Chiang Mai Nightlife Guide for Men

Most bars on Loi Kroh Road and around Tha Phae Gate wind down around 1am, and the open-air bars at Zoe in Yellow around midnight. After that the night usually moves to Spicy on Chaiyaphum Road, the long-running after-hours club that fills with freelancers from about 2am; it has changed before, so check it is open. In Nimman, clubs such as Warm Up Cafe run to around 2am with a younger Thai and student crowd.

Near Loi Kroh Road or Tha Phae Gate, on the east side of the Old City, if the bars are the point. You can walk to Loi Kroh, the Night Bazaar and the Old City bars from there. Nimman, to the west, suits you if you prefer cafes by day and the club crowd by night. The whole city is compact and short rides are cheap.

Fly if time matters: flights from Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi take a little over an hour, and the airport is a short ride from the Old City. The overnight sleeper train is the classic alternative and saves a hotel night; second-class lower berths are wider and worth the extra, and they sell out in high season, so book ahead. Overnight buses are the cheapest option; pick a reputable operator and keep valuables on you.

The red pickup trucks called songthaews (rot daeng) work as shared taxis: tell the driver where you are going and agree the fare first. Grab and Bolt operate in the city and are simplest late at night. The Old City and the Loi Kroh area are walkable. Many long-stayers rent a scooter, but ride sober and wear a helmet.

November to February, when the air is cool and dry, is the most comfortable time and the high season; hotel rates jump for Yi Peng, the lantern festival in November. Roughly February to April is the burning season, when smoke from crop fires can make the air quality very poor, so check forecasts if you have breathing problems. The rainy season runs from about June to October, with lower prices and green hills.

In two places, and they are two different kinds. Loi Kroh Road has the oil-massage shops aimed at nightlife visitors, scattered between the bars and open until around midnight. The Old City is packed with traditional Thai massage shops and training schools, where a massage means just that. Standards vary from shop to shop, so look at the shop front and the price list before you go in. Our Massage Parlors guide explains the types.

Only if you want a different kind of trip. Chiang Mai has nothing on the scale of Nana Plaza or Walking Street: Loi Kroh Road has beer bars, a few gogos and massage shops, and the rest of the scene is backpacker bars, live music and Nimman's clubs. What you get instead is lower prices, a relaxed pace, and mountains and temples by day. Most men give it three or four nights, or settle in for a month.

Start with Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, the temple on the mountain west of the city, then the Old City temples such as Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh, dressed modestly. Thai cooking classes and elephant sanctuaries are the most popular half-day trips; pick a sanctuary that doesn't offer rides. Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest mountain, is a full day out, and Nimman's cafes fill the slow afternoons before a night out.