Quick Guide to Chiang Rai Night Markets
Chiang Rai night markets may not be as big as the ones in Chiang Mai, but what they lack in size they make up for in organization and in the laid-back character you’d expect from smaller-town bazaars.
So if you’re looking for things to do, great places to eat, and information on Chiang Rai’s nightlife, keep reading.
What to Expect from a Thai Night Market
– Northern Thai food and drinks
– Handcrafted products
– Thai massages
– Clothing
– Thai dancing shows
– Folk concerts
– And a good time
Thai people love night markets, and they do so for a reason: it’s too hot to be shopping during the day. For us foreigners, the night markets are more than a place to shop for souvenirs. They’re communal places to go for entertainment, music, and good food — we’re talking about Thailand after all!
Chiang Rai Saturday Night Market
Open every Saturday from 04:30 PM to 00:30 AM.
Located on Thana Lai Road, right in the city center.
Every Saturday by mid-afternoon, Thana Lai Road closes to traffic and opens up for people to wander through the stalls. After a bit of browsing, you’ll find the quality work of local artisans standing out from the generic bric-a-brac.
However, if you’re not planning on buying anything else due to your luggage being full, there’s an abundance of Thai snacks and desserts to fill your empty stomach.
If you go there to eat, we recommend an early dinner — by 8:00 PM the place will be jammed packed with people and the queues for buying food get quite long. Having said that, this is also the time when the market starts to come alive.
But besides the great food, there are other attractions in Chiang Rai Saturday Night Market. A good visual cue is: if the Chinese lanterns are lit, entertainers and musicians are performing.
Tip: Around here, if you’re a tourist you’ll have to bargain. It’s very likely that sellers doubled the price just for you.
Sunday Happy Street (Snag Khon Noil)
Open Sundays from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
Located on Sankhongnoi Road near the Chiang Rai Hospital. Just a 10-minute walk from the Night Bazaar.
The Sunday Happy Street in Chiang Rai is worth visiting for its family-friendly atmosphere. The eating spots on this one are a great way to relax, mingle with locals, and enjoy typical northern Thai cuisine.
The Sunday street market is smaller than the one on Saturdays, however, shops along Sankhongnoi Road open their doors so it all evens out in the end
Chiang Rai Night Bazaar
Open daily from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
Located near the Chiang Rai Bus Terminal 1, off Phaholyothin Road.
We found the Night Bazaar to be more touristy than the weekend markets. And not necessarily by the number of tourists walking around, but for the type of products being sold — the same overpriced knick-knacks repeated on every stall (but vendors were never pushy though).
Most locals hang out near the food and beer area. Next to it is a temple yard with benches and tables where they eat, socialize, and watch the artists perform. When the crowd is familiar with the music, they’ll get up and dance, and everyone is invited to join.
The Chiang Rai Municipal Market Food Court
Open from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
Located near the Night Bazaar is a tin-roofed Municipal Market.
It’s basically a food court with stalls all around the perimeter selling fried treats, and hot pots. In the center are hundreds of chairs and tables to eat on, and a stage where local entertainers perform while you munch a crispy deep-fried whatever.
Photo by Marvin Wan
Image by Marvin Wan
Kaad Luang (The Big Wet Market)
Open daily from 5:00 PM to 00:00 A.M
Located on Uttarakit Road, three blocks north of the Clock Tower.
During the day Chiang Rai Kaad Luang is a regular bazaar, but as the sun begins to set, it transforms into a street food paradise.
Vendors hit the streets and set up their stalls around the main building. In almost no time, the entire street block is occupied by a myriad of fresh fruit and pick-up meal options: from fresh seafood to desserts.
If you don’t know where to begin, let the scents guide you.
Are you traveling in northern Thailand? Check out the 6 Best Markets in Chiang Mai.
Cover photo by Maxim B.
