Chiang Mai with Kids: 6-Day Itinerary & Things to Do

When we first visited Chiang Mai, Thailand, we were travelling without kids and only had a short time to explore. Years later, when we were putting together our Thailand itinerary with kids, we knew we wanted to return. This time, we spent six days exploring Chiang Mai with kids, who were just 3 and 5 years old at the time.

I’ll be honest. We didn’t particularly love the busy city of Chiang Mai itself, but the incredible outdoor adventures nearby more than made up for it. There are so many fun things to do in Chiang Mai with kids, especially for active families who enjoy hiking, cycling and spending time in nature. Some of our favourite experiences included visiting an elephant sanctuary, hiking to a beautiful mountaintop temple and exploring the waterfalls and jungle trails of Doi Inthanon National Park.

Travelling around Chiang Mai with young kids wasn’t always easy, but we found plenty of family-friendly activities that we could all enjoy. We also learned the importance of balancing our adventure days with some downtime for the kids. If you’re visiting Thailand with younger children, be sure to read our practical tips for travelling to Thailand with kids.

In this six-day Chiang Mai family itinerary, we’ll share the activities we enjoyed, what worked well with our young kids and the practical details to help you plan your own family trip to Chiang Mai.

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Our 6-Day Chiang Mai Itinerary at a Glance

Chiang Mai is a great destination for active families who enjoy temples, hiking and outdoor adventures. Here is a quick summary of our 6 days in Chiang Mai with kids:

Day 1: Chiang Mai Old City temples
Day 2: Elephant Nature Park
Day 3: Monk’s Trail and Doi Suthep
Day 4: Markets, cat café and playground
Day 5: Family cycling tour
Day 6: Doi Inthanon National Park

Things to Do in Chiang Mai with Kids: Our 6-Day Itinerary

As mentioned above, we didn’t really like the city of Chiang Mai. We found it to be busy, crowded and honestly, not overly interesting. But there are so many adventurous things to do in Chiang Mai with kids that it’s still one of our favourite kid-friendly places to visit in Asia.

Since we were in Chiang Mai with children (aged 3 & 5 years old), our first priority was to choose things to see and do in Chiang Mai that we would all enjoy.

Here is a detailed account of all the fun things to do in Chiang Mai with kids that we enjoyed over our six day family holiday.

Day 1: Explore Chiang Mai’s Old City Temples

After spending 3 days in Ayutthaya with kids, our night train pulled into the Chiang Mai train station around 7:30 am. Despite sleeping well on the train, the schedule of the train meant the kids got about 3 hours less sleep than normal.

The lack of sleep showed throughout the day. Our kids were moody, complaining and not listening particularly well. The night train to Chiang Mai was convenient and a fun experience for the kids, but we definitely paid for the lost sleep on our first day.

Despite our temple overload in Ayutthaya, we decided to see the main temples in Old Town Chiang Mai as it was a simple outing that was close to our vacation rental.

Given the kids’ sleep deficit from the train, we didn’t want to push them too hard, so after getting settled into our Chiang Mai apartment, we took a Grab taxi (Thailand’s equivalent to Uber) to Wat Phra Singh.

We visited Wat Phra Singh and Wat Phan Tao during our walk through Old Town. Both sites were very impressive and are worth a visit, but we didn’t tour them extensively.

After 7 days without a washing machine, we were so excited to have one at our vacation rental that we immediately did a load of all our sweaty clothes from our 3 days in Kanchanaburi with kids & Ayutthaya.

Unfortunately, that meant we didn’t have appropriate clothing to wear when visiting the temples in Chiang Mai. We wanted to visit Wat Chedi Luang, but they didn’t have any courtesy sarongs for us to wear. Not wanting to offend anyone, we chose not to visit.

After getting our fill of Chiang Mai temples, we let the kids play with their toys and swim in the condo pool for a good chunk of the afternoon.

