Central Plaza Chiang Mai Airport

Central Plaza Chiang Mai Airport is one of Chiang Mai's largest shopping centers. Situated along the Mahidol Road, the mall is about 1.5 km south of the Old City walls and within walking distance of the International Airport. The five-storey building extends over 250,000 sqm of floor space and houses over 500 stores and outlets offering international and local brands, as well as a wide range of restaurants, a Tops international supermarket, the Robinson Department Store and the Major Cineplex, a movie theatre with seven screen cinema that shows both Thai and international movies with their original soundtrack and Thai subtitles. Established in 1987 as Tantrapan Airport Plaza, it was takeover and renovated by Central Pattana and therefore changed its name to Central Plaza Chiang Mai Airport in 1996. The mall has been becoming popular in Chiang Mai for over 10 years, and it's also one of the best places in the city for shopping on rainy days. The highlight for most visitors to mall is the stalls that sell handicrafts and souvenirs products from Northern Thailand. The shopping centre is open during the week from 10:30 until 21:00 and weekends and public holidays from 10:00 until 21:30. From the basement to the fifth floor, the mall is decorated in contemporary Lanna style, including the impressive “Northern Village” located on the basement. Like a typical local market, it provides a wide range of Northern handicraft including silks, clothes, teak items, souvenirs, traditional toys and food. Although prices tend to be a little higher than those you find at the markets in the city, the quality is excellent. The first and second floors of Central Airport Plaza are dedicated to shops and boutiques, including a Jaspal store which sells modern men’s and women’s clothing at affordable prices, and a Asia Books store where you can also find a decent section of English books. As is common in many Thai malls, a part of second floor is dedicated to hairdressers, manicurists, beauty centres and weight loss clinics. Another relaxing option is on the top floor, where is situated the Relaxation Spa and Massage offering traditional Thai massage, oil massages and reflexology. IT technology and gadgets are on the third floor where you will find a Sony Center and multi-brand store Jay Mart, which focuses on mobile phones. Samsung, LG, Hewlett Packard and Apple products are also available here. At Central Airport Plaza there is also a wide range of restaurants, including a surprising number of Japanese buffets, along with other international restaurants, fast food chains such as MacDonald’s and of course, a large food court offering cheap traditional Thai dishes that start at 30 baht. Branches of all the main Thai banks and communications service centers like True or AIS are also available so if you need to get any banking, payments or mobile phone issues sorted, this is a great place to do it. Located on the basement floor, Tops supermarket offers both western and Thai foodstuffs, so if are looking for Italy, French, Australian, American and British products this is your best choice. Chiang Mai Hall, located in the back of the mall is an area dedicated to shows, festivals, artist performances or even concerts. You can reach the shopping centre with a shared songthew, taxi or a tuk-tuk; a red songthew ride will cost you around 30 baht per person from the old city, while a tuk-tuk ride costs about 100-150 baht. If you get there by scooter or car, there is a large parking lot in the basement floor. If you are staying near the Amora Thapae, Imperial Mae Ping, Centara Duang Tawan, Suriwong Hotel, Royal Princess, Shangri-La, Le Meridien, Rati Lanna Riverside Resort, The Empress Hotel and Holiday Inn Hotel you can take advantage of the free shuttle service, Route A, which runs almost every hour during the day..Read More