Chiang Mai night markets

Chiang Mai's night markets, quickly

Chiang Mai has three night markets that matter, and the day of the week decides which one you get.

• Night Bazaar: every night, on Chang Khlan Road, east of the Old City.
• Sunday Walking Street: Sunday evening, on Ratchadamnoen Road from Tha Phae Gate.
• Saturday Walking Street: Saturday evening, on Wualai Road, south of the Old City.

All three are free to walk, and all three are best from sunset.

Tell Tanner your nights, and he lines up the right one.

The Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, every night

The Night Bazaar is the Chiang Mai night market you can do any night: stalls, shops and food courts along Chang Khlan Road.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand lists it on Chang Khlan Road in Mueang Chiang Mai (checked November 2026).

It's east of the Old City moat, towards the Ping River, and an easy walk from the hotels on the east side.

Come for clothes, wood carvings, lamps and souvenirs, and eat at the food courts in between.

It's the most touristy of the three, so bargain politely and compare a few stalls first.

Ask Tanner to have the car at the end of the street when you're done.

When is the Sunday Walking Street?

If you're in Chiang Mai on a Sunday, this is the one: Ratchadamnoen Road closes to traffic and fills with stalls from Tha Phae Gate into the Old City.

Chiang Mai's provincial Office of Tourism and Sports calls it the city's largest and most famous walking street, open on Sunday only, usually from about 5pm to 10pm.

TAT points visitors to Thapae Walking Street to shop for stylish handmade products and see local life (checked November 2026).

Expect lamps, scarves, bags and local crafts, plus northern food like khanom jeen noodles all the way along.

This Chiang Mai Sunday night market gets very busy after 7pm, so start at Tha Phae Gate early and walk west.

Plan your Sunday with Tanner, and keep dinner for after.

The Saturday Walking Street on Wualai Road

On Saturday evening the market moves to Wualai Road, by Chiang Mai Gate on the south side of the Old City.

The Office of Tourism and Sports says it opens on Saturday only, usually from about 5pm to 10pm, and is smaller than Sunday's, with most sellers living around the road.

Wualai is the old silversmiths' street, so this is the Chiang Mai walking street for silver.

It's the best Chiang Mai night market for a slower walk and fewer crowds.

Ask Tanner to fit Wualai in before a late dinner.

Which market is on which night?

Pick by the night of your trip.

• Sunday: the Sunday Walking Street; it's the big one.
• Saturday: Wualai Road, then the Night Bazaar if you want more.
• Monday to Friday: the Night Bazaar.
• Loy Krathong week: Tuesday 24 November 2026 is Loy Krathong, and Yi Peng's lanterns are the same week, so every market is packed.

Hours can change on the night. Tanner checks the market before you go.

Send Tanner your dates, and he plans the nights.

What to eat at the Chiang Mai night markets

Eat as you walk: the northern food is the reason to come hungry.

• Khao soi: the curry noodle soup Chiang Mai is famous for.
• Sai oua: northern sausage with herbs, grilled on the spot.
• Grilled skewers and sticky rice: cheap, fast and good.
• Mango sticky rice and fresh juice: for after.

Ask Tanner where his team eats.

What should you buy?

Chiang Mai's markets are strongest on northern crafts: silver, cotton and paper.

• Buy: silver jewellery, cotton and hill-tribe textiles, paper lamps, wood carvings and art prints.
• Skip: fake brands and anything made from animal parts.

Carry small notes, ask the price first, and bargain with a smile.

Tell Tanner if you'll buy big, and the car carries the bags.

After the market

After the market, the night moves on: a jazz bar, a rooftop, or the bars by Tha Phae Gate.

The North Gate Jazz Co-Op, by the Old City's north gate, opens in the evening for live jazz and runs until late.

For the bars and clubs, see the Chiang Mai nightlife guide, and for the late crowd, Zoe in Yellow.

We get you in: we arrange the host, the car, the door and the VIP table, and the venue bills the table.

Ask Tanner to hold the table for after the market.

When is the best time to go?

The best months for Chiang Mai's night markets are mid-October to mid-February, the cool season, when evening walks are easy.

The Thai Meteorological Department dates the cool season from mid-October to mid-February and the rainy season from mid-May to mid-October.

Plan the days around it with things to do in Chiang Mai, and see Yi Peng for the lantern week.

Send Tanner your dates, and he books around the busy weeks.

Chiang Mai's night markets in short

• Every night: the Night Bazaar on Chang Khlan Road.

• Sunday: the Sunday Walking Street, Ratchadamnoen Road from Tha Phae Gate, about 5pm to 10pm.
• Saturday: Wualai Road by Chiang Mai Gate, about 5pm to 10pm.
• Entry: free.
• Best months: mid-October to mid-February.

Checked November 2026.