Chiang Rai deserves more than a pin on the map.

Chiang Rai is the northernmost provincial capital in Thailand and the obvious next step after Chiang Mai: smaller, calmer and surprisingly creative. The road north crosses forested hills before dropping into the Kok River valley, and by the time you arrive the pace has already changed.

The modern city is best known for its artists. Chalermchai Kositpipat began rebuilding Wat Rong Khun — the White Temple — in the 1990s, and it has become one of the most recognisable buildings in the country. Thawan Duchanee, another of Thailand’s best-known artists, spent nearly four decades creating Baan Dam, the Black House, on the opposite side of the city.

The two are best seen together. The White Temple is gleaming, intricate and full of modern symbolism; Baan Dam is dark, sculptural and deliberately unsettling. Between them, Wat Rong Suea Ten — the Blue Temple — adds a third, very different colour to the city’s temple art.

North of the city, the province reaches the Mekong and the meeting point of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar known as the Golden Triangle. This border country was once synonymous with opium. Royal development projects later encouraged hill communities to grow crops such as coffee, tea and macadamia instead, and the Hall of Opium at Ban Sop Ruak now tells that story.

The city itself is easy to enjoy on foot. The gold clock tower at the centre comes alive with music and coloured light in the evening, and on Saturday nights Thanalai Road becomes a walking street of food, crafts and live music. A smaller Sunday market runs on San Khong Noi Road.

Together it makes an ideal two-night trip from Chiang Mai: one day for the north and the borderlands, one day for the temples, and two evenings in a city that is much more relaxed than its bigger neighbour.

What Chiang Rai is famous for

The White Temple is the headline. It is a working temple and an artwork at the same time, covered in white plaster and mirrored glass, with imagery that mixes Buddhist teaching with modern pop culture. It was damaged by an earthquake in May 2014 but reopened within days, and it remains the busiest single sight in the province.

Chiang Rai is also known for Baan Dam’s forty or so black buildings spread across about 16 hectares, the cobalt-blue interior of Wat Rong Suea Ten, the Golden Triangle viewpoint on the Mekong, and a night-market culture that feels local rather than staged.

What you will actually see

Saturday is for the north: drive up to the Golden Triangle at Sop Ruak, look out over the Mekong where three countries meet, and spend time in the Hall of Opium. On the way back, stop at Baan Dam, which lies north of the city and fits naturally into the return.

Sunday starts with the Blue Temple, then heads south. The White Temple sits on the road back towards Chiang Mai, so arrive early, before the tour coaches, and then continue home without doubling back.

Who should make this trip?

It works for couples, photographers, families with older children and anyone who has already done Chiang Mai’s Old City and wants to see what lies beyond it.

The Saturday drive to the Golden Triangle and back is the longest stretch of the trip, so leave early. If you prefer not to drive, a local driver or guided day makes it much easier.