Chiang Mai's Old City is a square mile inside a moat, laid out in 1296 and still readable today. The walls are mostly gone, but the moat remains, and the four corners and five gates give the area a shape you can hold in your head after one day. We explored these streets with our kids on visits from Koh Phangan. It is the part of the city we know best. For the wider picture, see our Chiang Mai city guide.
The temples worth the walk
There are dozens of wats inside the walls. These are the ones we kept going back to.
Wat Chedi Luang is the big one, in the middle of the Old City. Its ruined stupa was once the tallest structure in the kingdom, and even collapsed and weathered it towers over the courtyard. There are smaller chedis, old teak pillars and usually a monk chat programme where visitors sit and talk with novice monks. Our kids loved the scale of it and the space to move.
Wat Phra Singh, at the western end of Ratchadamnoen Road, is the city's most revered temple and much more ornate. Classic Lanna roofs, a gilded chedi, murals on the assembly hall walls. It is busy, and for good reason. Go in the morning light.
Wat Chiang Man, in the northeast corner, is the oldest temple in the city and the quietest of the three. Two chedis, one with elephants carved around the base, and a small crystal Buddha. It feels like a neighbourhood temple because it is one.
Wat Phan Tao, right next door, is small and made of dark teak, and it takes ten minutes. Wat Lok Molee sits just outside the north wall and is worth the detour for its black teak assembly hall.
A note on etiquette. Shoes come off before entering any building, shoulders and knees should be covered, and most temples lend sarongs at the entrance. Don't point your feet at a Buddha image, and step over the raised threshold rather than on it.
The gates and the moat
Tha Phae Gate on the east side is the famous one, a broad brick wall facing a plaza full of pigeons and photographers. It is touristy, everyone goes anyway, and it makes a good meeting point. Chang Phueak Gate to the north is quieter and has more of the original wall standing. Suan Dok Gate to the west leads out toward the university and the mountain road.
The moat path is one of the best free things in the city. You can walk or cycle the whole loop, roughly four kilometres, and it is flat and shaded in stretches. Early morning is the time, when locals are running and the water is still. It is not scenic in a postcard way, but it gives you the shape of the old city and it is easy with children on bikes.
Cafés and food inside the walls
Northern Thai food is its own cuisine, and the Old City is where you eat it. Khao soi first, always. Coconut curry broth, egg noodles, a fist of crisp fried noodles on top, pickled mustard greens and shallots on the side.
Then sai ua, the lemongrass and chilli sausage, grilled and sold by weight. Nam prik dips, especially nam prik ong with tomato and pork, eaten with vegetables and sticky rice. Khao man gai from shops that sell nothing else. Grilled river fish.
The food courts attached to markets worked well for our family, because each person could pick their own stall. At street stalls, we choose food cooked fresh and served hot, and use the same judgement we would anywhere else.
The coffee is genuinely good. Northern Thailand grows arabica, and the Old City and Nimman just outside the northwest corner have cafés run by people who care. Expect proper espresso, Thai filter coffee with condensed milk, and iced versions sweetened with palm sugar. The bakery and cake scene is strong too, which we did not expect and relied on heavily.
Markets
The Sunday Walking Street is the main event. From late afternoon, Ratchadamnoen Road through the middle of the Old City closes to traffic and fills end to end with food, crafts, clothes and music, running to well after dark. Go early with kids, use a carrier rather than a stroller, and agree on a meeting point.
The Saturday Walking Street on Wualai Road, just outside the southwest corner, is the smaller silver-street version and much calmer. The Night Bazaar, east of the Old City, is more of a souvenir affair, though the food section is decent. Warorot Market, by the river, is the working market where locals shop, and we like it best in the morning.
Where to stay and walking it with kids
Staying inside the walls is worth the small premium. You can walk to temples, markets and dinner without needing a songthaew, and that changes the texture of a trip with children enormously. There is everything from guesthouses in old wooden houses to hotels with pools, and a pool matters more than you would think in the hot months.
The quietest corners are the north and northeast, around Wat Chiang Man. The middle along Ratchadamnoen is the most convenient but gets loud on Sunday. Nimman, outside the northwest corner, has more cafés and better restaurants but you will need transport to reach the temples.
Walking with kids here is easy on flat ground and hard on pavements, which are uneven and often blocked by parked scooters. Bring a carrier for the small one. Cross roads slowly and visibly, and remember traffic drives on the left. And plan around the heat. Out early, indoors or in the pool by eleven, back out at four. That rhythm works better than any itinerary. If you are travelling as a family, our Chiang Mai with kids guide covers the days out beyond these walls.