The best things to do in Chiang Mai this rainy season

Missing the thrill of outdoor sports or just need to work off some energy? 50Fly Chiang Mai is a 1,000-square-metre trampoline park and laser tag room that’s not just for kids. Sure it’s extremely kid-friendly – with summer schools and coaching available for the small people – but it’s equally popular among adult groups too, with hockey and rugby club socials regularly held here. Trampolining is infectious fun, plus proven to give better posture, enhance balance and improve flexibility so it’s not just play – you’re getting your gains in. 

Our favourite thing to do is bouncing up to the basketball hoops and trying new tricks on the stronger Olympic nets (that throw you higher into the air), all absolutely exhilarating. It’s B300 for an hour of springing or B500 for a 90-minute lesson of acrobatics, gymnastics, trampolining or parkour. Saturdays and Sundays are of course the busiest times so aim for a weekday visit if you want more space to ‘fly’.

50Fly. B300-B500 per hour. Inside Lotus Hang Dong. 11am-8pm.

Avoid getting soaked outside and warm up with a soak on the inside instead. Whether you need to warm up after a downpour or are just having a big old work week; there’s no time like the present to treat yourself to a trip to an onsen –  the Japanese bathing experience that’s sweeping Thailand by storm (pun intended, sorry). 

The onsen and cold plunge at Looper Swimming Pool (B250 for a day pass) are old favourites but not quite the bath house vibe we’re seeking, and the sento-style pools at Hokka-An Sauna & Steam in Santhitam (B450) are handy but given they’re in a condo building’s basement, they lack any atmosphere. So all hail the new kid on the block, Nozawa Hostel and Onsen, which takes this year’s prize for best bathing spot. The Japanese-themed accommodation opened in May this year, but you don’t have to be a guest to soak here. Its idyllic garden has three pools: medium 36-38C, hot 40-42C and cold 15-17C, plus a really legit steam room and piping hot sauna where drizzling water on the stones is A-okay. It’s B450 for one day pass (up to 4 hours), but B2,700 for a batch of 10 which is a steal if you add up the difference. As there’s only one onsen to share between genders, women’s sessions run daily from 1-5pm with men following on from 5pm-midnight.

Nozawa Hostel and Onsen. B450 for one day pass. 7 Mae Khua Mung Road, Chang Phuak. 1pm-midnight.

buying a cheapo replacement and make your own! An extremely therapeutic way to spend a cloudy day, rug making (aka tufting) should be top of any rainy season to do list, and there’s nowhere better in Chiang Mai than Aladdin Studio art centre. Kate and her creative staff have moved from their space in Hang Dong into a new bright atrium in the heart of the old city, ready to teach you this new skill. You can choose from a range of their designs, which include everything from cute Studio Ghibli characters to colour-popping ‘70s landscapes. You’re also free to come with your own personal image to weave. Carpet and rug making starts from B2,500 or you could try crafting a coaster first for B590.

Aladdin Studio. B590-B2,500. Hug Academy space, 6 Jhaban Road. 10am-8pm.

Now that you’re on a roll with the handmade home decor, pop along to ceramics sanctuary, Mitt Studio, another inner city spot protected from the rain. The bright airy space is very much indoors (aka dry) and an inviting place to spend a wet day thanks to the wide range of courses, workshops and sessions you can book. From classics like their weekly wheel class, to the boozier, twice weekly ‘sip and clay’; or the much loved matcha bowl workshop – there’s loads for beginners to get stuck into here. And if you’re clay-averse, come and paint a pot instead for B150. There’s a shelf of pre-fired pieces of different shapes, sizes and uses that you can decorate and take home with you. Prices for clay courses start from B850 plus the price of the homeware you choose.

Mitt Studio. B150-B850. 21 Soi Ratchamanka 1. 9.30am-6.30pm. Closed Mon-Tues.

Yes, we all know about SFX Cinema (book that sofa seat at the back, lovebirds), but there's some excellent new arthouse cinema clubs to get busy with this drizzle season. Dude, Movie are a film screening collective who’ve been programming a diverse array of independent flicks at venues across the city; recently showing The Lost Princess (about the last princess of Chiang Mai, Chao Duang Duen) at Chiang Mai Cultural Centre and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (a Nan Goldin documentary) at Sapphic Riot. Their Facebook page is one to keep an eye on for all upcoming showings. 

F.R.A.M.E Film Club has also been showing some sassy classics at Fellowship Cafe. Recent months have seen David Lynch’s Eraserhead and Mattieu Kassovitz’s La Haine both screened with post-film discussions hosted among engaged crowds. Come for the movies, stay for the chat and grab a bit of delicious Indian grub from their cafe at the same time. It’s about as snug as rainy season nights get.