Best Day Trips from Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai is Thailand's northernmost major city and an underrated base for exploring the country's most remote and scenically varied region. The White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) is the famous anchor attraction — a dreamlike creation in blinding white and mirrored glass by artist Chalermchai Kositpipat, still under construction and admission-free (donations accepted). The Blue Temple (Wat Rong Suea Ten) a few kilometres away is equally striking but far less visited, with its vivid cobalt and gold interior creating an ethereally beautiful space. Both are best visited early morning before the tour buses arrive.

The Golden Triangle — the confluence of the Mekong and Ruak rivers at Thailand's junction with Laos and Myanmar — is a 90-minute drive from Chiang Rai and a historically fascinating half-day trip. The Hall of Opium museum in Chiang Saen is a genuinely excellent exhibition covering the region's opium history. Mae Salong, a mountain town settled by KMT (Chinese Nationalist) soldiers after 1949, is one of Thailand's most unusual destinations — a Chinese-influenced hilltop town growing oolong tea at altitude, with excellent Chinese food and stunning views. The drive up is scenic. Doi Tung is the royal project mountain topped by a doi (peak) villa and Japanese-style garden — worth combining with Mae Salong into a full northern loop. All these trips are best done by hired car or motorbike; public transport connections are limited.