Chiang Mai, some 700km (438mi) north of Bangkok, is Thailand’s second largest city (though it does not even have 10% of Bangkok’s population), capital of one of the largest provinces of Thailand (roughly 20,000sqkm, 7,720sqmi) and in general the center of Northern Thailand. In many aspects, it’s much more pleasant than Bangkok. A common claim is that it has the advantages of Bangkok without suffering the capital’s disadvantages.

Among the advantages are that it does, for example, have an infrastructure which permits any city lifestyle one can afford, but without the traffic, without the pollution, without the noise of Bangkok - and at considerably lower cost. The Tourism Authority of Thailand elected to summarize the advantages of Chiang Mai with the following words: "Many lowland Thais regard Chiang Mai city and province as being a national Shangri-la thanks to beautiful women, distinctive festivals, historic temples dating from the 1300’s, arresting scenic beauty, temperate fruits such as apples, peaches and strawberries, and a crisp, invigorating cool season climate." In matters of tourism, one even cannot help getting the impression that Chiang Mai has overtaken Bangkok though plain figures may not support such a claim. But it’s not the number of tourists that make Chiang Mai seem a more touristy city than Bangkok. Rather, it’s the attitude of visitors towards the city.

Hardly any visitor to Thailand likes Bangkok for the city itself. Tourists may not be inclined to by-pass Bangkok - one has to have seen the Thai capital, otherwise one does not know Thailand. And beyond any doubt, Bangkok is richer in architectural monuments of world class ranking than any other municipality in Thailand, including Chiang Mai. But what the visitor is likely to talk about first when summarizing his Bangkok experience is the terrible traffic congestions, the pollution, the noise, to a certain extend the dirt.

It’s a different matter with Chiang Mai. In comparison to Bangkok, Chiang Mai may be poor in architectural monuments and the display of art. Nevertheless, visitors throughout the last decade have put Chiang Mai into contrast to Bangkok, describing it as a nice place. And visitors who have time to spend often choose not to spend that time in Bangkok but, if they favor cities, much rather in Chiang Mai. As the Tourism Authority of Thailand worded it (probably a little bit too enthusiastically): "As countless travelers have discovered, Chiang Mai’s manifold attractions enthrall, delight, and to visit this northern Shangri-la merely once is to remain forever enchanted."

The absolute number of tourists on any given day may be considerably smaller in Chiang Mai than in Bangkok. Relative to the size of the two cities, however, the number of tourists per 1000 inhabitants (or whatever figure one wants to chose for that kind of statistics) is higher in Chiang Mai than in Bangkok. For this reason, too, Chiang Mai always seems a more touristy place. Actually, during the peak season, one seems to meet just as many tourists in some parts of Chiang Mai as one meets locals.

To some, this may be an impediment to enjoying the place. As always, a mechanism is in effect that resembles the mechanism of self-destroying prophecies. A tourist place retains its charm only as long as it doesn’t reach its full capacity for tourism. One may argue whether Chiang Mai has reached its full capacity already, or whether it’s still charming.

Climate

The climate of Chiang Mai (and all of Northern Thailand) is slightly different from (and more agreeable than) the climate of central and other parts of Thailand, mainly due to the region’s elevation (300m, around 1000ft in the valleys). The cool season lasts from late October to the end of February. Average daytime temperature is 21° Celsius (70° Fahrenheit); nights are much cooler. The coolest months are December and January.

The hot season is from early March to end of May. Average daytime temperature is 30° Celsius (85° Fahrenheit). The hottest month is April. The rainy season usually begins early June and reaches to the end of October. Average temperature is 25.5° Celsius (77° Fahrenheit). The wettest month is September.