Four days suits Chiang Mai well, balancing the Old City's temples with at least one day trip into the surrounding mountains, since the region beyond the city is as much a part of the experience as the temples themselves. Day 1 stays within the Old City's moated square. Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang are both easy walking distance from each other and represent two distinct architectural styles within northern Thai Buddhism. Spend the afternoon wandering the surrounding streets at a slow pace, and if your visit falls on a Sunday, the Sunday Walking Street market transforms the main road through the Old City into a sprawling evening market of food, crafts, and live music. Day 2 moves to Doi Suthep, the mountain temple overlooking the entire city. The climb to the temple itself is a relatively short but steep staircase flanked by naga serpent railings, and the views over Chiang Mai from the top are worth timing for sunset if your schedule allows. Continue slightly further to Doi Pui for hill tribe villages and noticeably cooler mountain air than the city below. Day 3 is the day most visitors specifically come to Chiang Mai for: an ethical elephant sanctuary in the morning, choosing an operator that focuses on observation rather than riding, followed by a Thai cooking class in the afternoon. Most cooking classes begin with a visit to a local market to source ingredients, which adds genuine context to the dishes you'll learn to prepare — usually including pad thai, green curry, and a regional northern specialty or two. Day 4, if you have it, is best spent in Pai, a laid-back mountain town about three hours away by a famously winding mountain road. Many visitors extend this into an overnight or two-night stay rather than a single day trip, given how different Pai's pace feels from even Chiang Mai's already relaxed atmosphere. A few practical notes: choose your elephant sanctuary carefully and avoid any operator still offering elephant riding, since observation-only sanctuaries represent a genuinely better standard for the animals' welfare. If visiting February through April, check current air quality reports before booking, since agricultural burning season can bring smoky haze to the region. And songthaews — shared red trucks — are the cheapest way to get around for short distances within the city.