Shopping in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is a paradise for shoppers. Its Night Bazaar is the best place to shop for souvenirs, handicrafts, CDs and DVDs, silk, silverware, clothing, art, decorative homeware, accessories and much, much more. The Sunday Street Festival is another shopping must-do, a chance to get a sense of a very local atmosphere with vendors dressing up in traditional Thai costumes to sell their merchandise.
Live, traditional Thai music and dance performances lend an authentic air to the festivities. Chiang Mai also has several major department stores, a variety of boutique-style shops, and everything else that might feature on a tourist's shopping list. It's best known for its handicrafts and wooden furniture though, and places to pick up bargains are plentiful indeed!
What to Buy
The silverware in the Wulai Road area is well-known, but Chiang Mai is famous for especially wooden carvings, furniture, celadon ceramics and all kinds of unique crafts.
The jewelry shops in Wulai Road (southwest from the moat) is a good place to by silverware – it's the traditional silver-smiths area where the metal has been crafted for generations. In the grounds of Wat Sri Suphan Temple craftsmen hammer on sheets of pure silver, tracing out intricate filigree designs. They are inexpensive and reasonably priced. (Read more...)
Where to Buy
Even if you're not a shopaholic, you'll be hard-pressed not to have a shopping feast at the famed Night Bazaar. This sprawling market is filled with handicrafts, souvenirs and general arts and crafts. At night it's also a great place to simply do some people-watching. It opens nightly from 17:00 until late, remember to bargain with a smile! The Sunday Walking Street is a perfect place to look for unique handmade products. For example, wallets made of leather, scrapbooks made of local Saa paper, silk products, ceramics and wooden products.
Bosang on the outskirts of the city is where beautiful parasols are made, while all popular areas like the Old City with its backpacker area and the Riverside have a big variety of shops, boutique stores, and even department stores. Like eating, shopping is high on the agenda for Thais, and to find places to part with your baht in exchange for unique goods is as easy as pie. (Read more...)
