Market Tours · CHIANG MAI
The good chiang mai market tours sell out first, and the early departures go before the rest. Below: the 15 to book ahead, what each includes and how they differ.
Spend 210 minutes with Thai Cottage Home Cookery School, visiting a local market, picking herbs, and cooking several Thai dishes. Guides such as Wave, Flook, Tu, Balloon, and Toey lead hands-on classes with vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten-free, and allergy-friendly options.
“Very pleasant class with good mix of people. Very nice host and good dishes. Recommend”
Meet your English-speaking guide, visit a Chiang Mai market, explore Grandma’s organic farm, then cook Pad Thai, curry, Tom Yum, Khao Soi, and more at your own station. Full-day classes add traditional coconut milk making. Guides such as Kiki, Jimmie, Patty, and Roger are known for clear, lively teaching.
“Great structure of the course, great meals and atmosphere. I enjoyed everything during the activity! Thanks a lot. Pad thai – one love ❤️”
Meet an English-speaking chef such as Cha-em, New, or Tu, visit a local fresh market, then cook several Thai dishes at Daddy’s Kitchen. You choose from soups, stir-fries, curries, and desserts, working at your own station before receiving a digital recipe book and activity photos.
“A lovely experience with a great and friendly host. Learnt how to cook so many delicious Thai recipes. Went home happy and full. I would recommend.”
Join instructor New, Aoy, or Oi for an evening Thai cooking class from Galangal Cooking Studio. Visit a local market and organic garden, choose dishes such as khao soi, pad Thai, or green curry, then cook and eat four courses in an air-conditioned kitchen.
“Amazing experience! The guide was excellent, very knowledgeable and funny, there was so much food and the choice was great. And the people in our group made it much more enjoyable too. Would definitely recommend while in Chiang Mai!”
Meet your Thai or English-speaking guide at your Chiang Mai hotel, then visit at least two evening markets for Kanom Jeen, Northern Thai dishes, stewed pork leg, coconut dumplings, and desserts. Small groups of up to 10 make it easy to ask questions and practice ordering in Thai.
“Very nice tour by our tour guide Mr. Goal. More food then we could ever eat. We made stops at several different night markets and tried a lot of different new things. Would definitely recommend if you’re in Chiang Mai.”
Spend an evening at Kalare Night Bazaar Boxing Stadium in Chiang Mai, where six Muay Thai bouts run from about 9 PM to 11:30 PM. You’ll see the wai khru ram muay ritual, fast kicks, elbows, knees, and real competition in a compact venue inside the Night Bazaar.
“Much better than I expected. Great atmosphere, great organisation, in a great little venue. Hard recommend.”
Start at 3:30 pm with hotel pickup and a visit to Somphet Market. Then head to an organic farm for a small-group Thai cooking class, individual stations, curry-paste making, six dishes, demonstrations of papaya salad and mango sticky rice, and a meal you cook yourself. Instructor Perm may lead the class.
“Come hungry and ready to eat! We had a great time cooking in Chiang Mai. They picked us up on time from our hotel and shuttled us to the local market, where they taught us about what we would eat and let us have some free time to wander. The cooking class was a lot Read more”
Spend a full day beyond Chiang Mai with a small group of up to nine. Visit a local market, climb Bua Thong Sticky Waterfalls, see colorful Wat Ban Den, then feed, walk with, and bathe elephants. Guides such as Blue, Non, James, Tom, and Tu are known for adding cultural detail and taking photos.
“Wonderful tour experience! Started at a market with some free time to walk, headed to sticky water falls for a great excursion and my older parents were able to sit and watch comfortably, then to a great local hot lunch and temple visit. Highlight was the elephant sanctuary! Got to feed the elephants, bathe them right in the water, and watched them be taken care of so kindly by the people. Thank you to guide James and Khun Cookie Monster at the sanctuary!”
Start with a guided local market visit, then tour Siam Garden’s organic garden before cooking six dishes, one person per wok. Choose your own appetizer, curry, stir-fry, soup, curry paste, and dessert. Instructors including Gift and Cream help with spicy, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free menus.
“Overall it was amazing. We learned a lot and everything was very well organised. We went to a local market where we learned about fruits and food then we went to the cooking school. We got to see spices in the school garden.”
Ride a tuk-tuk through Chiang Mai after sunset, visit Wat Phra Singh, Wat Phan Tao, Wat Chedi Luang, and Wat Lok Molee, then finish at the Night Bazaar with a simple meal and dessert. Guides such as Tik, Jane, Saman, Nancy, and Mali explain temple customs and local culture.
“What a lovely tour! Saman was very informative, personable and kind. I would definitely recommend asking for him. Thank you so very much!”
Start with hotel pickup, a local market visit, and a walk through Siam Garden Cooking School’s organic garden. With instructors such as Gift, Fonnie, Tukta, and Mint, you’ll prepare six chosen dishes, including curry paste, soup, stir-fry, and mango sticky rice.
“My family and I took a cooking class here. We were able to cook a variety of foods the traditional Thai way. And the best part was enjoying our creations. My family and I would definitely do this again and highly recommend it to anyone!”
Spend 150 minutes walking from Chansom Memorial Bridge through Ton Lamyai Flower Market and Warorot Market, stopping for dumplings, pa thong ko, mango sticky rice, and Hakka noodles. Your English or Thai-speaking guide, such as Koi, Nom, or Patty, explains local food and customs. Tastings cost extra.
“The tour was very interesting, we went in places we wouldn't have visited alone. Our guide, Banana, was clear, helpful and spoke a good english.”
Visit a local Chiang Mai market, then cook and eat Thai dishes in a family home with instructors including Oun, Orn, Mind, and Mindy. Choose from Pad Thai, curries, soups, salads, and more. Small groups, recipes, hotel pickup, and mango sticky rice are included.
“Best cooking class I’ve done! Great instructor, really knowledgeable and friendly!”
Start at 8:30 am with hotel pickup and a 30-minute walk through Somphet Market, then head 13 kilometers outside Chiang Mai for four hours of hands-on Thai cooking. An experienced chef leads you through seasonal dishes in an open-air farm kitchen, with herbs grown on site and recipe cards to take home.
“This was a wonderful experience!! Market tour in a local market with many excellent details on each ingredient. Then we arrived at the farm which is a bit outside of the city, and was absolutely beautiful! Very open space with green all around. We cooked a large variety of delicious dishes and had the best time! Highly recommended!”
Join Chiang Mai Smart Cook for a four-hour class near Chiang Mai Gate Market. You’ll visit a local market, learn Thai herbs and spices, make curry paste, cook several dishes, and eat what you prepare. Guides such as Tuu, Flook, Wave, and Balloon are praised for friendly, hands-on teaching.
“We all loved it. Our teacher was Tu and she was brilliant. So helpful and knowledgeable. Great experience”
Pick a kind of market, or the hour of the day you want to be standing in one.
