Best Shopping Malls in Chiang Mai – Cha-Chiang!

While this mall is conveniently located near the airport it is definitely not its only appeal. The mall is full of fantastic international brand outlets and popular high street names, as well as, a host of 'lanna' style stores selling local produce and handicrafts. The mall is particularly famous for its souvenir shops which sell Northern Thai crafts including clothing, silks, traditional toys and teak items. It's a great place to spend your free time and consists of a massive entertainment complex that includes a cinema and games arcade, a wide array of restaurants and a great food court that offers quality Thai cuisine, as well as a large number of terrific spas, manicurists and hairdressers.

Maya Lifestyle Shopping Centre is the newest mall on the block! Located on Niman road, the futuristically designed mall is equipped with abundant fashion outlets, a wide range of cafes and restaurants, a cinema and game arcade housed within a fantastic entertainment complex and rooftop bars overlooking the city. You can also find plenty of health and beauty outlets, tech stores, as well as boutique stores that offer great bargains!

Central Festival Chiang Mai or 'Fest' as it is referred to by locals has perhaps the most modern facilities in Chiang Mai and is definitely the easiest mall to navigate. Fest is situated on 70 acres of land and is oval-shaped with crisscrossing escalators that connect its stores and floors. There are more than 300 shops in the mall including everything from fashion and sportswear to electrical goods and perfumeries to stationery and book stores as well as British brand name shops, like Top Shop, that cannot be found anywhere else in the city.

Naming this mall a 'Resort Mall' was no mistake; the shopping experience the mall provides is designed to look and feel as though you were on vacation, surrounded by trees, ponds and luscious nature. The mall located on Chiang Mai-Sankampaeng Road, just off the Super Highway, blends into the surrounding greenery and is home to a host of great restaurants, boutique stores and outlets, as well as, an ice skating rink, a bowling alley and a large cinema.

Kad Suan Kaew is the oldest mall in the city but is still one of the best. The store has a variety of fashion outlets, discount stores, health and beauty shops and stalls selling electronics as well as restaurants and an entertainment complex that houses a bowling alley and a cinema, which plays only Thai films.

Think Park is a uniquely designed, open-air lifestyle shopping mall located directly across the Maya Lifestyle Shopping Centre. The mall is particularly great if you're looking for unique, creative gifts and crafts as well as boutique clothing – Think Park was in fact established with the aim to encourage art and support local artists and crafts people. Moreover, the mall has a fantastic collection of distinctive and exceptional restaurants, cafes and bars and has a thriving and vibrant nightlife!

Most hotels in Chiang Mai, such as the well known Anantara Chiang Mai Resort, are located close to these malls and so are easily accessible. These can be reached by either walking from your place of stay or taking a tuk-tuk!