Chiang Mai

Nimman and the Old City

Nimman is dense with cafes, small hotels and rented apartments. It is popular with students and with people who want to be near Chiang Mai University and the Old City without living inside the moat. The main stretch and its sois can be busy into the evening. A lane two turns off Nimmanhaemin Road is often quieter than the road itself; walk it at night before you pay a deposit.

The Old City has temples, guesthouses and narrower streets. Wat Chiang Man, in the northeast corner of the square, is one of the older temples in the city. Some residents like being able to walk to those places. Others find the tourist traffic tiring if they live right inside the moat, particularly around the Saturday walking street and during festivals. If you work at home and need quiet, look at the lanes just outside the moat as well as the ones inside.

Parking is tight in both areas. If you will keep a car, ask in writing where it will go. Motorbikes are easier to store and are the usual way to make short trips. Flooding after heavy rain is worth asking about on lower streets, even in the centre; a landlord should be able to tell you what happened in recent wet seasons.