Chiang Mai

If you’re interested in my Chiang Mai, Thailand travel itinerary without all the basketball adrenaline, scroll down to the bottom for travel tips, foods to eat, and things to do!

Also, check out my Bangkok blog here! 

Thailand was so much fun that I had to extend my vacation in Chiang Mai. If you want to experience two cities that feel completely opposite, I would recommend Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Bangkok was a hustling and bustling traffic jam of a city, while Chiang Mai offered a more laid back and relaxed vacation. Chiang Mai was also much smaller, which made finding a basketball court much easier.

But before playing basketball, one must hydrate in Thailand's humid heat. My favorite activity throughout the trip was stopping by a fruit smoothie stand and ordering a new fruit flavor each time as if I was collecting legendary Pokémon. By the end of my travels, I had tasted mango, orange, passionfruit, avocado, pineapple, kiwi, dragonfruit, guava, papaya, watermelon, coconut, pomegranate, and many more smoothies that I forgot to list here. 

Make sure you find the stands where you can watch them put in and mix the fresh fruit. The best part was that each one of these cost only 20 to 70 baht. I learned that the longer you explore a city, the more cheap options you will find, so never settle for the first one you see.

After hydrating, make sure you hop on a songthaew, also known as the red truck (30 baht - see below in the transportation section for more info on these things), and make your way around the city to look for a basketball court. I ended up exploring three courts in Chiang Mai.

I first started at the Buak Hard Public Park basketball courts, but I will tell you right away that you should not come here to play basketball. It looks like no one plays here enough that the court is now used to store construction equipment. The park itself was a nice and cozy place where you could exercise and relax, just not a place for basketball.

Next, I stumbled upon สนามบาสเกตบอล สวนดอก (Basketball Court, Suan Dok), somewhere in the Chiang Mai Medical Center, but I was not sure how many people actually played there because it was completely empty.

Undeterred, I continued on, knowing that my research told me the third and final court would be the best and most popular place to play basketball in Chiang Mai. I headed to the Chiang Mai University (CMU) Outdoor Basketball Courts, which are ideally located right next to the CMU Main Stadium, where it seems like everyone comes to exercise.

Now moving on to the CMU Outdoor Basketball Courts. Once I arrived, I knew I was in the right place. There were two full courts (4 half courts) with games playing on all, plus a ton of players waiting to get on. I got there around 7 pm, which seemed to be prime time for playing pickup basketball in Chiang Mai. Just like in Bangkok, I knew I would need to find a team or hope a team needed one more player, but this was a different beast. There were simply too many players waiting to sneak onto a team. I talked to one guy, and he told me that once you form a team, there is usually a wait of six or seven teams. For him, he had already been waiting over 60 for his next game.

I had no intention of waiting over an hour to play basketball, so I made a business decision to call it a day and get a massage instead.

BUT I was not going to give up so easily. I learned from others that if you arrive before the main rush, you can easily find a court, so try to come before 5 pm. When tomorrow came, I grabbed another fruit smoothie, jumped in a songthaew, and made my way back to the CMU outdoor basketball courts before 5 pm. The courts were half full, but you could tell that as time went on, more and more players showed up, and before you knew it, all four courts were full.

When I arrived, there were already some games going on, so I naturally found a few extra players to shoot around with, and we eventually formed a team. Once we had a team, we waited for our turn, and just like that, I was playing pickup basketball in Chiang Mai. Games were half court 4x4 and by 2s and 3s (woot!). If your team won twice, you sat so other teams could play. I was not sure if this was the rule for all four hoops, but it was the rule at ours.

Conclusion
Get yourself a fruit smoothie and check out the CMU outdoor basketball courts for some pickup basketball. This place really felt like the spot for pickup basketball in Chiang Mai. Locals and foreigners of all ages came here to play. There was even one hoop where teams featured female players, so do not feel intimidated. Just be prepared to come early or wait forever to play. Once you are done playing, make sure to go get yourself a massage.

Travel tips for Chiang Mai

Phone Apps

• Google Maps: Use this to navigate around Chiang Mai.

