Ever wonder where you can do lots of sightseeing, party, outdoor activities, and at the same time still have the luxury to shop like crazy? Chiang Mai is indeed one rare gem where visitors can do EVERYTHING in the main city. Whether you are looking for cheap souvenirs like Thai elephant pants or luxury items like boutique clothing, Chiang Mai has it all.

Here are some of the shopping areas and complexes that are 100% worth your time to visit when in Chiang Mai:

Maya Lifestyle Shopping Mall

Approximately 6 – 10 minutes walk from Furama Chiang Mai lies Chiang Mai’s most popular shopping mall that offers everything you need within its six floors. Whether you are looking for fashion, tech-gadgets, health and beauty, banking, restaurants, or entertainment, Maya will be able to satisfy your needs. Owned by Thailand’s very own MBK group, Maya sets out to be on parr with the malls in Bangkok.

Every floor is dedicated to a certain theme in Maya Mall, which makes it easier for visitors to find their way around. Visitors will be able to quench their thirst with Thai milk tea from Cha Tra Mue and enjoy a variety of cuisine from its food court on the lower ground floor. Once you are done eating, go ahead to do some pharmaceutical and cosmetic shopping here too. (P/S: Cha Tra Mue is definitely the best brand for Thai milk tea!)

The ground floor and the first floor is where your fashion needs will be satisfied. A new addition to Maya Mall in 2017 was H&M, one of Asia’s leading fashion brand, currently. H&M is located on the ground floor of the mall. Other than H&M, there are other brands such as Jaspal, Adidas, Under Armour, Panpuri and local brands. One of the most commonly bought souvenirs from Thailand are bags from NaRaYa, which now can be found on Maya’s ground floor.

The third floor of Maya is where you can find all the banks, ATMs, tech-gadgets, and eye-wear. Heads up! if you would like to withdraw some cash but do not want to be charge the 220 baht transaction fees from using a local ATM, you can choose to withdraw over the counter. There are no transaction fees for over the counter withdrawals however, your name needs to be embossed on your debit card and your passport is required as proof of identity.

There is no space in the food court downstairs to eat? That is not a problem. A local style food court can be found on the fourth floor along with other restaurants. It is also the floor for Japanese food craving with franchise like Fuji, Shabushi, Miya and Coco Ichibanya. Personally, I prefer the fourth floor for food and local delights like roasted chicken rice for 50 baht.

The fifth floor of the mall is mainly all about entertainment as this is where the cinema and arcade is located. If you are bored or when it is rainy, Maya’s SFX cinema will be your best choice of entertainment as it has English subtitles for most movies shown. For your information, it is not possible to buy movies online in Thailand. You will only be able to check the schedule on SFX Cinema website.

On the sixth floor that is linked to the rooftop, which is called Nimman Hill, visitors will be able to enjoy some nice alcoholic drinks while watching the sunset. From the top of Nimman Hill, you will be able to see NightOut Market that is decorated heavily with fairy lights as it is located right next to Maya. NightOut Market is a popular night market for male college students in Chiang Mai as it is where you can find cheap imitation goods (quality not guaranteed!)

Facebook page for offers and promotions: Maya Lifestyle Shopping Mall
Mall Website and Directory: http://www.mayashoppingcenter.com
Opening Hours: 10:00 - 22:00
Address: Maya 55 Moo 5, Huay Kaew Road, Nimmanhaemin

Think Park

Be warned that the Nimmanheimin area in Chiang Mai will make you go nuts shopping!

Think Park is located right opposite of Maya Mall where you just need to walk across at the traffic light right in front of Maya’s main entrance. Think Park is an area filled with small shops selling souvenirs and local products. It is also one of the hippest areas at night on weekdays as its night bazaar starts at 4pm-12am.

Try out the Japanese-Chinese style buffet hot pot at Shabu Shabu Nang in Think Park if you are a big eater! Trust me, it is worth the price for the amount of food that you can choose from. There are also a few cafes in Think Park that offers local coffee drinks. Do look out for Ikati coconut ice cream once you are there too!

For more information on the events in Think Park, check out their here Facebook page.

One Nimman

Here it is! The latest addition to Chiang Mai’s shopping scene is One Nimman – Art, Culture and Contemporary Art Center. Another all-in-one complex with an European exterior design and open concept filled with luxury.

Opened on December 5th 2017, the beautifully designed complex itself makes One Nimman a place worth visiting. There are only two floors to this complex. The ground floor is where you will find both international and local luxury brands like Freitag, Panpuri, Suunto, Harnn, OOTD, Butterfly, and Ginger.

If you are wondering where else to find all the good ol’ Chiang Mai food in one place? One Nimman boasts to house 50 famous local street food in its food court. The food court may seem luxurious but the prices are affordable even for those who are on a budget.

The second floor of the building is an entire floor of madness. Go up the escalators that is located right next to OOPPA Eyewear (in my sincerest opinion, it is the best priced quality eyewear store in Chiang Mai). Beware! It is one-way foot traffic once you are up on the second floor. This floor exhibits all kinds of products that are worth bringing home – skincare products, locally designed clothes, and dried food. Do be informed that the prices here are not very competitive compared to the prices in the local night markets.

