Cameroni

Singapore has some passable malls and the food is very good, like in Chiang Mai. However in Chiang Mai there is a more cosmopolitan offering due to the breadth of foreigners who've chosen Chiang Mai as a second home. You certainly won't get baguette as good as in Chiang Mai in Singapore. Then of course you can't drive in Singapore, you're forced to use taxis or public transport. It's far hotter than Thailand.. There are no mountains close to Singapore. No wealth of themed cafes. No elephant sanctuaries. No charming festivals. Singapore is okay for a short visit. But to live, Chiang Mai wins hands down. Not just because of the exorbitant prices in Singapore.

It's not worth mentioning. It's Asia. Air quality is less than ideal in almost every major city If you want air quality go live in the Swiss alps. Chiang Mai got the top spot because it offers a historic city centre with charm and filled to the brim with great restaurants, the best massages in the world, elephant camps, Japanese Onsen in the mountains, day trips to Mon Jam and other charming villages, King Cobra show, Tiger Kingdom, One of the best Zoos in the world, ATV camps, shooting ranges, great archery, the worlds best selection of themed cafes, hiking, tennis, basketball, pickleball, the best festivals in Thailand, the best baguette in the world...in short, no city even comes close. It seems churlish and pedantic to talk of silly things like air, when faced with such an obvious avalanche of reasons why Chiang Mai is the best city in the world, as has now been officially confrimed.

Air quiality is superb now. Delightful. When burning season comes I stopped even running the air purifiers. Doesn't bother me in the slightest. I measured air quality for a while, but when I saw inside it was always fine, I didn't worry anymore. Since I stopped running the air purifiers feel less stressed and healthier than ever. I cycle every day and walk, play sports. No issues whatsoever. People display too much of precious snowflake syndrome.

Nor do I. Had to queue at Jing Jai, could just about find one parking spot, as usual. Quite busy. Mostly Korean tourists.

It's not dead at all. I was at Jing Jai last Sunday. Teeming with Korean tourists. It's basically normal attendance now, not the nauseating throngs of people of high season. Of course, now that Chiang Mai is officially the world's best city, no doubt we'll be inundated with tourists. How could it be otherwise.

The universities in Chiang Mai, particularly Maejo and Chiang Mai University, give an added bonus to the quality of life in Chiang Mai. Not only can you go and play basketball or go running in nice surroundings, there's interesting markets surrounding the areas and the abundance of young women ensures a lovely atmosphere. Traffic is perfectly fine for a city of this size. Anyone who talks of traffic problems in Chiang Mai has never been to Medan, Bangkok, Jakarta, Hanoi, Shanghai, Tokyo, places were real traffic issues exist. Not so Chiang Mai, where you can drive into the city on any given day and get a parking spot with ease. Even during rush hour the traffic moves and the hotspots like Nimman can be navigated in due course. It's always been an open secret that Chiang Mai is the best city in Asia, that the food is the best in the world, people have known for a long time. Hence they flocked to CM in great numbers and anyone you ask always loved Chiang Mai. But it's nice to see this officially recognised now, that you live in the best city in the world. I sent the article to friends and relatives and they're green with envy. Much like some poor non-residents of Chiang Mai on this thread are.

Another weakling.

If you have a weak stomach perhaps, I never had that issue and I eat Indian food whenever I can. Of course I have excellent genetics. Much like Chiang Mai.

People laud the Chiang Mai Song Taew system, which is superb to get around and cheap, just like in Pattaya. In Bangkok too you can get buses easily. However, I drive a car, and I wouldn't want to drive in Pattaya or Bangkok. Or Shanghai or Tokyo and God forbid in Hanoi. It's fairly easy to drive in Chiang Mai with its sprawling roads. Yes, there's a few traffic hotspots, hence the use of the word "almost not traffic issues", but it's certainly possible to drive here with ease. Not so Bangkok, Pattaya, Hanoi, Tokyo, Kyoto or Jakarta. Only Kuala Lumpur comes close in this regard with its excellent road system.

When an Indian food critic, who has eaten in every major city in India, says that the food in Chiang Mai is the best in the world, not in jest, but in all seriousness, overcome with the joy and variety that is the Chiang Mai food scene, then it is best to listen. Indian food is among the best in the world, and Indian street food in particular is incredibly varied and intelligently prepared. I prefer Chinese street food myself, but still, the richness of Indian cuisine is well known. So when someone from this food culture is seriously impressed with the food in Chiang Mai, then that means something. it's not just her of course, the American Andy Ricker has copied Chiang Mai food and brought it to America, the late great Anthony Bourdian sang the praises of Chiang Mai food, and even today Joel Bruner and Mark Wiens do likewise. The fact that Chiang Mai is close to Myanmar has its own advantages, namely that you can eat at superb Burmese restaurants for a ludicrous price, something which is very hard to find in most cities in the world. Not so in Chiang Mai, where Burmese food, Yunannese food, Cantonese food, Korean barbecue, French Baguette, German food, Indian food, Japanese food, are all available. We don't need to go to Mynamar to have great Burmese food, we just need to go down the city centre in Chiang Mai. No need, since his food is just a rip off of Chiang Mai cuisine, she just had to walk into any Chiang Mai chicken or laarb place to sample the food Andy Ricker offers, and that's what she did. Perhaps the most amazing thing about Chiang Mai to me, though, is that you get baguette better than in France. That really blew my mind.

