3 Best Sights in Northern Thailand, Thailand

For $30 (B984) you can get a three-night visa that lets you travel 63 km (39 miles) north to Kengtung, a quaint Burmese town with colonial-era structures built by the British alongside old Buddhist temples.

Foreigners may cross the river to visit Tachileik on a one-day visa ($10, B328) obtainable at the Burmese immigration office at the bridge. The town is a smaller version of Mae Sai, but with a vast tax-free emporium, a busy market, and three casinos packed with Thai gamblers.

For the best view across the river into Myanmar, climb up to Wat Phra That Doi Wao—the 207-step staircase starts behind the Top North Hotel.