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Must-see attractions in Northern Thailand

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    Wat Chang Rob temple in Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park.

    Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park

    Northern Thailand

    A Unesco World Heritage Site, the Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park features the ruins of structures dating back to the 14th century, roughly the same time…

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    Mae Fah Luang Art and Culture Park in Chiang Rai, Thailand.

    Mae Fah Luang Art & Culture Park

    Chiang Rai

    In addition to a museum that houses one of Thailand’s biggest collections of Lanna artefacts, this vast, meticulously landscaped compound includes antique…

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    Sukhothai Historical Park

    Sukhothai

    The Sukhothai Historical Park ruins are one of Thailand’s most impressive World Heritage sites. The park includes the remains of 21 historical sites and…

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    Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat

    Phitsanulok

    The main wí·hăhn (sanctuary) at this temple, known by locals as Wat Yai, appears small from the outside, but houses the Phra Phuttha Chinnarat, one of…

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    Hill Tribe Museum and Education Center, Chiang Rai, Thailand.

    Hilltribe Museum & Education Center

    Chiang Rai

    This museum and cultural centre is a good place to visit before undertaking any hill-tribe trek. Run by the nonprofit Population & Community Development…

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    Hall of Opium Museum interior, Golden Triangle, Thailand.

    Hall of Opium

    Chiang Rai Province

    One kilometre north of Sop Ruak on a 40-hectare plot opposite the Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa, the Mae Fah Luang Foundation has established the…

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    Wat Rong Khun

    Chiang Rai Province

    Wat Rong Khun’s construction began in 1997 by noted Thai painter turned architect Chalermchai Kositpipat. It's a striking structure that, from a distance,…

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    Baandam

    Chiang Rai Province

    The bizarre brainchild of Thai National Artist Thawan Duchanee, and a rather sinister counterpoint to Wat Rong Khun, Baandam unites several structures,…

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    Sergeant Major Thawee Folk Museum

    Phitsanulok

    This fascinating museum displays a remarkable collection of tools, textiles and photographs from Phitsanulok Province, as well as many knick-knacks from…

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    Nam Tok Pembok

    Pai

    Higher up than the other waterfalls close to Pai, Nam Tok Pembok is at its best after the rainy season (October to early December). The waterfall is about…

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    Wat Prathat Pukhao

    Chiang Rai Province

    Wat Prathat Pukhao provides the best viewpoint of the Mekong junction of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. There are steps up to the temple next to the House of…

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    Wat Ratburana

    Phitsanulok

    Across the street from Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat, Wat Ratburana draws fewer visitors but in some ways is more interesting than its famous neighbour. In…

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    Doi Khun Tan National Park

    Northern Thailand

    This 225-sq-km national park straddles the mountains between Lamphun and Lampang Provinces. It ranges in elevation from 350m in the bamboo-forest lowlands…

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    Asia, Thailand, Chiang Mai Province, Wat Phra Singh temple. (Photo by: JTB Photo/UIG via Getty Images)

    Wat Phra Singh

    Chiang Rai

    This temple dates back to the late 14th century, and its oldest surviving original buildings are typical Northern Thai–style wooden structures with low,…

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    Wat Phra Kaew

    Chiang Rai

    Originally called Wat Pa Yia (Bamboo Forest Monastery) in the local dialect, this is the city’s most revered Buddhist temple. The main prayer hall is a…

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    Wat Saphan Hin of Sukhothai Historical Park in Thailand.

    Sukhothai Historical Park Western Zone

    Sukhothai

    The western zone of Sukhothai Historical Park, at its furthest extent 2km west of the old city walls, is the most expansive. In addition to Wat Saphan Hin…

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    Pai Canyon at sunset

    Pai Canyon

    Pai

    Pai Canyon is located 8km from Pai along the road to Chiang Mai. A paved stairway here culminates in an elevated lookout over high rock cliffs and the Pai…

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    Wat Luang

    Northern Thailand

    This is the oldest wát in Phrae, probably dating from the founding of the city in the 12th or 13th century. There's also a museum here displaying some…

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    Tham Tu Pu & Buddha Cave

    Chiang Rai

    Cross the Mae Fah Luang Bridge (located just northwest of the city centre) to the northern side of Mae Nam Kok and you’ll come to a turn-off for both Tham…

