This is a thorough guide of what things to do in Chiang Mai with kids! During our 3 months living in Chiang Mai with kids (10& 12 yrs), we made sure we took advantage of all that the city had to offer a family. We found that things are well documented for singles and couples, but there just wasn’t much on the internet for families. So if you are looking for short-term apartment rentals Chiang Mai, places to eat in Chiang Mai or Things to do in Chiang Mai with kids, then you will love our What to do in Chiang Mai guide. Here are some of our favorite fun things to do in Chiang Mai with kids. If you don’t have kids, this is still a great guide to Chiang Mai for you too!
We will review fun Things to do in Chiang Mai Thailand! As well as, Places to stay in Chiang Mai, our favorite places to eat in Chiang Mai, and a few extras as well. We lived in the Nimman area, so it may seem heavily weighted to that area. We loved our Chiang Mai neighborhood and the entire city! There is so much nature, activities, cheap eats, cheap accommodation, and education all around, we wanted to do it all. Of course we didn’t have time, but we shared with you what we could do. Each title highlighted in Blue should be a link to more information. There are also many free things to do in Chiang Mai, so it is great for the budget.
Fun Things To Do in Chiang Mai Thailand With Kids or Without!
Yi Peng Festival
Held each year in late October or early November. Imagine thousands of candles lit lanterns released into the air at the same time. I would not recommend this for small children, as there are thousands of people and upon exit, the crowds can be thick.
Loi Krathon Lantern festival
Usually held early November each year. This was one of our favorite things to do in Chiang Mai at night.
An amazing cultural experience for the whole family – get out into countryside to visit northern Thailand’s ethnic minorities otherwise known as ‘Hill tribes’.
There are few words to describe how magical and special this place is. If you don’t do anything else in Chiang Mai, you really need to visit Elephant Nature Park.
Free! (Unless you buy goodies at the market). The Market starts on Bumruung Buri Road, near the south gate (Chiang Mai Gate) of the Chiang mai old city, and runs along Wua Lai Road. Another favorite things to do in Chiang Mai at night.
Free! (Unless you buy goodies at the market). The Market starts at Tha Phae Gate on the East side of the Old city and runs down the center road (Rachadamnoen Road), feeding into many side streets and even into the courtyard of Wat Chedi Luang Worawihan. Another favorite things to do in Chiang Mai at night.
Saa Paper Umbrella Making Free! Very interesting, colorful and educational. We all enjoyed the afternoon out. One of our favorite free things to do in Chiang Mai!
We were a little hesitant to go to the Elephant poopoo park, but we are so glad we did. It was really a pleasant surprise and only $3 a person. This is a very interactive and educational experience, and the kids had a blast. You follow the poo and walk around the park learning how the poo is collected, cleaned, filtered and turned into paper. You get to do it all, so add the PooPoo park to your list of things to do in Chiang Mai!
if you are looking for things to do in Chiang Mai, which are educational, then check out this 90 minute Ping river tour. This was a fun afternoon out and you get more than just a cruise on the river. The owner is passionate about the history and even takes you to his special gardens for a snack. The kids really enjoyed this as well as the stop over. This was one of our favorite Chiang Mai attractions. Don’t forget the Adventures with Anya on this one.
Free! This is a great place for a hike and a picnic. Beautiful surroundings and the kids loved being free and running around. There are snack stands at the enterance and it is also a good spot to find a cold drink. The Huay Kaew waterfalls are very refreshing. Another favorite free thing to do in Chiang Mai.
Free! Visit with the monks and ask anything you like. This was great fun for the kids, as they were full of questions. You can click on the heading to read more about our Chiang Mai Monk Chat and they also offer a great mediation session at Wat Suan Dok. You can get the information at the same location as where you chat with a Monk in Chian Mai. The monk chat was a family favorite on our free things to do in Chiang Mai.
Once you get over the mental aspect of what is going on, this was a great and inexpensive experience. Anya just loved it. Of course you can read more by clicking on the title. Some people have concerns about the safety and cleanliness. We loved it and it was so cheap.
