Central Festival

One of Chiang Mai’s newest shopping centers is also one of its largest and most impressive. Located on the north side of town just past the Superhighway, Central Festival is home to a range of internationally-known stores you can’t find anywhere else in Northern Thailand such as Marks & Spencer, Top Shop, H & M, Zara, Sephora and more. In addition to the wide range of name brand shops, the six-story mall also houses a movie theater, food court and standalone restaurants, and even an ice rink. As with most shopping centers in Thailand, you can also find sections of the mall dedicated to phones and electronics, local food specialties – head downstairs to taste test some of Northern Thailand’s most unique, and delicious, dishes and treats – grocery stores and bank branches that stay open on the weekend. Since the shopping center is a little away from the center of town, there are shuttles running to and from the mall. Many of the larger hotels will also offer regular transfers to help guests reach the mall more easily. Any tuk tuk or songthaew (shared taxi) driver will also know where you want to go, though they may charge a little bit more than usual for the distance.