Chiang Mai National Museum is one of the clearest introductions to Lanna history and northern Thai culture. Its galleries cover the rise of the region's kingdoms, Buddhist art, inscriptions, ceramics, and everyday material from Chiang Mai and nearby provinces.
The museum is useful early in a visit, before temple-hopping turns names and styles into a blur. It is outside the old city core, so pairing it with nearby Wat Chet Yot or other northern sights makes the trip more efficient.