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    Wat Phra That Cho Hae

    Northern Thailand

    Named for the cloth that worshippers wrap around it, this hilltop wát is famous for its 33m-high gilded chedi (stupa). Like Chiang Mai’s Wat Doi Suthep,…

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    Oub Kham Museum

    Chiang Rai

    This slightly zany private museum houses an impressive collection of paraphernalia from virtually every corner of the former Lanna kingdom. The items,…

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    Wat Phra That Hariphunchai

    Northern Thailand

    This temple, Lamphun’s most famous, spans back to the Mon period, having originally been built on the site of Queen Chama Thewi’s palace in 1044 (or 1108…

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    Wat Chedi Sao

    Lampang

    This temple is named for the 20 (sow in Northern Thai) whitewashed Lanna-style chedi (stupas) on its grounds. But the wát’s real treasure is a solid-gold,…

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    Phae Meuang Phi

    Northern Thailand

    The name Phae Meuang Phi means 'Ghost Land', a reference to the bizarre pillars of soil and rock here that look like giant fungi, most likely the result…

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    Wat Chama Thewi

    Northern Thailand

    An unusual Hariphunchai chedi (stupa) can be seen at Wat Chama Thewi. The structure dates to around the 13th century, although two chedi (stupas) go back…

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    Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao

    Lampang

    The main chedi here, which was undergoing renovations at the time of research, shows Hariphunchai influence, while the adjacent mon·dòp (the small square…

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    Wat Saphan Hin

    Sukhothai

    This wát is located on the crest of a hill that rises about 200m above the plain. Its name means ‘stone bridge’ – a reference to the slate path and…

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    Wat Mahathat

    Sukhothai

    Completed in the 13th century, the largest wát in Sukhothai is surrounded by brick walls (206m long and 200m wide) and a moat that is believed to…

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    Wat Si Chum

    Sukhothai

    This wát contains an impressive mon·dòp (small, square, spired building) with a 15m brick-and-stucco seated Buddha. This Buddha’s elegant, tapered fingers…

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    Sangkhalok Museum

    Sukhothai

    This small but comprehensive museum is an excellent introduction to ancient Sukhothai’s most famous product and export, its ceramics. The ground floor…

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    Ban Santichon

    Pai

    The cheesy photo ops in traditional Chinese clothing, piped-in music, tea tastings, pony rides, tacky recreation of the Great Wall of China and…

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    Wat Pongsanuk Tai

    Lampang

    Despite having lost much of its character in a renovation, the mon·dòp at Wat Pongsanuk Tai is still one of the few remaining local examples of original…

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    Pratubjai House

    Northern Thailand

    Known in Thai as Baan Pratubjai (Impressive House), this is a large Northern Thai–style teak house built using more than 130 teak logs, each over 300…

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    Buranathai Buddha Image Foundry

    Phitsanulok

    Almost across the street from Sergeant Major Thawee Folk Museum, and also belonging to Sergeant Major Thawee, is the Buranathai Buddha Image Foundry,…

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    Vongburi House

    Northern Thailand

    The two-storey teak house of the last prince of Phrae has been converted into a museum. It was constructed between 1897 and 1907 for Luang Phongphibun and…

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    Dhanabadee Ceramic Museum

    Lampang

    Dhanabadee claims to be the first producer of the emblematic ‘chicken bowls’ used across Thailand. In 2013 the company opened its doors to visitors and…

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    Wat Phra Non

    Northern Thailand

    Located west of Wat Luang is this 300-year-old wát named after its highly revered reclining Buddha image. The bòht (ordination hall) was built around 200…

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    Kamphaeng Phet National Museum

    Northern Thailand

    Kamphaeng Phet’s visit-worthy museum is home to an impressive collection of artefacts from the Kamphaeng Phet area, including an immense Shiva statue that…

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    Wat Pa Sak

    Chiang Rai Province

    About 200m from the Pratu Chiang Saen (the historic main gateway to the town’s western flank) are the remains of Wat Pa Sak, where the ruins of seven…

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    Wat Phra Borommathat

    Northern Thailand

    Across the Mae Nam Ping are the ruins of Wat Phra Borommathat, located in an area that was settled long before Kamphaeng Phet’s heyday, although visible…