Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai's rich history stretches back 700 years to the time when several small tribes, under King Mengrai, banded together to form a new nation called Anachak Lanna Thai. Their first capital was Chiang Rai, but after three decades they moved it to the fertile plains near the Mae Ping River to a place they called Napphaburi Sri Nakornping Chiang Mai.

The Lanna Thai eventually lost their independence to Ayutthaya and, later, to Myanmar. Not until 1774—when the Burmese were finally driven out—did the region revert to the Thai kingdom. After that, the region developed independently of Southern Thailand. Even the language is different, marked by a more relaxed tempo. In the last 50 years the city has grown well beyond its original moated city walls, expanding far into the neighboring countryside.

First impressions of modern Chiang Mai can be disappointing. The immaculately maintained railroad station and the chaotic bus terminal are in shabby districts, and the drive into the city center is far from spectacular. First-time visitors ask why they can't see the mountains that figure so prominently in the travel brochures. But once you cross the Ping River, Chiang Mai begins to take shape. The Old City is roughly 2½ square km (1 square mi), bounded by a moat where fountains splash and locals stroll along a flower-bordered promenade. Much of the wall that once encircled the city has been restored, and the most important of its five original gates, called Pratou Tha Phae, fronts a broad square where markets and festivals are constantly in full swing. Chiang Mai's brooding mountain, Doi Suthep, is now in view, rising in steps over the Old City.

Enter the Old City and you're in another world. Buildings more than three stories high have been banned, and guesthouses and restaurants vie with each other for the most florid decoration. Many of the streets and sois (alleys) have been paved with flat, red cobblestones. Strolling these narrow lanes, lingering in the quiet cloisters of a temple, sipping hill tribe coffee at a wayside stall, and fingering local fabrics in one of the many boutiques are among the chief pleasures of a visit to Chiang Mai. And whenever you visit, there's bound to be a festival in progress.