Chinatown Night Bazaar

This is the night market you go to when you've done the Old City circuit and want something less polished. It sits on Wichayanon Road in the Chang Moi area, Chiang Mai's Chinese quarter, and the stalls reflect that, with handicrafts, clothes, souvenirs and a run of regional food vendors, with a crowd that's genuinely mixed rather than tour-group heavy.

My advice is to treat it as a walk rather than a shopping mission. Come after dark, when the stalls are all up and the food carts are going, and let the street decide what you eat. You'll find the usual souvenir fare if you want it, but the interesting part is the heritage neighborhood around you, which most people passing through Chiang Mai never bother with. It's compact, it's cheap, and it doesn't take a whole evening.