A long weekend in Nan, a city tucked away in the mountains of northern Thailand near the Lao border, turned out to be a peaceful trip with the kids and grand parents. The province is known for its beautiful highlands, winding mountain roads rising up to 1,715 meters, and a culture deeply rooted in the old Lanna kingdom. It’s easily reachable by a short flight from Bangkok, yet it remains off the main tourist routes — much quieter than Chiang Mai or Pai. During four days there, we barely saw any other foreigners, which only added to the charm.
Day 1 — Exploring Nan City
After landing and getting a rental car at the airport, we spent our first day exploring Nan city, which sits in a broad plain surrounded by mountains. Though small, the city is full of character and traditional architecture.
Our first stop was the Nan Noble House (Khun Yom House), a beautifully preserved 150-year-old teakwood house that once belonged to a local noble family. The house offers a glimpse into Nan’s past, with antique furniture, hand-woven textiles, and tools from the late Lanna period displayed throughout. Set on stilts above open ground, the house and nearby rice barns perfectly reflect rural life in northern Thailand.
Located just outside the city center, the Nan Noble House (also known as Khun Yom House) is a beautifully preserved traditional teakwood house that offers a glimpse into the life of Nan’s nobility in the past century. Built more than 150 years ago, it showcases antique furniture, textiles, and everyday objects from the Lanna era. The elevated architecture, with open-air spaces and rice barns nearby, reflects the craftsmanship and rural lifestyle of northern Thailand.
We then had lunch at Huean Phukha, a cozy restaurant just a few minutes away. It serves authentic northern Thai dishes — flavorful curries, spicy dips, and seasonal vegetables — all in a tranquil wooden setting shaded by trees.
A charming spot, Huean Phukha serves authentic northern Thai cuisine in a traditional wooden setting surrounded by greenery. The menu includes local specialties such as khao soi, nam prik ong, and seasonal vegetable dishes sourced from nearby farms. The quiet atmosphere and friendly service make it a perfect stop after exploring the Noble House.
In the afternoon, we visited the Nan National Museum, located in the city’s former royal palace. It’s one of the most elegant regional museums in Thailand, with exhibits covering Nan’s history from prehistoric times through the Dvāravatī (6th–11th centuries), Srivijaya (8th–13th), Sukhothai (13th–15th), and Ayutthaya (14th–18th) periods to the Rattanakosin era (from 1782 onwards). The collection includes exquisite Lanna-style Buddha statues, royal regalia, and hill-tribe textiles.
Housed in the former royal palace, the Nan National Museum is one of Thailand’s most elegant regional museums. It displays artefacts from Nan’s long history — from prehistoric tools and ethnic hill tribe clothing to exquisite Lanna-style Buddha statues and ancient manuscripts. The museum gives an excellent overview of the city’s heritage and its cultural links with Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang.
Nan is also known for its beautiful temples, whose architecture resembles a mix of Chiang Mai’s and Luang Prabang’s styles. Wat Phumin stands out for its cross-shaped layout and the famous Whispering Lovers mural. Wat Ming Mueang features elaborate white stucco reliefs, while Wat Si Phan Ton glitters in gold.
We ended the day at Nan Walking Street, which livens up every weekend in front of Wat Phumin. It’s full of local food stalls, crafts, and music — a relaxed, family-friendly market where you can sit on mats under the trees and enjoy sticky rice and grilled meats while the locals wander by.
Day 2 — Into the Mountains Toward Pua
The next morning we drove north to Pua, about 1 hour from Nan, where the plains give way to rolling hills. Nan’s true beauty lies in these mountains — and you have to leave the city to reach them. We took the main road to get there which is faster (the road is great as were actually all roads there, even small mountain roads) but actually we should have better taken the country hillside road (we did to come back).
We stayed at the Pu Pa Khanna Pua Resort, a small, elegant property surrounded by lush rice fields and forested slopes. The rooms are spacious, well designed, and overlook the mountains, with a serene garden and a quiet riverside setting. It’s the kind of place made for resting after long drives, though in hindsight I might have stayed just one night and continued to Sapan the next day to spend more time deeper in the mountains.
Nestled in the tranquil hills of Pua district in Nan Province, Pu Pa Khanna Pua Resort offers a peaceful boutique-style stay amidst northern Thailand’s mountain scenery. Its location beside the river and surrounded by rice fields and forested slopes gives it a relaxed, rustic-luxury feel. Much of the décor is timber, warmly styled, and the rooms are well fitted with modern comforts—air-conditioning, smart TV, free minibar items, and large windows framing garden or mountain views.
