Chiang Mai’s huge and long-standing night bazaar is the best one-stop shop in town to pick up cheap souvenirs and a broad range of items.
Chiang Mai’s famous night bazaar is one of the city’s prime evening attractions and one of Thailand’s oldest evening street markets. Such bazaars, night markets or “walking streets”, where souvenir, handicraft and food stalls line footpaths, these days feature of many Thai towns, but Chiang Mai’s was the first outside of Bangkok. The city now also has Saturday and Sunday walking street markets in addition to this nightly bazaar.
The calm before the storm. Photo: Mark Ord
Originally started up by a few local Chinese-Thai merchants—the market lies close to Chiang Mai’s Chinatown—as a few pavement stalls along Chang Klan Road, it has expanded considerably over the years. It now encompasses several city blocks, dedicated shopping malls, adjacent markets and outdoor food courts. The main axis is still on Chang Klan Road, running south from Thapae Road and culminating at the huge Panthip Plaza (an electronics and IT mall), at the junction with Sridonchai, around a kilometre distant.
While connecting areas such as Anusarn Market are pedestrianised, the main strip along Chang Klan is not a designated walking street, and a steady traffic flow separates the roadside stalls on each footpath. Coach loads of Chinese tourists and speeding tuk tuks fill up the ... please log in to read the rest of this story.
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By
Mark Ord.
Last updated on 31st July, 2017.
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How to get there
The market is centred along Chiang Klan Road between Thapae and Sridonchai Roads, spreading into adjacent streets. It’s a 10-minute walk down either Thapae or Loi Kroh Road. Don’t pay more than 60 baht or so for a tuk tuk from say Thapae Gate.
Location map for Night Bazaar
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