Chiang Mai · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
The north's backpacker capital — cheap, cool in December, and hard to leave once the coffee habit sets in.
Old City and Nimman
Hostels fill the moat's square around Tha Phae Gate, walkable to temples and the night bazaar; Nimmanhaemin is the café and co-working side.
What a day costs
Dorm 200–400 THB, khao soi and market food 150–250 THB, songthaew or scooter 100–250 THB. Around 450–800 THB, roughly 14–24 USD.
Getting around cheap
Red songthaews take flagged rides across town for a flat 30–40 THB, Grab fills the gaps, and minivans reach Pai in about three hours.
Free by day
The Sunday walking street along Ratchadamnoen, most temples inside the moat, and the Huay Kaew waterfall on the way up Doi Suthep.
Zoe in Yellow
The open-air bar cluster near Ratvithi Road that every hostel crawl ends at — loud, cheap, and reliably full of new arrivals.