Chiang Mai has two big weekly night markets and one that runs every evening. The Sunday Walking Street fills Ratchadamnoen Road in the old city, the Saturday market takes over Wualai Road just south of it, and the Night Bazaar on Chang Khlan Road opens nightly. Around them sit smaller food markets at the city gates and in the old trading district by the river.
If you are in Chiang Mai over a weekend, plan your evenings around the two walking streets: they are the best of the city's markets for crafts, street food and atmosphere. On weekdays, the Night Bazaar and the food stalls at the gates fill the gap. None of the walking-street hours are published officially, so treat the times on this page as a guide: stalls set up in the late afternoon (around 16:00–17:00) and most close between about 22:00 and 23:00.
Our beginner's guide to eating at Thai night markets covers how to order, what is safe to eat and why small notes matter. This page is about which Chiang Mai market to go to, on which day, and what each one is good for.
Chiang Mai's markets by day
- Sunday evening
- Sunday Walking Street: Ratchadamnoen Road, from Tha Phae Gate into the old city (about 1 km)
- Saturday evening
- Saturday Walking Street: Wualai Road, south of Chiang Mai Gate
- Every evening
- Night Bazaar on Chang Khlan Road; food stalls at Chiang Mai Gate and Chang Phueak Gate
- Every day (daytime)
- Warorot Market and Ton Lamyai Market on Wichayanon Road, by the Ping River
- Weekend mornings
- Jing Jai Farmers Market on Assadathon Road
- Hours
- Walking streets roughly 16:00–17:00 to 22:00–23:00; no official timetable is published
The Sunday Walking Street on Ratchadamnoen Road
This is the big one. Every Sunday afternoon, Ratchadamnoen Road is closed to traffic from Tha Phae Gate on the eastern moat to Wat Phra Singh in the west, roughly a kilometer, and stalls spill into the side streets. Many people call it the Tha Phae Walking Street because it starts at the gate, but the market itself runs along Ratchadamnoen, not Tha Phae Road. The city municipality runs it and treats it as one of Chiang Mai's main tourist sites.
The stalls are a mix of genuine northern crafts (woven cotton, carved soap, paper lanterns, silver, hill-tribe embroidery) and the T-shirts and phone cases you find everywhere. Several temples along the road open their courtyards as food courts, which are the best places to sit down and eat. Street musicians play at intervals along the road, and you will see foot-massage chairs set up in rows.
The crowds are the downside. Between about 19:00 and 21:00 the street can slow to a shuffle, especially in the cool season and on long weekends. Arrive around 17:00 for room to browse and look at crafts, or after 21:00 if you mostly want to eat. Keep your bag in front of you in the crush.
Start at Wat Phra Singh and walk east if you are staying in the west of the old city. Most visitors enter at Tha Phae Gate, so the western end is quieter early in the evening. You finish at the gate, where it is easy to find a songthaew or Grab home.
The Saturday market on Wualai Road
The Saturday Walking Street runs along Wualai Road, which leaves the old city at Chiang Mai Gate on the southern moat. Wualai is Chiang Mai's traditional silversmiths' street, and some workshops still line it. Wat Sri Suphan, known for its silver-covered ordination hall, is in a lane just off the road and is a good first stop before dark.
The market feels a little more local than the Sunday one, with more Thai families shopping and slightly more space to move. The mix of goods is similar, with more silver and lacquer work and plenty of snacks. If you can only do one weekend market and you dislike crowds, choose this one.
From the old city, walk out through Chiang Mai Gate and cross the road; the market starts a few minutes' walk south.
The Night Bazaar on Chang Khlan Road, every evening
The Night Bazaar is the market most visitors find first, because it opens every night of the week. It occupies Chang Khlan Road and several covered buildings and side lots east of the old city, between the moat and the Ping River, about a 15-minute walk from Tha Phae Gate.
Expect permanent shops and stalls selling clothes, handicrafts, wood carvings, souvenirs and fake brand goods, plus food courts, bars and evening shows in the side areas. Prices start higher than at the walking streets, and bargaining for non-food items is normal here; start lower than you expect to pay and stay friendly. It is the place for a quick evening's shopping on a Tuesday, not the place to discover northern crafts.
Be careful with counterfeit goods. Buying fakes is common, but bringing them home can be an offense under your own country's customs rules, and some airlines and destinations check.
Food markets at the gates and by the river
If eating matters more than shopping, the smaller markets are often better than the big walking streets.
- Chiang Mai Gate market (Phra Pokklao Road, south moat) is a licensed municipal market. It is a fresh market during the day, and in the evening cooked-food stalls set up in front of it, selling grilled meats, curries over rice, noodles and desserts.
- Chang Phueak Gate on the north moat is known for its evening food stalls, especially stewed pork leg on rice (khao kha moo). The licensed Chang Phueak market is nearby on Manee Nopparat Road.
