For a first class in the Old City, Dang or The Bear. For technique, Hongthong or Lanna. For a camp you live at, Santai or Gym Bangarang. Thirteen Chiang Mai Muay Thai gyms in all.
Chiang Mai is where a lot of people come to learn Muay Thai properly, and about a dozen gyms stand out. Hongthong and Dang lead, with The Bear Fight Club and Lanna next.
Where you train decides where you stay. Dang, Chiangmai Muay Thai Gym and The Bear are in or near the Old City, so you can walk to class from a guesthouse inside the moat. Santai, Gym Bangarang, Manop's YOKKAO gym and Buakaw's camp in Mae Taeng are out in the countryside, where you sleep at the camp. A group class costs ฿300 to ฿500 at most of these gyms, and several sell DTV or ED visa packages for long stays.
Best all-rounder. A gym on the San Kamphaeng road east of the city, where beginners get patient basics and the gym's own fighters fill the local stadium cards. NOW Muay Thai lists a session at ฿300, and topmuaythai puts a week at ฿2,200 to ฿3,300.
Best in the Old City. The biggest gym in town, with two rings and 20 full-time trainers on Arak Road inside the moat. Every class is open to every level, a group class is ฿450 to ฿500 and a private is ฿750, and it handles DTV and ED visas.
Best for a cheap first class. A small, friendly gym that suits beginners, with classes from about ฿300. Its site gives two addresses, one in the Old City and one in Pa Daet, so check which one runs your class.
Where to stay
My pick at each price level in Chiang Mai, going by Google's hotel class. Hotels from my ranked list of the 10 best come first, then the best-reviewed. Each button opens the hotel on Booking.com with your dates filled in.
#1Luxury · 5-star
Shangri-La Chiang Mai4.6 (4,289 reviews)
Upscale hotel near Chiang Mai's Night Bazaar, offering spacious rooms, a pool, spa, and Szechuan dining.
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#3Mid-range · 4-star
U Chiang Mai Hotel4.8 (2,000 reviews)
Chic boutique hotel on Rachadamnoen Rd offering a fitness center, European bistro, and open-air bar.
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#9Budget · 3-star
Cross Chiang Mai Riverside4.8 (994 reviews)
A boutique riverside resort in Chiang Mai offering stylish rooms, a spa, pool, and upscale dining.
Check ratesBest for living at the gym. One of the oldest names in Chiang Mai Muay Thai, now in a new building in Saraphi, about 8 km south of the Old City, with classes at 8:00 and 16:00, its own fighters in the room, and monthly packages with a room from ฿16,000.
Best for a long stay on the DTV. A modern gym in the Almag Sports Complex in Suthep with a cage for MMA, group classes from ฿400 and privates from ฿700, and the gym sorts the visa paperwork once you've paid for training.
Best for beginners north of the center. A small gym on the Chiang Mai–Lampang road with patient group classes, about ฿350 on the NOW Muay Thai booking site.
Klook's best-reviewed Chiang Mai tours, with today's prices. Most cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.
Best for getting better. The technical countryside camp in San Kamphaeng, strong for fighters, with small classes and rooms on site. topmuaythai lists ฿700 a day and ฿11,000 a month.
Best for hard training. The Charoen Muang Road gym east of the river that Reddit threads recommend to anyone serious. The trainers notice students who push. Book through its Facebook page.
Best small fighters' gym. It's on Soi Siri Phruek in Pa Daet, south of the Old City, at about ฿500 a class.
Best for coaching from a name trainer. Kru Manop's gym in San Sai, north of the city, which is also the YOKKAO Training Center Chiang Mai. topmuaythai lists ฿500 to ฿600 a class and ฿1,000 for a private hour.
Best all-inclusive camp. A Muay Thai and fitness camp in the Mae Rim rice fields, about 20 km north of the city, with villas, meals and a pool on site and DTV visa support. topmuaythai puts an all-inclusive week at about ฿11,200.
Best for the name. Buakaw Banchamek's camp at Buakaw Village in Mae Taeng, about an hour north of the Old City, closed on Mondays. A private two-hour session is ฿1,200 for foreign visitors.
Best value in the Old City. A big Wiang Kaew Road gym in Google's local pack, run by head coach Kru O, with group classes at ฿390 and ED and DTV visa packages from ฿28,000.
Dang in the Old City, Hongthong on the San Kamphaeng road and The Bear Fight Club are my beginner picks, and Chiang Mai JR and Gym Bangarang suit beginners too. Dang opens every class to every level, so a first-timer and a fighter train in the same session.
A group class costs ฿300 to ฿500 at most of the gyms on this list. Hongthong and The Bear start around ฿300, Chiang Mai JR is about ฿350, Chiangmai Muay Thai Gym is ฿390, Muay Thai Fever ฿400 and Dang ฿450 to ฿500. Santai sells a day at ฿700 and a month at ฿11,000, and topmuaythai puts an all-inclusive week at Gym Bangarang at about ฿11,200.
Yes. Classes are cheap, the gyms are known for technique and small groups, and you can train twice a day and still have the old town, the cafés and the mountains in between. Avoid planning a long training stay for March, when the burning season haze is at its worst.
Yes. Muay Thai Fever, Gym Bangarang and Dang support the Destination Thailand Visa, and Chiangmai Muay Thai Gym sells ED and DTV visa packages at ฿28,000 to ฿36,000 for six months to a year. Muay Thai Fever says you'll need to show ฿500,000 in funds to apply.
Yes. Chiang Mai Boxing Stadium runs six to seven fights every Monday to Saturday at 21:00, with tickets from ฿600 on its own site, and Thapae Boxing Stadium is near Tha Phae Gate on the east side of the old town. Gyms like Hongthong put their own fighters on these cards.
