Chiang Mai night market, Thailand – the night bazaar
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It operates almost every evening, although its scale does vary at times, taking up a couple of blocks along Chang Khlan Road starting as the sun goes down and ending about midnight. As well as the main street market, there are several “souvenir malls” and other market-style malls running off to the sides of Chang Khlan Road which offer a variety of specialized goods at competitive prices.
To get decent prices, you need to be prepared to bargain a bit. Usually, the prices initially offered are around double what the vendor will accept if you bargain hard. With many vendors, simple haggling ("Can I have a better price?") will net you discounts of 20% to 30%. Bargaining is not just acceptable but is expected at these street stalls.
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Towards the top end of Chiang Mai night market near Chang Khlan Road on the left side is an enclosed section of the night bazaar known as the Kalare Night Bazaar which, as well as having many more market stalls to explore, offers a great range of casual bars and sit down restaurants where you can get a reasonably priced meal and watch the passing parade go by. On our last visit, we noticed that one or two large restaurants seem to have taken over in this area it’s not as competitive as it used to be, but it’s still a great place to eat.
Do yourself a big favor and look out for the lady making banana roti outside Mcdonald's! These are the most delicious banana roti we had anywhere in Thailand, smothered liberally in condensed milk and sprinkled with sugar, and eaten with a toothpick (kindly provided). Not to be missed! Check it out in the video below:
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Places to stay near the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar
Because it’s such a big central focus of nightlife in Chiang Mai, some of the best places to stay are around this area. TripAdvisor has a nicely reviewed list of the top hotels close to the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar.
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