East Chiang Mai Gallery Guide

Chiang Mai. On the surface, it looks like your normal-ish small city, but start brushing aside the splendiferous trees that cover hidden doorways and secret alleys, and you’ll discover a plethora of gems featuring the friendliest people with the most intriguing stories. I’m so excited to share my experiences with you in this Chiang Mai series.

As we travel together more often, you’ll realize my love for long adventures that start in the morning and end in the evening. The adrenaline rush from unfamiliar and uncharted maps fills me with limitless energy, and time ceases to exist. It’s my absolute favorite feeling in the world. How about you? Tell me yours.

You can easily complete this art adventure in one day, but if you live in Chiang Mai or enjoy the luxury of slow travel, you can break it up, and just for you, I’ll label them parts 1-3. As usual, you’ll find handy maps to guide you at the end of this article.

I would get to MAIIAM art museum around 11 am (part 1), start walking from Playworks Cafeart around 1 pm (part 2), and have dinner around 5:30/6 pm (part 3). I’ve only highlighted my favorite spots along the way, so please explore to your heart’s content.

DO NOT DO THIS ADVENTURE ON A TUESDAY because the art museum, some galleries and shops, and the music venue are closed. Also, the restaurant I’m recommending is only open Friday-Sunday. But I promise any place you choose to dine will be incredible. Chiang Mai was one delicious meal after another.

Part 1: the morning (90-120 minutes)

Have a hearty breakfast; you’ll need the energy, then find your way to the MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum. It’s 20-30 minutes by Grab Taxi from most points in the city. I didn’t learn how to use songthaew, those red trucks that pass as public transportation, so if I couldn’t walk, I took a taxi.

When you arrive, take time to admire the dazzling glass exterior, a tile design inspired by local temples. Notice how it absorbs light, how it morphs into a sparkling kaleidoscope, how people entering disappear into a luminous streetside mirage. It’s so gorgeous!

The museum spotlights Thai artists through temporary exhibitions and its impressive permanent collection. Promise me you’ll look for my favorite piece, Kamol Phaosavasdi’s Song for the Dead Art Exhibition (1985). It’s a 14 piece photo documentation of his original exhibition (installation and performance) that articulates his disdain for postmodern art. Each statement as true then, as it is today, coincidentally is why I love what he opposes.

I genuinely felt this piece because how we perceive art is radically subjective, and the meaning of what constitutes art as art is as vast as a deep black hole. Sometimes it appears as if anything goes. I don’t always get it, and I know some people hate it, but artistic expression is a fundamental right, and the words he so vehemently wishes were never coined are forever foolproof at luring me in. So much emotion, a brilliant piece of art!

When you finish perusing(about 60-90 minutes), head to the cafe and museum gift shop, but keep it moving because we are heading into…. (Open from 10-6 pm, closed on Tuesday. 150b to enter)

Part 2: the afternoon (about 3-4 hours)

East of the river, along Charoenraj Road, is a delightful and historical neighborhood dotted with cafes, galleries, and shops. Take Grab Taxi from MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum to Playworks Cafeart, and fall in love with their vintage decor, locally handmade bags and crafts, art, and the best hand-drawn postcards of Chiang Mai! I bought a canvas bag embroidered with the moon phases and it quickly became my new fave! (Open every day 9-5:30 pm)

Let’s follow the map and walk down a charming Chiang Mai street to Crafitti, a darling jewelry boutique inspired by nature, on the way to Vila Cini to admire antiques and this remarkable teakwood house. Not to buy silk. Sadly, to harvest silk, silkworms are boiled alive. Plus, silk has a terrible impact on the environment. To really be transported to a different era, exit through the garden door and walk to the adjacent shop while admiring the rustic details of these attractive historical homes. You can even climb to the second floor for an overview of the whole property.

Now let’s head to Loolii, a cozy studio and gallery space located on the second floor, dedicated to exhibiting the wisdom and knowledge found in traditional crafts.

Next door is Nussara, definitely the best shop on the street! Forty years ago, Nussara Tiengkate moved to Mae Cham village to learn traditional Lanna weaving. Today, her quaint shop celebrates 20 years of connecting us to northern Thailand's hand-woven textiles in an unsuspecting garden paradise. Her colorful and masterfully woven hats, bags, and clothes make a culturally splendid souvenir. (Open from 10-8 pm, closed on Sunday)

And, next door to Nussura is Woo Cafe Art Gallery. This hip spot is unlike anything else on the street. You’ll enter a lifestyle shop, but the magic appears when you follow the black and white floor towards the back, emerging to find a cafe filled with vibrant sweet-smelling flowers and scrumptious cakes! Certainly, some fairies have made this enchanting cafe their home. I opted for Cold Brew Passion Fruit (a winning combination) and took a short rest before heading to the upstairs art gallery. (Open from 10-9 pm, closed on Wednesday)

