Chiang Mai is an old city or we can say that it’s “new city” and just celebrated its 700th anniversary a few years ago, in 1996. The city was founded as the capital of the kingdom of Lanna in 1296 by King Meng Rai. From then, Chiang Mai not only became the capital and cultural core of Lanna Kingdom, it was also the center of Buddhism in northern Thailand. King Meng Rai was very religious and founded many of the city’s temples, which are still important today.Chiang Mai has a striking mountain backdrop, over 300 temples and a quaint historical aura. It's also a modern, friendly, internationally-flavoured city with much to offer the visitor - food, accommodation and shopping are all top quality and cheap, and the nights are relatively cool. Share
An often asked question ‘how to get from the airport to the hotel?
When you arrive at the airport and exit immigration you will enter an arrival hall. This is immediately before you exit the terminal building. For those with pre-arranged transfers this is where you will find your pick up person. (You will also see lots of touts who will approach you).
To get a cab from the airport you need to go to the taxi coupon booth. At the taxi coupon booth you will be required to give the name of your hotel/B&B and to pay 50B. This 50B is an airport tax/charge. A driver will tell you to wait outside while they go and get their cab to pick you up. This takes about 3 or 4 minutes. The driver will then charge you the price on the meter. This is usually around 70B. So, the total airport transfer is approx 120B.
It is only a short distance (15 mins max) to most hotels in and around Chiang Mai.
One tip is to make sure you get the card from your cab driver with the driver’s phone number. Cabs generally do not cruise the streets in Chiang Mai. Most transport around town is by Tuk Tuk and Songthaew (the long red ute/trucks) with bench seats. If you need an air conditioned cab you can then just call your driver by phone and organize a pick up. You might also like to ask their half day and full day rates to drive you in and around Chiang Mai.
To get back to the airport either call your cab driver or get a songthaew to take you.
This is easy to organize.
You have two kind of taxi's at the airport.
Chiang Mai Airport Taxi
Taxi Meter For both taxi's there is a booth in the arrival hall at CNX Airport.
Getting Around by Bus or Song-Thaew
The most common mode of public transportation is communal taxis called a Song-Thaew (two-row of seats in the back).The Song-Thaews which run on only the city, are painted RED. You'll be able to find a red one pretty much in Chiang Mai.
Climate
Chiang Mai has been known as a cool weather. It’s not too cold for the travelers, but sometimes it’s very hot and sunny on the season of summer. However, if we compare the season in Thailand, Chiang Mai is very cold, because there are places connected with the mountains.
The reality is that in the hot summer months (March till June), Chiang Mai can be just as uncomfortably hot as much of the rest of the country. The heat starts to increase soon after the New Year and by April or May it can be almost unbearably hot and humid.
The cool season runs from December to February, although there's usually just one week in December when temperatures are actually comfortable. However, from December to February the nights can be cool enough to require a jacket, so the appellation is not totally undeserved.
The rainy season some year is entirely bad time to visit since the rain generally falls within the span of an hour or two in the late afternoons. The rain cools down the temperatures a bit and cleans the air quite nicely. If it’s high temperatures, the rain is not too cold. It’s during on July to November.