For guests seeking mountain tranquility while still within reach of Pua town, this resort offers a balanced mix of comfort and nature. If your plans include exploring rural roads, mountain viewpoints or staying on a relaxed pace for a couple of nights, it makes a good base.
That afternoon we explored the road to Sakad, a winding route lined with viewpoints and tiny coffee stops. Sakad Coffee is the best known — perched high on a ridge with spectacular views of the valley below. The place also offers homestays for those wanting to wake up above the clouds.
The road from Pua up to Sakad is beautiful, climbing steeply through mountain villages and rice terraces. Sakad Coffee is perched high on a ridge, offering panoramic views of the valley below — the kind of place where you can sit for an hour just watching clouds drift over the green hills. They also offer simple homestays for those wanting to stay overnight.
Day 3 — Doi Phu Kha and Sapan Valley
Our third day took us further into Doi Phu Kha National Park, one of the most scenic protected areas in northern Thailand. The drive through dense forest and mountain passes was breathtaking, with mist drifting across the peaks. We stopped for a short hike along bamboo walkways through the jungle — a simple but refreshing trail that gives a sense of how untouched the region still feels.
Further along the ridge lies Lan Du Dao and the famous Phu Kha Viewpoint 1715, named for its elevation. From there, the panorama stretches endlessly over green mountains fading into Laos.
One of northern Thailand’s most scenic national parks, Doi Phu Kha stretches across vast forested mountains near the Lao border. The drive alone is spectacular, winding up to over 1,700 meters in altitude. We stopped for a short hike on bamboo walkways through the jungle, a calm and refreshing break in the middle of the day. Along the way, we visited Lan Du Dao and the famous Phu Kha Viewpoint 1715, which lives up to its name with sweeping views over mist-covered peaks.
Descending into the Sapan Valley, we stopped for lunch at Hua Sapan Restaurant, a charming spot by the river serving local northern Thai food. The open terrace overlooks rice paddies and wooden stilt houses — one of those settings where the view is as memorable as the meal.
Located near a small bridge in the Sapan Valley, Hua Sapan is a lovely local restaurant serving northern Thai dishes with fresh mountain ingredients. The view from the terrace is just as good as the food — overlooking a river.
Nearby, the Lhong Khao Coffee Shop is perfect for an afternoon stop, offering locally grown coffee and homemade cakes with wide views of the valley.
Not far from Sapan, Lhong Khao Coffee is another beautiful spot to relax after exploring Sapan. Recently built and frequented by the local youth as an Instagramable spot, it offers fresh local coffee, cakes, and cool drinks with open views of the mountains and rice fields, with a small river. It’s quiet, stylish, and perfectly blends into the landscape.
After a long but rewarding day, we returned to Pua with the same route through the high moutains of the Natural Park as it was already late and the weather was getting very cloudy so we missed the tortuous roads and viewpoints I had planned to go through. Reflecting on this, it would have been better to stay the third night in Sapan, in order to drive a loop, which I wanted to do initially.
Day 4 — Back Toward Nan
On our final day, we headed back to Nan, by a different route — Road 1081 and 1169, which winds through the mountains back toward Nan. It’s a beautiful drive I’d recommend to anyone visiting the area. We stopped at the Ban Tai Lue Café to have lunch (Khao Soi). The café overlooks bright green rice fields, with bamboo walkways and small pavilions where you can sit and enjoy the peaceful view.
Llocated next to a small craft village where the Tai Lue ethnic group still produces traditional cotton weaving. The café itself overlooks rice fields, with photogenic bamboo bridges leading to the fields — a pleasant, peaceful stop for a drink or snack before leaving the mountains. It has a pond with koi carpss and 3 ostriches you can feed.
A little further south, we made a last stop at the Bali Nan Viewpoint & Café, a trendy spot offering panoramic views of the valley below. The décor is inspired by Bali but the view is unmistakably Nan.
Reflections on Nan
Nan is one of those places that feels both remote and welcoming, deeply local yet easy to reach. The city offers culture, temples, and history, while the mountains north of it open into some of the most dramatic landscapes in Thailand. Whether for a quiet family trip, a romantic escape, or a future motorbike adventure through winding roads and misty peaks, I would gladly go back.
Points of Interest
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