Have two days in Chiang Rai and looking for the best two day Chiang Rai itinerary. I visited Chiang Rai recently and explored the famous Chiang Rai temples, Golden Triangle, night markets and the Instagrammable cafe. Although it may sound like a lot, you only need two days to see the best of Chiang Rai and by following this two day Chiang Rai itinerary, you’ll be able to hit all the best Chiang Rai spots at the best time for each of them.
Suggested read: Practical tips for taking photos at the famous Chiang Rai temples
Two Day Chiang Rai Itinerary Summary
Day One Chiang Rai
- Lunch at Papauno Viennoiserie & Bistro
- The Blue Temple
- The White Temple
- Sunset at the Chiang Rai Clock Tower
- Dinner at Chiang Rai Night Bazaar or Walking Street Chiang Rai
Day Two Chiang Rai
- Sunrise at The Dragon Temple
- Breakfast at Lalitta Café
- The Golden Triangle
Day One Chiang Rai Itinerary
Chiang Rai Day One: Arrival
It’s day one in Chiang Rai and you’ve arrived. Depending when and where you’ve arrived (the airport or bus station are the two most common arrival points), head to your Chiang Rai accommodation, drop off your stuff and get ready for the day. If it’s earlier in the day head to Papauno Viennoiserie & Bistro, which is located right next to the famous Chiang Rai Clock Tower. I found this cafe when visiting Chiang Rai and although it is pricier than other options, the 130 Baht shrimp pad thai was SO good, I kept coming back. You need to pay cash here unless your bill reaches 300 Baht.
Chiang Rai Day One: Mid Afternoon
It’s time to see the Chiang Rai temples. There are three famous Chiang Rai temples that are undoubtably on your list (suggested read: Practical tips for taking photos at the famous Chiang Rai temples). I recommend visiting the Blue Temple (Wat Rong Suea Ten) mid-late afternoon. I reason this because when I visited it when it first opened in the morning it was already very busy with tourists (and a tonne of tour buses coming through hitting the Chiang Rai temple sights before continuing up to the Golden Triangle) so arguably it will be quieter in the afternoon. Although it is the closest of all the Chiang Rai temples (about an 8 minute drive away – Google Maps directions here), you will still need transport to get here but getting a Grab is very easy. At time of writing, it is free to enter the Chiang Rai Blue Temple.
Find out how to take this photo: Practical tips for taking photos at the famous Chiang Rai temples
Chiang Rai Day One: Late Afternoon
Keep an eye on the time because your next stop the famous Chiang Rai White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) is best visited later in the afternoon and is a 25 minute drive away (Google Maps directions here). The White Temple is a highlight for all Chiang Rai two day itineraries and due to its popularity it can be immensely busy. I visited the Chiang Rai White Temple an hour before closing (at about 4pm as the temple closed at 5pm) and while there were still people here, most of the tour buses and a large section of the crowd had already left for the day. At time of writing entry to the Chiang Rai White Temple is 100 Baht. I have written a number of tips about how to best capture the Chiang Rai White Temple despite the crowds and important things to keep in mind while taking photos, here: Practical tips for taking photos at the famous Chiang Rai temples. After the temple closes, you can still hang around the outside of it and watch the sunset go down over the temple or take a Grab back to the centre of Chiang Rai.
Chiang Rai Day One: Sunset and Evening
If you didn’t choose to watch the sunset over the White Temple, a beautiful spot to witness it is at the Chiang Rai Clock Tower in the centre of Chiang Rai. This is back where you had lunch earlier today so if you’re not bothered about seeing it again at sunset you can skip, but it looks particularly impressive when the sunlight hits its golden exterior.
Afterwards find dinner in Chiang Rai at the Chiang Rai Night Bazaar. Located around the corner from the Chiang Rai Clock Tower, this market is overflowing with different food, drinks, souvenirs and clothes. The food here is all quite cheap and during my time in Chiang Rai I kept going back to a stall that was doing 30 Baht smoothies. You can find its location on Google Maps here.
If your two day Chiang Rai holiday is on a Saturday, make sure you head to the Chiang Rai Walking Street. This Chiang Rai market is massive, stretching out over several streets and is open from 3pm-10pm each Saturday night. You can find its location on Google Maps here.
Day Two Chiang Rai Itinerary
Chiang Rai Day Two: Early Morning
Rise and shine, today we’re going to visit another stunning Chiang Rai temple early before the crowds arrive. The dragon temple (Wat Huay Pla Kang) is found about a 15-minute drive outside of Chiang Rai (Google Maps directions here). It opens at 7am but if you’re interested in photographing the famous Dragon flanked staircase at sunrise ou can arrive before then as this is located outside of the temple. At the time of writing, entry to the Wat Huay Pla Kang is free.
