Used Bookshops of Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai's second-hand bookshops cluster inside the Old City along Ratchamanka Road and around Tha Phae Gate. Backstreet Books, Gecko Books, On the Road Books, Lost Book Found and the Suriwong Book Centre between them hold the city's deepest English-language second-hand collections, from travel-writer dharma libraries to out-of-print Penguin Classics, language guides and Thai history.

Updated June 2026

Walk Ratchamanka Road from Tha Phae Gate west on any quiet weekday afternoon and you pass a sequence of small shopfronts whose business is hard to mistake for anything else. The doors are open. The light inside is soft. The shelves run floor to ceiling. Bookshops, mostly second-hand, owner-run, with the cat asleep somewhere near the language-learning shelf and the owner reading at the counter. Chiang Mai is the rare Asian city where the second-hand English book trade has stayed alive and where, after two or three decades of through-travellers leaving their reading behind, the back-catalogue depth is genuinely unusual. The cluster is a Chiang Mai institution and one of the best slow afternoons in town.

What it is

The Chiang Mai used bookshop cluster is a small, dense network of independent second-hand bookshops, plus one long-running new-and-used chain, that sit inside the Old City and just outside Tha Phae Gate. The cluster is unusual for two reasons. First, the city’s long history as a travel-writer base from the 1970s onward (the journalist and Buddhist studies crowd around Wat Suan Dok, the early through-traveller cohort that overlapped with Lonely Planet’s first Southeast Asia editions in the 1980s, and the dharma-pilgrim community that has settled here in successive waves) has produced unusually deep shelves in travel writing, Southeast Asia history and Buddhist studies. Second, the long-stay foreign resident population (German, French, Dutch, British, American, and increasingly Russian) has left a working second-hand market in each of those languages.

Five shops carry the bulk of the trade: Backstreet Books, Gecko Books (two branches), On the Road Books, Lost Book Found and the Suriwong Book Centre. A further half-dozen smaller shops in Nimman, on the eastern Old City wall and around the riverside survive on niche stock or as appendages to cafés. The mainline cluster is unambiguously the Ratchamanka Road strip and the streets immediately around it. A book-shopping afternoon that visits all five mainline shops fits comfortably into half a day on foot.

The shops are owner-run. The owners know their stock, the regulars, and the Chiang Mai book-trade gossip. Prices are written on the inside front cover. Cash is preferred. PromptPay is increasingly accepted at the larger shops. None of the shops are precious. You can pull anything off the shelf, sit in the corner and read for an hour without anyone minding, and most owners will start a conversation about the book if you stand at the counter with it.

What you’ll find

The five mainline shops each carry a recognisable specialism.

Backstreet Books

The corner of Ratchamanka Road and Chang Moi Kao Road, two minutes’ walk from Tha Phae Gate. Approximately 35,000 English-language titles fill the floor-to-ceiling shelves across two rooms. The travel-writing section is the city’s strongest; the Southeast Asia and Burma shelves are unusually deep. Bruce Chatwin, Norman Lewis, V S Naipaul, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Colin Thubron and Jan Morris all carry their full back catalogue. Language-learning is the second-strongest section, with Thai and Burmese instruction books, dictionaries, phrasebooks and the SOAS course-book series. Smaller French, German, Dutch and Spanish sections sit along the back wall. Most paperbacks cost 120 to 200 baht; hardbacks 250 to 600; the occasional rare first edition runs higher. The shop has been at the same location since 1998 and trades 10:00 to 21:00 daily.

Gecko Books

The Ratchamanka Road branch, opposite Wat Phantao, has been at the same location since 2003. The shop’s three cats are the unofficial mascots. Approximately 25,000 English-language titles fill the shelves, with the city’s deepest dharma and Buddhism section running across two full bays. The fiction section is the second-strongest, with a long Penguin Modern Classics tail. A separate room at the back holds the language-learning, children’s and self-help shelves. Gecko’s signature is the standing buy-back scheme: any book bought from Gecko can be returned for 50 per cent of the purchase price in trade credit. Most paperbacks cost 100 to 180 baht. A second branch on Loi Kroh Road, outside the moat, holds the overflow stock and a heavier romance and crime-fiction shelf.

On the Road Books

One block south of Backstreet, on Ratchamanka Road near Wat Chedi Luang. The shop is smaller, perhaps 12,000 titles, and skews toward Southeast Asia history, academic Asia titles, regional politics and the journalism end of travel writing. Anthony Reid, Wang Gungwu, Benedict Anderson, Thant Myint-U, Sven Lindqvist and the New York Review of Books library all carry full or near-full back catalogue. The shop has the city’s strongest French shelf and a small but interesting Italian section. Prices skew slightly higher (150 to 250 baht for most paperbacks) because the stock turns over more slowly. The owner runs the shop alone and closes Mondays.

Lost Book Found

Near Tha Phae Gate, on a small side lane off Tha Pae Road. The smallest of the mainline shops, with perhaps 8,000 titles. The specialism is second-hand novels — popular fiction, crime, romance, contemporary literary fiction — and a surprisingly good self-help and personal development shelf. Lost Book Found is the most informal of the cluster, with the most variable hours (generally 12:00 to 19:00) and the cheapest prices (80 to 150 baht for most paperbacks). The shop trades on volume and turnover rather than specialism.

