Chiang Khan is a quaint little town that sits along the banks of the Mekong River. It can be found in Loei province in Northeast Thailand. Loei province falls directly along the crossroad between Northeast Thailand and Northern Thailand. Because of this there is a large volume of people that pass through the Loei province. However, if you make your way up to Chiang Khan, you will be pleased to find an amazing little city. A city busting at the seams with charm. You will find yourself off the beaten path and thrown back into what feels like the ‘old Thailand.’
You can check out other thing to do around Loei province.
Chiang Khan has been steadily increasing in attracting local Thai tourists who want to revisit the charm of olden Thailand, and their main stop is the Chiang Khan Walking Street. With the increase in local tourism, it is only a matter of time before Chiang Khan Walking Street starts becoming mainstream
Our family has visited this walking street a number of times over the last couple of years. There is fun to be had by all ages!
History and Architecture of Chiang Khan’s Walking Street
To get a better understanding of why the walking street is becoming popular, it is important to know a brief history of the town and the unique architecture style. Chiang Khan was ‘established’ in the late 1800 when France gained control over Laos.
Many people who were living near the border in Laos fled over into Thailand when the French came. They brought with them slightly different and unique styles that became popular in the region.
One of those things was a unique architectural style. The houses in Chiang Khan and most of that region became two story houses with shutters. They were made out of teak wood. Some houses were simple and plain, while others were ornately carved.
With more modern style of architecture becoming popular, this style was quickly adapted. Chiang Khan as a city had quickly hit a recession shortly before the shift in style, and much of the old-style houses had been abandoned. This led to a lack of renovations and the houses remained.
While the town of Chiang Khan remained a small sleepy town, it was not until the early 2000’s that is began to be ‘rediscovered’ by the Thais. In the early 2010’s the town hit a boom in Thai tourism with nationals wanting to see the old-style architecture. What has been left abandoned during a recession, now proves to be one of the longest stretches of this traditional style building. The buildings stretch slightly over 1000 meters and are filled with amazing shops, hotels, and houses.
Chiang Khan Walking Street is most assuredly a great off the beaten path place. A place where you can delve into old town charm, relax along the Mekong River with a tasty local coffee, and enjoy Thai food with a Lao fusion. You can find tasty Lao sandwiches in Chiang Khan, which comes from the French influence on Laos. A dish not commonly found elsewhere in Thailand.
Location of Chiang Khan Walking Street
The Chiang Khan Walking Street is in the old part of Chiang Khan town, and it parallels the Mekong River.
The street is actually named Chai Kong. It starts as a small alleyway off of the main throughway down from the north. It then turns into a wider road, but even when it is large it is still barely large enough for two vehicles to pass each other.
The beginning of the street is more residential. The farther down you go, the more accommodations and shops you will find. You will notice the beautiful teak wood buildings. Complete with clapboard shutters. This is what the walking street is famous for.
The wooden houses line both sides of the street. The bottom floors open up into restaurants and shops and on the second floor you often find personal houses or hotels/accommodations.
The walking street runs through the entire old town. It ends at Wat Tha Kok at the far end of the old town. Although there is a bike path along the river that continues for much, much farther.
Hours the Walking Street is Open
The official time that the walking street is open is at 4:00pm. This is when the street ‘shuts down’ and stops allowing vehicles to enter. Once this happens, it officially becomes the Walking Street. Many stalls set up at this time to sell food and such. More on that later when we talk about the market.
Walking Street Open
4:00pm
Despite its narrow lane, the walking street does allow vehicles during the morning and afternoon hours. There are people accessing accommodations and delivery trucks, along with many motorcycles. However, the walking street is still good for biking and walking as it is not generally too congested.
We actually recommend coming and exploring the Walking Street before it opens. Although there are vehicles allowed, it is actually quieter and slower paced before the evening hits. Ideally you would do both. The sunset over the Mekong is amazing and we highly recommend being there for it!
If you want to watch Thai’s giving alms to monks, then you will want to be up and on the street between 5:30 and 6:30 am. During this time, you will see monks walking down the street. As the monks pass by, Thai’s will offer alms to them. Tourists are allowed to partake if you so desire. Your hotel will be able to guide you what is customary to give. Usually a small pack of sticky rice.
The hotels along the street all have bikes for rent. We struggled to find enough kids bikes for our family, so keep that in mind if you require small bikes.
Restaurants along the walking street sell usual Loei dishes, including the popular breakfast pan egg dish, Kai grata in Thai. This is a class dish found in these parts of Thailand. As we mentioned earlier, you can also find some yummy sandwiches. One of our picky eaters actually just asked for the bread without any of the fillings. He was happy!
You also have your choice of cafes along the street. It is lovely to sit and sip your coffee or eat your meal while looking out over Laos.
