Night Market Chiang Mai Excerpt

The Night Market

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Words by Dalene Heck / Photography by Pete Heck

We did something unprecedented with the Chiang Mai Saturday night market.

We went back again.

And again.

And again.

We like markets, for sure, but typically give them the once-over and then move on our way. We aren’t big souvenir shoppers (with no home to put them in!) and are usually so tired of being harassed to purchase that a prolonged stay just isn’t worth it.

But it was so different there, and every Saturday night, without fail, we made our way across town to stroll the long street. We met friends for food, were wooed into doing a little shopping, and just absolutely loved the vibe, characters, colors, the smells, the ease.

(And with that much dedication to a single event, we were able to take lots of footage to bring you this video snapshot of it.)

If you have problems viewing this video, please click here.

We are stingy travelers with our time, and few places we’ve visited have warranted dedicated returns. But we wore a groove up and down that street, ate more gyoza than is probably recommended, and had to buy an extra bag to pack all the high-quality, low-cost presents we procured.

And that is as good of a testament as we can ever give.

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38 Comments

    1. I haven’t been to Bangkok so hard to say – BUT I did really want to go there for their weekend market. You should probably do both. 🙂

  1. We love the markets there too. So vibrant. We have been to Chiang Mai 3 times and we will go again. The lychee festival is really worth going to also. Have fun and a foot massage under the trees

  2. Ahhhh! I am always there at the night market. I go there mainly for the for…but I do really like to “window shop” as well, knowing I don’t have the ability to carry these nifty trinkets with me, but maybe one day.

  3. We have lived in Chiang Mai for almost 2 years and have only perused the wares of the Saturday Walking Street once. We’ve inched our way along through the Sunday market, and generally, crave fresh air within about 10 minutes and escape. Perhaps we need to check out the Saturday market again… after the busy tourist season ends in March, though 🙂

  4. You are far more tolerant than I am!! I just went last weekend and made everyone go super early to skip the crowds. It is way too crowded for me!

  5. Beautiful photos of the market… and whew, I give you props for going back.

    I managed to make it nearly two years without going back before Dustin Main dragged me there on my last week in Chiang Mai. It was just as packed as I remember… though, not quite as much of a madhouse as the Sunday Night Market during Yi Peng. Anyway, I ramble, but the point is… great post 🙂

  6. Your opening photograph is beautiful. It is cool when you find a market to revisit happily. We found that in Luang Prabang. Chiang Mai I am sure would be another. I know we would love Chiang Mai which makes me think maybe we should not go. I would want to stay for sure.

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