This is really for the older or more mature kids or any adults, but it was one of our favorite things to do in Chiang Mai. This is a 2 day/ 1 night retreat to learn the art of mediation with the Monks. You can obtain more information about the Chiang Mai meditation retreat at the Wat where the Chiang Mai Monk Chat is held.
Do you love cats? We have the purrrfect free thing to do in Chiang Mai. Well, you will need buy a drink or snack, but it is worth it to visit a cat cafe! Sit back, relax and enjoy a cup of coffee, tea or another drink, while the little furry lovies give you loads of attention. This is great for us, becuase we travel and don’t own any pets. So visiting a cat cafe and doing housesitting is a way for us to get a little time with pets.
We just never made the time for this, as we have done cooking classes in Morocco and Budapest. Had we stayed longer we would have. We are going to share the thoughts from Elliot, a 10-year-old traveling with his parents “All 7 in 7”. He enjoyed his cooking class in Chiang Mai.
We just never made the time for this, as we have done cooking classes in Morocco and Budapest. Had we stayed longer we would have. We are going to share the thoughts from our friends from “An Epic Education”, who loved their fruit carving class in Chiang Mai.
This may not be for the kids, but parents will appreciate a massage. Thai is twist and turn, poke and prod. If you don’t like the Thai massage, just ask for an Oil massage, which is more like a rub.
The first capital of Lanna and an ancient village, now a ghost town. Due to the change in the flow of the river, this town was abandoned and sometimes floods. It is about 600 x 850 meters big and a neat experience.
Organized Tours
There are also many organized tours for you to enjoy from being active on walking or biking tour, to enjoying a food or wine tour. There is so much to do and Viator has so many great offers for you. Click here to see their latest Chiang Mai Deals!
Best time to visit Chiang Mai
The best time to visit Chiang Mai is between October and April. The weather at this time of the year is very pleasant with light breeze, which is also why it’s peak tourist season. Chian Mai is in a valley. March or April is often burning season, which may mean it is a bit smokey.
Two months in Thailand for a family of 4 – We share all of our expenses with you, every single penny. If you want to know the cost of living in Chiang Mai for our family of 4 then, you have come to the right place. We even talk about the dentist, orthodontist, and eye docotor in Chiang Mai.
Cost of everyday things around Chiang Mai. If you want to get a feel for how much food costs in Chiang Mai or maybe it is just the everyday expense, we have it all here for you. It is of course just a guide for you to get an idea. Prices can change and well, what you choose to buy may be different from what we selected as far as the brands.
Once again, we share all of or costs for a family of 4 to live in Chiang Mai. Again, you may have a different comfort level or budget, but feel free to use this as a cost of living in Chiang Mai guide.
Songthaew – Red Truck with 2 benches (Song = 2, Thaew = Bench) are 20 Baht ($.60) per person for each trip within the city (roughly, within the superhighway).
Tuk Tuk – Scooter usually with a 3 passenger seat in the back. Prices vary, but usually around 80 Baht ($2.50) per trip
Driving in Thailand? Are you crazy? Actually, we really enjoyed renting a car and taking a road trip. Driving wasn’t bad at all, so get over your fear and explore. At times this is more cost-effective for families than public transportation. Check out our Driving in Thailand Tips and Tricks. Scooter rentals can run from 150-200 ($5-$6) Baht a day and car rentals can be found from 500-1000 Baht ($15-$30) per day. Usually Avis Thailand has good deals.
Bus – The main bus station is the Arcade bus station on the NE outside of the old city. There is also a small bus station in Chang Phuak outside the North Gate.
Train – Many people come and go from town via the train. The train station is located along the east side of town. We took the night train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.
Air – Airport Code CNX – Flying is obviously the easiest way to arrive and depart from Chiang Mai.The airport is just outside of the city center on the southwest corner.
