Chiang Mai is a city of markets, so during my five-day trip up north I had a few on my list I wanted to visit. Jing Jai Market was one of them, and it caught my attention mainly because it supports local farmers and small business owners. At the weekends it combines a rustic market selling handmade jewellery, clothes and accessories with a farmers’ market full of fresh produce, and a farmers’ food market where the sellers cook without MSG or reused oil.
If you’re wondering whether Jing Jai Market is worth visiting, the short answer is yes, as long as you get there early on a weekend morning. In this guide I’ll share my experience, the best time to visit the market, what to eat and which shops I really liked.
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Everything You Need to Know About Jing Jai Market
| Location | Atsadathon Road, Chang Phueak, just north of the Old City |
| Weekend market | Saturday and Sunday, 6:30am–3pm |
| Cafés and restaurants | Every day, 9am–10pm Mon–Fri, 6:30am–10pm Sat–Sun |
| Best time to arrive | Before 8am (if you want less people) |
| Time needed | Two hours is enough to eat, browse and sit down properly |
| Entry fee | None |
➞ If you are planning a trip to Chiang Mai, check out my full 5 day Chiang Mai itinerary.
Is Jing Jai Market Worth Visiting?
Yes, it’s 100% worth visiting, and it’s easily my favourite market in Chiang Mai. It’s well organised, clean and with plenty of seating, which is more than I can say for most markets I’ve been to up here. I like that they’re genuinely eco-conscious, with a no-plastics policy and a proper recycling system in place, and the food tasted clean and fresh too, with treats you won’t find anywhere else in the city.
It isn’t the cheapest, though, so if you’re after cheap souvenirs and cheap street food, this probably isn’t the best fit for you, because prices sit above what you’d pay at the Sunday Walking Street and the sellers here aren’t competing on price.
The market closes at 3pm, so if evenings are your only free time, visit the Night Bazaar or Ploen Ruedee instead. If you’re like me and don’t like crowds, then plan to come as soon as possible, because by 10am it gets super busy.
Jing Jai Market Opening Hours
It’s opened every day, but the market stalls only appear at the weekends, and I personally found that a bit confusing.
| Jing Jai Market | Jing Jai’s Weekend Market | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The permanent site | The stalls that take over the site at weekends |
| Open | Every day | Saturday and Sunday only |
| Hours | 9am–10pm Mon–Fri, 6:30am–10pm Sat–Sun | 6:30am–3pm |
| What’s there | Cafés, restaurants, shops and art studios | Handmade stalls, fresh produce, covered food market |
Jing Jai Market
This is the permanent side, with cafés, restaurants, shops and art studios that open every single day, so you can come here midweek and still have somewhere to eat and browse.
Jing Jai’s Weekend Market
The weekend market isn’t a separate place, it’s what takes over Jing Jai Market on Saturdays and Sundays, so you’re going to the same address either way. It brings together stalls selling handmade ceramics, clothes, accessories and jewellery, a small market with fresh produce, and a covered food market, and it finishes at 3pm while the cafés and restaurants around it stay open until 10pm.
I went on Saturday morning and got there around 8am, and I’m so glad I did, because at that time there weren’t many people around. I spent about two hours there, which was enough to check out all the food stalls, walk the whole rustic market and sit down with a coffee, and by the time I left it was much busier.
Did you that Jing Jai Market supports over 332 local farmers, artisans and small business owners?
How to Get to Jing Jai Market
The market sits just north of the Old City, in Chang Phueak, on Atsadathon Road. I walked there because my hotel was only 16 minutes away, and although it’s one long stretch of road, the walk was pretty manageable. You can also take a Grab or a songthaew, and there are plenty of tuk-tuks parked outside, so you can grab one of those on the way back.
While I was walking I noticed a huge car park on the opposite side of the road, just a bit south of the market, and it’s about a minute’s walk from there to the entrance.
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What to eat at Jing Jai Market
My plan was to come here for breakfast, and although I really didn’t know what to expect, I was very happy with what I found, because there was so much delicious and clean food that I didn’t know where to start.
This market is different compared to the other ones, because the sellers don’t use reused cooking oil or MSG, and they don’t wrap everything in ten different plastic bags. I also found foods made with ingredients like perilla seeds and gotu kola, and everything I had here was super tasty.
What I ate at Jing Jai Market
For breakfast I had noodle soup with stewed beef, and I got the small size, which was honestly more than enough. I could choose from three different types of noodles (sen yai, sen lek and sen mee) which basically differ in thickness, so I went for sen lek. The meat was so tender it fell apart, and the broth tasted clean rather than heavy.
