Exploring Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai's temples are perhaps the most interesting of its many attractions. Unlike Bangkok, where few temples are more than 200 years old, some temples in Chiang Mai are as old as the city, which celebrated it's 700th anniversary in 1996.The one temple every first-time visitor should see is the mountain-top Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep. The temple is a must-see, not only for its importance as a pilgrimage site, but also for the outstanding views it affords of the city and its surrounding plains, when the weather cooperates. A trip to the temple is usually combined with a stop at the royal Phu Phing Palace and the Doi Pui Maeo village.