This is my list of suggestions for places to eat, stay, shop and sightsee in and around Chiang Mai.

Places to eat
	Aroon Rai. 45 Kotchasan Road (near Tha Phae Gate). tel 053 276 947. Long-established restaurant specializing in Northern Thai specialties. open: 08:00 - 23:00 daily.
	Lamduan Khao Soi. Charoen Rat Road (near Wat Faham). Favorite local lunch hangout; delicious khao soi noodles and green papaya salad. open: 09:00-15:00 daily.
	Huen Phen. 112 Ratchamankha Road. tel 053 277 103. Well-known restaurant specializing in Northern Thai specialties. Antique and garden surroundings. open: 08:00 - 15:00; 17:00 - 21:30 daily.
	Huen Sontharee. 46 Thanon Wang Sing Kham Road. tel 053 252 445. Upscale Thai restaurant serving Northern Thai specialties. Owned by a famous Northern Thai singer who often sings at the restaurant at night. open: 16:00 - 1:00 daily.
	Piccola Roma Palace. 144 Charoen Prathet Road. tel 053 820 297. Upscale Italian; huge portions. Owned and run by an Italian who imports many of his ingredients directly from Italy. Free transportation available. open: 11:00-14:00; 17:00 - 23:00 daily.
	Il Forno. 142 Prapokklao Road, Amphur. tel 053 208 778. Down-home Italian food; locally-made ingredients. Good appetizers, pasta and pizza by Italian and Thai chefs. open: 09:00 - 22:30 daily.
	Bake & Bite Bakery. 6/1 Kotchasan Soi 1 T. Chang Klan. tel 053 285 185. Great breakfast place; yummy homebaked goods; sandwiches.
Places to stay
	Baan Jong Come Guest House. 27 Soi 4 Tha Phae Road. tel 053 274 823. Good standard guest house accomodations, friendly operator.
	Tamarind Village. 50/1 Rajdamnoen Road, Sri Phom. tel 053 418 896. Pleasant surroundings, small pool, cleanly appointed rooms with air conditioning.
	Four Seasons Resort in Chiang Mai (formerly the Regent Resort). Mae Rim-Samoeng Old Road, Mae Rim (about 20 minutes out of town). Supposed to be the ultimate luxury experience. Very pricey!
	Gap's House. 3 Ratchadamnoen Road, Soi 4. tel 053 278 140. Small, but cozy bungalows surrounded by a garden. Also offers cooking classes.
Places to see
	Enjoy Tours and Trekking Center. 258 Tha Phae Road. tel 053 235 791. Friendly service, reliable tour operator. You can sign up to be part of one of their regular tours or treks or rent a van for the day and invent your own itinerary.
	Doi Suthrep (Wat Phra That). This is the spot on top of a mountain to the west of the city where legend has it that an elephant carried holy relics. It's sort of a mini-version of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, a nice afternoon trip. open: 08:00 - 16:00 daily.
	Wat Phra Singh. The principal "must-see" wat in Chiang Mai. Best visited in the early morning! Oliver Hargreave offers some good early morning walks around various wats in downtown Chiang Mai in his book "Exploring Chiang Mai". open: 08:00 - 17:00 daily.
	Baan Sao Nak. Lampang (about one hour south of Chiang Mai by automobile). Beautiful old Thai house. open: 10:00 - 17:00 daily.
	The Elephant Conservation Centre. 37 km northwest of Lampang on Highway 11 (about one hour south of Chiang Mai by automobile). You can either rent a vehicle (see Enjoy Tours above) or brave the public bus system! This is the best elephant camp I have visited. The shows are well run and no one is standing around looking for a tip every 10 minutes! The camp is run by the government and used to train mahouts (professional elephant keepers) from all over the world and as a hospital for sick and injured animals. shows 10:00 & 11:00 daily; Sat & Sun: additional show at 13:30.
Places to shop; other suggestions
	Kukwan Gallery. 37 Loi Kroh Road, T. Chang Klan. tel 053 206 747. fine silk, hemp and cotton textiles. open: 10:00 - 20:00; closed Sundays & Thai holidays.
	Success Silk Shop. 56 Loi Kroh Road, T. Chang Klan. tel 053 208 853. interesting collection of silk textiles. open: 10:00 - 20:00 daily.
	Thai Kitchen Cookery Centre. 2/1 Chang Moi Kao Road, Soi 3, T. Chang Moi. tel 053 233 966. Good cooking school with a colorful cookbook; run by an Australian-Thai couple; lots of fun! daily courses available 09:30 - 17:00 (evening course: 14:00 - 18:00).
	Baan Thai Thai Cookery School. 11 Radchadamnern Road, Soi , T. Sriphoom. tel 053 357 339. Good cooking school; run by Thais. Cookbook is basic, but instruction is very professional; one person to a wok! daily course available 9:40 - 16:00 (daily evening course: 17:00 - 20:30).
	Empire Collection (Tailor). 485/12 Charoen Muang Road, Wat Kate (near train station). tel 053 262 755. call for free transportation.
	Kesorn Arts. 154-156 Tha Phae Road. tel 053 874-325. Hilltribe art, jewelry, textiles.
	Mengrai Kilns. 79/2 Arak Road, T. Prasing. tel 053 272 063. open: 08:00 - 17:00 daily.
	Nancy Chandler's map of Chiang Mai is a indispensible guide to navigating the city and major sites. It is available in most English-language book shops.

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