Phuket or Chiang Mai?
 

Hi all, I am planning a visit to Thailand and would like some of your thoughts on where to visit. I am a big fan of places with lots of culture and lots of life, I am not interested in resorts. I love nature, but I am not a fan of sitting on a beach. Would Phuket or Chiang Mai (or Chiang Rai?) be a better place to visit for me? I have been to Bangkok before, and am going again in the future before the trip I am planning. I will be traveling solo; I would not mind hiring a tour guide; I do not speak Thai.

Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are better for culture :)

Which has better night life and is easier in general to navigate?

Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai is easier to navigate. Phuket has better nightlife; CM is virtually devoid of nightlife.

OK, cut to the chase!



Phuket is a big island with one biggish city, clusters of small towns, a coastline of beaches and beach resorts from honky-tonk to swanky.

Chiang Mai is a single city. No beaches. Culture (in many forms...), night and day.


I guess that makes Chiang Mai the more appropriate destination :D

I'll respectfully disagree with this assertion unless bars, music and late night drinking doesn't constitute night life.

Chiang Mai it is then! How many days should be spent there and are there any other cities in Thailand that I should tack onto my itinerary while I'm in the area?

I'm also curious on how long to spend in Chiang Mai.

I'm just starting to look through FT threads, but I'm looking for the end all "where to go in thailand/SE asia" thread, does that exist? I've got about 3 weeks in the area coming up next month, starting in BKK and don't know how to break my trip up between the different cities/countries...

Impossible to answer without an idea of your dates/what else you have planned/more of your preferences. You could spend months in SE Asia and not do anything other than scratch the surface of a lot of places. A better idea of what you would want to experience or what intrigues you might help garner suggestions.

No, because FTers (not all being identical clones of each other) do not all want the same cookie cutter experiences. There's a real diversity of interests here. What interests you?

I will take that as "one week". ^ :D

I'd like to see local temples, sample local food, and just be immersed in the culture.

Temples is something CM is known for. Aside from Doi Suthep atop the hill to the west of town there are, by my count, 39 in the walled city alone. Some are rundown and some are majestic. Some are pretty in their simplistic design. With an area bringing in various cultures of the north you get Lanna, Lao, and Mon temple styles to compliment the various take on Thai styles.

Northern food is also delicious and can keep you going for days trying new things. Although for someone who cannot speak some Thai you'll probably be restricted to some of the easier places to find. Still very worthwhile. If you're there during rice harvest season (late Oct-Nov) you can sample khao mao which is young green rice mixed with shaved coconut and sugar. It's just one of many types of Thai snacks/sweets referred to as a whole as kanom.

For me the temples and food of Chiang Mai is the culture.

There is a Saturday and Sunday walking street market, each hosted in a different area. But these have way outgrown any enjoyment for me though clearly many thousands of people feel differently weekly.

I agree, though I lucked out on my trip, I had a farang friend living there, so I got to places like Puang Thong and have delicious crispy and spicy snake head fish, or soup at the South gate market.

Ah yes, bradu chiang mai. There are, however, 2 south gates but the other is decidedly less interesting.

This area is where I typically stay.

First, good choice on Chiang Mai over Phuket. I have been to both, and for me CM is by far the best.

As to experiencing the culture - walk! I am not sure when you are going, but if you are going between November and the end of February, the weather will be nice and walkable.

I suggest walking around Old Town (inside the moat) - culture everywhere. Just some thoughts (they are all close to each other):

1. if you want a massage, there is a place called Lila massage in Old Town, which is a program for Thai women who have been in prison and teaches them a skill they can use outside of prison. I had a foot massage and it was very good. You can get reviews on the Internet.

2.For food, you can go about 500 meters North of Lila massage, to the North Gate area, and cross the main road, and there are a ton of good Thai food places, street food and restaurants. if you saw the Anthony Bourdain CNN show on Chiang Mai, that is one of the places he went to.

3. Then later on you can walk back across the street to the North Gate Jazz Club. it is a tiny place, and I am not sure you will see the reincarnation of Charlie Parker, but you will see a nice mix of Thai and westerners listening to live music, and take in a bit of the Thai evening street scene.

Have fun!