Samoeng Loop
Routes 108, 1269, 1096, 107100-119 km3-4 hours ridingEasy
Beginner-friendly mountain circuit climbing through Mae Sa Valley to around 1,200m with views over Doi Suthep-Pui National Park and the Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden.
Pick up a scooter steps from Tha Phae Gate and Wat Chedi Luang, then ride the moat loop or head west for Doi Suthep and the Samoeng circuit.
8,717 reviews
32 verified shops
520+ bikes
from 120 THB/day
A quick scan of what matters for motorbike renters in Old City.
| Best bike size | 100-125cc automatic scooter for moat and temples |
|---|---|
| Day rate from | From 120 THB/day |
| Nearest 24h fuel | Multiple stations along Kotchasarn Rd (outer moat) |
| Typical parking | Free on sois (avoid red-white kerbs); 10-20 THB at temples |
| Traffic peak | Tha Phae Gate 6-10 PM; moat rush 7-9 AM and 5-7 PM |
| Best ride-out | Samoeng Loop via Routes 108, 1269, 1096, 107 |
Chiang Mai's Old City is the walled historic quarter wrapped by the square moat, with Tha Phae Gate on the east, Wat Chedi Luang in the middle, and Ratchadamnoen Road cutting through as the Sunday Walking Street spine. It is compact, temple-dense, and the main backpacker rental hub in the city. Renting here puts you a short ride from Doi Suthep, the Samoeng Loop, and adjoining districts like Nimman, so it suits first-time riders who want an easy base with shop choice around Moon Muang and Kotchasarn roads.
Inside the moat the main arteries are Ratchadamnoen (east-west through the centre), Moon Muang (inner east side) and Kotchasarn (outer east side), plus short sois between temples. The moat itself is a two-lane one-way loop: outer lane clockwise, inner lane counterclockwise, and U-turns are illegal so you must complete the arc. North-western moat tiles near Chang Phuak Gate get slippery in rain, and commuters still ride that curve at 40-60 km/h.
Street parking on Old City sois is free as long as the kerb is not painted red and white; red-white means no-parking and police clamp within minutes. Temple parking outside Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh is free or a 10-20 THB donation on departure and usually has a marked motorbike zone. Chiang Mai Gate Market (south moat) and Chang Phuak Gate night market (north) charge 10-20 THB for their motorbike sections.
Fuel runs around 40 THB per litre and most stations are full-service. PTT Kotchasarn Road (81 Kotchasarn Rd, near the northern moat segment) is the most convenient fill for Old City riders. For a southwest departure toward Route 108 and Samoeng, Shell Chiangmai-Hangdong on the airport side is handy, and PTT Nong Hoi covers the north and northeast for trips toward Mae Salong or Tha Ton.
Tha Phae Gate plaza bottlenecks hard from 6 PM to 10 PM every evening, with songthaews, tuk-tuks and tour groups choking the sois; Friday to Sunday is worst. Moat rush hours are 7-9 AM and 5-7 PM. On Sundays, Ratchadamnoen Road closes entirely to vehicles from 2 PM to 10 PM for the Walking Street market, so use Moon Muang (east) or Bunrueang Rit (west) for north-south movement instead.
Beginner-friendly mountain circuit climbing through Mae Sa Valley to around 1,200m with views over Doi Suthep-Pui National Park and the Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden.
Short climb west from Old City up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep for panoramic city views; forgiving curves that pair well as an opening leg of the Samoeng Loop.
The famous 762 curves on Route 1095 north to Pai, best ridden over 2-3 days with a loop-back via Ban Wat Chan or Samoeng-Mae Rim.
November to February is the cool season sweet spot, with clear skies, 15-20°C early mornings and 25-28°C midday; it is also rental peak demand so book ahead. February to April is burning season, with AQI sometimes hitting 300-700 and Tha Phae Gate and Wat Chedi Luang hazed out by mid-morning, so ride at sunrise or skip outdoor exploration on bad days. Songkran (13-16 April 2026) turns the moat and Tha Phae Gate plaza into a water-play epicenter from 9 AM to 10 PM, and Yi Peng (24-25 November 2026) packs the gate with lantern crowds.
The biggest recurring hazard is pedestrian density on Ratchadamnoen between Tha Phae Gate and Wat Chedi Luang, where tour groups cross without looking; slow to under 20 km/h in daylight and avoid night rides on that stretch. Police checkpoints near the Muang Chiang Mai Police Station (169 Ratchadamnoen Rd) and around the moat perimeter check for valid IDP plus home licence, with fines up to 1,000 THB and possible impound. Helmet is mandatory.
Settle rate, deposit, insurance and cancellation in the app before joining the Tha Phae Gate evening crush.
Mr. Mechanic on Moon Muang Road and Pop Big Bike on Kotchasarn Road have worked the moat ring of the Old City for decades, settling rate, deposit, insurance and cancellation when you sign at the counter. A Byklo booking handles all four in the app, with the bike already assigned before the airport songthaew reaches the moat.
| What you are comparing | Book with Byklo | Walk in to a local Old City shop |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Confirmed at checkout; the Honda Click or PCX you picked is the bike waiting at your booked partner shop, not a morning shopfront tour. | Subject to walk-in stock; what is left at the counter depends on what the moat-road shops have not rented out by mid-morning. |
| Shop comparison | Compare bikes, ratings and pickup options across multiple Old City partners in one list, with filters for engine size and gearbox. | One shop at a time; compare Old City counters by walking the moat ring between Tha Phae Gate and Suan Dok Gate. |
| Pricing | Shown upfront at checkout, locked online; the rate you saw is the rate you hand over at pickup. | Negotiated at pickup; the day's rate is set shop by shop, depending on demand and which Old City counter you walked into. |
| Passport deposit | Never held as deposit; most Byklo partners in the Old City skip passport collateral, so yours stays in the hotel safe. | May be requested at the counter, in a form and amount set by each shop. |
| Cancellation | Free cancellation on every Byklo booking, with the 1 to 7 day window visible on each listing before you commit. | Set by each shop at the counter; specific terms vary across the Old City shopfronts and are agreed on the day. |
| Delivery | Many Byklo partners in the Old City deliver to your guesthouse, often free, picked on a Google Maps hotel picker at checkout. | Pickup at the shop is the default; any delivery to the hotel is arranged case by case. |
Byklo's Old City partners line both the inner moat and the outer moat lanes, so rate, deposit and pickup are locked online before the airport songthaew reaches Tha Phae Gate. With free cancellation up to your pickup day, the booking is held from the plane.
Category-level walk-in descriptions, not shop-specific; Byklo terms from the live checkout across Old City partners. Verified May 2026 against the shops' own Facebook pages.
From the Old City, riders can reach Nimman in 5-10 minutes via Huay Kaew, the Night Bazaar just outside Tha Phae Gate, and Warorot Market a short hop east across the Ping River.
Everything you need to know about renting motorbikes in Chiang Mai
No passport deposit required
Pre-departure bike condition photos
Secure Stripe payments, no cash required
In-app messaging with the shop
Free cancellation available
24/7 support if something goes wrong
Rent motorbikes and scooters in Chiang Mai from verified local shops. Fast booking, fair prices, and reliable bikes for city rides and day trips.