The kids weren’t loving Thai food, and we felt they hadn’t had a really satisfying meal in a while, so we treated them to some Pizza Hut delivery. I think this did us all some good. The kids got full tummies of a familiar food they love, while we didn’t have to deal with them at a Thai restaurant trying to get them to eat something.

Day 2: Visit Elephant Nature Park with Kids

Seeing elephants was at the top of our list of things to do in Chiang Mai with kids. After spending a lot of time researching ethical facilities, we chose Elephant Nature Park.

We had an amazing day at this “no ride” elephant camp an hour north of Chiang Mai. During our visit, the kids loved feeding the elephants, walking with them and playing in the mud with them.

Day 3: Hike the Monk’s Trail to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

The Monk’s Trail

Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep is one of the top temples to see in Chiang Mai, and for good reason. Its beautiful mountain setting, impressive architecture and sweeping views over Chiang Mai make it well worth a visit.

We can never go too long without a family hike, so when we heard you could hike to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, we were in! The Monk’s Trail is a moderate uphill hike to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, with a stop halfway up at the smaller, but very atmospheric Wat Pha Lat.

This Chiang Mai hiking trail winds through dense forest, offering plenty of shade as it follows a stream up the mountainside. The dirt trail was dry during our December visit, but you’ll still want sunscreen and bug repellent.

Wat Pha Lat

It’s is a moderate incline to the first temple, Wat Pha Lat. The hike is hard enough to break a sweat, but anyone in reasonable shape should be fine. It took us approximately 60 minutes to hike here with our kids.

Wat Pha Lat is an atmospheric jungle temple resting alongside the aforementioned stream. Ironically, the peaceful atmosphere was interrupted by a large meditation event that was just wrapping up. Tables of food were being cleared away while we explored the temple..

Not exactly a zen moment for our family, but we were able to look past it and enjoy the beauty of this stream-side, jungle temple.

The second leg of the Monk’s Trail is approximately the same distance as the first, but it is noticeably steeper. The dirt hiking trail has steps carved into it for a decent amount of the distance.

The trail also has a lot more tree roots to deal with than the first half, so you’ll need good shoes for this leg. We wear Keen sports sandals as they are a good compromise for the hot Thailand climate and the rigors of mountain hiking.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Our total hiking time on the Monk’s Trail to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep was approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. Our kids hiked nearly the whole way from the base to the very top themselves. We carried on the short stretch of road, and then again as we neared the end of the second part of the hike.

If you hike to the top with your kids, you’ll feel pretty proud of your family’s efforts, especially when you see how many other visitors arrived by vehicle!

The views of Chiang Mai below are excellent and the temple itself is amazing. There are many stands selling drinks and snacks to reward your family for a job well done.

Day 4: Chiang Mai Kids Activities: Cats, Markets and Playgrounds

We were nearing the halfway point of our family trip to Thailand. Our kids were starting to go a little crazy, so we decided it was time for a break from our usual travel routine and planned a day of activities just for them.

Warorot Market (Kad Luang)

When you travel with kids, you sometimes need to take a break to do some parenting things. Our daughter needed new sports sandals, so we made our way to Warorot Market, Chiang Mai’s most interesting market. We easily found her a new pair before we even went inside! We love exploring markets in Thailand, so we stayed and went inside.

The kids loved all the stands of dried fruit, especially all the free samples. As we walked the aisles, our daughter loved running her fingers along all the fancy fabrics set out so nicely on display. It’s a bit of a chore keeping our three year old out of trouble in a busy market, so we didn’t linger in the market too long.

Nong Buak Hard Public Park Playground

After Warorot Market, we walked to a Chiang Mai playground in Nong Buak Hard Public Park. This park is very nice with many ponds, sculptured shrubs, jogging paths and more.

The playground is quite large and well-kept by international standards. There’s nothing like some “run around and be crazy” time at a playground to make a kid feel normal again. Despite the language barrier, our daughter quickly made a new friend.

Chiang Mai Cat Café

Chiang Mai is known for having many quirky cat cafés. Our daughter loves animals, so we decided to give one a try. and took a Grab to a cat café near our Chiang Mai apartment. We decided that perhaps it was best for the cats if our three year old got some ice cream, while our 5 year old got time to play with the cats. It was a good decision.

