Wat Chiang Man

Wat Chiang Man tickets and tours: which one to book

No ticket for Wat Chiang Man alone is sold online, and you do not need one. The temple sits inside the moated old city of Chiang Mai, its gate opens straight off a quiet lane in the north-east quarter, and entry is free; there are donation boxes in each hall, and a small offering of flowers or a candle is a welcome gesture. The temple is usually seen in one of two ways. Many visitors simply walk here from Tha Phae Gate or from their guesthouse in the old town, combining it with Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang on a self-guided loop that takes a morning.

Others join a half-day guided city temple tour, by minibus, tuk-tuk or bicycle, which typically covers three or four of the old-city temples and may add Doi Suthep on the mountain above town; such tours normally include hotel pick-up, an English-speaking guide and any entry fees at the other stops, while drinks and offerings are extra. Evening food walks and cycling tours through the old city sometimes pass the gate as well. For this temple on its own, going independently is the sensible option: it is small, free and easy to reach on foot. A guide is worth it mainly if you want the story of the Lanna kingdom and its founding told across several temples in one go. The page lists any GetYourGuide tours whose route passes Wat Chiang Man.

Visiting Wat Chiang Man: what to see and how to behave

Wat Chiang Man is the oldest temple in Chiang Mai. King Mangrai founded it in 1297, on the site of the camp where he lived while his new capital was being laid out, and a stone inscription of 1581 in front of the ordination hall records the founding of the city itself in April 1296. The present buildings are later, mostly 19th and 20th century, but the plan and several treasures go back to the early Lanna kingdom. The single most striking structure is Chedi Chang Lom, the elephant chedi behind the halls and the oldest part of the complex. Fifteen brick-and-stucco elephants project from its square base, as if carrying the gilded upper storeys on their backs. The larger wihan, restored in the 1920s by the revered monk Khru Ba Srivichai, has a gilded facade and an altar crowded with Buddha images;

one standing Buddha bears a date of 1465 on its base, which would make it the oldest dated image of the Lanna kingdom. The smaller wihan, often behind a grille, holds the temple's two protective images: the tiny Crystal Buddha, carved from clear quartz and set on a gold base, and the Phra Sila, a stone relief of the Buddha taming a wild elephant, believed to bring rain and carried in procession at Songkran. Look also for the raised scripture library, a plainer building than its famous counterpart at Wat Phra Singh. Take your shoes off at each hall, keep shoulders and knees covered, sit with your feet tucked away from the altar, and women should not touch monks. The temple is on Ratchaphakhinai Road, a ten-minute walk from Chang Phueak Gate.

Wat Chiang Man: opening hours, ceremonies and the best time to go

The temple compound is open daily from early morning until about 5 pm; the inner halls may close a little earlier, so check on the day. The best time is the first hour after opening, when the light catches the gold on the elephant chedi and the monks are going about their morning routine, or the late afternoon when the old-city tour groups have moved on. The cool season from November to February brings the most comfortable weather in Chiang Mai.

March and April are hot and often hazy from agricultural burning, and the rainy season runs from June to October, with short downpours that leave the gardens green. Songkran in mid-April is the great occasion here, when the Phra Sila image is brought out and the whole city joins in water blessings; Yi Peng and Loy Krathong in November fill the old city with lanterns and candles. Allow 30 to 45 minutes. Wat Chiang Man fits naturally into a walking loop with Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh, and the Three Kings Monument and the city museum are a short stroll to the west.