:: Amphur Den Chai
Three kilometers from Den Chai district, or some 2 kilometers from the provincial town, is Wat Phra That Suthon Mongkhon Khiri. Although a comparatively modern temple, it boasts highly eye-catching structures. The Ubosot in particular is noted for its delicate sculptures with fine designs.
There is also the golden teak structure in the Lanna-style which houses valuable relics of the North, including Buddha statues, lacquer ware, Lanna musical instruments, ancient weapons and pictures depicting past events.
:: Amphur Long
Fabric Weaving Village
Long District, some 45 kilometers the provincial town on Highway No. 1023, is the site of a centuries-old community since the time of Hariphunchai Period. The local people are skilled in the craft of weaving, both silk and cotton. The art of making the Tin Chok fabric in particular has been handed down from generation to generation.
Its design has also been developed to meet with new and different preferences, although the original method has been retained. A fair celebrating the Tin Chok is held annually in Long district around November.
Kaeng Luang Rafting
A leading attraction, Kaeng Luang is located in Tambon Ban Pin, Long district. To get there, go on the Phrae-Lampang road for about 50 kilometers, then take a right turn at Km.69 and continue on for another 7 kilometers. The scenery is lovely and amid the Yom river are rocky formations which create fast-flowing rapids.
On the other side of the river, which can be crossed by ferry, and with a 100-meter walk uphill, will be found the Erawan Cave adorned with elephant-and-female-shaped hanging and protruding crops of rock.
Wat Phra That Si Don Kham
There is a huge gold Chedi housing a Holy Relic at Wat Phra That Si Don Kham. Legend has it that it was built as early as 535 A.D. when the land was under the dominance of the Hariphunchai kingdom.
:: Amphur Mueang
Ban Fai Folklore Museum
The Folklore Museum, in the same compound as the Ban Fai garden restaurant three kilometers from town on the Phrae-Sung Men road, is made up of several buildings and wooden structures displaying exhibits on the local way of life. The different types of wooden houses demonstrate the different statuses of the local people. There are also market and shop-houses of the past.
Ban Pong Si
Ban Pong Si at Tambon Thin of Muang district is a village which collects and exchanges second-hand household utensils for daily use. It also sells silver products.
Ban Rong Fong
Ban Rong Fong specializes in making metal agricultural tools using traditional production method. The village can be reached by taking Highway No.101 (Phrae-Nan) with a turn into Highway No. 1101 leading to Rong Fong.
Ban Thung Hong
About 4 kilometers away on Highway No. 101 (Phrae-Nan) is Ban Thung Hong, a village noted for the making of products made from Mo Hom material. It is a local cotton fabric dyed in blue which is used in making native and modern wears.
City Pillar Shrine
The City Pillar Shrine of Phrae, situated on Khum Deom Road in town centre, features an inscription stone with ancient Thai scripts of the Sukhothai period describing the construction of a temple in the town.
Hua Dong Market
About 9 kilometers to the south of town on Highway No. 101 in Sung Men district is the Hua Dong Market. It is the centre of products made from wood and rattan, mostly household furniture and decorative items.
Phae Mueang Phi
About 12 kilometers out of town, and with a further 6 kilometers after a right turn, is the Phae Muang Phi, a wide area with no large trees. Because of subsidence and erosion of the soil, the harder elements remain and are formed into the shapes of exotic-looking mushrooms.
Phraya Chaiyabun Memorial
The Phraya Chaiyabun Memorial is about four kilometers from the Phrae townhall on Highway No. 101. Governor of the town during 1897-1902, he was slain by rebelling Shan tribesmen when he refused to cede the town to them. After the rebellion was put down by government troops, King Rama V ordered a memorial erected in his honors.
Wat Chom Sawan
Just one kilometer from the townhall on Yantrakit Koson Road is Wat Chom Sawan, a Burmese architectural style temple. The building which combines the hall for conducting religious rituals and monk's living quarters is beautifully decorated both in its interiors and exteriors.
The over-lapping roofs are adorned with fine fretworks. Antiquities found here include marble Buddha statues, statues made of woven bamboos coated with lacquer, and Buddha statues made from ivory, as well as ivory scripture slabs with Burmese scripts.
Wat Luang
Wat Luang on Kham Lue Road in town is an ancient and principal temple built at the same time Phrae was established. Several restoration works have taken place. Some of its major features include the Vihan and Chiang Saen-style Chedi enshrining a Holy Relic brought over from Myanmar. Others are the museum housing various antiquities including several 500-year-old Buddha statues and an ancient Lanna-style wooden structure.
Wat Phra Bat Ming Mueang
Wat Phra Bat Ming Muang, located on Charoen Nakhon Road near the townhall, was built in 1955 by combining two ancient temples. There is an old Chedi containing a replica of the Holy Footprint inside.
Wat Phra Non
To the west of Wat Luang is Wat Phra Non near the site of the old city walls. Some of the architectural works include the Chiang Saen-style Ubosot with narrow openings to let in light instead of normal windows. The lintel is made of wood with graceful designs. The eaves over the Vihan are all fretted, a symbol of northern architecture. Inside is a 9 meter-long reclining Buddha.
Wat Phra That Cho Hae
This temple is about 8 kilometers to the east of town on Highway No. 1022. A major religious site of the province, it was built since the time of Sukhothai. The 33 meter-tall Chiang Saen-style Chedi houses a Holy Relic. It was built of bricks and covered with bright brass sheets. The name of the temple refers to fine silk woven in Sip Song Panna (in southern China) which was first used to wrap around the Chedi when the temple was first constructed. There is a fair celebrating the Chedi in March every year.
