Things to do & places to visit in Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand

Chiang Saen is located about five hours from Chiang Mai. The town offers a glimpse into the history of northern Thailand with ruins from the past. The town was founded in the 1300s.

Chiang Saen municipality in , Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. Timezone: Asia/Bangkok, current date and time: Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 23:20.

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Top things to do (13)

• Speciality Museums
• Architectural Buildings
• Religious Sites
• Points of Interest & Landmarks
• Bus Tours
• Spas
• Boat Tours
• Historic Sites
• Caverns & Caves
• Ancient Ruins
• History Museums
• Day Trips
• Bodies of Water

Top places to visit (18 attractions)

1. 5.0 Anantara Spa at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort (6 reviews)
   - One of the best hotels in Thailand
   Spent 2-3 hours Spas
   
   
   Healing northern Thai traditions in remote surrounds. Harmony with nature embraces luxury in ancient Lanna style. Absolute privacy is guaranteed amidst lush jungle. Unwind to a wild soundtrack of forest bird song. Relax after elephant adventures with Thai cultural rituals using healing local herbs. Sip detoxifying ginger and honey tea on muslin-draped daybeds overlooking three countries. See more..
   
2. 5.0 New Chiang Saen Port Group (1 review)
   - Mekong curise ทัวร์ล่องเรือสามประเทศ by NCG
   Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Boat Tours
   
   
   ทัวร์ล่องเรือ ชมบรรยากาศสามประเทศ เลือกซื้อสินค้าปลอดภาษี เกาะดอนซาว
   เส้นทางการล่องเรือ เชียงแสน-สามเหลี่ยมทองคำ-เกาะดอนซาว See more..
   
3. 4.5 Wat Pra Dhat Pha-Ngao (96 reviews)
   - Great views
   Points of Interest & Landmarks
   
   
   Firstly explore the temples at car park level. Then drive through the grounds and turn right to hill top Chedi and view breathtaking. You can get nice drinks in cafe at top. See more..
   
4. 4.5 Wat Pa Sak (69 reviews)
   - Stunning During Sunset
   Religious Sites
   
   
   This was a quick stop at the end of our 1 day guided tour around Chiang Rai. The wat was quiet and rustic - seemingly untainted from modernity and commercialisation, unlike many other wats. It was stunning during sunset. See more..
   
5. 4.5 Wat Phra That Chom Kitti (33 reviews)
   - Excellent site
   Points of Interest & Landmarks
   
   
   One of the better historic sites in the Golden Triangle area. The grounds are well kept and the temple is beautiful. A must see if in the area. See more..
   
6. 4.5 Chiang Saen National Museum (7 reviews)
   - Worth visit
   Wednesday: 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours History Museums
   
   
   This museum is small but nice. It shows the history of Chain saen and other Lanna ancient cities. Entrance fee is 20 thb for thai( not sure for foreigner) See more..
   
7. 4.5 Nong Bua Luang (3 reviews)
   - Wonderful lunch at the lake!
   Bodies of Water
   
   
   Great authentic lunch on a bamboo raft, while floating on the lake. In some occasions, they even bring your ordered food to you by boat. We where the only western tourists here, which made it even more cool! See more..
   
8. 4.0 House of Opium (1.021 reviews)
   - Highly recommend
   Wednesday: 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM Spent < 1 hour Speciality Museums • History Museums
   
   
   Located in the heart of the infamous Golden Triangle, this museum is dedicated to educating visitors about the history of the opium trade and the dangers of addiction. See more..
   
9. 4.0 Wat Phra That Chedi Luang (117 reviews)
   - Best In Chiang Saen
   Religious Sites
   
   
   We reached this temple on a taxi tour to the golden triangle and the old temples in Chiang Saen. There are a number of ruins nearby, but this appeared to be the best maintained. Wat Chedi Luang was once, Chiang Saen’s main temple. There is a large chedi and the ruins of a wiharn nearby. There appears to be some renovation going on here, with a new roof visible and a new Buddha image installed, although the sides of the hall are still open. There are a number of tall trees here giving shade to the area. Chiang Saen National Museum, Wat Phra Buat, Wat Mung Muang and Wat Maha That, are all within walking distance of Wat Chedi Luang. We visited all this ruins but the museum was closed for renovation. It took us about 1 hour to walk around and capture some pictures of this area. See more..
   
10. 4.0 Wat Pra That Pukhao (12 reviews)
    - Temple At Golden Triangle
    Spent < 1 hour Religious Sites
    
    
    We reached this temple on a taxi tour to the golden triangle and the old temples in Chiang Saen. This temple is situated on a hill on the riverside at the golden triangle. Entrance here was free. The opening hours were stated as 8am-4:30pm. There is a restored Viharn and crumbled Chedis here. There is a Buddha sited on a platform under some trees. There is a road leading up the small hill, to the temple. There is also a staircase guarded by nagas to go up to this site. The view of the golden triangle from here is impressive. See more..
    
11. 4.0 Hall of Opium (9 reviews)
    - Beautiful and fascinating
    Speciality Museums
    
    
    If you have any interest in opium and the history of the opium trade, consider this little museum a must. It is well organized, has ample and informative signage in English and a beautiful and fascinating collection of opium pipes and weights. Probably the best little local museum I have ever been to. See more..
    
12. 4.0 Tham Khao Luang Cave (9 reviews)
    - a cave
    Caverns & Caves
    
    
    If you are interested in caves, this can be worth the trip, although bear in mind that it can be flooded for a large part of the year. Bring your own flashlight(s). Serious spelunkers may be disappointed. Nice picnic area as part of the park. "Tham" (tom) means cave in Thai, so the name is redundant. See more..
    
13. 4.0 Wat Pa Sak (1 review)
    - Worth A visit
    Spent < 1 hour Ancient Ruins
    
    
    This ancient site is worth a visit for the intricate sculpture. It has Myanmar influence and the craftmanship is good. As it is site in a park, the teak wood trees are beautiful See more..
    
14. 3.5 Golden Triangle (1.081 reviews)
    - Interesting experience.
    Points of Interest & Landmarks
    
    
    This was originally the opium-growing region of northern India Thailand, eastern Burma and western Laos, but is now mainly a tourist attraction. See more..
    
15. 3.5 Wat Phra Buat (15 reviews)
    - Lanna culture on a river bank
    Architectural Buildings • Religious Sites
    
    
    Nicely located on the Mekong Chieng Saen, you can see Chinese boats tied up, visit a range of interesting old walls/stupas/wats similar to Chieng Mai but without the crowds, wander down the wide streets and just "chill out". The famous Golden Triangle is a short car trip up the road where you can view China, Laos and Myanmar at the river junction . See more..
    
16. 3.5 Wat Chetawan (10 reviews)
    - Not the usual Thai temple
    Religious Sites
    
    
    This is a semi-derelict temple and is therefore a bit different from the usual temples we visited. We were almost 'templed out' but went anyway. It was worth a stop, particularly if you are in the area, but you don't need much time there. See more..
    
17. Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai: White Temple-Black House-Blue Temple-Long Neck (0 review)
    Wednesday: 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM Bus Tours • Day Trips
    
    
    See more..
    
18. Wat Mung Muang (0 review)
    Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins
    See more..