Tha Phae Gate is the most recognisable surviving element of Chiang Mai's old city walls, a robust brick gatehouse on the eastern edge of the moated square. It's been the symbolic entry point to the old city for centuries, and today it's where locals and visitors gather at all hours — particularly in the evenings when people sit on the steps and the surrounding plaza fills with food carts.
The gate marks the start of Tha Phae Road, the city's main tourist artery running west toward the Night Bazaar area. From the gate you can walk along the top of the restored walls in places, and the moat itself — a wide, tranquil channel — is pleasant to walk or cycle around. The Sunday Walking Street market takes over the streets leading from the gate into the old city.