8 Places For Exotic Night Shopping And Eating In Chiang Rai

1. Kaad Luang (Central Market) - an eating spree of exotic food

Kaad Luang Market (Central Market) is a haven for street food lovers and it has all kinds of snacks and munchies you might find along a road side market in northern Thailand, such as fresh vegetables, fruits, grilled seafood, northern delicacies, ready-to-eat meals and desserts. Every afternoon before sunset, vendors set up their stalls around the bazaar and get ready for visitors. If you are adventurous enough, try their fried bugs: grasshoppers, silk worms and beetles. If not, just go with the crowd and enjoy your food hunt along the way.

2. Chiang Rai Walking Street - let your shopping spree begin

Let your shopping spree begin on the 1.5 km (.93 mile) long Thanalai Road - it welcomes visitors to shop every Saturday evening. As soon as you step onto this street, you will immerse yourself in a festive atmosphere, accompanied by food carts, shopping stalls and live folk music. Rub shoulders with the locals and sample some northern Thai snacks. There is a wide selection of handmade products, native art and souvenirs to choose from, including a collection of Doi Tung branded goods, tribal crafts, handicrafts, clothing and spa products. Re-enact scenes of the Lanna people’s ancient way of life as a highlight of your evening.

3. MZ Collection

Shop for handmade jewelry designed by the Japanese owner at this boutique. MZ Collection is located on Bus Station Road near the Night Bazaar area. You will find one-of-a-kind designs in the earrings, bracelets, necklaces and rings, fashioned from imported silver and locally sourced semi-precious stones. Every piece is hand made with a mixed blend of Japanese and Thai flavour.

Website: MZ Collection

4. Nine Shop

Nine Shop is located at the Night Bazaar near the Klang Wieng food court. You can spot this funky shop easily from afar, it is decorated with blue neon light and wire fenced walls. At Nine Shop you can find a wide range of hand-painted fashion accessories, including trendy canvas sneakers, T-shirts, tank tops, baseball caps, cloth bags and socks. The designs are built around the owner’s imagination – a family of characters representing real people in his life, incorporating playful and imaginative designs. If you like, interview the owner for more about his creations - it will surely re-energise you for more late night shopping.

Website: Nine Shop (in Thai)

5. The Clock Tower

This clock tower is a dull-looking gold tower by day, but a masterpiece by night with its light and sound effects. With the pick-up trucks, tuk-tuks and motorbikes buzzing all around, it makes you feel that your night at Chiang Rai has just begun.

On the hour, from 7 - 9 pm, every day, you will see the tower turn pink for one moment and green the next, in a ten minute light show. The tower was designed by Thai artist Chalermchai Khositpipat, the same artist who built the White Temple in Chiang Rai, which was unveiled in 2008 in honour of His Majesty the King. The clock tower serves as part of a traffic roundabout that tends to distract, especially at night! Take a break and stand further away to admire the transformation and let the Clock Tower add colours to your shopping and eating spree!

The Chiang Rai clocktower is located where Thanon Jet Yot meets Thanon Baanpa Pragarn. Look out, too, for the elaborate gilded street lights which line Baanpa Pragarn Road on either side of the clock tower.

6. Leelawadee Restaurant

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After much shopping and eating, it’s time to rest and relax and enjoy the river view at night. Leelawadee is a riverfront pub and restaurant and is a delightful alternative to Chiang Rai’s rather mellow bar scene. Seats are set either in the garden or under a large canvas canopy, both with panoramic river views. A light supper and some Thai dessert is an ideal end to the night’s shopping.

Website: Leelawadee Restaurant

7. Chiang Rai night bazaar

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Chiang Rai night bazaar offers many bars, restaurants, and massage parlors. If you take a walk along the Jetyod street and around the Wangcome Hotel, you can see the flashy clubs and pubs. Though this place has limited options, tourists will have a gala time shopping. You can kill your time in the bars with large-screen TVs, where you can enjoy live sports and play pool along with a beer. Some of the bars do play live music but you have to compromise with the choice of songs played by the owner himself. Head to the Punyodaya road, where you will get a taste of the nightlife. You can opt from usual Thai and north-Thai dishes to Lanna dance show. You can taste their fried insects and snack food, sukiyakis or hot pots. Every evening after 6 p.m. the night bazaar gets ready to welcome their guests and stays open till midnight and travelers can buy from a wide array of clothing, candles and more.

8. Hill-Tribe Museum Souvenir Shop

Hill-Tribe Museum Souvenir Shop is an ideal place to find an extensive collection of embroidered handicrafts from different ethnic hill-tribes. It is located on the Thanalai Road and stays open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and public holidays. This is a perfect place to be if you are interested in buying gifts and souvenirs for friends and family. The items in stock ranges from Yao, Lisu, Mhong and Akha bags, wallets, placemats, bed covers, pillow cases and leggings. You can also find Lanna crafts, such as Tung-decorative flags, northern-folk music CDs and books on the ethnic hill-tribes and cultures of the Mekong region. The items are a bit costly as the profit collected by this museum is donated to the PDA Chiang Rai’s ethnic hill-tribe development activities for their welfare.

Come back and plan your next spree

Exploring Chiang Rai at night can be a cultural experience. Let the Lanna people’s culture rub onto you through their art, handicrafts and dramatic lives - you will be charmed by the city’s beauty that will make you want to come back again. Start your next visit from the Clock Tower and see its transformation in between your shopping and food hunting. Or spend another night to have a simple seafood dinner at Leelavadee. The best way to see Chiang Rai at night is by foot - look around and pay attention to the little changes that Lanna culture has brought to this place. By now, you know that Chiang Rai offers you a different kind of nightlife.