Chiang Saen

Chiang Saen sits where the Mekong runs past northern Thailand, and it was a walled Lanna town in the fourteenth century. What makes it unusual is that the ruins were never fenced into a park: brick chedis stand among wooden houses, in gardens and beside the road, with the earth ramparts still traceable through the trees. Wat Chedi Luang keeps a tall octagonal stupa in the middle of town near the small national museum. Outside the western gate, Wat Pa Sak preserves the best of the stucco, its tiered chedi still carrying standing Buddhas and floral panels. Down at the river, cargo barges tie up at a working wharf and the far bank is Laos.

What you actually see

• Wat Chedi Luang - the tall octagonal brick stupa in the town centre.
• Wat Pa Sak - a tiered chedi with the best surviving stucco figures.
• The town walls - earth ramparts and gates still running through the trees.
• The Mekong wharf - barges loading beside the river promenade.

When to go

November to February is dry, cool and clear over the river. February and March bring agricultural burning haze across the whole north, which flattens both views and photographs, so avoid that window if you can. The ruins are scattered, so hire a bicycle or motorbike in town rather than walking between them.

Honest expectations

There is no single showpiece here, and travellers arriving expecting a Sukhothai-scale park leave disappointed within an hour. The town is small, sleepy and short on places to eat after dark. The riverside boat touts push hard. The confluence viewpoint upstream is heavily commercialised, with souvenir arcades and a large number of coaches.

Nearby

The Mekong confluence at Sop Ruak upstream and Chiang Rai to the southwest.