Lamphun: visiting Wat Phra That Haripunchai and the Nationalmuseum

In the following a roundtrip to Lamphun, the former capital of the Harpunchai kingdom, is described. The descriptions of each sightseeing spot and further information about the province of Lamphun are to be found under the selection Lamphun on the left.

The trip starts at the Nawarat brigde on the eastern bank of the Ping River following the Route 106 to Lamphun. After visiting the attractions we leave the city through the west gate on Route 1015 and reach in Sanpatong Route 108 which will take us back to Chiang Mai. In order to evade heavy traffic on this road, an alternative is Route 1013 which will take us to a side street which runs parallel to the main road back to Chiang Mai as well.

The following attractions may be visited during this roundtrip: Wat Phra That Haripun-chai, Wat Phra Yeun, Haripunchai National Museum and Wat Chama Thewi (Wat Ku Kut). Passing Hang Dong you may visit some of the local furniture stores.

This roundtrip of about 65 km can be done easily by motorscooter, motorbike or car without any problem. If you are really interested in the culture of the Haripunchai epoch, allow about 7:45 hours for the whole trip, including lunch.

Description. The roundtrip is divided into three legs for description and is best done in a clockwise direction.

Chiang Mai - Lamphun: We leave Chiang Mai on the "Chiang Mai Lamphun Road", which begins on the eastern bank of the Pingriver at Nawarat Bridge and follow the road southward. This relatively narrow road (two lanes only, mostly without the usual shoulders) is also known as Route 106 and runs directly into the city center of Lamphun where Wat Phra That Haripunchai and opposite the national museum are located. Heavy traffic on this route always requires full attention of the motorbike dirver. In the province of Chiang Mai the road is built as an avenue lined by huge Ton Yang trees [i] rising up to 30 meters into the sky blocking the sunlight and therefore give the road a rather dark appearance. The somewhat run down looking buildings along the road stress the unattractiveness of that stretch of the old Chiang Mai - Lamphun Road even more.





Only after 15.2 km when passing the border to the province of Lamphun, the road becomes broader and brighter. Also traffic isn't as heavy as before. 10.9 km further the remnants of the old city wall and the moat are reached, which still mark the old town center of Lamphun. We pass through the Chang Lee Gate and drive a 700 meters further down the Inthayongyot Road until we reach the center of old Lamphun at the road crossing with the traffic light. The temple Wat Phra That Hari-punchai (behind the huge white wall) and the National Museum are located directly at this very road crossing on the left and right hand side of the road.
Leaving Wat Phra That Haripun-chai through the eastern en-trance a footbridge across the Khuang River is reached, from where Wat Phra Yeun is located just about 1 km down the lane. This temple having a 8.5 meters tall standing Buddha image in the eastern niche of the Chedi is surely well worth a visit. A visit to the Haripunchai National Museum is highly recommended to all of you, who are interested in the epoch of the Kingdom Haripunchai and generally have an interest in historical and religious art.

Lamphun - San Pa Tong: After visiting the National Museum and having had lunch, we leave the old part of Lamphun heading west on Route 1015.

San Pa Tong - Chiang Mai: From here there are two choices to return to Chiang Mai. Either on the Route 108, the main road having always heavy traffic. Or on the side street along the canal Khlong Chon Prathan a bit further to the west.

Tour Map. The map on the left shows the main roundtrip route (about 65 km) and the alternative route (dashed line) back to Chiang Mai.

Schedule. The following suggested schedule is based on own transportation by motorbike. Since all main buildings of the visited attractions face east, it is recommended, for keen photographers, to start early.

Informations. If you find some of the below informations as incorrect, please email your suggestions to: webmaster@flaggy.ch. Thank you for your cooperation.

Parking your vehicle. You may put...

Access to Wat Phra That Haripunchai. Officially there is a fee of Baht 20 to be paid by each visitor at the eastern entrance to the temple complex.

Haripunchai Nationalmuseum. The museum is open wednesdays to sundays from 09:00 am until 04:00 pm. There is an admission fee of Baht 30 (Foreigners) and Baht 10 (Thais).

Where to eat? To come soon...

What else to do? To come soon...