4 Best Shopping in Chiang Mai, Thailand

The alternately handsome and crumbling colonial-, Burmese- and Chinese-style houses along Old Market Road date to the late 1860s, when British and Burmese teak companies and Chinese traders lived here. Today the street is again a hub of trade when a market sets up every Saturday and Sunday from 4 to 9 pm. The 1.2-mile area is lined with stalls selling tasty street food (noodles, summer rolls, satay, sweets, fresh fruit), textiles, contemporary and traditional clothing, artwork, jewelry, and assorted souvenirs. There's always live music, too, which adds to the atmosphere.

Unlike Chiang Mai markets, this market is not crowded, and you can make your way down the road at a more leisurely pace.

The justifiably famous Night Bazaar (also called the Night Market), on Chang Klan Road, is a kind of open-air department store filled with stalls selling everything from inexpensive souvenirs to pricey antiques. In the late afternoon and evening, traders set up tented stalls along Chang Klan Road and the adjoining streets. This is a market for tourists; you're expected to bargain, so don't be shy. But remain polite, and don't haggle over tiny sums.

This bazaar, in a big entertainment complex on the eastern side of the Night Bazaar on Chang Klan Road (clearly marked), is packed with boutiques, food and souvenir stalls (and seating), and inexpensive restaurants. There is often live music, too, mostly Thai pop bands.

Chiang Mai has two so-called walking streets, closed off to traffic to make way for weekly markets. One is held on Wualai Road (the "silver street") on Saturday evening. The other, much larger one, takes up the whole of Ratchadamnoen Road and surrounding streets on Sunday evenings. Although the Night Bazaar sells good food and plenty of souvenirs, you will usually find more local handicrafts at the walking street markets.