Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai province sits at the very top of Thailand where the borders of Myanmar and Laos converge at the Golden Triangle. The White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) is the most photographed building in northern Thailand — Chalermchai Kositpipat's fantastical, bone-white creation is part temple, part art installation. Pair it with the Blue Temple (Wat Rong Suea Ten) and the Black House (Baan Dam), an eerie museum of dark art and animal remains, for a full day of Chiang Rai's contemporary temple-art scene.

Beyond the city, the province is mountain country. Doi Tung's royal gardens and Mae Fah Luang Art & Culture Park sit high above the surrounding valleys. The hill tribe villages around Mae Salong — originally settled by Chinese Nationalist soldiers — produce some of Thailand's best oolong tea, and the winding mountain road to get there is spectacular. Chiang Saen, the ancient Lanna capital on the Mekong, has atmospheric ruins and slow-boat cruises.

Phu Chi Fah, a clifftop viewpoint near the Laos border, draws sunrise chasers in the cool season for its sea of fog spectacle. The night bazaar in Chiang Rai city is smaller and less frantic than Chiang Mai's, and Doi Mae Salong's tea plantations make for a perfect overnight escape from the lowland heat.