Chiang Mai is known for its wats (temples) and has over 200 in the city, so no tour would be complete without visiting at least one. At Wat Kem Karam, constructed in 1428, there is a community museum located inside. It's a rather bizarre discovery, a hodgepodge of antiques, historical artifacts, art, textiles, weapons, books, appliances, pottery, and instruments donated by community members. It feels so Chiang Mai to have a peek into this slice of neighborhood love. (Open every day from 6-6 pm)

Keep going to The Elephant Parade House, a colorful social enterprise that donates 20% of its net profits to elephant welfare and conservation projects. Here you can learn how it was started (when two guys on holiday fell in love with Mosha, a baby elephant who lost her leg after stepping on a landmine), buy a hand-painted elephant, or don your painting smock and paint your own elephant sculpture in the art studio. (Open every day 10-7 pm)

Let’s cross the street! The next two places (Serene Backyard Cafe and Eatery, Hotel des Artists) are optional but will only take 5 minutes to check out. I'm recommending them because I appreciate their inspired approach to design.

At the end of the block, you’ll stumble upon La Luna Gallery, which exhibits contemporary Asian artists in a fantastic colonial. I enjoyed exploring this house, as the discovery of each room led to more art. (Open everyday 9-6 pm)

This is the part of the afternoon where you get to choose your own adventure. Depending on how late it is, how tired you are, how hungry you are…. You can walk to Baan 104, an 8-minute walk away, or cross the river to start part 3.

Personally, I think you should walk to Baan 104 because every detail in this creative community colonial was chosen with so much love. The vintage furniture in the cafe downstairs makes me long for a home of my own to decorate. Upstairs in The Living Room, you’ll find a workshop space (peep their calendar for awesome events!), a furniture and record shop, and an art gallery. The exhibition was a lovely coincidence because I fell in love with Nateepol Charoenthurayont’s woodcut prints two years ago in Bangkok (I bought the piece pictured below!). Serendipitously the artist was there, so we chatted while I sipped a rose lemonade on the veranda. (Open until 5 or 6 pm, closed Monday)

If you chose to skip Baan 104, you can follow the map across the river and carry on.

Part 3: the evening

We’ll cross the river, walk through Chinatown, and head to Baan Tuek Art Center (Open from 10-8 pm, closed on Monday) before dinner at Kiti Panit (open Friday - Sunday 11:30 am-10 pm).

Oh my goodness, I’m still dreaming about this restaurant! I arrived and was greeted with such warmth, a special tour (including the upstairs), and news that they just received a Michelin Star (congratulations!). In 1888 this magnificent teak tree mansion was Chiang Mai’s first general store, and the photographs on the wall tell the legendary tale of this 130-year-old building.

If you’re vegan, let them know, they are quite knowledgeable about the menu which has a handful of options. I started with stir-fried kale; I mean, who doesn’t love kale?! Then ordered one of my favorite dishes ever (well, since trying it two years ago), fermented tea leaf salad, and it was on another level from presentation to taste. Earthy, tangy, crunchy — I could eat it every single day. For dessert, I ordered grilled mango with pandan sticky rice, a truly sophisticated and elevated version of a Thai classic (dear vegans, the caramel sauce is not vegan, they replaced it with syrup, which isn’t needed, but thoughtful).

After dinner, cross the street to an eclectic garden alcove. Rivers and Roads, a unique shop owned by a super creative duo, have hand-pressed stationery, jewelry, eco-friendly items, vintage, and all the things you didn't know you needed until you saw them here. The shop is named after that soulful song by The Head and the Heart, which I totally love. (Open every day 12-8 pm, closed on Tuesday)

Behind this shop, you'll find Emptyday Gallery, a space to fill up your empty time. (Open every day 12-8 pm, closed on Tuesday)

Behind River and Roads is a music venue, Thapae East, often featuring live jazz and blues bands. You can stay and listen to live music, OR, walk 7-minutes down the street to one last gallery. John Gallery is so incredible it would be a shame to miss (then you can walk back to Thapae East, get a much-deserved cocktail and listen to live music).

One late night I was exploring the side streets of Chiang Mai and heard "I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash playing from a peculiar treehouse. An art gallery treehouse, with everything inside painted by John! You know when you meet someone who shines so bright you could spend all day talking with them? That's John. He's been selling his paintings in this whimsical treehouse for 40 years. Walls wholly covered in art, and the ceiling, a photographic montage of people who have been to the gallery. Above the entrance, in bold hand-painted letters, is a sign that reads: Can't get lost if you don't care where you are. How perfectly fitting. He paints well-known Thai landmarks in his distinct style and inspiring quotes and phrases. Start chatting, and he'll reminisce about his travels, how he retreats to nearby mountains once a week, and about his daughter in Hawaii. Unearthing his gallery is one of my happiest highlights in Chiang Mai. Definitely say hello to John!

I cannot wait to hear your thoughts after you experience this day. Tell me everything! If you’re not currently in Thailand I hope you enjoyed this escape from reality. Enjoy!