Chiang Saen - attractions- pottering around

One of the original guesthouses in Chiang Saen was Gin's. I once stayed there 20 years ago & vowed not to go back it was such a dump.

But Gin's has now got money - a bank loan - & built a super nice property with style, across the road & right on the Mekong.

Gin's Mekong View





stroll on out to the Khong



They have a variety of rooms, depending on your taste & budget







check it out sometime. Plus it is ok breakfast to maybe.

7 kms north / upstream of Chiang  Saen there's an impressive new huge Chedi built in the fields "in the middle of nowhere" so it seems.



now there must be a real interesting behind it's location, construction & funding.

& on the same plot of land a new "monastic residence" or private residence.

Wat Phra That Chedi Luang

Down town Chiang Saen, by the old wall & main gate entrance to the city

Wat Phra That Chedi Luang was built by King Saen Phu, the 3rd ruler of the Lanna kingdom in early 13th Century stands in mainly in ruins, but under going renovation.



The Lanna-style Chedi which measures 88 metres height with a base 24 metres, is the largest structure in Chiang Saen. The chedi was built circa 1331 and enlarged in 1515, & remains in good condition. 
Wat Phra That Chedi Luang
The viharn next door is relatively recent & stands on the brick ruins of a much older structure.
Wat Phra That Chedi Luang

Wat Phra That Song Pee Nong

Is located 5.5 kms downstream from Chiang Saen on R1129, just 1 km after Wat Phrathat Pa Ngao,

Legend has it that King Saen Phu camped here before surveying Chiang Saen for a new city.

The chedi is thought to have been built in the 14th-15th centuries.

Wat Phuok Phan Tong














Google Maps

Chiang Saen Attractions - Wat That Khieo

Wat That Khieo lies off R1029, 6 kms downstream from Chiang Saen to the S-E.

Its exact construction history is unknown, but it is believed to have been constructed around the 17th century A.D.

It is a beautiful relaxing site with some wonderful trees














And the highlight of our little stop here was meeting a delightful Thai couple from Chachoengsao; travelling traders who were buying up old mobile phones (for anything from 10 baht) &/or swapping them for plastic household items - buckets & bowls & chairs, to resell the phones for scrap to a dealer in Chiang Rai, who then sold them onto China.
Take your time, look around & engage the locals if you can.

Chiang Saen - Wat Phrathat Chom Kitti

Located on the outskirts of Chiang Saen, on a hill just outside the old wall & moat, to the North-West of town; Wat Phrathat Chom Kitti was built in 940AD.



The original chedi was renovated by King Suwana Kham Lanna in 1488 A.D, but now sits at an angle due an earthquake that struck Chiang Saen in 2007.



According to Chiang Saen history it contains relics of Buddha's forehead that were obtained from Sri Lanka. The bone fragments obtained were divided between 3 wats in the North - Wat Phra That Chom Kitti in Chiang Saen, Wat Phrathat Doi Chomthong in Chiang Rai, and Wat Phra That Doi Tung in Chiang Saen.





There are some stunning views over the Mekong & into Laos from the temple.

Wat Chetawan Ka Pheuak

It is believe to have been constructed around 1636 by King Suddhodhammaraj.

This ancient temple consists of an assembly hall & stupa.

The assembly hall is rectangular with the entrance facing to the East. It is an open hall with a wall at the rear behind which was the principal Buddha image.

The stupa is a round shape in Lanna style, with a square base & round mid section. It was last restored somewhat in 2019.

Chiang Saen Attractions - Wat Phrachao Lan Thong

Wat Phrachao Lan Thong was built by Prince Thong Ngua, the son of King Tilokkara.


The viharn contains the bronze Buddha image known as Phra Chao Lan Thong, along with a smaller image from 1726 called the Phra Chao Saen Swae (Buddha of a Hundred Thousand Pins), so named because the image was held together by numerous pins before it was cast.












Swing on by now & you can see some fabulous renovations & intricate sculpturing going on.

Chiang Saen attractions

Back on the beat in charming Chiang Saen. There are too many old temple ruins all over town if you want to take the time to meander around the streets at a slow pace.

Wat Phra Non is believed to have been built in the 15th century

Chiang Saen ancient ruins & attractions continued

Wat Muen Chiang was constructed in 1488 A.D.