If you want clear water, you should go to one of the many lovely waterfalls in Chiang Mai, where local families go with children to paddle in the clear water. By the way, did you know that the canals in Venice were used as sewage canals? Here's what a local says about the water in Venice: "To be honest, the water is super dirty and you don’t want to swim in it. In fact, the use of canals as a sewage disposal system in Venice surprises many visitors, and should definitely deter you. Some islands and parts of the historic center use more modern sewage systems, but still, a lot of the wastewater in big parts of the city is disposed of in the lagoon. Even though this happens, tourists can sometimes still experience a bad smell in the air, when they walk the city or cross a bridge over a small canal." https://theromanguy.com/italy-travel-blog/venice/can-you-swim-in-the-venice-canals/#:~:text=To be honest%2C the water,and should definitely deter you. Whilst Chiang Mai is by far the best city in the world, there are some cities that are contenders, but Venice is not one of them.

It's certainly true that Nimman One has it's own vibe and is distinctly Chiang Mai, the weekend markets you get in One Nimman with the authentic Japanese food and innovative street food, you'd never get that in Venice. The food court inside One Nimman is also very Chiang Mai, and could not be found anywhere in Venice, which is overrun with tourists and has mostly low quality and overpriced tourist food joints. You have to go to the Grand Hotel des Bains on the Lido, where I dined very well, to get good food in Venice. One Nimman is not supposed to be an authentic replica of Piazza San Marco, that would be impossible, it's just meant to give a quirky flair and classy novelty surroundings in the Nimman area, and in that regard One Nimman succeeds spectacularly. Also the Chinese restaruant there is superb. Combining a Venetian tower and a Milanese galleria is just bold and fun. And that's what Chiang Mai is overalll.

First of all the pizza in Venice is absolutely terrible. Tourist trash. Secondly, you get superb Pizza in Chiang Mai. Try the new Pizza Station in Mae Rim. Or go to the fabuous Jing Jai market, they have a stand there. I go there just for the pizza, though the market is world class too.

True, the Gondolas are a sadly omitted detail, they're great. But in Chiang Mai you can take a river cruise for a fraction of the price of a rip off Gondola ride. But then in Manila they tried to copy the gondolas and it just looks stupid. Again, right call Chiang Mai.

Obviously you had to go to Virgin gym, who have the newest equipment. Conveniently located in a shopping mall. Anyone knows if you want the top equipment, Virgin gym is where you go.

I have been to both too, and Chiang Mai is considerably better than Venice. The food is massively better in Chiang Mai, there's fewer tourists and far more to do in Chiang Mai. Venice doesn't even come close to Chiang Mai.

One Nimma Plaza: Piazza san Marco Nimman Galleria: Milan Galleria

But no traditional testicle massage then?

You know why Nimman gets busy? Because people love Nimman and all want to go there. It's extremely popular. There's a replica of a Venetian tower and a Milanese shopping centre there for God's sake! You can buy dim sum from a window in a top restaurant. You can even get a special massage for your testicles in Nimman, I don't mean sexual, I mean traditional Thai testicle massage. It's a thing. Look it up. The Guardian food critic is from India, so she knows her food. She wrote, and I quote: Chiang Mai food paradise: 'The best I've ever eaten' Wherever you go in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, the food is outstanding. ’ve lived in India all my life, eaten everywhere from Leh to Cochin, tasted extraordinary dishes by the humblest chaat-wala and the fanciest chef, but nowhere in my land, not in Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Hyderabad or Kolkata, have I eaten so well, so cheaply, so grandly and with so much joy as in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. Even without the food, it’s a kind of paradise: close to the Myanmar border, modern yet resolutely traditional, spotlessly clean while never sterile; easily navigable but filled with a thousand hidden treasures, urban and chic (in part thanks to the large student population from the university) but surrounded by hills and jungle. https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/feb/24/thai-street-food-chiang-mai-tour-thailand

Good luck finding a world class massage in Osaka for 1600 Baht. How's the elephant sanctuaries in Osaka? You don't hear so much about them? No mountain scenery in Osaka? That's sad. But you have a big choice of sprawling themed cafes in Osaka, right? Oh you don't? Best come to Chiang Mai then.

I still have to see the wonders of Korat, can't wait. Everybody loves Chiang Mai. There's got to be a reason. The only problem is we'll be overrun with tourists even more now that we're officially the best city in the world.

The Guardian's food critic rated Chiang Mai as the city with the best food in the world. There's elephant sanctuaries, Japanese Onsen's in the mountains, gorgeous mountain scenery, ATV camps, shooting ranges, Tiger Kingdom, Cobra shows, by far the best cafes not just in Thailand but the entire world, no place in the world has the cafe selection Chiang Mai has, there's almost no traffic issues, there's night clubs, restaurants, the best massages in the world...you even get baguette better than in France. Of course Chiang Mai is the best city in the world. What other city comes close? None really. It's not even close.

My French baker genius is in Chiang Mai I'm afraid.

The world reknown and highly knowledgeable and local Travel and Leisure publication has crowned Chiang Mai as the best city in Asia. It saw off cities like Tokyo, Singapore and Bangkok to secure the coveted accolade If it is because I moved there, I have to say, I'm very flattered. https://www.timeout.com/asia/news/these-are-the-15-best-cities-in-asia-for-2025-according-to-nearly-180-000-travellers-070925

I thought Buriram was an up and coming city. Also just good for a few hours? Not as good as Chiang Mai?