Old-fashioned Thai-style hospitality in a thriving metropolis. Chiang Mai has a striking mountain backdrop, over 300 temples and a quaint historical aura. It's also a modern, friendly, internationally-flavoured city with much to offer the visitor - food, accommodation and shopping are all top quality and cheap, and the nights are relatively cool.
Time zone: GMT +7
Area: 4506
Coordinates: 19.90600014 latitude and 99.83300018 longitude
Population: 170000
Area codes: 53
Chiang Mai's airport takes regular traffic from Thailand's major cities (including seven daily flights from Bangkok), as well as from other regional centres. Buses also ply the route between Bangkok and Chiang Mai several times a day. The trip takes between 10 and 12 hours, depending on the money you pay. Trains also connect Chiang Mai to her southern capital.
Chiang Mai has only one city bus line of limited use, so most residents get about in s ă wngth ă ew (pick-up truck taxis) or on bicycle or motorcycle.The best way to get around is bicycle. They are cheap to hire, environmentally friendly, give the lungs a workout and can be rented conveniently from many guesthouses and along the east moat. There are also hordes of s ă wngth ă ew, t ú k-t ú k (three-wheeled motorised taxis) and s ă aml á w (three-wheeled pedicabs) which are cheap enough but contribute to unnecessary traffic congestion and pollution. There are plans to initiate a mass transit system in Chiang Mai: a rail system would certainly help with the current congestion woes.
Unless you don't mind the almost daily torrential rain of the monsoon, the best time to visit Chiang Mai is between October and April; the other months are a virtual washout. The mildest temperatures are in December and January. Nights in Chiang Mai are regularly cooler than in southern Thailand.It can be quite hot in Chiang Mai, with the April average temperature 36° C (95° F). Nights are regularly cooler than in southern Thailand.
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