Chiang Khan Walking Street Boardwalk
The walking street also has a parallel boardwalk which runs along alongside a good portion of the main walking street. You can pass through small alleyways or the shops themselves to get to the boardwalk.
The boardwalk follows the Mekong River. There are so many wonderful options along the boardwalk to sit and eat. When you look across the river you will be looking into Laos.
One wonderful part of the boardwalk is that no vehicles can enter it. Ok, it is Thailand, so no vehicles still means that you will encounter a motorcycle of two. This is great with kids because you do not have to worry as much about their safety. Our children have spent many hours riding bikes along the boardwalk. They have even enjoyed putting on a pair of roller blades and zipped up and down while we wait for our food.
Both the walking street and the boardwalk are very stroller friendly.
Night Market
Around 4:00 pm every evening, the road becomes a pedestrian-only street. Some motorcycles will still come through if they want to. By 4:30 you can expect it to be in full swing.
The night market stalls begin around the area of Wat Si Khun Mueang. This is said to be the oldest temple in Chiang Khan. There is a large field there which turns into a parking place. There are also toilets there that you can pay to use.
Stalls are set up on both sides of the street. These stalls are not in any specific order, so the best way to enjoy the night market is to explore!
You will find that the majority of stalls are food, drink, or snack stalls, though there are artisan and souvenir stalls intermixed.
Our family finds the food on sticks to be the most fun to look at and taste. We find that the items on sticks are more extensive and unique than other markets around Thailand. For some reason, it is the thing to do in Chiang Khan!
Here is our list we put together of what we saw for sale to eat on sticks:
Crickets
Silkworms
Spiral potatoes
Moo ping
Crab
Shrimp
Intestines
Quail eggs
Hot dogs
Clams
Regular eggs
Fish balls
Fried sticky rice
Fried bananas
We could probably add many more to the list that we missed during our visit to the Chiang Khan Walking Street. Have your kids make their own list. Our kids enjoyed doing things like that!
The walking street can get very crowded during dinner time. We recommend taking your food one street over to the river boardwalk. You can sit on benches or the steps by the river. The sunset is beautiful over the river with the wooden clapboard buildings in front.
Wat Tha Khok
One of the more famous temples in the area that you should visit when you are exploring the Walking Street is the Wat Tha Kok Temple. It is located on the eastern side of the walking street. This temple is around 200 years old and is a testament to the history of the town.
Wat Tha Khok Hours
8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Wat Tha Khok Cost
Free
Accommodations
If you are wanting to get the most out of the walking street, we recommend you spend the night so you can be there in the evening. The evening is when the area becomes alive, so why miss it! There are a number of accommodations around Chiang Khan to choose from. You can stay directly on the walking street, or you can choose to stay at a quieter place further away. We will give you a few good options that work well for families!
The first option we would choose is the Chiang Khan River Walk Hotel. This hotel offers a not super spacious room, but a room with bunk beds to fit your family. One side of the hotel opens up to the walking street, while the other side opens up to a beautiful view of the Mekong. They include breakfast with a great view of the Mekong, and as a bonus they offer free bicycles to use around the town.
The second option that we recommend is to check out the Muiphang De Ville. Also located right on the walking street this accommodation offers a family room. Complete with a loft for kids and a balcony overlooking the Mekong, this is a great budget place to stay.
The final place we recommend staying when you are in Chiang Khan Walking Street is Norn Nab Dao Rimkhong. This place offers larger rooms for bigger family units. Rooms that can hold up to 6, which is awesome for larger families. You can rent bicycles from the hotel directly. It is also along the Mekong River and can be found right in the midst of the walking street.
If you are looking for something a bit fancier, you will have to go a few kilometers out of town. Chiangkhan River Mountain Resort has everything you might want. Located just under 3 kilometers from the walking street, this hotel has a reasonable buffet breakfast to an infinity pool. It is also right along the Mekong River with spectacular views. It takes around 15 to 20 minutes to walk to the beginning of the boardwalk from the hotel.
Finally, our family loves camping, and sometimes glamping. Chiang Khan has a few great glamping options. The Camp Chiangkhan is a great and cute glamping option. Preset up tents right along the Mekong River. The bathtubs outside the tent overlooking the river are definitely unique. This is a fun place for the kids. They have a few animals around the grounds that the kids can interact with. Lots of ducks.
What else is there to do in the Area?
The walking street may be the main attraction in the town of Chiang Khan, but there are several other places we recommend visiting during your time in Chiang Khan with your family. We highly recommend you visit the bunny temple called Wat Pra Putthabat Phu Kwai Ngoen (yes that is a mouthful), and the Chiang Khan Skywalk. Both are amazing family activities. You can read all about them in our 10 Kid Friendly Things to do in Loei, Thailand.