Travel in Southeast Asia through Chiang Mai

Last edited: September 02, 2017 at 15:46:36

Whether you're planning for a short or long trip, making a Southeast Asian trip via Chiang Mai is one of many traveller's preferred route.
Thailand is a heaven of peace and relaxation, where everything is easy compared to the neighbouring countries. Recent political turmoil hardly affects tourists.

Here are a few preferred locations and travel schemes you can consider:

Route map with a number of direct flight destinations from Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai has direct flight connections with quite a few interesting places in Southeast Asia, and if you fly through Bangkok you can reach nearly all cities. Check direct flight connections from Chiang Mai.

Within Thailand, for sea and beach life fly to:
- Phuket: also has an old town and some nightlife;
- Krabi;
- Huahin;
- Pattaya: for beach and night life and very close to Bangkok (fly on Bangkok and take a bus);

And fly to Bangkok to see some interesting monuments and get the feeling of a big city.

Other interesting places in Southeast Asia:
- Penang, Malaysia: UNESCO Heritage town with an old China town and a Heritage district;
- Siem Reap, Cambodia: visit Angkor Wat, the world largest temple complex (can be combined with enjoying good western food in Phnom Penh);
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: big electrifying city and a good starting point for other interesting cities in Vietnam;
- Luang Prabang, Laos: beautiful pittoresque city on a convergence of rivers (can be combined with Vientiane, that doesn't offer much). You can return to Chiang Mai partly on a boat.
- Yangoon, Myanmar: visit Myanmar before it's discovered by mass tourism, it's only just opening up. Read more on Myanmar.
- Hanoi, Vietnam: culturally and historically rich city in socialist Vietnam;
- Kunming, China: one of China's cleanest cities located in Yunnan province. You can combine this with a visit to Lijiang and the Stone Forest. You can even take a bus back to Chiang Mai.

- Mandalay, Myanmar: the business city of Myanmar;
- Hong Kong: great business city in the south of China;
- Guilin and Yangshuo, China: from Hong Kong you can go to these laid back and beautiful places in mountaineous and river landscapes;
- Bali, Indonesia: oasis of culture and peace in the Indonesian archipelago
- Sri Lanka
- Manila, Philippines
- Cebu, Philippines: more relaxed than Manila