep, roughly 5 km southwest, and unlike anything else on this list. Its 14th-century brick tunnels, set with Buddha images, run under a tree-shaded mound, and the shady grounds have a lake with fish and pigeons and 'talking tree' proverb boards. It is the calmest, coolest temple in Chiang Mai and a good escape from the heat.

9. Wat Suan Dok. On Suthep Road heading west, known for its field of whitewashed royal chedis holding the ashes of Chiang Mai's old ruling family, which turn to silhouettes at sunset. The big open viharn is bright and airy, and the Buddhist university here runs the best-known Monk Chat, where you can talk with student monks in the evening.

10. Wat Pha Lat. The jungle temple halfway up Doi Suthep, reached on foot by the Monk's Trail, a shaded 30 to 45 minute hike marked with strips of orange robe tied to the trees. Mossy stone, a small waterfall and almost no crowds make it the reward at the top. If you would rather not walk, it is also a short drive off the Doi Suthep road. This is the temple almost no other India-facing guide tells you about.

Entry fees and costs in rupees and baht

Most temples are free or take a small donation; the famous ones charge a modest fee that goes to upkeep. Here is what a temple day actually costs, converted at roughly Rs 2.85 to the baht. Treat every figure as indicative and a range, not a fixed price.

Carry small cash: donation boxes, fee counters and songthaews do not take cards, and Indian debit cards draw a flat foreign-ATM fee per withdrawal, so take out a larger amount less often. A full day of Old City temples plus Doi Suthep, done by shared songthaew, lands most people well under Rs 1,000 a head before food.

How to reach Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Doi Suthep is the one temple that needs planning, because it is up a winding mountain road about 15 km northwest of the Old City. The cheapest way is a shared red songthaew from Chang Puak Gate or from near the zoo at the foot of the mountain; agree the fare before you climb in, and expect to wait until the truck fills. Grab and Bolt will take you up for more, but getting a ride back down can be slow, so many drivers quote a round trip with waiting time. Renting a scooter is cheapest of all, but the road is steep with tight bends and is only for confident riders. The most memorable way up is on foot along the Monk's Trail past Wat Pha Lat, then a short songthaew for the last stretch.

At the top you either climb the 309-step Naga staircase or take the funicular tram for about 50 baht. Entry to the terrace is around 30 baht for foreign visitors, the dress code is enforced here, and sarongs are available to rent at the base. Go for opening time or late afternoon: mid-morning brings the tour buses, and in the burning season around March and April the view can vanish into haze. For getting to the city in the first place, see our how to reach Chiang Mai guide.

Monk Chat and the best time to visit

A Monk Chat is exactly what it sounds like: an open, informal conversation with a Buddhist monk, usually a young student who wants to practise English while you ask about temple life, meditation or Buddhism. It is free, though a small donation is welcome, and it is one of the most rewarding hours you can spend in Chiang Mai. The Buddhist university at Wat Suan Dok runs the best-known session on weekday evenings, and Wat Chedi Luang keeps monk-chat tables in its grounds through the day. Dress as you would for the temple and just sit down.

For the time of day, early morning is best: the temples open around 6am, the light is soft, the air is cool, and you often catch monks chanting or collecting alms before the crowds arrive. Sunset is the other good window, especially at Wat Suan Dok and from Doi Suthep. Across the year, the cool, dry months from November to February are the most comfortable for temple-hopping; March and April bring heat and burning-season haze, and the June to October rains are warm and passing rather than a washout. Time it for mid-April and you will catch the Songkran new-year water festival, which centres on the temples. For the full month-by-month picture, see the best time to visit Chiang Mai.

Seeing the temples in one day

You can cover the highlights in a day without rushing. Start early on the mountain at Doi Suthep while it is cool and clear, then come back down to the Old City by late morning. On foot or by a cheap songthaew hop you can string together Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phan Tao next door, then Wat Chiang Man in the northeast corner, all within the square moat and walkable between stops. Keep the afternoon gentle: Wat Sri Suphan in Wualai to the south, or the shady tunnels of Wat Umong to the southwest, are good places to end before the light goes. If you only have half a day, do Doi Suthep plus Phra Singh and Chedi Luang and you will have seen the essential three.

Our Chiang Mai team re-checks these timings, fees and dress rules each season against the temples' own notices. "Do Doi Suthep at opening time before the haze and the buses, keep the Old City temples for late morning, and carry a scarf so you are never turned away for bare shoulders," says our Chiang Mai team. Reviewed by our Thailand travel desk.