Other Family Friendly Info around the Nimman area
Dentist Our friends the Grants wrote up something about their dental experience and provide the location in the old city as well. We visited the Nimman Dental Clinic, off of Nimman Soi 2
We hope this helps you out for your Family Friendly time in Chiang Mai. It doesn’t matter if you are in Chiang Mai for a week or a year, there is loads to do in Chiang Mai. There’s so much family fun around every corner. We didn’t have time to do it all, so we may just need to come back.
If you have a cool family activity or other things to do in Chiang Mai you would like to add to the list, just put it in the comments below or contact us to add it.
26 thoughts on “What Things To Do in Chiang Mai Thailand – A Family Friendly Guide”
Loved Chiang Mai; such a great place and very easy to travel with kids. I puzzled myself regarding about the massage; are they any special places for kids massage? It would be an interesting niche!
Our family of 5 (three kids aged 15, 12 and 11 years old) went to Chiang Mai in March. We only got to stay for 4 nights, so I’m very jealous of how long you got to stay there. We loved it. I wish that I had read your insights before we went but we did do a couple of amazing things that are not listed here. We did a segway tour of the historic part of the city and we spent a day becoming an elephant owner at Pantara Elephant Farm, which was spectacular! Highly recommend both!
Hi Nicole, Oh that all sounds great. I don’t think any segways were in town when we were there. We sure did love it and miss it too. All the more reason to go back one day.
I have a very dear friend who is a member of our Buddhist organziation, SGI who returned to Thailand and lives in Chiang Mai…it is a beautiful city with so many wonderful options…thank you for making this information so accessible!
Oh that is wonderful. This place is near and dear to our hearts. It is absolutely wonderful and so many educational things to do, which are fun! It is good for the souls of the young and old alike. We look forward to returning one day.
Thank you for this article! I find myself going back to your blog multiple times to check out all of your great Chiang Mai resources. We are renting an apartment for a month in CM and this is a great list of things to do!
You made my day Jessica. It feels great to know it is of use to someone. It take hours upon hours to write these things, so now I know this one was worth it! Le us know if you have any questions and enjoy Chiang Mai. We have only been away for about 6 weeks and miss it already.
Family or not this is loaded with great information and a fresh perspective from the usual Chaing Mai tour info. I long to return to Thailand and finally make it to the North Country. Thanks for the inspiration.
Oh thank you Elaine! We figured the standard “to do/to see” is covered everywhere and thought we would take a different route. Thanks for noticing that! Yep, it would be fun for the no kids travelers too! 🙂
What an amazing resource you’ve put together! I’d love to do the meditation retreat with my oldest son. This really inspires me to consider a trip to the area with my kids!
Great list! I lived in Chiang Mai myself for over a year and had never heard of some of these (Elephant Poo Poo Paper Park!?). This is a great resource for adventurous families!
God bless you for writing this post! We are headed to Thailand in 2.5 months specifically with a goal of spending 2-3 months in Chiang Mai as a break from 6 months of non-stop travel. Trying to find information for families (as you know) is nearly impossible. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed post… our 7 year old daughter is so excited to go to catmosphere! I mean who wouldn’t be… cat’s with T-Shirts!!!!
Stephen you made our day! Thank you so much for the compliment. We are still going to try and add more to this post as we think of things. We are currently working on writing up our favorite places to eat. It is very difficult to dig up all of the family friendly things. Let us know if you have any questions or if we can help you in any way.
You bet Catmosphere is the best! We will be going there one more time before leaving Chiang Mai late next week.
Too funny Matthew. Yes, we thought it was all backpackers and parties, but it is a great place for families too. So much education all around. We will keep adding to this along the way, just to make sure it is the best!
Not a bad idea at all. We have loads more to add, but thought we should get what we have out there now. So many people are coming to town now for the next few weeks for all of the festivals. We are receiving emails for info and it is just easier for me to send a link, with extra personalized info. We will be adding more, but the ebook would be good too. Need to add a bit more to it for that.
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Loved Chiang Mai; such a great place and very easy to travel with kids. I puzzled myself regarding about the massage; are they any special places for kids massage? It would be an interesting niche!
