Chiang Mai: Two Nights in the Silversmiths' Quarter
Two nights just south of Chiang Mai's Old City, in the quarter where families have hammered silver for more than two hundred years: make your own piece with an artisan, join a Lanna morning and cook with a local host.
Tour overview
South of the Old City walls lies the silversmiths' quarter of Chiang Mai, where families brought here from Burma two centuries ago still work silver by hand. Its temple has an ordination hall covered inside and out in hammered silver and aluminium, and next to it a small school keeps Lanna crafts alive. You stay two nights in a small boutique or heritage guesthouse close by. With your guide you meet the silversmiths and hammer a small silver piece to take home, prepare offerings and join the morning alms with a local family, walk the teak and brick temples of the Old City and cook a Lanna meal with a local host. If your stay includes a Saturday, the street becomes a craft market in the evening. Your English-speaking guide stays with you and translates.
Scheduled stops
- •Silver ordination hall
- •Silver workshop with a local artisan
- •Lanna morning and alms
- •Old City temples
- •Lanna cooking with a local host
- •Saturday craft market (on Saturdays)
Three-day programme
Times are approximate and may vary depending on traffic, queues, temple access and local conditions. The order of visits may be adjusted when necessary to provide the smoothest experience.
Arrival and check-in
Meet your guide at the airport or your hotel and check in to your guesthouse.
The silver quarter
The silver ordination hall and the families' workshops, then hammer a small silver piece with an artisan.
Evening in the quarter
Dinner of northern dishes nearby; on Saturdays, the craft market on the street.
Lanna morning
Prepare offerings and join the morning alms with a local family, then breakfast.
Old City temples
A quiet walk through teak and brick temples inside the old walls.
Lanna cooking
Shop at a local market and cook a Lanna meal with a local host.
Breakfast and free morning
A last walk or coffee in the quarter.
Farewell
Check-out and transfer to the airport or your next hotel, ending around 12:00.
Photo gallery
Photos: Michael Jenselius (CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons) · Photo Dharma (CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons) · chootrong (CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons) · Vichitsilp (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Frequently asked questions
Is the stay private?
Yes. The guide, the transfers and the programme are only for your group (1–8 people).
What is the price?
The price depends on the season, the number of guests and the guesthouse you choose. Send us your dates and group size and we will send you a personalised offer.
Can women enter the silver ordination hall?
By temple tradition, women may not enter the hall itself; they see it from the terrace and the grounds, and the workshops are open to everyone.
Can we time it with the Saturday market?
Yes. Tell us your dates and we will plan the stay so that a Saturday evening falls inside it where possible.
What is included
- Licensed local English-speaking guide for the programme.
- Private transfers from and to Chiang Mai airport or your hotel.
- Two nights in a boutique or heritage guesthouse near the Old City, breakfast included.
- Silver workshop with materials, the morning alms programme and the Lanna cooking session with the meal.
- Basic travel insurance for every customer, the guide and the driver.
Tour price inclusions and exclusions
- Price on request: we send you a personalised offer for your dates and group.
- Other meals and drinks are not included.
- Price for the whole private group, VAT included.
Practical tips
- Bring modest clothes for the temples, with shoulders and knees covered.
- The best months in Chiang Mai are November to February.
- Silver bought directly from the makers is the nicest souvenir; ask your guide about prices.