Pai Walking Street and Pai Night Market

Pai Walking Street and the night market is the heart of Pai, a small but popular tourist destination in Northern Thailand. If you’re visiting Pai, you’ll likely go to the Walking Street and night market every night, as most of the bars, restaurants, and accommodations are located around this area.

The Walking street is also home to a bus station, so it is also the first arrival and departure point if you are arriving and leaving on bus and van.

In this article, I will share with you my experience visiting Pai Walking Street both day and night time. I’ll also share the best street food to eat and what to do at the walking street and night market.

Where is Pai Walking Street?

Pai Walking Street is around 1 km long street located on the part of Chai SongKhram Road in the center of Pai. The most lively part of the walking street is from Pai River to Nong Beer Restaurant.

The street turns into a pedestrian-only night market every evening. It is lined with stalls and shops selling street food, handicrafts, and souvenirs. There are lots of bars and restaurants in the walking street and the little side alleys, offering a vibrant nightlife scene.

Basic info about Pai Walking Street & Night Market:

Location	Chai SongKhram Road, Pai
Opening hours	5pm to 10pm everyday
Entrance fee	free
Best things to do	Eating, drinking, shopping, people-watching.

How to get to Pai Walking Street?

If you stay in the town center, you can easily walk to Pai walking street. There are many hotels, resorts, and guest houses located right on the walking street and within walking distance away.

If you stay in the more countryside area, you need to arrange transport to get to the Walking Street. It is best to ask your hotel to help with transportation. Taxis are not very popular in Pai like other bigger cities in Northern Thailand such as Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

What to do in Pai Walking Street?

There are plenty of things to do and see in Pai Walking Street. You can walk along the street, find good street food to eat, shop for souvenirs, drink at a bar, or just people-watching.

The street is quieter during the daytime and becomes livelier in the late afternoon when the stalls are setting out on the street and more people are coming to enjoy the nightlife.

Street Food Stalls

Trying Street food is one of the highlights at Pai Night market. There are many street food stalls and restaurants on the two sides of the walking street. You can find almost everything at the market, from Thai food, vegan food, to some international dishes like gyoza, banh mi, pizza and burger.

I tried some food at the market and found it was quite reasonably priced and tasty. Some of my favorites are the rice noodle salad, fried dumplings, khao soi, and homemade coconut ice cream.

Rice Noodle Salad

This is a simple dish with rice noodle (or egg noodle) and special Thai salad sauce, as well as some crushed peanuts and coriander on top.

The vendor served the food on a beautiful banana leaf, making it look very appetizing. One small serve is 10-20 baht. The stall can be found in front of the busy 7-11 on the walking street.

Grill Black Sticky Rice Cake

This is a Northern Thai traditional dessert. I haven’t seen these dishes in other markets in Thailand, even Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, so I decided to give it a try. The dish is made of sticky rice powder and palm sugar inside.

I had the cake that was already made but they you can also try the wrap and the vendor will grill it in front of you. She served it in a banana leaf bowl, which was very eco-friendly.

It was cheap, around 15 baht or something like that. The stall was located very close to the intersection of Chaisongkram Road and Rangsiyanon Road.

Gyoza

There is a popular restaurant called Gyoza Queen located right in front of the bus station. It attracts lots of crowds, so I tried it. They have lots of options, including both steam and fried dumplings.

You can choose pork, chicken, or octopus dumpling. The price is quite reasonable, 10 baht/piece and cheaper if you buy more.

Coconut Ice Cream

A lady with a small trolley and a bell was walking around the night market around 9.30pm when shops started to close. She sells homemade ice cream with many flavors such as coconut, and durian. It is cheap, only 10 baht and is a great dessert after street food hunting at the night market.

Northern Thai Curry Noodle Soup (Khao Soi)

Khao Soi is a traditional northern Thai dish. You can try it in many places in North Thailand such as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Pai. It’s a rich and flavorful coconut curry noodle soup, typically made with egg noodles both boiled and crispy. The Meat is usually chicken or beef.

You can find a popular stall near the 7-11 serving good Khao Soi dishes. I tried a noodle soup with a mixture of things in it. They have tables and chairs to sit and eat.

