Lampang: Horse Carriages and Teak Temples

A gentle provincial town where horse carriages still clip through the streets, Burmese-style teak temples hide in quiet lanes, and an ancient walled temple stands in the fields.

Area

Lamphun & Lampang

Start from

Chiang Mai

Distance

about 100 km south-east

Time needed

1 day or an overnight

Best season

November – February; weekends for the Kad Kong Ta street market

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

Train or bus from Chiang Mai, then horse carriage, songthaew or car

Tickets & rules

Small fees at some temples; temple dress code

Why go

Lampang feels like Chiang Mai might have felt forty years ago. It is a slow, leafy town on the Wang River, with old wooden shophouses, quiet temples and almost no crowds. It is also the only town in Thailand where horse-drawn carriages are still a common sight, painted in bright colours with plastic flowers and bells, and a ride around the centre is a charming way to start the day.

The town's temples are a delight. Wat Si Rong Muang and Wat Pongsanuk show the influence of Burmese and Shan teak merchants, with stacked wooden roofs and intricate carvings. Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao once held the Emerald Buddha. Old teak mansions such as Baan Sao Nak, the house of many pillars, open to visitors.

Outside town, Wat Phra That Lampang Luang is one of the finest examples of Lanna architecture anywhere: a fortified temple with brick walls, a golden chedi and an open-sided wooden hall that has stood for centuries. In a small dark room, a pinhole in the wall projects an upside-down image of the chedi onto a white cloth, a natural camera obscura.

The story

Lampang is one of the oldest cities in the north, tracing its history to the Hariphunchai period more than a thousand years ago. Its great boom came in the late nineteenth century, when the teak trade brought British companies, Burmese and Shan foresters and Chinese merchants to the town. Their wealth built the teak temples and mansions you see today.

The horse carriages came with the railway in the early twentieth century, when Lampang was the end of the line for a time and carriages carried goods and passengers from the station into town. Elsewhere they disappeared, but in Lampang they survived and became a symbol of the town.

Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao is said to have held the Emerald Buddha for about 32 years in the fifteenth century, after an elephant carrying it refused to go to Chiang Mai. Lampang is also famous for its rooster bowls, the ceramic bowls painted with a cockerel that are used in noodle shops across Thailand.

Getting there

Trains from Chiang Mai to Lampang take about two to three hours, passing through Khun Tan tunnel, the longest railway tunnel in Thailand, completed in 1918. Buses and minivans are faster and more frequent.

Wat Phra That Lampang Luang is about 18 km south-west of town; hire a songthaew or driver to reach it.

A suggested plan

1. 8:00Train from Chiang Mai through the hills.
2. 10:30Horse carriage ride around town.
3. 12:00Lunch by the river.
4. 13:30Wat Phra That Lampang Luang and its camera obscura.
5. 16:00Wat Si Rong Muang and Baan Sao Nak.
6. EveningKad Kong Ta weekend street market if it is a Saturday or Sunday.

Where to stay

Lampang has quiet riverside guesthouses and small hotels; staying overnight lets you enjoy the weekend market and the calm evening atmosphere.

Good to know

• Carriage rides are priced by route; agree beforehand.
• Look for the famous rooster bowls in local shops.
• Combine with Lamphun on the way back.