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All you need to know to visit Lampang

Lampang

ลำปาง
Northern Thailand
601 km from Bangkok
Province of Lampang

Budget

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Recomm. stay

1 à 2 jours

Visits

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Travel guide to visit Lampang

Located just before Chiang Mai on the road to the North of Thailand, Lampang is often overlooked by travelers. Yet the city has one of the most beautiful temples of the north, Wat Phra That Lampang Luang and some other equally interesting temples. It also has the unique peculiarity to offer horse-drawn carriages for transportation instead of the usual tuk-tuks. I am not a big fan of using horses like taht but it is up to you. This is certainly not a city where tourist stay for long but perhaps a step on the road to Chiang Mai.
Also note that air quality in Upper Thailand is very often very bad from end of February to mid-April. Wearing a N95 mask can be recommended (use website or applications to know the AQI level).

To see all optiosn to get around in Lampang, read our dedicated paragraph about getting around in Lampang.

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Accommodations in Lampang

Many hotels and guesthouses in Lampang are old and not very fancy but there are also very good accommodations and some friedly homestays. If a advance booking is not necessary, it may be interesting to book 2-3 days in advance to be sure to have a room in the few very good addresses.

Find accommodation in Lampang

My recommandations

People often ask me what accommodations I recommend in Thailand, here are my recommandations in Lampang.

Villa Rassada Nakorn Lampang

Hotel in Lampang

The Riverside Guest House

Guesthouse in Lampang

Akhamsiri Home

Hotel in Lampang

arrow_circle_right See all accommodations in Lampang

Practical information about Lampang

Here no tuk-tuks but songteaws and horse carriages (this is the only city in Thailand is to provide this type transportation ). You can get to lampang by train, plane or by bus. A bus travel from Bangkok takes 8 hours (online booking available here)

How to go to Lampang ?

Lampang is accessible by train or bus and has a small airport (with only bangkok Airways flights since April 2023). Buses to Chiang Mai stop at Lampang and leave from Bangkok Mochit Bus Termminal ((online booking available here)). Otherwise, by plane, you can fly to Chiang Mai which offers connections to more cities and then take a bus to Lampang.

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How to get around in Lampang ?

To go around in Lampang there is a bus network that are actually songtaews (shared taxis) yellow and green for trips in the city and marine blue for trips to the cities nearby. So to go to Ko Kha near Wat Phra That Lampang Luang, the emblematic temple of the province, take blue songthaew 2462. Note that if there are no taxis with meters in Lampang, yellow and green songtaews easily leave their bus function to become private taxi.
Train and bus stations are quite eccentric, it will cost up to 100 THB to reach them from your accommodation. But there alos are horse carriages in Lampang. They are the pride of the city but they do not take you everywhere, they are actually different roads in the city where they go. It is alos quite pleasant to travel by bicycle in Lampang. Some guesthouses rent bicycles.

Festivals in Lampang ?

Here is a list of the main festivals taking place every year in Lampang. I mention their dates as soon as they are official on Thai Festivals page.

Lampang Old Town Festival

This festival generally takes place in the month of July

arrow_circle_right Plus d'infos sur Lampang Old Town Festival

Must-visits in Lampang

Wat Phra That Lampang Luang

วัดพระธาตุลำปางหลวง

My opinion :

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emblematic temple of Lampang province, it is truly the place to visit here but it is about twenty kilometers away from Lampang City.

Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao

วัดพระแก้วดอนเต้

My opinion :

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This is probably the most interesting temple inside Lampang city. It was the first one housing the Emerald Buddha which is now in Bangkok now.

Wat Chalerm Phrakiat

วัดเฉลิมพระเกียรติพระจอมเกล้าราชานุสรณ์

My opinion :

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This temple perched on a mountain is not to be missed ! This will certainly be your most memorable visit you will do in Lampang Province. It is 1 hour drive (by car) from the city and not easy to reach by public transport but worth it ! The temple itself is amazing and the view by the weather is superb !