When I visited I found it was easy to get a Grab to the temple, but getting a Grab back was a challenge. If you have your own transport for today (more on this below in relation to The Golden Triangle) you could arrange for them to bring you here and wait for you or otherwise just be prepared to be patient for Grabs. Both times I was in this area I had to wait a bit for Grabs to accept and I extended my Grab search to include the higher priced cars (effectively paying double but even then it was still about £4 one way). You can read more about this and other helpful tips for photographing the Chiang Rai Dragon Temple here: Practical tips for taking photos at the famous Chiang Rai temples.
Sunrise at the Chiang Rai Dragon Temple is phenomenal and it is worth the early morning alarm to get the temple without the hoards of people (although there will still be others there).
Chiang Rai Day Two: Breakfast
Once you’ve gotten your fill of the Chiang Rai Dragon Temple, it’s time for breakfast. And there is one hell of an Instagrammable cafe found not too far away. The Lalitta Café is found just a 17 minute walk from the Wat Huay Pla Kang (which is helpful to know if you are struggling to get a Grab in the early morning) and it packs one hell of a photography punch. The entire cafe has been designed for Instagrammers with a man-made waterfall, garden and even complete with wispy white smoke. At the time of writing, entry to the Lalitta Café is 60 Baht but this is given to you as a coupon to use at the cafe. I had already eaten when I visited the cafe so I just had a lychee tea (which was 29 Baht after using the 60 Baht coupon) but there were coffees and cakes available. I arrived just after opening at 8am and had the cafe mostly to myself, but there were more people arriving when I left at about 9am (plus an area fenced off for the queues they obviously expect). The only downside to visiting early in the morning is that the sun is on the waterfall making it trickier to photograph, but I believe if you visit Lalitta Café late in the afternoon, with different lighting, it may be busier.
Chiang Rai Day Two: The Golden Triangle
Once you’ve finished breakfast, it’s likely to still be quite early. You can get a Grab back into the centre of Chiang Rai (which is about a 10 minute drive – Google Maps directions here) or if you have already arranged and are with your transport, head straight onto The Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle is the spot along the river where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos borders meet and you can effectively look out over three countries. I really like this kind of thing so I wanted to go but you can skip this if it’s not your cup of tea.
Suggested read: Helpful tips for travelling Laos
When I visited I paid 1200 Baht for a return journey from Chiang Rai to The Golden Triangle viewpoint. I am positive you can get this for a much better price, I was just not in the mood to negotiate at all and accepted the first price given (especially as Grab was quoting 950 Baht for a one-way trip). TukTuks are easy to find on the street, but if you can’t just head to the Chiang Rai Bus Terminal 1 near the centre of Chiang Rai (Google Maps location here) where there will be a lot waiting for fares. It was just over an hour each way, the roads were in great condition and it was easy to do.
I spent about an hour at the viewpoint, wandering around, taking in the views over Laos, Thailand and Myanmar and exploring the shops. I believe the tour buses arrive in the afternoon and I imagine it gets quite busy as there were a considerable amount of shops and large cafes. However, when I arrived mid-morning it was very quiet and relaxing. You can spend longer here by getting a scenic boat ride but I had to return to Chiang Rai so hopped back in my TukTuk and went. You can easily combine your trip to The Golden Triangle viewpoint with the Golden Triangle Park Hall of Opium museum and other sights in the area, which my TukTuk driver asked if I wanted to do but I didn’t (due to a prior arrangement I had to get back to) to give a view on this.
What else can you see and do in and near Chiang Rai?
The above is how I would spend two days in Chiang Rai and the ideal two day Chiang Rai itinerary I’d show to my friends. However, there is more to see in Chiang Rai including the Chiang Rai Black House Baan Dam Museum, The Choui Fong Tea Plantation (which I would’ve gone to when I went up to The Golden Triangle if I had the time) and other temples dotted about through Chiang Rai.
There is also the Karen/Kayan Long Necked Village, which I would’ve wanted to see but did not want to support the financial and human rights abuse I believe are inflicted on these people. This was a hard one because I am aware that these people rely on tourism dollars, but due to being refugees they’re banned from employment and education and have restricted freedoms. I was a bit disturbed by online articles justifying their lack of rights in comparison to “well, it’s better than where they came from” because in my opinion, human rights is for everyone, especially if the Government is profiting from them. However, I am aware that by making this stance, they’re not getting money from me either. This is a tough part of travel but I didn’t want to support what I saw as inhumane conditions inflicted on them without choice.
If you are visiting Chiang Mai, read: Exploring Chiang Mai with Thailand Journeys
Should you visit Chiang Rai?
Chiang Rai is one of my favourite places in Thailand. It is very relaxing, especially in comparison with Bangkok and a few of the busier islands in the south and the gorgeous temples really did blow me away (and I have seen a lot of temples!). You can fly to Chiang Rai via Bangkok, catch a bus (about 3.5 hours) from Chiang Mai or a much longer bus or two day slow boat from Laos.
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