planning · 29 May 2026
Is Chiang Mai cheap in 2026? An honest cost-of-trip breakdown
Is Chiang Mai still cheap in 2026? A per-day cost breakdown across backpacker, mid-range, and higher-end trips — and the parts that have got more expensive.
The travel guide
Chiang Mai, written by locals
Practical playbooks for planning Northern Thailand: what to book, what to skip, when to come, and how our same-day operator confirmation works differently from the big marketplaces.
Featured · planning
Chiang Mai travel guide 2026: a locally-run operator's playbook
A complete Chiang Mai travel guide — when to come, where to stay, what to eat, the tours worth doing and the ones to skip, costs, scams, and our own playbook.
27 May 2026 · 20 min read
alternatives · 25 May 2026
Best Viator alternatives for booking Chiang Mai tours in 2026
Five Viator alternatives for Chiang Mai tours — direct operators, smaller marketplaces, and the trade-offs in price, confirmation speed and ethical screening for elephant camps.
planning · 24 May 2026
Best free things to do in Chiang Mai: 15 actually-free activities
Fifteen Chiang Mai activities that genuinely cost nothing — temple visits, viewpoints, art galleries, parks, river walks — plus the things wrongly listed as free.
logistics · 22 May 2026
Chiang Mai bus stations explained: Arcade vs Chang Phueak vs minivans
Which Chiang Mai bus station serves what — Arcade for long-distance south, Chang Phueak for north, the minivan stand for Pai. Plus VIP vs second-class reality.
seasonal · 20 May 2026
Chiang Mai weather year-round: month-by-month temperature and rainfall
Chiang Mai weather across the year — temperature highs and lows by month, rainfall mm, AQI norms, and the trip-planning implications for each.
planning · 19 May 2026
Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai: which to base in for Northern Thailand
If you only have time for one northern city — Chiang Mai vs Chiang Rai as a base. Day-trip range, food scene, accommodation depth, and which suits your trip.
planning · 17 May 2026
Songthaew (red truck) Chiang Mai: how the shared taxi system works
Riding the songthaew red trucks — flag-down etiquette, the ฿30 vs ฿100 split, route logic, and the rare reverse-direction scam to spot.
safety · 15 May 2026
Chiang Mai travel insurance: scooters, elephants, and burning season
What Chiang Mai-specific travel insurance should cover — scooter accidents (the big one), motorbike licence requirements, elephant-camp interaction coverage, and air-quality flight changes.
alternatives · 12 May 2026
Best Airbnb Experiences in Chiang Mai (and what beats them)
Airbnb Experiences in Chiang Mai shrunk after the 2019 wild-animal ban — what's left, the best of it, and the operator-direct alternatives that beat the marketplace.
alternatives · 11 May 2026
ToursByLocals Chiang Mai alternatives: 4 ways to book a private guide
Alternatives to ToursByLocals for booking a private guide in Chiang Mai — direct operators, Withlocals, GetYourGuide private, and the TAT-licence verification check.
culture · 10 May 2026
Chiang Mai shopping guide: where to buy crafts vs souvenir tat
Chiang Mai shopping — the artist workshops in San Kamphaeng, the silver village, where Sunday Walking Street is the trap, and the malls that actually matter.