Itinerary

48 Hours of Drinking in Chiang Mai

Friday night to Sunday afternoon. Eight stops, properly sequenced for visiting drinkers.

  1. Stop 01

    Akha Ama Coffee

    Friday 17:00 — Arrival drink · Santitham · $ · Cocktail Bars

    Coffee-and-cocktail bar from the Akha hill-tribe community. Drop bags. Find a hotel-adjacent bar within a five-minute walk. Order something simple to anchor yourself to the city.

  2. Stop 04

    North Gate Jazz Co-Op

    Saturday 17:30 — Rooftop cocktail · Old City · $ · Live Music

    Heritage live-jazz bar from 2011. Sunset. Find a rooftop. Order whatever the house specials around sundown. Take photos but don't lose 90 minutes to your phone.

  3. Stop 05

    Beer Republic

    Saturday 20:00 — Dinner-with-drinks · Nimmanhaemin · $$ · Hidden Gems

    Cocktail-and-craft-beer bar with a tight rotating menu. Eat somewhere with serious bartending built in. The right room is one you order both your dinner and your nightcap from.

  4. Stop 06

    Saxon & Sons Brewery

    Saturday 22:30 — The destination · Santitham · $$ · Craft Beer

    Craft brewery taproom in Santitham pouring twelve house taps and the city's most adventurous local beers. The bar that made you book the trip. The pre-research one. Reservation-only ideally. Stay until last call.

  5. Stop 08

    My Beer Friend

    Sunday 17:00 — Last quiet drink · Nimmanhaemin · $$ · Cocktail Bars

    Craft-beer bar with thirty taps including Thai craft beers. Find the hotel bar at your departure airport equivalent — somewhere quiet, low-volume, well-staffed. End the trip on a martini and a clean conversation.

The plan starts polished on Friday night and peaks Saturday late. We've left Sunday afternoon for recovery, a brunch cocktail, and a quiet last drink before you fly out. Every stop is editor-picked and walkable from at least one of the others.

Total spend across the weekend: roughly £200-£350 per person on drinks alone (not counting food). Reservations are essential at any room flagged 'destination'. Book those first; the rest you can walk to.

Each stop links to the full bar page if you want to dig deeper. Treat timings as guidance — adjust to your pace.

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