15km west of the city, Wat Doi Suthep, 1,156m above sea level on Suthep Mountain, overlooks the city from its forested backdrop. It is one of Chiang Mai\u2019s most important landmarks, it dates from 1383. To reach it one can chose the hard way and climb a steep Naga staircase comprising around 300 steps or the less energetic may ascend by funicular cars.<\/p>\n
The Old Chiang Mai Cultural Centre was set up over 25 years ago to preserve and promote the history and culture of the ancient northern kingdom of Lan Na, its royal tradition of dances and music, its unique food and the folk art of the people of the valleys and of the hill tribes. Compared to Bangkok, Chiang Mai’s evenings are cool and conducive to browsing around the central Night Bazaar. To get value for money, bargain patiently, but keep things in perspective.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chang Mai, Thailand’s second-largest city and the gateway to the country’s north, was founded in 1296. You can still see the moat that encircled the original city, and there are 300 wats, including Wat Chiang Man (home of the 1800-year-old 10cm-high Crystal Buddha), Wat Phra Singh (built in the classic northern-Thai style) and Wat Chedi Luang (partially ruined by earthquake, cannon fire and recent restoration efforts).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":6167,"template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[168],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6425","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-highlights-thailand-en","8":"first","9":"instock","10":"shipping-taxable","11":"product-type-simple"},"yoast_head":"\n