Our daughter had fun with the cats, although most of them were quite antisocial. That didn’t seem to matter to our daughter who found enough social cats to play with to keep her happy.

We ended the day with a quick dip in the pool at our Chiang Mai vacation rental apartment. Although we didn’t see any big tourist attractions on our third day in Chiang Mai with kids, our fun day for the kids did wonders for their morale. It was a good investment for our travel adventures to come.

Day 5: Family Bike Tour Through the Chiang Mai Countryside

Going on family bikes rides is one of our favourite things to do while travelling. Finding a tour operator with quality equipment for young kids isn’t always easy, so we were excited to discover a family-friendly cycling tour in Chiang Mai.

Our 57 km (35 mile) family cycling journey began by taking our bikes on a train for a 30-minute journey south to Lamphun. We spent the rest of the day enjoying our bike ride back to Chiang Mai, visiting temples and trying local food.

Day 6: Explore Doi Inthanon National Park with Kids

For our final day in Chiang Mai with kids, we wanted to go enjoy more of the beautiful countryside. We hired a private driver to take us to Doi Inthanon National Park, which turned out to be one of our favourite things to do around Chiang Mai with kids.

Wachirathan Waterfall

After a 90 minute drive to Doi Inthanon from Chiang Mai, we made our first stop at the Wachirathan Waterfall. Emerging from the car, we immediately noticed that the higher altitude makes the air much cooler than it was in Chiang Mai.

The walk from the parking lot to the waterfalls is very short and paved, so anyone can do it, including small children.

Despite being at the beginning of the dry season in Chiang Mai, the flow of the waterfall was quite powerful, enough to kick up a lot of spray to the main viewing area.

Doi Inthanon Summit

Next we drove all the way to the summit of Doi Inthanon National Park. At 2,564 m (8,415 feet) above sea level, this is the highest point in all of Thailand. When we got out of the car it was only 12°C (54°F)! That’s a huge change from the 29°C+ (85°F+) we’ve had on our family trip to Thailand so far!

As Canadians, we were still quite comfortable in our shorts and t-shirts, so we admit to being amused by the Thai people wearing down jackets. To be fair though, for many of the locals, 54°F will be the coldest temperature they’ll ever experience!

To be honest, the summit wasn’t quite what we had hoped for. We’d heard Doi Inthanon was often cloudy, so we felt lucky to have blue skies. Unfortunately, even without clouds, there weren’t many scenic views to enjoy.

There is an enjoyable wooden walkway along the summit which winds its way through a very lush, moss lined cloud forest. There are also several photo ops with the altitude signs, but that was really about it.

It took a long time to drive to the summit and without any views, we didn’t feel it was worth the time.

The Royal Twin Pagodas

Our next stop was the Royal Twin Pagodas, which were built to honour the 60th birthdays of the King and Queen in 1987 and 1992 respectively.

By the time we had descended to the level of the pagodas we had re-entered the clouds. We could kind of make out the shapes of the two pagodas through the thick cloud that wrapped around them.

Despite the clouds, we were able to walk up the stairs to each pagoda and once we were close enough we could admire their size, beautiful shapes and carvings. Still, without the ability to see well and enjoy the setting, we didn’t linger here for long.

At lunchtime, our driver took us to local’s restaurant near the Visitor’s Centre. He recommended the Pad See Ew, a stir fry noodle dish with pork; we had never heard of it before and we absolutely loved it! The kids were also quite happy with their Thai omelet with pork.

Our kids are picky eaters, but we managed to find ways to find kid-friendly Thai food.

Pha Dok Siew Nature Trail (Ban Mae Klang Luang Hike)

The real reason we came to Doi Inthanon was to do some hiking with our kids. We had read about the Kew Mae Pan nature trail online and thought it sounded pretty good, but our guide talked us out of it.

