Historic - Beautiful - Chiang Mai - Northern Thailand Founded in 1296 AD

Chiang Mai Introduction		City Sites to Explore

Chiang Mai ~ Great Places to Stay:     visit the Guesthouse > #T-06-01-tgcm  -|- The Garden Guesthouse -|- A unique experience in Chiang Mai hospitality. An oasis in the center of old Chiang Mai surrounded by ancient temples Free Wifi Internet - Satellite TV - DVD player - Masage - Air conditioned - Restaurant Live music and the Sunday walking street market.   www.thegardenchiangmai.com Location: Chiang Mai Old Walled City Price: From 350. Bt. (Thai baht per night) "The best of both worlds" -- A superb massage with great coffee and snacks in a delightful Chiang Mai garden setting. Conveniently located in the Old City center.   visit > Chiang Mai ~ Western House Boutique Hotel: ~ Western House ~ Centrally Located Peaceful, Quiet, Comfortable, Clean and Safe Accommodations ~ Warm smiles and cordial services ~ visit the Hotel

"The Ancient Kingdom of Lanna, Thailand's rose of the north"...

Chiang Mai enjoys an amazing wealth of attractions, historical places, monuments, and other venues for the visitor as well as residents.

Whether you want to go trekking, elephant riding, sightseeing, or take a trip to the highest point in Thailand we are sure that you will find many things to enjoy during your stay in Chiang Mai. The city of Nophaburi Sri Nakorn Ping - Chiangmai - was founded April 12, 1296 by King Mengrai. Chiang Mai was intended by the king to be the great new capital of the thriving Lanna Kingdom and it was to become one of the most important cities in the region. It was isolated from Bangkok and could only be reached by an arduous river journey or an elephant back trip until the 1920's. Such isolation has helped keep Chiang Mai's distinctive charm intact to this day.

The original square city laid out was 1800m by 2000m, and after a time a moat would be added to clearly mark out the boundaries of Chiang Mai and to safeguard the people. Sections of the wall remain at the gates and corners, but of the rest only the moat remains.

At each corner a bastion, each with its individual cosmological significance, was built, while the four main gates located on each of the long flanks face towards the four points of the compass. Today these landmarks remain to form the unique character of Chiang Mai.

Inside Chiang Mai's remaining city walls are more than 30 temples dating back to the founding of the principality in 1296.

Doi Suthep temple, overlooking the city from a 1,050 m (3,500 ft) mountain top, is a shrine to both Thai and foreign visitors. These temples are a combination of Burmese, Sri Lankan, and Lanna Thai styles decorated with beautiful wood carvings, Naga staircases, leonine and angelic guardians, gilded umbrellas and pagodas laced with gold filigree.

Chiang Mai boasts more than 700 years of history and enjoys a superb natural environment. Nestled among the mountainous north of Thailand, the city offers an endless variety of sight seeing opportunities and provides a good base from which to explore the lush tropical landscape of the area.

You can wander among historic ruins, admire exquisite temples or simply sit quietly beside the moat and soak up the charm of this sleepy city.
In recent years, Chiang Mai has become a popular sight seeing destination due to its laid back atmosphere, unique cultural character and well developed range of tourist facilities and activities.

It's also surprisingly cheap and good value. From the superb views on top of Doi Suithep to the crumbling excavated ruins of Wiang Kum Kham - the ancient city, or from the hustle and bustle of the night bazaar to the quiet grassy banks of the moat, Chiang Mai is an unforgettable Asian experience.

One cost-effective way to return to beautiful Chiang Mai year after year is to buy a resale timeshare here. A vacation property in your favorite region of Chiang Mai will secure you with prepaid, weeklong accommodation, often for a fraction of what it might cost to continually rent temporary lodgings every time you return. With a Thailand timeshare resale, you can purchase from a previous owner and save thousands on your vacation property.

Not only is the old city, with its pretty moat and well preserved bastions, a fascinating experience but Chiang Mai also has numerous sights worth seeing outside of the centre. Excursions and treks into the mountainous interior of Northern Thailand are also rewarding experiences.

Modern-day Chiang Mai has expanded in all directions, but particularly to the east towards the Ping River (Mae Nam Ping), where you'll find Thanon Chang Klan, the famous Night Bazaar and the bulk of Chiang Mai's hotels and guesthouses. The locals have a saying that you have not experienced Chiang Mai unless you have seen the view from Doi Suthep, eaten a bowl of Kao Soi and purchased an umbrella from Bo Sang.

	"The best of both worlds" -- A superb massage with great coffee and snacks in a delightful Chiang Mai garden setting. Conveniently located in the Old City center.   visit >

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