• Grab: Southeast Asia's version of Uber or Lyft (see the transportation section below).

Cash
You will need cash in Bangkok. Find an ATM that works best with your debit card. I used the Blue Bangkok Bank ATMs, which charged a 150 baht fee.

Credit Card
Some places accept foreign credit cards, but many more prefer cash, so it is a good idea to have cash on hand.

Transportation

I primarily used Grab and Songthaew (red trucks), to get around Chiang Mai. Within the Grab app, there are different types of cars, but I only used GrabCar and GrabBike.

• GrabCar: This gives you an upfront fixed price so you know what you are paying before the ride. Most rides within the city were around 100 to 130 baht.

• GrabBike: Someone picks you up on their motorbike, you hop on the back, and they take you to your destination. They should provide a helmet, although some may not. These rides are much cheaper and faster for a single rider since they can weave in and out of traffic. They typically cost 28 to 38 baht.

After taking Grab a couple of times, I noticed red trucks all over Chiang Mai, and my curiosity got the best of me since each truck advertised 30 baht on the side. I soon learned that these red trucks can take you almost anywhere within Chiang Mai for only 30 baht per person.

Steps to ride a Songthaew (red truck)

1. You flag down a red truck just like you would flag down a taxi.

2. You walk up to the driver and let them know where you are going. I recommend using Google Maps to show the destination in Thai. Choose a well known place or use Google Translate to get the correct name.

3. The driver will either say yes or no.

   1. If they nod yes, get in the back, and they will take you on your way. Because it is a truck with many seats, they might pick up other passengers along the route, or you may be joining a route they have already started. Pay after you are dropped off.

   2. If they shake no, they might simply not want to take you, or your destination may not be along the route of the passengers they already have. Do not take it personally. Just flag down another one.

4. You may need to negotiate the price, but do not let them take advantage of you. It will almost always be 30 baht per person. Anyone asking for more is probably trying to pull a fast one. I went from one side of Chiang Mai to the other, and it was still the standard 30 baht.

Taxi Airport

When you arrive at the airport, there will be an Airport Taxi service that costs 100 baht to take you almost anywhere within the Old City. I saw both Taxi Meter and Airport Taxi options, but I made sure to get into the white Airport Taxi. There were probably other metered taxis and possibly different colored ones as well, but the white Airport Taxi I took was a flat 100 baht.

Smoothies 

Get yourself a fruit smoothie. Try every fruit imaginable. Just make sure you are getting the fresh fruit smoothies, and watch them blend the fresh fruit. The cheapest place I found for a fresh fruit smoothie was at the Chiang Mai Gate Market, where each drink was only 20 baht.

Massages

PG Rated: Best deals are the 300 baht for the 60 minute full massages or 60 minute foot massages. There are plenty of them and pretty much wherever I walked, I was able to find these price points. I even saw some lower so feel free to check those out as well!

My Actual 4-Day Itinerary (Not AI-Generated) - Feel free to take this and make your own schedule! 

Day 1 – Arrival and Temples

• Morning: Arrive at Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX) and take an airport taxi (100 baht) to an Old City hotel to drop off your luggage.

• Lunch: Enjoy street food within the Old City.

• Afternoon: Get a massage.

• Dinner: Visit the Chiang Mai University Night Market.

Day 2 – Doi Ithanon tour

• Morning: Book any all day tour that includes Doi Inthanon.

• Afternoon: Get a massage.

• Dinner: Find food at a market or enjoy street food in the Old City.

Day 3 – Markets, shopping and night markets 

• Morning: Waroros Market - cheap shops and great food.

• Lunch: Find something to eat at Waroros Market.

• Afternoon: Explore Nimmanhaemin Road.

• Dinner: Anusarn Market, the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, and any other nearby markets.

Day 4 – Self care and food

• Morning: We did a color analysis (whatever that was).

• Afternoon: Get a facial or a massage.

• Dinner: Book a Thai cooking class.

• Night: Chiang Mai Gate Market.

• Late night or early morning: Leave for the airport.

Have fun!