He said Kew Mae Pan was overrun with tourists, and looking at the overflowing parking lot as we drove by, he was right. He suggested we try the Pha Dok Siew Nature Trail instead and we’re very glad we did.

We pulled into the near empty parking lot, not far below the Visitor’s Centre. Our driver left us in the hands of a inexpensive, mandatory local guide and said he’d meet us at the village at the far end of the hike.

Our local guide didn’t speak much English, so we weren’t able to learn as much as we’d hoped. But he was excellent with the kids, helping them climb down rocks and making sure they stayed away from dangerous spots.

The Pha Dok Siew Nature Trail (Ban Mae Klang Luang hike) was one of our favourite experiences in Doi Inthanon National Park. Aside from two other groups, we barely saw any tourists along this beautiful 3 km (2 mile) hike. The trail follows a river downhill through a lush forest before reaching Mae Klang Luang village, where the local guides live.

There was so much to see along the way, including waterfalls, colourful flowers, butterflies, vines and unusual mushrooms. We also passed a strawberry farm and a coffee plantation. At the end of the hike, we enjoyed visiting the village, where local shops roast their own Arabica coffee beans and serve freshly brewed coffee.

Recent rain had made parts of the Pha Dok Siew Nature Trail muddy and slippery. While most of the hike was manageable for our young kids, we weren’t comfortable letting them tackle some of the steep downhill staircases and bamboo bridges on their own.

Our kids could have walked most of the trail themselves, but we ended up carrying them through several sections. We really wished we’d brought our hiking carriers for kids.

We’re glad we chose the Pha Dok Siew Nature Trail over the Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail. It was a wonderful family hike through the forests and countryside of northern Thailand, with plenty to keep our kids interested along the way.

How to Get to Chiang Mai with Kids

Chiang Mai is roughly 435 miles (700 km) north of Bangkok. Despite the distance, getting from Bangkok to Chiang Mai is relatively straightforward. Families have three main transportation options:

Train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

The overnight train is an excellent way to get to Chiang Mai. Not only is it fun and exciting for the kids, but you also avoid the cost of a hotel room for the night. Trips from Bangkok take about 13 hours and arrive in Chiang Mai between 7-9 am. The night train to Chiang Mai is very popular, so advance ticket purchase is highly recommended.

Bus from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

Overnight buses are another popular option for transport to Chiang Mai. Buses depart from Bangkok to Chiang Mai from Khao San Rd and the north bus station and the south bus station. The journey takes about 11 hours. As with the train, advance tickets are recommended for the overnight buses.

Flying from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

If you don’t like the idea of overnight transportation, flying to Chiang Mai is a reasonably cheap alternative. Flights from Bangkok to Chiang Mai take around 90 minutes. Click here to see your flight options.

How we got from Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai with kids

We travelled to Chiang Mai from Ayutthaya, which just happens to be on the Bangkok to Chiang Mai train line.

We took the #9 overnight train which arrived in Chiang Mai just after 7 am. The kids loved the overnight train and to our surprise actually got a decent, but short sleep. Advance tickets are highly recommended.

Where to Stay in Chiang Mai with Kids

When travelling with kids, we prefer having separate bedrooms, a kitchen and a washer and dryer. That’s why we usually look for a kid-friendly vacation rental through sites like Vrbo or Airbnb.

We found a nice two-bedroom apartment just south-east of the Chiang Mai City Walls. It was quiet, had a pool and had a great food market a few minutes away. It was a bit far to walk to Old Town, but it was only a 5 minute Grab ride, so the location wasn’t an issue.

Prefer staying in a hotel? We’ve rounded up the best family-friendly hotels in Chiang Mai, with great options for families travelling with kids.

Final Thoughts on Our 6 Days in Chiang Mai with Kids

I hope you enjoyed reading about our favourite things to do in Chiang Mai with kids! While we didn’t love the busy city itself, the surrounding natural attractions more than made up for it. As a family who loves outdoor adventures, we found plenty of reasons to enjoy our time in Chiang Mai with kids.

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