Wat Chedi Luang
A fourteenth-century chedi half brought down by an earthquake, left as it fell in the old town.
Duration
45 min – 1 hr
Best time
Late in the day
Open
Every day
Entry price
50 THB
The chedi was finished in 1481 and stood over eighty metres, the tallest building in the Lanna kingdom. An earthquake took its top off in 1545 and it was never rebuilt — the square base remains, torn open, with its brick elephants along the flanks.
That stump is what makes the place: you can see the structure, the thickness of the walls, the brickwork itself. The Emerald Buddha, now in Bangkok, was kept here for eighty years.
Getting there
In the middle of the old town, on Prapokklao Road, ten minutes on foot from Wat Phra Singh.
What the price covers
foreign visitor entry
What to bring
- Covering clothes
- Walking shoes
Rules on site
Shoulders and knees covered. Women are not permitted on the upper platform of the chedi; a sign says so at the foot of the steps.
Checked on 28 August 2026 at Chiang Mai Travel Hub — Wat Chedi Luang
