Phayao is the smallest of the seven, and the one that rewards a slower trip. It was built around a lake, and the town still reads the lake first: everything in the centre faces it, the roads run parallel to the shore, and the naga pattern that decorates the buildings here has a local explanation rather than being a generic temple motif.

Community and culture

Wat Phrathat Chom Thong on the hillside has the naga staircase and skywalk that have become the town's main landmark, and the King Ngam Mueang monument on the lakeside commemorates the founder of the city. Wat Si Khom Kham, with its three-pond layout, is worth the walk out of town.

Nature and landscape

Phu Langka Forest Park sits just above the city and is the reason most people come: on a cool morning the ridgeline sits above the cloud. Further out, Doi Phu Kha National Park carries the same sea-of-cloud landscape that Nan is known for, and Than Sawan waterfall and Pa Sa are quiet alternatives.