Chiang Rai Walking Street
Let your shopping spree begin on the 1.5 km long Thanalai Road, it welcomes visitors to shop every Saturday evening. As soon as you step onto this street, you will immerse yourself in a festive atmosphere, accompanied by food carts, shopping stalls and live folk music. Rub shoulders with the locals and sample some northern Thai snacks.
There is a wide selection of handmade products, native art and souvenirs to choose from, including a collection of Doi Tung branded goods, tribal crafts, handicrafts, clothing and spa products. Re-enact scenes of the Lanna people’s ancient way of life as a highlight of your evening.
MZ Collection
This cute handmade jewellery boutique is the product of its owner’s passion for handmade crafts. It features handmade pieces, such as earrings, bracelets, necklaces and rings, fashioned from imported silver and locally sourced semi-precious stones. The Japanese owner designed and created the pieces herself, so each one is unique.
Thanon Khon Muan
Come Sunday evening, the stretch of Th Sankhongnoi from Soi 2 heading west is closed to traffic and in its place are vendors selling clothes, handicrafts and local food. Th Sankhongnoi is called Th Sathanpayabarn where it intersects with the southern end of Th Phahonyothin.
Nine Shop
The first thing that hits you about this shop is the blue neon light and wire-fence display walls bursting with all spectrums of vivid colours. This funky store specializes in hand-painted fashion accessories, whether canvas sneakers, T-shirts, tank tops, baseball caps, cloth bags, or socks.
Imaginative and playful, the design features a family of cartoon characters, all dreamed up by the owner, each representing a real character in his life. Considering that the rest of the shops in the area seem to offer similar kinds of ware, Nine Shop truly adds a much-needed creative twist to Chiang Rai’s shopping scene.
Kaad Luang Market (Central Market)
Kaad Luang Market (Central Market) is a haven for street food lovers and it has all kinds of snacks and munchies you might find along a road side market in northern Thailand, such as fresh vegetables, fruits, grilled seafood, northern delicacies, ready-to-eat meals and desserts.
Every afternoon before sunset, vendors set up their stalls around the bazaar and get ready for visitors. If you are adventurous enough, try their fried bugs such as grasshoppers, silk worms and beetles. If not, just go with the crowd and enjoy your food hunt along the way.
Night Bazaar
Adjacent to the bus station off Th Phahonyothin is Chiang Rai’s night market. On a much smaller scale than the one in Chiang Mai, it is nevertheless a good place to find an assortment of handicrafts and touristy souvenirs.
Chiang Rai Herbs Shop
This neon-lit single shop-house has all kinds of herbal products and supplements. The extensive collection includes Oolong tea, slimming tea, herbal capsules, dried Linzhi mushrooms, exfoliation masks, spa products, fruit wines and more. Packaging is basic, just like the interior décor, but this is definitely a one-stop shop for all the herbal products you may need.