Phayao is the quiet lake town of the north. Its centrepiece, Kwan Phayao, is a broad freshwater lake ringed by a promenade where locals gather for sunset, with a temple ruin rising from the water. Nearby temples hold one of the largest Chiang Saen-style Buddha images in Thailand, and the province’s hills and Tai Lue villages make it a relaxed stop between Chiang Rai and Nan or Lampang.<\/p>\n
Phayao has no commercial airport; the nearest are Chiang Rai and Nan. Buses run from Bangkok and from Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Lampang. The lake promenade and main temples are easy to visit on foot or by bicycle.<\/p>\n
A large lake at the edge of town with a long promenade, parks and caf\u00e9s. Sunset over the water and the hills is the classic Phayao experience.<\/p>\n
An old temple whose ruins stand in the middle of the lake, reached by boat from the shore.<\/p>\n
Home of Phra Chao Ton Luang, a huge Chiang Saen-style seated Buddha, one of the largest of its kind in Thailand, plus a modern ordination hall and murals by noted northern artists.<\/p>\n
A hillside temple on Doi Butsarakham with many shrines and statues and wide views over the lake and town.<\/p>\n
A hilltop stupa overlooking the lake, peaceful at dawn or dusk.<\/p>\n
A mountain park in the east of the province with viewpoints, sea-of-mist mornings in the cool season and campsites.<\/p>\n
An unusual waterfall fed by warm water, inside Phu Sang National Park.<\/p>\n
The district of Chiang Kham is home to Tai Lue communities, with a cultural centre, woven textiles and the teak temple of Wat Nantaram.<\/p>\n
Day 1:<\/strong> morning at Wat Si Khom Kham, lunch by the lake, afternoon at Wat Analayo, sunset on the Kwan Phayao promenade with a boat to Wat Tilokaram. Day 2:<\/strong> drive to Chiang Kham for Tai Lue culture, or to Phu Lanka for mountain views.<\/p>\n Around Visakha Bucha (usually May), Wat Si Khom Kham holds a major festival honouring Phra Chao Ton Luang. Songkran<\/strong> in April is celebrated in Lanna style with merit-making and water play by the lake. Dates change; check with TAT and read our Songkran etiquette and survival guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kwan Phayao lake, its sunsets and the great Buddha of Wat Si Khom Kham.<\/p>\n Fly to Chiang Rai and drive about 1.5 hours, or take a bus from Bangkok.<\/p>\n Yes, boats run to Wat Tilokaram from the shore.<\/p>\n Lake fish and northern dishes. See our Phayao food guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cover photo: Phayao – Small rowing boat moored on shores of Phayao Lake Jan 2024.jpg<\/a> \u00b7 Dominic Nelson \u00b7 CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a> \u00b7 Wikimedia Commons<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Phayao guide: Kwan Phayao sunsets, Wat Tilokaram in the lake, Wat Si Khom Kham\u2019s great Buddha, Wat Analayo, Phu Lanka and Tai Lue Chiang Kham.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5813,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"province":[248],"class_list":["post-5812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attractions-en","province-phayao-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5812"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5823,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5812\/revisions\/5823"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5812"},{"taxonomy":"province","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/province?post=5812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Festivals and events<\/h2>\n
Travel tips<\/h2>\n
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FAQ<\/h2>\n
What is Phayao known for?<\/h3>\n
How do I get to Phayao?<\/h3>\n
Can I visit the temple in the lake?<\/h3>\n
What should I eat?<\/h3>\n
More from songkran.com<\/h2>\n
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