Chiang Rai Day Tour Review 2026: Temples & Lalitta Cafe

Thinking of a Chiang Rai Day Tour in Thailand? Honest Review (White Temple, Blue Temple, Lalitta Cafe)

If you're traveling in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai is an absolute must-visit! I recently went on a day tour that covers all the highlights of Chiang Rai in one go—including the White Temple, Blue Temple, Wat Huay Pla Kang, and Lalitta Cafe.

To jump straight to the conclusion: it was an absolutely amazing tour that I highly recommend. One of the best parts was having two guides with us who constantly took incredible photos for us! I'll share all the beautiful photos and details below.

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Table of Contents

1️⃣ Chiang Rai Day Tour Schedule & Hotel Pick-up

2️⃣ Mae Kachan Rest Stop

3️⃣ White Temple (Wat Rong Khun)

4️⃣ Chivit Thamma Da Cafe (Lunch)

5️⃣ Blue Temple

6️⃣ Red Temple (Wat Huay Pla Kang)

7️⃣ Lalitta Cafe (Avatar Cafe)

8️⃣ Summary & Final Review

Chiang Rai Day Tour Schedule & Hotel Pick-up

📌 Chiang Rai Day Tour Quick Facts

Category	Details
Tour Duration	Approx. 13 hours
How to Book	👉 Book Here
Price	Adults ~$42 to ~$46 / Children ~$35
What's Included	Round-trip pick-up & drop-off, professional tour guide, major admission tickets included
Vehicle	VIP Van
Pick-up Areas	Old City, Santitham, and Nimmanhemin hotels
Tour Itinerary	Mae Kachan Rest Stop → White Temple → Chivit Thamma Da (Lunch) → Blue Temple → Wat Huay Pla Kang → Lalitta Cafe

Since Chiang Rai is a bit of a drive from Chiang Mai, the condition of the vehicle makes a huge difference in how comfortable your trip is. Luckily, we got to ride in a spacious, super comfortable 9-seater limousine VIP van!

✅ They even stocked up a cooler with plenty of ice-cold water bottles for us!

On this day, our tour group consisted of 7 people in total. We headed off with 1 driver and 2 guides—making it a crew of 3 looking after us!

Mae Kachan Rest Stop

✅ 7:00 AM Nimmanhemin Pick-up -> After a 1.5-hour drive, we made a quick stop at the Mae Kachan Rest Stop.

It's a convenient transit point to stretch your legs, use the restroom, and grab a quick bite. There's a 7-Eleven right there, so no need to worry about snacks!

White Temple (Wat Rong Khun)

✅ 10:30 AM Arrived at the White Temple (Wat Rong Khun), the absolute highlight of the Chiang Rai tour!

At the entrance, there is a striking bridge over a sea of reaching hands representing hell. Seeing the hands reaching up, trying to escape, was incredibly surreal and impressive.

✅ Since we had two guides, they went around to all the different groups and constantly took beautiful photos like this!

Honestly, they are absolute photography geniuses. It felt like we were on a professional snapshot photoshoot!

Inside, there's a cool cave decorated with depictions of hell and Buddha. It's included in the admission ticket, so make sure to check it out!

There's also a wishing tree! I wrote a wish here on my last visit, and it actually came true. It's a magical place!

Even though my mom and I had both been here before, being back felt completely fresh and exciting! There was even a newly constructed building to check out this time.

📌 Please Note

Chivit Thamma Da Cafe (Lunch)

✅ 12:10 PM - After exploring the White Temple, we headed to Chivit Thamma Da Restaurant for lunch.

The day before the tour, we took a look at the menu and pre-ordered our meals. This turned out to be an absolute lifesaver because the cafe gets super busy during lunch hours. Thanks to the pre-order, our food arrived within 10 minutes of sitting down—so incredibly efficient!

Located just a 10-minute walk from the Blue Temple, I had actually visited this spot before. I never dreamed I’d be returning here with my mom like this!

✅ We ordered the Marinara Pasta and the Wagyu Burger.

