Doi Pui Viewpoint

Views are the whole point here, and on a clear day they're worth the drive up. From this spot in the hills above Chiang Mai you look out over the city and then past it, ridge after ridge of mountain terrain folding away into the distance. There's nothing much built up around it. No fuss, no attractions, just a vantage point and whatever the weather decides to show you.

Timing matters more than anything else. Go in the cool months from November to February and you get the crispest air and the widest sightlines. Morning is my pick, before the haze thickens and before the day trippers work their way up. That said, the place never closes, so if you'd rather catch sunset or watch the city lights come on below you, nobody's stopping you. Sunrise works too if you don't mind an early start on mountain roads.