Living up to its name, One Nimman holds weekly events for the public to join in for free. Some of the events included are swing, salsa, yoga, and Sunday organic market. For more information, click the below links:

Facebook: One Nimman
Official website: www.onenimman.com

71 Export

If you ever passed by Huay Kaew Road and noticed a stand alone vintage building with some an old gas pump as part of its decorations, then you have found 71 Export. It not exactly located in the Nimmanheimin area but it is about 15 minutes walk from Furama Chiang Mai. 71 Export is where all the ‘rejected’ branded clothes for all are.

Despite the word ‘rejected’, clothes sold in 71 Export are mainly factory rejects due to wrong labelling. Here you will be able to find brands like Bershka, Abercrombie & Fitch. Since it is an export clothes mall, you will be able to find all sizes suitable for everyone and for every occasion including winter.

Facebook page: 71 Export

Shopping outside of Nimmanheimin area:

Weekend Night Market

Chiang Mai weekend night markets are notoriously famous for its size especially the Sunday night market. The Sunday night market is the most recommended night market in Chiang Mai for tourism. Prices are one of the cheapest you can find in the city for souvenirs!

Additionally, the night market is located right in the middle of old town and it is easily accessible through Tha Pae Gate. The night market opens from 4pm till about 10pm. The best way to get here is by tuk tuk or Uber from Furama Chaing Mai as it takes about 12 minutes drive to reach.

This night market offers everything you need in life including massage by the blind, coconut ice cream, street food, souvenirs, art crafts, and cute dogs to pet. If you are tired of walking around the night market, you can easily sneak into some of the temples and cafes nearby to have a rest too.

The Saturday night market or better known as Wualai Walking Street is located at the south of old town. It is located relatively close to the famous Silver Temple. Other than shopping and eating, it is also a great place to do some people watching.

Location on Google: Sunday Night Market/ Wualai Walking Street (Saturday)

The Chiang Mai Complex

Chiang Mai Complex is technically one of the least knowns daily night markets in Chiang Mai for tourists. This night market is where all the students from nearby universities hang out every night for food and cheap fashion shopping. Many of the stalls here are also owned and operated by university students.

This daily night bazaar is located on Huay Kaew Road, right opposite of Chiang Mai University. It takes about 5–10 minutes walk away from 71 Export thus, making it the next best place to go after shopping at 71 Export. There is a variety of cheap food stalls here as the market is catered to local students’ needs.

It is a personal favourite for me to visit Chiang Mai Complex for really cheap clothes and delicious food! One of the best perks of this night bazaar is its vast parking lots hidden behind the night bazaar for both cars and scooters.

Location on Google: The Chiang Mai Complex

Warorot Market (Kad Luang)

In almost every major city, there will be a Chinatown. Warorot Market is the Chinatown of Chiang Mai. How is it any special from the rest of the Chinatowns in Thailand? Well, the unique selling point of Warorot is that it is a true locals’ market. You will not see many tourists here and almost everything can be found in one building.

In the day, Warorot is the best place to buy dried fruits and dried fishes at local price. Other than food products, you will be able to find a small food court at a somewhat considered lower ground of the building. Walk around and you will notice flowers are sold all around you. Temple offerings, bags, children toys, and cheap clothes will become apparent as you discover more grounds on the market building.

However, if you are visiting the market at night, do walk around the streets next to the market building for its night bazaar. Some of the must-try food here are grilled northern-style sausage (sai oua) and crispy pork skin (cap moo). If you are feeling a little more adventurous or if you love spicy food, try out the red and green chili dip (nam prik ong/nam prik noom) too!

Don’t be surprised with the amount of cheap imitation goods including skincare products here – again, quality questionable! It is an interesting place to explore and observe local shopping lifestyle. Thus, making it not a place to be missed.

Official website: http://www.warorosmarket.com/
Location on Google Map: Warorot Market
Opening hours: Every day 5am - 6pm, 5pm - 11pm (night market streets)

Chiang Mai Night Bazaar (Kalare Night Market)

Chiang Mai most probably have the most night markets in the whole of Thailand. Kalare Night Market is another large size night market that you can consider visiting if you have missed out on the Sunday night market in Old Town. It takes about 20 minutes drive to get to this night market from Hotel Furama.

Muay Thai lovers, this is the best place for you to buy your Muay Thai gears including cool T-shirts – Chiang Mai Fight Gear. They have the largest fight gear collection for you to choose. The sellers and owners are hardcore Muay Thai trainees and knows exactly what they are talking about. The least pushy sales people around too. However, the stall itself may be a little hard to find as it is located at the side of the main Kalare Night Market building. (It is best to follow the address strictly on Chiang Mai Fight Gear’s Facebook page).

Of course there is more to see than Muay Thai gears in Kalare Night Market. This night bazaar is where you can find everything that you have missed out from the Sunday night market. Do expect to see some cute and creative T-shirts on sale right next to handcraft products like handmade soaps and umbrellas.

If you find the prices to be a bit too high, feel free to try your haggling skills here. One of the easiest way to get them to lower the price is to act like you are going to walk away. Age old trick that still works in Kalare!

Just like how Jackie Chan’s uncle likes to say, “one more thing!” Kalare Night Bazaar has nightly performances on the open stage. However, the daily performances varies every day. If you are in luck, you will be able to witness their amazing traditional performances like the Thai dance and puppet shows. These performances are FREE to watch.

Location on Google Map: Kalare Night Bazaar
Opening hours: Every day 12:00 pm – 12:00 am