Chiang Mai is known for its abundance of night markets throughout the city. It doesn’t take much effort to find one each night of the week.

There are also plenty of street vendors on the way to the actual markets so supply most definitely outweighs demand. However, unlike in other countries where vendors aggressively try to sell you their goods or wares, the vendors wait until they are approached by a potential buyer expressing his/her interest and even then, the vendors have a tendency to take a more laid back approach. 

On our first full day in Chiang Mai, we walked 10 minutes north from our AirBnb to Anusarn Market which is best known for its abundant food options.

We opted for a seafood restaurant based on several reviews on TripAdvisor but unfortunately it was fairly mediocre and frankly forgettable.

However, we had a front row seat to the dancers of the Chiang Mai Cabaret soliciting customers. My husband decided to take a photo with them which resulted in a few good laughs. 

After dinner, we walked around and saw a sign for the fish spa. At 120 baht it seemed like a very cheap thrill so we opted to try it. Not surprisingly, it was definitely memorable and noteworthy. It seemed hilariously ticklish and odd at first. After a while, we got used to the rhythmic nipping around our feet. The best part were the people we met who came by to chat with us. Having fish eating your dead skin was definitely a great conversation starter. We met an Irishman with whom we shared the story of my husband’s mistaken belief that he was of Sicilian descent only to discover from 23andMe that he was predominantly of British Irish descent. Our Irish companion on realizing he met a fellow countryman shared a few tales about the Motherland to incentivize him to come visit.

We ended our evening by stopping off to get my husband’s favorite dessert: mango sticky rice. 

The next day, we opted to visit the famous Saturday Night Market on Wua Lai Road. It is literally one road with a few off-shoots for food vendors. We took a Grab, which is the equivalent of an Uber or Lyft, and were dropped off at one end of the market. There were some similar wares that we had seen the night before but a handful of a few unique ones. The street was busy but not oppressively packed. 

We headed to the first food court and ordered a small bowl of the famous Khao Soi for 50 baht,

grilled fish for 200 baht

and a plate of pad Thai for 40 baht.

We ate our dinner while listening to a guitarist strum some tunes.

After listening to a few more melodic songs, we moved on and walked through the rest of the market. 

We fell upon another more diverse food court.

There were 2 sushi roll stalls but one in particular was incredibly crowded as it was selling each piece for 10 baht. I’m not quite sure what the quality and freshness of the rolls since it was oppressively humid and it hardly seemed appropriate to have raw fish exposed to the elements. However, the excitement and intensity of the customers was palpable as they aggressively barked out their orders at a rapid pace and fevered pitch.

Moving on, we looked at the other food options and when we turned the corner to the end of the cul-de-sac of stalls, we couldn’t help but notice the shawarma stand. We ordered a quesadilla from the woman who was teaching her son how to prepare the dish. It was interesting to observe that the teen was being groomed to help or possibly take over the business. She explained each step, how to carve the meat, how much to place on the tortilla, how much cheese to add and how long to cook on each side. Hopefully, he took mental notes as the quesadilla was perfectly crisp on the outside and moist and gooey on the inside. 

After our second dinner, we meandered to the other end of the market and opted to take a Tuk Tuk back to Anusarn to check out the Boy Blues Club.

It was located on the second floor above the market offering a nice view and a breeze to boot. The band was pretty good but the alcohol selection was lacking. Still it was a nice chill spot to hang out, relax and listen to some solid tunes. 

The next day, we went to the famous Sunday Night Market. To say that market was overwhelming would be an understatement. It was massive with various offshoots on to other streets.

What is interesting about the Sunday market was it actually had some unique vendors, with original artwork, ornate and exquisite inexpensive bookmarks and cards. I enjoyed seeing what was available but one could seriously spend 6 hours before seeing everything that was available. We didn’t stay long as it looked like rain and the aisles were filling up with people, making the browsing and sightseeing less enjoyable by the minute so we retreated and headed back to our humble abode.

Chiang Mai Night Markets provide a place where one could definitely find and haggle for unique souvenirs to remind one of their time in Chiang Mai.

They’re also great for sampling local food at a relatively low price point.

For us, night markets are another entry point into the mindset of the people and what they found to be of value enough to sell to locals and tourists alike.