Last updated on December 8th, 2023
The Chiang Mai markets are to feast over. There’s plenty of food to go around from mango sticky rice to pad Thai
You may have not guessed it, but the old city is big on supplying fresh fruit smoothies. There’s at least one street vendor selling them every two-minute walk. And the markets are saturated with fruit smoothie vendors.
The Chiang Mai markets also cook up crepes with banana and Nutella. Sometimes, it’s not really a crepe, but rather a roti. I know, right? But it’s all delicious.
Here are a few of the Chiang Mai markets in and around the Old City.
North Market
The North Market is beside the Chang Phuak Gate on Manee Nopparat Road. It usually opens around 5 p.m. every day and mainly has street vendors serving food. You can buy rice noodles with pork balls and dumplings for 40 baht.
South Market
The South Market is beside the Chiang Mai Gate, just South of the old city, on Bumrung Buri Road. During the day, the market sells fruits and vegetables plus ready-to-eat food. The market also sells traditional Thai clothes. But I prefer the South Market during the night where the clothing vendors depart and are replaced with food vendors. The South Market is my favourite market: you’ll easily find delicious fruit smoothies for 20 baht and Pad Thai for 40 baht.
Night Bazaar
The Night Bazaar is located along Chang Klan Road between Tha Phae Road and Loi Kroh Road. Does the Night Bazaar sound commercial to you? That’s because it is. This market caters more to tourists and is obvious by the higher prices. There a McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and Haagen Dazs in the area. But it’s mostly traditional Thai food.
The Night Bazaar is still worth a visit. It’s much larger than the South and North Markets combined and sells a variety of products: food, art, textiles, massages, clothes. There are also live bands playing in different parts of the Night Bazaar. One of the coolest places in Chiang Mai is in the Night Bazaar: the art gallery. The magic of the painters’ work are masterpieces. The Night Bazaar opens around 5 p.m.
Warorot Market
The Warorot Market is where the locals shop. It’s located beside the Night Bazaar on Wichayanon Road. You can buy fruits, vegetables, meat, clothes, shoes, backpacks, jewellery and much more at non-tourist prices. They also have food vendors and food courts in the area. It’s usually open 8 a.m. to midnight.
Saturday Market
The Saturday Market is one of the two weekend markets which has vendors coming from outside into Chiang Mai. It’s located right beside the South Market on Wua Lai Road. It’s open at 5 p.m. The Saturday Market has food, massages, and clothes at affordable prices. My favourite part of the Saturday Market are the sushi vendors that sell for 5 or 10 baht a piece.
Sunday Market
The Sunday Market is the second of the two weekend markets and is bigger than Saturday’s one. It pretty much offers the same things as the Saturday Market but at a larger scale. This market is actually located inside old city starting at the Tha Phae Gate and stretching out to Wat Phra Singh Temple along Rachadamnoen Road. It also branches out along a few roads making this market large. The Sunday Market starts at 5 p.m. you’ll need at least 2 hours to check it all out.
Tip: The Chaing Mai Weekend Markets are usually crammed with people between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. making it difficult to walk comfortably through. It’s best to visit outside these hours if possible.