Siem Reap for first-timers (What to Expect)
After the whole border situation entering Cambodia, we arrived in Siem Reap hesitant about the days to come. You can read the whole story here → Crossing the Infamous Poipet Border in Cambodia.
Siem Reap is a “small city” that rapidly grew and adapted to the massive tourist influx at the expense of the Angkor Temples. A river also called ‘Siem Reap’ divides the city in two. In the Royal Gardens, you can rest and escape from the afternoon heat under the old trees. Here’s where locals come to relax on the benches, socialize and play jianzi.
The sunlight has a magical deep orange hue and the city seems to be calmer around this area. There aren’t many people in sight, only a few local passerbyers, and businesses seem to be slow as most tourists are hiding from the heat or visiting the Angkor temples.
At the beginning and end of each day, an amusing anarchy in traffic starts. Cars, tuk-tuks, and minibusses packed with tourists come and go to the temples. Scooters and bicycles run wherever as fast as they can. Sidewalks are parking spots and pedestrians are forced to walk on the road — it’s every man for themselves.
Breathe in, breathe out
In Siem Reap, tuk-tuk drivers are next-level annoying. All they want is to take you on a tour of the temples or sell you some cocaine — both preferably. They’ll be parked on random streets, and outside every restaurant, hotel, and coffee shop waiting for tourists.
At the moment they see you asking for the bill in a restaurant, they’ll start touting. They will shout, whistle, clap, and hiss to get your attention. It’s intense. Breathe in, say ‘thank you’ and keep moving.
Tasting the gravy
Khmer food is amazing, and Cambodians are like wizards of pepper: amouk is great, Lok Lak even better. The spicy mango salads and the pork with pineapple are to die for.
Try all of the above with a fruit smoothie, any fruit smoothie.
We had the majority of our meals in a great restaurant called Moul Chheng Heang, near our hostel. The food was delicious and so were the prices, but what made us return every night, was the lovely enthusiastic lady running the restaurant.
She finished every sentence with:
– Yeah, yeah!
And lovingly made us promise we’ll return the next day.
– See you tomorrow. Ok?!
– Ok.
– Yeah, yeah!
Tip: The average street food costs 2,5USD. In restaurants near Pub Street meals start at 7 or 12USD. In most supermarkets, water is more expensive than in restaurants.
A dolla’ makes them holla’!
It’s weird to see an entire country on the other side of the world running on dollar bills.
Throughout Cambodia, you’ll need US dollars for everything: food, hotels, entrance fees, and transportation. They don’t care for their currency, so if you try to pay anything in Rhiels, they’ll roll their eyes at you.
Oh! And you better keep the dollar bills in pristine condition or they won’t take them.
The problem with the dollar bills is that everything got more expensive. There aren’t any nuances in prices and everything got rounded up to 1USD, 5USD, or 10USD.
Banks will give you dollar bills by default when you use any ATM, and the average fee is 4USD for each withdrawal.
A tip for European travelers: even though there’s a money-saving tip on Lonely Planet about Canadia Bank not charging any fees, it doesn’t work for European debit or credit cards.
Pub Street at night
Everyone comes here when the sun goes down: locals, backpackers, and tourists of all ages come to eat, drink and shop around. The street is filled with restaurants, massage parlors, coffee shops, and bars. And there’s always a happy hour somewhere.
Color is everywhere: in the neon lights of the bars, the tropical fruit in smoothie carts, the brightly lit bridges, and in the night markets on both sides of the river — Old market, Angkor market, and Night market.
Interacting with locals in Siem Reap
Unfortunately, every conversation that occurred was intended to make a sale and was definitely not in our best interest. As tourists, we got singled out and only treated as such. Locals couldn’t care less about your presence, so conversations never happened.
Siem Reap travel expenses (daily average for 1 person)
Water: 0.28€
Accommodation: 14.20€
Bicycle: 2.66€
Meals: 3,10€
Laundry: 0.87€ per kilo
If you have any questions or some extra info to share, please leave a reply. Thank you!