- Warorot Market (Kad Luang) and Ton Lamyai Market on Wichayanon Road, by the Ping River, are the city's old trading markets. Go in the daytime for northern snacks, dried goods, spices, sai ua sausage and nam phrik chili pastes to take home. Ton Lamyai is also the flower market.
- Jing Jai Farmers Market on Assadathon Road, north of the old city, is a weekend morning market with organic produce, local designers and breakfast stalls. Go early.
Northern dishes worth looking for at these markets include khao soi (curry noodle soup), sai ua (herb sausage), nam phrik noom (green chili dip) with pork crackling, and khanom jeen nam ngiao (rice noodles in a tomato and pork broth). Our guide to Thai dishes by region explains them, and the guide to vegetarian and halal food in Thailand helps if you avoid meat or pork. If you would rather learn to cook them, a Chiang Mai cooking class usually starts with a market tour.
Food or crafts: which market for which purpose
| Market | When | Best for | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday Walking Street | Sunday evening | Crafts, souvenirs, temple-courtyard food | Very busy 19:00–21:00 |
| Wualai Saturday market | Saturday evening | Silver, crafts, snacks | Busy but easier |
| Night Bazaar | Every evening | Quick shopping, clothes, bars | Steady, never packed |
| Chiang Mai Gate | Evenings (fresh market by day) | Cheap cooked food | Local diners |
| Warorot and Ton Lamyai | Daytime | Northern snacks, spices, flowers | Busy mornings |
| Jing Jai | Weekend mornings | Breakfast, produce, design | Busy late morning |
Planning a week of markets in Chiang Mai
A week in the city gives you both walking streets. One way to fit them around other plans:
- Saturday: Jing Jai for breakfast, the old-city temples during the day, Wualai in the evening.
- Sunday: a slow morning, the mountain temple at Doi Suthep in the afternoon if the air is clear, then the Sunday Walking Street from about 17:00.
- Monday to Friday: Warorot for lunch and shopping one day, the Night Bazaar one evening, and dinner at Chiang Mai Gate or Chang Phueak Gate on the others.
If you only have a weekday or two, do not change your plans just for a walking street. The Night Bazaar and the gate markets give you a good taste of evening Chiang Mai on any day. Staying inside or near the old city keeps all of them within walking distance; our guide to where to stay in Chiang Mai compares the areas.
Paying, festivals and other practical points
Cash is still the norm at stalls, but many vendors now show a Thai QR code for PromptPay. Visitors without a Thai bank account can use TAGTHAi Easy Pay, a TAT-backed e-wallet that the Tourism Authority of Thailand says lets international visitors top up in baht and pay by scanning Thai QR codes nationwide. Whether Alipay or WeChat Pay is accepted depends on the stall, so do not count on it. For cash, our article on using ATMs wisely explains the fees.
Festivals change everything. During Yi Peng, the walking streets and the area around Tha Phae Gate become extremely crowded. The Chiang Mai municipality has set its 2026 festival for 23 to 25 November, and the district has asked that no sky lanterns be released in the city; our page on Yi Peng in Chiang Mai covers the rules. Expect the same during Songkran in April.
On Buddhist holy days and some election days, alcohol sales stop, and stalls selling beer at the markets will not serve. Our guide to alcohol sales hours lists the rules.
For everything else in the city, see our Chiang Mai city guide.
Frequently asked questions
What time does the Sunday Walking Street in Chiang Mai open?
There is no official timetable. Stalls set up in the late afternoon, most are open by about 17:00, and the market winds down between about 22:00 and 23:00. The busiest time is roughly 19:00 to 21:00.
Is the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar open every day?
Yes, the Night Bazaar on Chang Khlan Road opens every evening. It is more commercial than the weekend walking streets, with permanent shops, higher starting prices and more bargaining, but it is the easiest option on a weekday.
Which is better, the Saturday or the Sunday market?
The Sunday Walking Street is bigger and has more crafts and temple food courts, but it gets very crowded. The Saturday market on Wualai Road is a little smaller and calmer, with a stronger silver tradition. If you can, see both.
Where can I eat cheaply in Chiang Mai in the evening?
The cooked-food stalls in front of Chiang Mai Gate market and around Chang Phueak Gate are the classic choices on any evening. On weekends, the temple courtyards along the Sunday Walking Street are good places to sit down with food from several stalls.
Sources
- Chiang Mai City Municipality – Licensed markets in the municipality (2023 list) (checked October 2026)
- Chiang Mai City Municipality – Safety inspection at the Tha Phae Walking Street (24 August 2025) (checked October 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – TAGTHAi expands tourist spending through Easy Pay partnerships (checked October 2026)
- Chiang Mai News – Municipality plans Yi Peng 2026 and asks for no sky lanterns in the city (checked October 2026)