Co Classical: 3-hour Chiang Mai by Bicycle

This 3-hour Classical guided bicycle experience will show you sides of Chiang Mai that are unique in its variety of scenic city views while being surrounded by the majestic mountains in the background experiencing both historical, cultural and creative parts of the city.

Starting from Chiang Mai's famous Tha Phae Gate, we immediately venture off the main road and down into the traditional quiet backroads. Marvel at the variety of age-old temples, markets and alleys in the most historic neighborhoods with the city's stunning, lush mountain chains occasionally showing up in the background.

Venturing outside the famous city walls you will be amazed by how the “Rose of the North” shows its different, slower pace of life. Friendly locals greet us, displaying Chiangmai’s legendary hospitality. Hilltribe communities settled outside the walls have brought their handicraft skills and go about their day as we pass by on our bicycle in these creative communities.

Additional Information

What's Included

• Experienced local guides
• Customized city bike
• Child/adult helmets (if desired)
• Refreshing drinks & snacks en route

What to Expect

Due to the ever changing cityscape, festivals and overall dynamic character of Chiangmai we don't have a pre-defined routing that is "set in stone" making each day a new adventure for all of us.

• Explore back alleys of Chiangmai
• Discover local life at hilltribe artisan communities
• Local Lanna temple visit
• Several short (10-20 minutes) stops for drinks, snacks and/or sights

As an alternative to the standard tourist experience we take our customers "off the beaten path" to show them the REAL Chiangmai, away from Chiangmai’s typical mass tourism attractions (Night market, Doi Suthep, etc). We go behind the scenes into the local communities to places that are typically inaccessible to the average traveler, where our individual fascinations emerge.

Weather

Joining one of our bicycle tours in Chiang Mai is a surprisingly refreshing adventure year round as most cycling is taking place in shadowed places. The activity of cycling (as opposed to walking), will always create a breeze to help cool you down. We are also aided by the fact that the Chiang Mai valley is very flat and we cycle at a leisurely pace. In addition, plenty of cold drinks and rest stops along the way will keep you refreshed for the journey.

The weather in Chiang Mai is unpredictable and rain can occur at any time, especially during the 'rainy season' (which typically means 30 minutes rain per day) of June-October. Rain is also a very localized phenomenon, happening in small pockets in places while being completely dry only a few kilometers away. In our vast experience doing the tours, we know that heavy rains rarely last more than 30 minutes and our guides know very well where to take our customers for cover during the deluge.

Language of the tour

The vast majority of our guides are English speaking local Thais.

By design, our tours do not contain much talking. Our philosophy is to focus more on the interactive experience of cycling within the local community rather than presentations about facts, figures, or history. In that respect, language does not play a large factor in your tour experience, and it is unlikely that you will feel like you've missed out on anything by not having a native language guide.

What to Wear and Bring

What to wear

On our tours we are guests at local and more conservative communities, including temples. Please allow us to ask you to dress more conservatively out of respect for the local community. A top that covers the shoulders and a sarong for covering the legs in a temple is always appreciated in Thai culture.

For your own convenience

We recommend you wear light, comfortable clothing with a hat to keep the sun off your head. For footwear, we recommend closed shoes or sports sandals for maximum protection and control during your tour. For your own safety, we discourage the use of ‘flip flops’ as they often compromise the ability of the rider to control his/her bicycle on the tour. The liberal use of sunscreen is also highly encouraged.

What to bring

• Sunglasses, hat or cap, sunblock
• Camera, smartphone to capture your experience
• Passport number (a copy or in smartphone is sufficient) in case of emergency insurance
• In case of rain, you may want to bring a raincoat if you have one. This however is not necessary, as we bring them along as well for everyone in the group.
• An open mind and a big smile, it's your holiday!

Bookings

Children under the age of 12 years old receive a 25% discount on the adult price. Kids joining in a baby- or child-seat are joining free of charge.

Bicycles

Custom city bikes are provided to give you the ultimate local Bangkok experience. This means the bicycles are comfortable delivering a straight-up position to look around, open frame to easily step on/off. All of the bikes are adjustable in size and are suitable for both smaller (1.40m) and taller (2.10m) people.

• Comfortable and straight-up position for a better connection with the environment
• Step-through frame to facilitate easy mounting / dismounting
• Hand-brakes
• Basket to bring along bags, camera's etc.

Cycle Skills and Safety

Cycling is done at a leisurely pace and frequent stops are done at local, interesting destinations along the way. Children as young as five years and seniors as old as 80 years have joined tthe tour with no issues, but a certain level of balance and comfort on a bike is required.

On the tour we do NOT cycle on main roads with traffic and are hence as safe as it gets. Following our concept we go off the beaten path, use back roads, alleyways and footpaths (nearly 95% of the tour takes place here). Helmets are also readily available at our office if you wish to wear one.

For your comfort and safety, helmets for adults and children are readily available and optional; please feel free to take one if you wish.