North Thailand is famous among backpackers — motorbike loops, mountains, markets, temples, jazz bars, and the infamous black hole that is Pai. After a couple of weeks bouncing between Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, and Pai, here's the brutally honest breakdown.
Chiang Rai: A strange mix of "new temples" and reggae bars
Chiang Rai confused us. The temples everyone discusses — the White Temple, the Blue Temple, Wat Huay Pla Kang — are basically brand-new art installations built by contemporary artists. Visually striking, particularly the White Temple, but they feel more like entertainment venues than historical landmarks. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's a different kind of experience from what most people expect when they imagine visiting a Thai temple.
What did surprise us was how much of Chiang Rai's nightlife operates around reggae bars and a fairly visible cannabis culture (legal in Thailand at the time of writing, though regulations have shifted — check current rules). Live music, cheap beers, people playing pool. A chill vibe for a night.
Our honest verdict: Chiang Rai works as a day trip from Chiang Mai or an overnight stop. Staying longer unless you're specifically interested in the temple installations or the slow northern pace felt like it would be stretching it.
Chiang Mai: Markets, jazz bars, and wishing we'd done a hike
Chiang Mai is better. The night markets (the Night Bazaar near the river, the Saturday Market, the Sunday Walking Street) are all worth going to, and the city has a creative, independent cafe and bar scene that makes evenings genuinely enjoyable. The jazz bars around Nimman Road play actual jazz — this is not a given in tourist cities.
We kept seeing signs for multi-day hiking expeditions into the mountains and didn't do one, which in retrospect was a mistake. The countryside around Chiang Mai — waterfalls, hill tribe villages, forest — is supposed to be excellent and we never got there. Something for next time.
Doi Suthep, the temple on the mountain above the city, is an easy half-day trip and worth doing — the views over Chiang Mai from the pagoda are the reward for the stairs.
Chiang Mai isn't the best city we visited in Thailand but it's engaging and easy to be in for a few days.
Pai: One night turned into three
Pai is dangerous in the most wholesome way possible. We planned to stay one night.
We stayed three.
The town is small — a few streets of cafes, bars, hostels, and massage shops — but the surroundings are beautiful. Forest, hot springs, waterfalls, a valley that feels a long way from anywhere. The best day we spent there involved hiring a guide who took us into the forest to hike, cut down bamboo, collect banana leaves, and cook local food over a fire. No phones, no other tourists, just forest and a genuinely different kind of day.
The social atmosphere at the hostels is real. People arrive for one night and stay a week. Whether that's a positive depends entirely on what you're looking for.
The Chiang Mai–Pai motorbike loop: a cautionary tale
The loop is an iconic backpacker route — 762 curves through mountain scenery, genuinely spectacular in places. We did it on rented bikes that had bald tyres, weak engines, and dodgy brakes. Both bikes crashed on the same sandy corner, within thirty seconds of each other. No serious injuries. A lot of bruised ego.
The scenery was worth it. The bikes were not.
If you're doing the loop: test the bike properly before you leave the rental place. Check the tyres, the brakes, and the engine. Rent from somewhere reputable. The loop can be done in a day but two days with an overnight in Pai is more comfortable.
North Thailand delivered most of what we hoped for. Chiang Rai is skippable unless you specifically want the temple art; Chiang Mai is worth 3-4 nights; Pai is a trap you'll enjoy falling into. Budget more time than you think you need. You'll use it.