Restaurants

In addition to many street food stalls, there are lots of restaurants and cafes with very nice settings along the walking street. You can find restaurants serving Thai food, Mexican, Vietnamese, or Italian dishes.

Nong Beer Restaurant is a quite popular restaurant located at one end of the walking street. I saw lots of people queuing at the restaurant at peak time. Some restaurants at the corner of Rangsiyanon Road and Chaisongkram Road are also busy with lots of customers.

Bars

There are many bars, and clubs along the walking street and the side streets. You can find a cluster of bars between the 7-11 and Pai River. The bars often have happy hours, live music or a DJ.

Shops and Souvenirs

You can find almost everything at Pai Night Market that you’d find at other night markets in Thailand. There are T-shirts with Pai on it, as well as jewellery, clothes, magnets, handicrafts, key rings, and paintings.

Street Performances

You can find street performances at the corner between Chaisongkram Road and Rangsiyanon Road. Local tribes often perform here. There is also live music at many restaurants and bars in the area.

Travel agencies and taxi service counters

There are numerous travel agents and taxi service counters along the walking street. You can easily pop in to ask about the tour and the transport. I can ask prices at several different shops then pick the best ones.

Bus Station

Bus station is a busy area in the middle of the walking street. It has buses come and go regularly, especially in the peak season from November to April. Lots of buses dropped off passengers around 8,9pm in the evening.

Pai Walking Street at day time

Pai Walking Street has a different atmosphere between day and night. It is very quiet in the early morning around 6,7am with just a few people on the street. Some stalls selling breakfast for locals and some backpackers catching the early buses to go to other parts of Thailand and Laos.

In the late morning and midday, people come here for breakfast and lunch. Lots of nice restaurants and cafes are located on the walking street.

What to do near Pai Walking Street?

Pai is home to many beautiful natural and cultural attractions. Many of those are best to explore by renting a scooter or taking guided tours.

I recommend booking a half day tour to Nam Lod Cave and another half day sightseeing tour to see major sights around Pai such as Pai Canyon, Kho Ku So Bamboo Bridge, Big Buddha, Chinese Village, and Pam Bok Waterfall.

There are some attractions within walking distance from the Pai Walking street such as the river, bamboo bridges, and the Long Neck Karen Village.

Pai River and sling bamboo bridges

The Pai River is only a few minutes walk from the walking street. There are two beautiful bamboo bridges located close to each other. You can reach one bridge then back to the walking street via another bridge.

If you walk to the end of the Pai River Corner, you will reach the first bamboo bridge, walk across the bridge to reach another bank of Pai River. After that, you turn right toward Pai Nai Fun hotel to reach the second bridge. These bridges have beautiful views of the river.

Wat Klang & Wat Pa Kham

There are several small temples, including Wat Klang and Wat Pa Kham, located just off the walking street. When wandering around the river and the walking street, you can stop by these temples.

Long Neck Karen Village

Long Neck Karen Village is located just around a 30 minute walk from the Walking Street. It is a small village with a couple of houses where Karen women sell souvenirs. Karen is a hill tribe where women wear brass rings around their necks. These rings create the visual effect of an elongated neck.

I didn’t go inside the village, but the walk from the walking street to the village is a beautiful countryside area. You’ll pass the rice fields, buffaloes, and the river.

IF you are an adventure traveler, you can continue the walk to Mae Yen Waterfall. I will take around 4-6 hours round trip inside the peaceful jungle.

Where to stay in Pai Walking Street?

There are many hotels, hostels, guest houses, and resorts located on the walking street, side streets, and along the river. Many of those are walking distance to the night market and lots of tourist amenities.

If you book in advance, you can easily choose an accommodation that suits your budget and preferences. Be mindful that the hotel is more expensive and often sold out in the peak season. So if you’re traveling between November and April, make sure you’re well prepared.

Pai Walking Street is the heart and soul of Pai and has so many things to offer for all visitors. You can find quiet moments of the street with local daily life during day time and enjoy the lively atmosphere in the evening when the night market and all the bars open.