Chiang Saen History & Attractions

Ancient Chiang Saen was a walled city with a moat around it for protection.

According to an ancient chronicle, the original city of Chiang Saen was built in 545 CE in an area called Yonok by Tai migrants from the Chinese province of Yunnan, and was an important city (Southeast Asia Mandala-model mueang) of the Lanna ('million paddies') Kingdom.

No reliable written history of the city exists until the arrival of King Mengrai in the 13th century. His grandson, Saen Phu, ruler of the Lanna Kingdom, founded Chiang Saen in 1325 or 1328.

The city was sacked by Chao Kawila of Chiangmai during the reign of Rama I, because it had been the Burmese base of operations in the preceding years. The city was deserted, while its inhabitants resettled in other Bangkok-allied Lanna cities such as Lampang and Chiang Mai. Several ancient ruins are found in the old cities.

The mueang was converted into a district at the beginning of the 20th century in the Thesaphiban reforms, with an additional branch or minor district (king amphoe) also named Chiang Saen covering the central area. The minor district was abolished in 1925, then recreated two years later, & named Chiang Saen Luang (เชียงแสนหลวง).

In 1939 the minor district was renamed Chiang Saen, while the former district Chiang Saen became Mae Chan. The minor district was upgraded to a full district on 6 April 1957.

The southern wall
The southern wall is 850 metres & & made of brick. On the outside is another earthern wall.
There are many beautiful trees along the old wall.

















Take a stroll beside the south wall sometime.

Chiang Saen attractions continued

Wat Satsadee is hidden down a narrow lane, 250 metres upstream from the marine police.
You would never know it is there, hidden behind the bushes, but it is there alright.

Worth the effort to take the time to locate it

Chiang Saen ancient temples continued

Wat Sangkha Kaeo Don Than located on the river front road on the upstream side of town, was probably constructed in the 16th century A.D.

Chiang Saen wats & attractions

Wat Mongkol, located on the river road at the far north end of town, is believe to have been constructed in the 16h century; & was built by Phaua Sprasoth Majachaui Songlgra Lumpha.









Not a great deal to see here you may think, but, adjoining the site is another old interesting wat, 100 metres away, further back off the river.

Wat Maha Pho

An ancient well


There are many magnificent old trees through the site




Wat Maha Pho is well worth a stroll to appreciate the beauty of nature & history.

An old renovated building on the river road, that I've long pondered what the story & history was.


Located on old tobacco land, both Ian Yonok & I have thought about it..



I recently stumbled across the photos above & some accompanying info.
Apparently King Rama 9, Queen Sirikit & the Queen Mother came to Chiang Saen & used / rested at this building on March 11, 1958.
Hence the restoration & historical significance.

Chiang Saen Attractions - Wat Athi Ton Kaeo

Wat Athi Ton Kaeo was constructed in 1515AD by Phra Muang Kaeo, a ruler of Chiang Mai, on his visit to Chiang Saen as a lesson to reconcile conflicts between monks of different sects.



He also presided over the ordination of young Chiang Saen men, so that monks from all sects could take part in the same religious ceremoney.



“Athi” means “such as”, and “Ton Kaeo” is a small tree native to Southeast Asia, also known as Orange Jasmine.
The temple name therefore translates as the temple of the orange jasmine.

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Wat Mung Muang
Chiang Saen attractions continued

This temple is believed to have been constructed in 1839. It has a Lanna style chedi on a square platform, and the top of the Chedi has a shape like a round bell with small Chedi decorated at the corner like the Chedi at Wat Pa Sak.

ianyonok said:

Chiang Saen is a lovely old town with a fascinating history. No-one cuts the big old trees in the old temple sites, or on the city wall, so there is plenty of shade around. As well as 75 odd recorded temple sites inside the Wiang, there are another 60 recorded in the local area of the town. The best known is Wat Pa Sak, just outside the wall on the left as you enter the town on the main road.
A lovely very recently restored ancient temple is Wat Pa Daeng, west of Chomkitti near to the Nam Kham Nature Reserve. Cleverly, the restorers have used modern bricks to show where the missing parts are, but these bricks provide shape and join the remaining ancient parts together.
View attachment 151527
There is a report on the forum here on this wat.

Click to expand...

Thanks for reminding about that one. I still have to go to that one.


BTW good to see you back on GTR, how's the chocolate supply going?