Then I wanted to try some local desserts, so I visited stall number 17, which sells khaw puk nga, a black sticky rice pancake with perilla seeds, and it was ten out of ten. I also grabbed pra-hang, sweet sticky rice with dried fish, and before heading home I got khanom babin, coconut pancakes made with young coconut, sticky rice flour, coconut milk and sugar, served with a Thai tea dip.
What I’d eat next time
I only had one stomach and one morning, so plenty of things got away from me. These are the ones I’d go straight for next time.
| What | Why it stood out |
|---|---|
| Massaman curry | Served in a massive lotus leaf |
| Natural yeast bakes | A proper bakery stall, not the usual market sweets |
| Buffet stall | Small, beautifully presented tiny dishes like mango sticky rice, banana candy with coconut, Thai layer cake, tom yum fried rice with mushroom and much more |
| Northern Thai sausage | The regional thing to try while you’re up here |
Make sure you come hungry. There are plenty of tables to sit and eat at, but by 10am they were almost full. If you come around lunchtime and prefer a proper restaurant setting, Kang Jingjai is right there and it’s currently listed in the Michelin guide, with pretty good reviews.
The Rustic Market: What’s Actually Worth Buying
Don’t expect elephant-print trousers and the tacky souvenirs you usually find at Thai markets. There’s a lot of linen and cotton like shirts, dresses, trousers and skirts, along with ceramics, indigo textiles, jewellery and leather accessories. The quality is higher and so are the prices. I was looking at a beautiful 100% linen shirt for 1,790 THB, plus some nice textile bags with colourful prints and a leather strap for 550 THB, just to give you an idea.
My impression was that this really isn’t a haggling market, but of course you can always ask, and the worst thing that will happen is they say no.
The Permanent Cafés and Restaurants
Right next to the food section there are a few shops selling clothes, along with restaurants and cafés that stay open all week. Try Gallery Drip Coffee or Momonga, a Japanese restaurant, and you’ll also find Tops Green here, an organic supermarket, as well as Good Goods, a huge shop selling Thai products with a contemporary twist.
So if you come midweek, this is what you get, but I think weekends are much better, and the food section was my favourite part of the whole market.
Practical Tips for Visiting Jing Jai Market
- If you don’t like crowds, arrive before 8am.
- Bring cash, because most sellers only take cash or Thai QR payments, and I didn’t see a single ATM at the venue. I found the nearest ones are inside the Tesco Lotus down the road.
- Clear up your own table when you’re done, and use the recycling points around the market rather than dumping everything in one bin.
- The fresh produce market is also a good place to pick up edible souvenirs, and I spotted passion fruit spreads, spices, dried bananas and tea.
FAQ About Visiting Jing Jai Market in Chiang Mai
Can you bargain at Jing Jai Market?
You can definitely try, but I heard one seller refuse a bargain outright, so don’t count on it. I’d also only try it when buying goods, never when buying food.
Is Jing Jai Market worth visiting?
Absolutely! It exceeded my expectations and moved straight onto my list of favourite markets in Thailand, so if you appreciate high-quality food, eco-conscious sellers and handmade products, this will be your cup of tea as well.
Is Jing Jai Market open every day?
The permanent cafés, restaurants and shops open every day, but the market stalls only run on Saturdays and Sundays. I don’t think it’s worth coming midweek, so plan for the weekend if you can.
Is there an entry fee for Jing Jai?
No, there’s no entry fee.
Does Jing Jai Market have food?
Yes, and for me it was the best part. There are stalls selling fried and grilled fish, northern Thai sausages, burgers, curries, noodle soup, traditional Thai desserts, baked goods, fresh juices and coffee, so arrive hungry.
Check Out My Other Chiang Mai Guides
- Where to Stay in Chiang Mai: Nimman or Old Town?
- Chiang Mai Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go
- Visiting Chiang Mai in August: What the Rainy Season Is Really Like
- Meditation and Monk Chat at Wat Suan Dok, Chiang Mai: What It’s Really Like
- Baan Kang Wat, Chiang Mai: Visiting the Artist Village
- Is Chiang Mai Worth Visiting? My Honest Answer
- How to Get from Bangkok to Chiang Mai: The Best Ways to Travel
- What to Do in Chiang Mai Old Town: 12 Things I Loved
- Best Travel Insurance for Thailand: Is SafetyWing Worth It?