Wat Phra That Sandon Bamboo Bridge

วัดพระธาตุสันดอน

My opinion :

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This charming little bamboo bridge about thirty kilometers from Lampang city is particularly beautiful when the fields it crosses are covered with emerald green rice plants. Built in 2 months, it measures 360 meters and connects the temple to the main road.

Dhanabadee Ceramic Museum

พิพิธภัณฑ์เซรามิคธนบดี

My opinion :

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Lampang is famous for its ceramics, visiting a factory and museum tracing its history and showing the process of fabrication is a must do when you come here. At Dhanabadee Ceramic Museum, they still produce some pieces so you can really see them manufacturing ceramics and even make your own creations and of course buy quality ceramics at a good price.

Weekend Walking Street

กาดกองต้า

My opinion :

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Every weekend, a long part of Talad Gao Road in Lamapang becomes pedestrian and hosts a large night market with restaurants, food and drink stalls, clothes, handicrafts ... A Walking Street, that unlike Chiang Mai walking streets, mostly see locals and very few tourists come.

Wat Pong Sanuk

วัดปงสนุก

My opinion :

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This small temple whose restoration work has been awarded by UNESCO does not lack of charm especially its elevated central part hosting a chedi, a hall with a reclining Buddha and a superb unique cruciform pavilion mixture of Lanna, Chinese and Burmese styles.

Wat Phra That Doi Phra Chan

วัดพระธาตุดอยพระฌาน

My opinion :

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This temple partly perched on a mountain about twenty kilometers from Lampang is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in the province. It also offers a superb view, particularly popular at sunrise.

Other places to see in Lampang

Chae Son National Park
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The Chae Son National Park is a good complement to the visit of Wat Chalerm Prakiat 10 kilometers from here. Its pretty waterfall on 6 levels and hot springs where you can cook an egg and relax in a mineral bath make it a nice place to finish your day before returning to Lampang.

Chae Son Hot Springs
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Thailand has many natural hot springs, among which are the Chae Son Hot Springs within the Chae Son National Park 75 km from Lampang city. They are always nice places to relax and have fun boiling an egg.

Wat Akkho Chai Khiri
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This small perched temple can make an interesting stop on the road to the Wat Chalerm Prakiat mountain temple. It is about 10 kilometers before. It is accessed by a 220 steps Naga staircase. At the top, there is an ordination hall, a chedi, a standing Buddha and a small "magic" room.

Wat Chiang Rai
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Despite its name, this temple called Wat Chiang Rai is in Lampang city. It stands out from the other temples in the city by its whiteness that is reminiscent of a temple near Chiang Rai precisely. In addition to a daytime visit, I also advise you to come see it at night, it is then beautifully lit.

Wat Sri Rong Muang
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This temple is a perfect example of Burmese-style Buddhist temple architecture. Built in teak wood in the early 20th century by Burmese workers from Mandalay, its richly decorated main hall is its main attraction.

Wat Sri Chum
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This Burmese style temple also worths a visit if you are interested in the architectural styles of the Buddhist temples. Its teak wooden hall is its most representative element but there is also a chedi containing relics of Lord Buddha.

Weather & climate in

Lampang has a relatively dry climate compared to the neighboring provinces. In winter (from November to March) the weather is sunny and the temperatures pleasant with cool nights and mornings (14-17 °C or less but it is rare). From March to June, it's summer. April is the hottest month with temperature that can exceed 40 °C at the hottest moment of the day. The rainy season runs from May to the end of October but Lampang receives less rainfall than neighboring provinces and rarely suffers from the flash floods like the one taht affected Chiang Mai in recent years. Even in September, the rainiest month, rainfall barely exceeds 200 mm.

The best time to come to Lampang is from November to April. There is no time of year when it is not advised not to come to Lampang although in August and especially in September it rains more.

arrow_circle_right See climate & weather forecast in Lampang

How to ask in Thai to go to Lampang ?

I want to go to Lampang / Yak paï ti Lampang.
Where is Lampang ? / Lampang you ti naï ?

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