Wat Suan Dok and an Afternoon in Nimman

White royal chedis glowing at sunset, a monk chat in a temple university, then the cafés, galleries and small shops of Chiang Mai's most fashionable street.

Area

Doi Suthep & the West

Start from

Suan Dok Gate

Distance

about 3 km on foot

Time needed

half a day

Best season

All year; late afternoon for the chedis

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

On foot, Grab or songthaew

Tickets & rules

None at Wat Suan Dok; temple dress code

Why go

This route pairs two sides of Chiang Mai that sit only a kilometre apart. Wat Suan Dok, the flower garden temple, is an old royal temple whose great golden chedi is surrounded by a forest of small white ones. In the late afternoon the white turns pink and gold against the mountain, and it is one of the most beautiful sights in the city.

From there it is a short walk to Nimmanhaemin Road, known simply as Nimman, the city's modern quarter. Its numbered side lanes, or sois, are full of coffee roasters, design shops, small galleries, ice-cream parlours and restaurants, and on weekend evenings the area hums with students from the nearby university.

Many visitors stay in Nimman, but it is also simply a nice place to walk, eat and see contemporary Chiang Mai: young, creative and very serious about its coffee, much of it grown in the hills you can see from the end of the street.

The story

Wat Suan Dok was founded in the fourteenth century by King Kuena in his flower garden, for the monk Sumana Thera, who had come from Sukhothai to spread a reformed school of Buddhism. One half of the miraculous relic that later led a white elephant up Doi Suthep was enshrined here, in the large central chedi.

The white chedis around it hold the ashes of members of the Chiang Mai royal family, the princely house that ruled the north into the twentieth century. One of the most famous is Princess Dara Rasmi, a Chiang Mai princess who married King Chulalongkorn of Siam and later returned to the north, where she encouraged local crafts, music and agriculture.

The temple grounds also host a campus of a Buddhist university, and its monks run a well-known monk chat programme, where visitors can sit down with young monks to talk about religion, daily routines and life in the monastery. Many are students practising their English, and the conversations often go in surprising directions.

Getting there

Wat Suan Dok is on Suthep Road, about a kilometre west of Suan Dok Gate on the western side of the moat. From there, walk north on Nimmanhaemin Road or take a short Grab.

Nimman runs north to Huay Kaew Road and the large Maya shopping centre at the main intersection.

A suggested plan

1. 15:00Arrive at Wat Suan Dok; ask about the monk chat in the afternoon.
2. 16:30Walk among the white chedis as the light warms up.
3. 17:30Head to Nimman, exploring the sois between the main road and the quieter back lanes.
4. 18:30Dinner in Nimman, from street noodles to modern northern cooking.
5. 20:00Sunset bars and the rooftop of Maya, or an early night.

Where to stay

Nimman is the best base for cafés, restaurants and coworking spaces, though rooms are pricier than inside the moat. The lanes between Suthep Road and Nimman are quieter and good value.

Good to know

• Golden hour at Wat Suan Dok is around 17:00 to 18:00 depending on the season.
• Nimman's speciality coffee is excellent; ask for beans from local hill farms.
• Weekend traffic in Nimman is slow; walk rather than ride.