✅ Highly recommend the Mango Sour drink!

The food was absolutely delicious, and I loved that they chose a beautiful, atmospheric restaurant instead of a basic local joint. It made our lunch feel so special!

Blue Temple (Wat Rong Suea Ten)

✅ 1:15 PM - After lunch, we made our way to the Blue Temple.

The entire temple is bathed in deep shades of blue. It is hands-down my absolute favorite temple!

Sitting quietly in front of the Buddha statue inside brings such a deep sense of peace. It’s one of the most mysterious and mesmerizing temples out there, and my mom loved it just as much as I did.

✅ Don't miss out on the blue coconut ice cream!

✅ Designed by a student of the architect who built the White Temple.

✅ A relatively modern temple, completed only about 10 years ago.

✅ Photography is allowed inside.

Red Temple (Wat Huay Pla Kang)

✅ 2:30 PM - Our next stop was the Wat Huay Pla Kang viewpoint.

Often dubbed the "Red Temple," it’s not actually entirely red. It earned the nickname mainly to complete the trilogy alongside the White and Blue Temples.

Our guide shared fascinating details about the temple’s history and the specific poses of the Buddha. Having that context made our Chiang Rai journey so much more meaningful and fun! Wat Huay Pla Kang is actually a Chinese-style temple.

The highlight here is definitely the massive, towering white statue of Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy). You hop on a shuttle bus like this to go up.

✅ It was so convenient since all the entrance fees were already included.

✅ You can take an elevator from the entrance all the way up to the head of the Guanyin statue. (This is the view looking out from her "eyes"!)

✅ Once at the top, you get a stunning panoramic view of Chiang Rai.

Looking up from below, you really feel the sheer scale of the statue, but from the top, the houses below look like tiny dots on the landscape!

Lalitta Cafe (The "Avatar" Cafe)

✅ 3:30 PM - The final stop of our Chiang Rai day tour was Lalitta Cafe.

Famous for its nickname, the "Avatar Cafe," this place is a magical, otherworldly space filled with misty waterfalls, mystical statues, and lush tropical plants.

They say many tourists travel all the way here just for this spot! Our guide was tireless, constantly following around anyone who wanted a photo to snap pictures for them. I was so incredibly touched...

✅ Super photogenic!

✅ Entrance fees are included, so you can explore hassle-free.

Summary & Review

Even though it was a pretty long day—about 13 hours including travel time—I felt it was incredibly fulfilling and well-spent rather than tiring.

Both of our guides kept smiling the entire time, offering us bottled water when it got hot, handing us tissues, and taking photos for us. My mom absolutely loved it.

Pro Tips & Things to Keep in Mind

✅ You have to take your shoes off at every single temple. Comfortable slip-on shoes are highly recommended!

✅ Please note that the cost of lunch is not included.

✅ I brought my own water, but I didn't actually need it because they provided plenty.

✅ Definitely bring a power bank, a parasol, a portable fan, and a hat.

✅ Dress appropriately in clothing that covers your shoulders and knees.

Final Wrap-Up & Review

✅ Since it's a VIP van, the ride is super smooth and comfortable.

✅ Door-to-door hotel pickup makes the whole itinerary incredibly convenient.

✅ Tickets for the White Temple, Blue Temple, and Wat Huay Pla Kang are all included — hands down the best value for money!

✅ The guides take absolutely tons of high-quality photos for you.

✅ We stopped at Chivit Thamma Da for lunch, and my mom adored the gorgeous garden atmosphere.

I hesitated a lot at first because the round-trip travel time is about 7 hours. But we got to see so many amazing sights in one day, and the guides took all our photos, making it an absolutely wonderful tour.

I've actually traveled to Chiang Rai alone by bus before. If you love the quality of the photos above and want to get similar shots, this tour is definitely the right answer... haha. You could never get these kinds of photos traveling on your own!

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I'll leave the link to the tour I took below!

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🔻Chiang Rai VIP Tour

Book Here🔻

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