Chiang Mai Province Guide: History, Towns and Local Products
Chiang Mai is where many visitors fall for Thailand and some never leave. Behind the cafés and co-working spaces sits a province older and wilder than its reputation: the capital of the Lanna kingdom, the highest mountain in the country and hundreds of villages that still make things by hand.
This guide covers what makes Chiang Mai different from the rest of Thailand: the key dates of its history, its main districts, the festivals worth planning around and the local products its makers sell. Producers will also find how to sell their work to buyers across Thailand and abroad.
Chiang Mai
The Heart of the Old Lanna Kingdom
Thailand's largest province: mountain temples, the country's highest peak and a craft tradition that still fills its villages.
By the SnapSellGo Thailand Desk · Updated September 2026 · 8 min read
Made in Chiang Mai
What Chiang Mai makes best. Real listings will appear here.
"Known for" cards are editorial, not listings. Live products from Chiang Mai replace them automatically.
Why Chiang Mai feels like another country
For most of its history Chiang Mai was not Siam at all. It was the capital of Lanna, the 'kingdom of a million rice fields', with its own script, its own temple style and its own dialect, kham mueang, which you still hear in the markets today.
It is also Thailand's largest province, 22,311 km² of forested hills that climb to Doi Inthanon, the highest point in the country at 2,565 metres. Fourteen national parks sit inside its borders, which is why the air, the food and even the pace of life change the moment you leave the old city.
A Lanna capital
King Mangrai founded the city in 1296. Its walled, moated square still frames the old town.
The roof of Thailand
Doi Inthanon, in Chom Thong district, rises to 2,565 m, the highest point in the country.
A province of makers
Parasols in Bo Sang, silk in San Kamphaeng, wood in Ban Tawai, silver on Wua Lai Road.
Fourteen national parks
Doi Inthanon and Doi Suthep-Pui are the most visited, with hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.
Chiang Mai through the centuries
Chiang Mai's story is one of a proud northern kingdom, two centuries under Burmese rule and a slow union with Siam. Most of its famous temples date from the Lanna golden age.
- 1296King Mangrai founds Chiang Mai, 'the new city', as the capital of the Lanna kingdom.
- 1300s–1400sLanna's golden age: Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and many of the old town's temples are built.
- 1558Chiang Mai falls to the Burmese Toungoo dynasty and stays under Burmese control for more than 200 years.
- 1774The Burmese are driven out with the help of Siam, and Lanna becomes a vassal of the Siamese kingdom.
- 1922The northern railway line reaches Chiang Mai, linking it to Bangkok.
- 1933Chiang Mai becomes a province of Thailand in its current form.
The main districts, and what each one is for
Chiang Mai has 25 districts and about 1.8 million residents (2024). These are the districts you will hear about most.
| District | What you find there |
|---|---|
| Mueang Chiang Mai | The old city inside its moat, Nimman's cafés, the Night Bazaar and Wua Lai Road's silversmiths. |
| San Kamphaeng | Silk and cotton weaving villages, and Bo Sang, the umbrella village. |
| Hang Dong | Ban Tawai, one of Thailand's largest woodcarving and home decor villages. |
| Mae Rim and Mae Taeng | Valleys north of the city: gardens, waterfalls, rafting and elephant sanctuaries. |
| Chom Thong | The gateway to Doi Inthanon National Park and its twin royal pagodas. |
| Mae Chaem | A remote valley famous for tin chok, the fine hand-woven hem of Lanna skirts. |
| Fang | The far north: orange orchards and the highland farms of Doi Ang Khang. |
Chiang Mai's festival calendar
Chiang Mai's calendar is one of the busiest in Thailand. These are the highlights of the year.
What Chiang Mai makes: local products and OTOP
Under OTOP, every product is linked to the sub-district where it is made, and in Chiang Mai that map is dense. Bo Sang paints its paper and cotton parasols by hand; San Kamphaeng weaves silk and cotton; Ban Tawai carves teak and mango wood; and the silversmiths of Wua Lai Road hammer bowls and temple panels.
The province is also known for celadon, the jade-green glazed stoneware, and for sa paper made from mulberry bark. In the highlands, coffee, tea and hill-tribe textiles add to the list.
Looking to buy? The carousel above fills with real items from Chiang Mai as local makers list them. Selling? SnapSellGo takes no cut of your sales.
Short on time? Doi Suthep at sunrise, then the old city temples. Into nature? A night at Doi Inthanon. Visiting in November? Yi Peng, and book early. Buying local? Bo Sang, San Kamphaeng and Ban Tawai in one day.
Chiang Mai: your questions answered
What is Chiang Mai famous for?
Its Lanna temples, Doi Suthep and Doi Inthanon, the Yi Peng lantern festival, its Sunday walking street and handicraft villages such as Bo Sang, San Kamphaeng and Ban Tawai.
What is the highest mountain in Thailand?
Doi Inthanon, in Chiang Mai province, is the highest mountain in Thailand at 2,565 metres.
When was Chiang Mai founded?
King Mangrai founded Chiang Mai in 1296 as the capital of the Lanna kingdom.
When is Yi Peng in Chiang Mai?
Yi Peng takes place on the full moon of the 12th lunar month, usually in November, together with Loy Krathong.
Sources: Wikipedia entries for Chiang Mai province and Chiang Mai city; Department of National Parks visitor figures (fiscal year 2024). Population: 2024 registration data. Check festival dates locally: most follow the lunar calendar. Cover photo: Wat Phra That Doi Suthep by เทวประภาส มากคล้าย, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.