Not that we are aware of.
Our family of 5 (three kids aged 15, 12 and 11 years old) went to Chiang Mai in March. We only got to stay for 4 nights, so I’m very jealous of how long you got to stay there. We loved it. I wish that I had read your insights before we went but we did do a couple of amazing things that are not listed here. We did a segway tour of the historic part of the city and we spent a day becoming an elephant owner at Pantara Elephant Farm, which was spectacular! Highly recommend both!
Hi Nicole, Oh that all sounds great. I don’t think any segways were in town when we were there. We sure did love it and miss it too. All the more reason to go back one day.
Where would you recommend a family of four stay? Near Maya Mall?
I have a very dear friend who is a member of our Buddhist organziation, SGI who returned to Thailand and lives in Chiang Mai…it is a beautiful city with so many wonderful options…thank you for making this information so accessible!
Oh that is wonderful. This place is near and dear to our hearts. It is absolutely wonderful and so many educational things to do, which are fun! It is good for the souls of the young and old alike. We look forward to returning one day.
Thank you for this article! I find myself going back to your blog multiple times to check out all of your great Chiang Mai resources. We are renting an apartment for a month in CM and this is a great list of things to do!
You made my day Jessica. It feels great to know it is of use to someone. It take hours upon hours to write these things, so now I know this one was worth it! Le us know if you have any questions and enjoy Chiang Mai. We have only been away for about 6 weeks and miss it already.
Family or not this is loaded with great information and a fresh perspective from the usual Chaing Mai tour info. I long to return to Thailand and finally make it to the North Country. Thanks for the inspiration.
Oh thank you Elaine! We figured the standard “to do/to see” is covered everywhere and thought we would take a different route. Thanks for noticing that! Yep, it would be fun for the no kids travelers too! 🙂
What an amazing resource you’ve put together! I’d love to do the meditation retreat with my oldest son. This really inspires me to consider a trip to the area with my kids!
Great list! I lived in Chiang Mai myself for over a year and had never heard of some of these (Elephant Poo Poo Paper Park!?). This is a great resource for adventurous families!
Oh thanks Leah. We have had fun finding things to do. There is so much around.
God bless you for writing this post! We are headed to Thailand in 2.5 months specifically with a goal of spending 2-3 months in Chiang Mai as a break from 6 months of non-stop travel. Trying to find information for families (as you know) is nearly impossible. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed post… our 7 year old daughter is so excited to go to catmosphere! I mean who wouldn’t be… cat’s with T-Shirts!!!!
Thanks again,
Stephen
Stephen you made our day! Thank you so much for the compliment. We are still going to try and add more to this post as we think of things. We are currently working on writing up our favorite places to eat. It is very difficult to dig up all of the family friendly things. Let us know if you have any questions or if we can help you in any way.
You bet Catmosphere is the best! We will be going there one more time before leaving Chiang Mai late next week.
Wow! So many options! I love the elephant poo poo park wifi sign.
Isn’t that sign funny Ann? There are loads of options for things to do. So many, we couldn’t list them all.
What a resource, Heidi! Looks like a lot of fun and INTERESTING things to do.
Thanks Shelly. There is so much to do in Chiang Mai and not enough time to do it all.
WHAT a great guide – inspiring! thank you!
Thanks Jessie. We love to hear that!
Wow, who knew Chiang Mai was so family-friendly? Apart from you guys, of course. This is such a comprehensive resource.
Too funny Matthew. Yes, we thought it was all backpackers and parties, but it is a great place for families too. So much education all around. We will keep adding to this along the way, just to make sure it is the best!
This is an excellent guide, Heidi!
You guys should consider beefing it up, and making an ebook out of this. This would be fantastic for families traveling to that area 🙂
Not a bad idea at all. We have loads more to add, but thought we should get what we have out there now. So many people are coming to town now for the next few weeks for all of the festivals. We are receiving emails for info and it is just easier for me to send a link, with extra personalized info. We will be adding more, but the ebook would be good too. Need to add a bit more to it for that.