Some of the best shopping in the world can be found right here in Chiang Mai. The north of Thailand has been a centre of arts and crafts for centuries and that aesthetic tradition is still very much alive today. Thai silk and antiques, handmade furniture and lacquerware and the unique Sa Paper umbrellas are just a few of the myriad of items on display. And with some incredible bargains to be had you might need an extra suitcase just to carry it all.

With countless markets, shops and boutiques scattered around the city, Chiang Mai is a shopper's paradise. When you have so many options the hardest choice is often where to start. Fortunately, in Thailand many places that specialize in the same products can often be found near one another, making life easier on shoppers.

When it comes to shopping in Chiang Mai the only thing more impressive than the price is the sheer variety of goods offered. From antique statuary to the latest video games, if you can buy it in Thailand you can find in Chiang Mai, and for a lot cheaper than you'd pay just about anywhere else.  

Night Bazaar

OPEN: from sunset (18:00) - 22.30

The main venue for shopping in Chiang Mai is the night bazaar, which takes up four blocks of Chang Khlan Road, within walking distance from several major hotels. Set up time is around sunset (usually about 18:00) and shopping goes on unabated until about 22:30 with a few vendors remaining open even later.

Here you can find vendors selling almost anything you can think of. The selection is truly amazing but some of the more popular items on offer include CDs, DVDs, clothes, shoes, Thai silk, handicrafts and purses. Low prices mean you almost always get good value for your money. For a step up in quality (and price) try out the two level Viang Ping Night Bazaar, near Tha Phae Road.

The Weekend Market

OPEN: from mid afternoon

Also known as the walking street, this pleasant market used to be restricted to Sundays but it has become popular enough to rate the full weekend. Starting in mid-afternoon Ratchadamneon road from Phra Pokkao Road to Tha Phae Gate is closed to traffic and open for business. Take a stroll along the cobbled streets in the soft light of dusk while sipping on fresh fruit juice, browsing handicrafts and snacking on random delicacies to the lilting accompaniment of traditional Thai music being played by street buskers-it's one of the best ways to spend an evening in Chiang Mai.

The items on offer lean towards hand crafted products rather than the variety of mass produced brick-a-brack on display in the night bazaar, although there are plenty of hilltribe vendors peddling the usual assortment of tourist trinkets. Temples on either side of the road become food courts where you can sample everything from fried rice to fried crickets and there are tons of refreshment stalls set up along the road. The fresh fruit juice stands are a real treat and the kid in you will be delighted with a pancake on a stick, complete with a depiction of your favourite cartoon character, lovingly rendered in jelly.

The weekend market also serves as a venue for all kinds of local events, from dance recitals to beauty pageants and the sois (avenues) on either side of the main road feature stages and performance spaces, while the intersections act as informal venues for all kinds of street performers-musicians, puppeteers and even soccer ball virtuosos. With so much to see and buy at the weekend market your feet are bound to get tired. Fortunately there are plenty of places where you can sit down and get a relaxing foot massage for next to nothing.

Warorot Market

Located at the end of Chang Moi Road, east of the moat and north of the night bazaar, this important market acts like a big, haphazard Wal-Mart for local Thais. This is a great place to go to get a feel for what real Thai life is like. Markets are an important part of everyday life for Thai people, providing a place to socialize and a sense of community as well as being the place to buy and sell necessities.

The Warorot market is housed in a large, rambling building, with foodstuffs on the ground floor and other merchandise on the levels above. Visitors will probably be interested in the great deals on clothing rather than the day to day goods on offer (unless of course you want an authentic Thai spatula). T-shirts and simple clothes can found here for much less than you would pay at the night bazaar or a department store and patient shoppers will find some real gems.

Ton Lamyai

While ambling around the Warorot Market you might be treated to a sudden sweet waft of scent on the breeze from the river. That's Ton Lamyai, the flower market. Located just opposite the river bank the Ton Lamyai is the oldest wet market in Chiang Mai. Wet markets, so named for the water on the floor, are places where fresh fruits, vegetables and meats are sold. Ton Lamyai has all of the above and is a great place to stock up on the interesting and unusual varieties of fruits in Chiang Mai, especially strawberries, which are rare in Thailand, but readily grown on the slopes of Chiang Mai's hills and mountains.

The thing that sets Ton Lamyai apart from the other food markets is the flowers. All year round you will find the market bursting with colour and perfumed by a hundred different blossoms. Orchids, Roses and countless other varieties of flowers are on sale, either cut or arranged, perfect for brightening up your hotel room. Even if you don't want to buy, the market is worth a trip just to marvel at the beauty and scent of all those flowers.

Baan Tawai

Simply the best place in Thailand to buy antiques, antique reproductions, home furnishing and decorative art, Ban Tawai is well worth the trip out of town. Located 20 km (12 miles) south of the city centre on the road towards Doi Inthanon, Ban Tawai is one of the most important craft centres in Thailand. Many of the fantastic items sold in Bangkok, Phuket and Samui are produced right here and by going straight to the source you can get some truly fantastic deals.

Woodcarving is the medium of choice for the majority of the artisans at Ban Tawai, a skill passed down for generations. Thai woodcarvers are among the best in the world and Ban Tawai artisans are incredibly versatile, producing exquisite works in an incredibly diverse array of styles. Aside from décor items and furniture Ban Tawai will impress with its wonderful selection of Thai silk, bamboo products, soaps and oils, ornaments and vases.

With so many fabulous pieces on display at such incredible prices, you might just find yourself with a sudden urge to re-decorate your entire house, and why not? Here you can get top floor quality at bargain basement prices. The only problem is how to get that finely carved Lanna style end table into your suitcase. But don't worry, a professional packing and logistics industry has grown up around the craft centre and all you need to do is bring your credit card and the merchants can easily arrange shipping.

Even if you're not interested in giving your home décor a makeover, a trip to Ban Tawai is worth it just to watch the artisans and craftsmen at work, practicing techniques handed down for centuries.