Wat Phra That Chom Chaeng
Three kilometers from Phra That Cho Hae is Wat Phra That Chom Chaeng, some 10 kilometers from town. Built in the year 788, the name of the builder was unknown. The golden Chedi is 29 meters tall and enshrines a Holy Relic. There is also a museum of rare ancient relics.
Wat Sa Ra Bo Kaeo
Located on Nam Khu Road next to the city moats is Wat Sa Ra Bo Kaeo, a temple with several exotic Burmese artistic-styled structures and Buddha statues. It is also where Burmese monks who travel to Thailand to study the Buddhist scripture stay.
Vongburi House
Vongburi House was built in 1897 by Luang Ponpiboon and his wife Chao Sunantha, who descended from the past local royal family of Phrae city and held teak concession in the city. The builder was a Chinese from Canton, using local carpenters fro the jobs. The houses has remained in family hands ever since.
A two-story teak structure, the house rests on a foundation of brick and mortar that elevates it one meter above the ground. A double-tiered roof has a ventilation passage between the two levels to improve air circulation. There are about 20 rooms, with high ceiling, covering 1,400 square meters of floor space. An originally open verandah on the front was later enclosed to create and additional room.
The outstanding feature of Vongburi house is its elaborate woodcarvings, which can be found on all its gables, eaves, balconies and above doors and windows. Except for a few repairs and repainting them their original pink color, all the exterior carvings are original. The original roof of teak tiles, how ever had to be removed in 1975 because of age; since the cost of replacing them would have been too high and since the cost of replacing them would have been too high and since ceramic tiles would have been too heavy, corrugated iron was used.
Inside the house, exhibition is held with various original and old belongings such as beds, showcases, cupboards, crockery, silver-wares, weapons, images of Buddha – Chiangsan and Sukhothai ages, historically important documents such as 49 documents of 100 years-old slaves-purchase contracts, officers’ s commission consigned by King Rama V, forest concession permission documents, elephant identified cards etc.
The house was awarded an excellent conservation of the year 1993 from the Society of Siam Architecture under Royal Patronage and published in “Heritage Homes of Thailand” of Siam Society Under Royal Patronage in 1996 as well as in Thai famous magazines and broadcast on televisions.
Khum Jao Luang
This residence of Phrae’s founder was built about 10 years before Phrae was plundered by the Shans in 1892. After that, it became a stronghold of the cavalry troops sent from Bangkok to keep peace in the city.
The building is a mixture of Thai and European architecture of King Rama V’s reign. It was designated as a Public Building and was granted an award by H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on 2 July 1993.
Piriyathepawong-u-dorm
This statue was built as a tribute to the last “Jao Luang” of Phrae (the king appointed ruler of the city) from 1889 to 1902, in the reign of King Rama V.
Through his vision and leadership, he was devoted to the welfare of Phrae people and a devout Buddhist. His consort “Mae Jao Bua Lai” also helped him restore Buddhism by hand embroidering Lord Buddha’s teaching on silk. This can be seen at Wat Prabaat Ming Muang. His most significant strategic plans for administration included establishing the “Phrae Police Force” and improving the economy by instituting a system of local produce trading. He also established the first school in Phrae, which exists today as “Piriyalai School”.
In 1902, after the rebellion of the Ngew in Phrea, Jao Luang had to flee to Laos. The rank of “Jao Luang” in the province of Phrae, thus ended, but his influence will be remembered forever.
:: Amphur Rong Kwang
Namtok Huai Rong
Amid cool forested area is the Huai Rong Waterfall. It can be reached by taking Highway No. 101 (Phrae-Rong Kwang) and go on for 60 kilometers northward. Turn left at Km. 78 and proceed on for a further 4 kilometers.
Tham Pha Nang Khoi
Another interesting cave is Tham Pha Nang Khoi which is about 40 kilometers north of town on Highway No. 101 at Km. 59 within Rong Kwang district. A 50 meter-long rail leads to the cave mouth. Along the winding tunnels are strangely-shaped stalactites and stalagmites.
At the end of the cave is a stalagmite shaped like a woman holding a small child. In front of the Nang Koi (waiting woman) stone is a heart-shaped stalactite. They are the source of the legend of the love of a woman who waited for her lover until she turned into stone.
:: Amphur Song
Mae Yom National Park
The Mae Yom National Park is in Song district 48 kilometers from town. The terrain is mountainous with deciduous and rich teak forests, probably the densest in the country. Along the Yom River in front of the camping area of the park are the Kaeng Sua Ten rapids, a two-kilometer-long stretch of rock formations and best visited during November-February when the weather is cool and the scenery at its loveliest. Visitors may camp along the river banks.
Phra That Phra Lo
This is a 400-year-old Chedi believed to contain the remains of a king named Phra Lo, ruler of Nakhon Maen Suang once located in the vicinity. It is said he died together with his two lovers, Phra Phuean and Phra Phaeng, which gave rise to the legend of folklore. The Chedi itself is at Tambon Ban Klang, Song district on Highway No. 103 some 45 kilometers north of the provincial town.
:: Amphur Wang Chin
Wiang Kosai National Park
The Wiang Kosai National Park is about 70 kilometers from the provincial town in Wang Chin district. It can be reached by taking Highway No. 11 (Phrae-Lampang). Then take a left turn toward Wang Chin district and continue for a further 13 kilometers to reach the turn to the park headquarters.
A further 1.5 kilometers onwards are two waterfalls, the Mae Koeng Luang, one kilometer from the headquarters, and the Mae Koeng Noi, 2 kilometers on foot further on. Streams from the falls flow into the Yom River.
:: Songkran Festival
Mo Hom is a well-known hand-crafter material made in Phrae. Considered a quality product, it is made mainly at Ban Ton Hong using traditional methods in the weaving, dyeing and tailoring processes.
:: Amphur Sung Men
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