Markets and independent shops in Chiang Mai

23 markets, bookshops, record shops and makers in Chiang Mai.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

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Anusarn Market
During the day time the Anusarn Market area is devoid of any vendor stalls. All the permanent shops, bars, and eateries around the inside walls of the market area are open for business. Every afternoon the Anusarn Market vendors move in, erect their large tent type stalls and open. Good shopping, good restaurants, and in a back corner there is a ladyboy cabaret that puts on a one-hour show at 21:30 at a reasonable price. Haggling is expected at market stalls. Start by offering a price lower than what is asked.
Closed · opens 6 pm
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Central Plaza Chiang Mai Airport
เซ็นทรัล แอร์พอร์ต พลาซ่า
On five floors, with a food court, banks/ATMs, and multi-screen cinema. It also has a Cultural Centre attached selling many crafts, a large food market, and an extensive selection of Thai ready-to-eat stalls in the basement.
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CentralFestival
Measuring 250,000 m², with 250 shops, it rivals the Central Plaza Chiang Mai in size. Central Festival opened in late 2013 and includes an ice rink, IMAX and 4DX cinemas, dozens of restaurants and shops on five floors. A food court on the fifth floor as well as at the ground floor level (with better prices). All banks and mobile phone companies are represented.
Mon-Thu 11:00-21:30; Fri 11:00-22:00; Sat Sun 10:00-22:00
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Chiang Mai Gate Market
A major shopping venue for fruit, vegetables, meat, and fish for locals. Between the ring roads and in the vicinity are numerous food stalls.
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Film Camera Chiang Mai
กล้องฟิลม์เลนส์มือหมุนเชียงใหม่
Located outside the city, this shop has a lot of analogue cameras.
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Kalare Market
A large covered arcade full of shops with an open food court and entertainment area. The food court operates on a coupon system: you buy coupons from the cashiers, then redeem them at the many small adjacent food stalls. Cheap dining. The market has bars, many shops, massage shops.
Closed · opens 6 pm
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Kasem Store
A small store a few doors up from Chang Moi Road, situated near but not in Warowot market (to the east of the walled city and just before the Ping River). Has those difficult to get items such as real powdered milk, black loose leafed tea, assorted good cereals, assorted pastries, etc. Has a good assortment of foreign goods including vegetarian and vegan food. Good English spoken.
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MAYA Lifestyle Shopping Center
เมญ่า
The Rimping Supermarket on the lowest floor is open from 06:00-24:00. The cinemas on the top floor are open late. Restaurants and bars on the open roof afford good views of Chiang Mai.
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Malin Plaza Night Market
If the Night Bazaar is the place tourists go at night, Malin Plaza is where young Thais go. Its proximity to มช ("maw chaw", the local nickname for CMU) means that in the evening this place is crawling with teens and twenty-somethings. Clothing is young, trendy and cheap. Cheap restaurants abound, including a number of all-you-can-eat table-top barbecues.
About 18:00-
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One Nimman
วันนิมมาน
A shopping centre in pseudo-Italian style. Many smaller shops at the ground floor, a kind of department store on the second floor. People who cannot walk very well should not use the escalator to the second floor. Once you are up, it is not possible to go back with the downwards escalator, but you must go through the entire department store, a 250-m walk passing 10 short flights of stairs. There is no warning sign for this when you approach the escalator!
Closed · opens 11 am
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Rimping Supermarkets
ริมปิงซุปเปอร์มาร์เก็ต
If you want Western foodstuffs like good bread, pickles, charcuterie, etc., pickings are slim in the vicinity of the Old City. 9 locations in the Chiang Mai area, map on the website. It's comparatively expensive, but they're one of the few supermarkets that sell western groceries.
Daily 08:00-21:00
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Sompet Market
Just south of the moat's northeast corner. Mostly a fruit and veg market for locals, but close at hand to the many guesthouses in the area so a good place for visitors to stock up on grub. Lots of prepared meat and meals as well.
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Suriwong Book Centre
สุริวงค์บุคเชนเตอว์
Essentially two shops: a magazine shop open from 08:00-20:00 and the main, large book/stationery shop open from 10:00-19:00. Good selection of Western language titles, and wide variety of Thai titles, as well as office supplies. Pleasant ambience.
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Tha Phae Walking Street
Sunday Walking Street Market
This market is enormous and takes up several blocks on either side of Ratchadamnoen including from Ratchawithi to Ratchamanka on Prapoklao (from the 3 Kings Monument to past Wat Chedi Luang). The street is blocked off to traffic for local craft vendors to layout their handmade wares. There are food vendors strewn throughout. It starts at 16:00, but not everyone is set up until around 18:00. Runs late, but most vendors start to pack up around 22:00 or so. Due to the amount of families that visit, there is a strict smoking and drinking ban, enforced by fines up to 4,000 baht.
Sun 17:00–23:00
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Thae Market CNX
Student Night Market
Lots of vintage and (2nd hand) cloths stalls at local prices — shoes 100 baht, jackets 200 baht, hats 30 baht. Includes an interesting beyond the ordinary food court with numerous delicacies.
Tue–Thu 17:00–22:00
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Tops Supermarkets
National chain of supermarkets. Good selection of Western foods, including good bread, cheese, wine and beer. There are five Tops locations in the Chiang Mai area, the closest to the old city is behind the Mercure hotel on Chang Phueak Rd.
Daily, 09:00-21:00
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Warorot Market
กาดหลวง / Kad Luang / Talat Warorot
This sprawling indoor/outdoor market is supposedly where the locals shop and maybe worth a visit to look over the plethora of fabrics, spices, tea, and dried fruit piled up along the aisles. However, you will notice that about 90% of all the shops sell the same, so not much variety or bargaining for that matter. Across the road is a flower and fruit market and an out-of-this-world fireworks stand. At night the street is packed with delicious food stalls — try the one where you can serve the greens yourself, almost like Vietnam.
06:00–17:00
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Weekend Flea Market
A large flea market with everything you can imagine, from the odd wooden penis neglace, to watches, to ca––r spare parts and electronics, to countless coins and Buddha amulets. Here you can get a feel for Thai traditions and every day live. Come before noon!
Sat Sun 08:00–16:00
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Wualai Walking Street
Saturday Walking Street Market
In the old silver-working district, it's a smaller version of the Sunday market with many of the same vendors.
Sat 17:00-23:00
Buy Not mapped
Night Bazaar
ไนท์บาร์ซ่า
A huge indoor/outdoor commercial maelstrom centred on the Night Bazaar Building on the west side of Changklan Rd. The Night Bazaar can be considered an entire region of the city as it incorporates the Anusarn and Kalare Markets as well, with the borders being ambiguous (and unimportant). It can take a concerted effort to find something different among the near identical stalls selling tourist-oriented sunglasses, T-shirts, textiles, watches, luggage, caps, and anything else small enough to sell from a market stall. You rarely see Thai people shopping here. On the east side of the street you will find the Anusarn and Kalare Markets with wider offerings.
Closed · opens 6 pm
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On The Road Books
Small bookstore with a nice selection of used books.
09:00-21:00 daily
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Sanpakhoi Market
Produces, meat, food stalls, and much more at local prices.
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The Lost Book Shop
Large collection of used books. Fiction and non-fiction.
08:00-18:00 daily

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Chiang Mai (CC BY-SA 4.0).