Suriwong Book Centre

Not a second-hand shop in the strict sense, but the Suriwong chain’s main Old City branch near the Three Kings Monument carries both new and used. New Thai-history titles, academic Southeast Asia, English fiction and travel guides fill the new side; the second-hand side holds general fiction, language guides and the occasional Thai-language children’s book. Suriwong is the easiest shop for new releases (the Thai-language translations are the strongest single source in the city) and for academic Southeast Asia titles. Prices on the new side match Bangkok; the second-hand side runs 100 to 200 baht for paperbacks.

How to navigate and best time

The cluster sits along Ratchamanka Road between Tha Phae Gate and Wat Chedi Luang, a stretch of about 600 metres. The natural order is east to west: start at Lost Book Found near Tha Phae Gate, then Backstreet Books at the Chang Moi Kao corner, then Gecko Books opposite Wat Phantao, then On the Road Books near Wat Chedi Luang. The Suriwong Book Centre near the Three Kings Monument is a 200-metre detour north. The full cluster visit takes about 4 hours at a reading pace, longer if you sit in any of the shops with a chapter or two of something interesting.

The single best window is weekday afternoons between 13:00 and 17:00. The cluster is shaded by the surrounding buildings, the air has cooled from late morning, and the cooler-month afternoon light through the open doorways is unusually flattering for the shelves. Saturday afternoons are busier but the cluster handles the crowd. Sundays vary: Backstreet and Gecko are open; On the Road is closed; Lost Book Found is unpredictable. Mondays are the worst day to visit because On the Road and at least one of the smaller appendage shops always close.

A few practical notes. The shops do not serve coffee; the surrounding cafés do. The Akha Ama coffee branch near Wat Phra Singh and the Free Bird Cafe on Chang Moi Kao Road are the two best read-along stops. Cash works everywhere; PromptPay at the larger shops. None of the shops accept card. The cluster has no dedicated parking; arrive on foot, by songthaew (shared pickup-truck taxi) or by bicycle.

If you are selling books rather than buying, bring them in good condition — broken spines, water damage and writing in the margins reduce the offer or get the book refused. Travel guides older than five years are usually refused. The shops do not buy magazines or popular paperback romance. The offer is typically 25 to 40 per cent of the original cover price in cash, or 50 per cent in trade credit.

Getting there

The Ratchamanka cluster is reachable on foot from anywhere inside the Old City within 10 minutes. From Tha Phae Gate, walk west and you are at Lost Book Found within 2 minutes and Backstreet Books within 4. From the Three Kings Monument, walk south and you are at Gecko Books in 3 minutes. From Wat Phra Singh, walk east along Ratchamanka and you are at On the Road Books in 5 minutes.

A red songthaew shared taxi costs 30 baht per person from anywhere in the city. Ask for Pratu Tha Phae (Tha Phae Gate) and walk in from there. Grab and Bolt cars charge 50 to 80 baht. Tuk-tuks negotiate from 80 baht. Avoid driving a private car; the Old City streets are narrow and parking inside is scarce.

The Loi Kroh Road branch of Gecko Books is just outside the eastern moat, a 5-minute walk south-east of Tha Phae Gate. The Nimman appendages — Asia Books at Maya, occasional smaller second-hand stalls — are 15 minutes by songthaew (30 baht) or Grab (80 to 120 baht).

Where to eat and nearby

The Ratchamanka strip is well served by cafés and small restaurants. The Akha Ama coffee branch near Wat Phra Singh is the best slow coffee on the strip and works as a read-along stop. The Free Bird Cafe on Chang Moi Kao Road, opposite Backstreet, serves vegan northern Thai food (140 to 220 baht a main) and supports a Shan refugee project. Khao Soi Khun Yai, three blocks south on Singharat Soi 5, opens 09:00 to 14:00 for a 60-baht bowl of the city’s signature noodle. The temple food courts at Wat Phantao and Wat Phra Singh open during the Sunday Walking Street and are a good evening combination with a bookshop afternoon.

Nearby destinations on the strip include Wat Chedi Luang (two minutes from On the Road Books) and Wat Phantao (directly opposite Gecko). The Sunday Walking Street runs along the same Ratchadamnoen Road that parallels Ratchamanka one block north, and the bookshop afternoon flows naturally into the walking-street evening on Sundays.

Tips and etiquette

Quiet is the norm. Conversations at the counter are welcome but phone calls inside the shops are not. Children are welcome at Gecko (the cats help) and at Suriwong; the other shops prefer older readers. Photographs of the shelves are fine; close-up portraits of the owners require asking — the Thai phrase tai roop dai mai (may I take a photo?) is sufficient. The shops do not negotiate on price; the written cover price is the price. Bring small notes if you can; change for a 1,000-baht note on a 120-baht book can be irritating. Several of the shops keep a register of regulars and request books on commission for travellers; the contact is usually a Line account written inside the front door.

Related and combine with

The bookshop cluster combines naturally with the Sunday Walking Street, which runs Ratchadamnoen Road one block north on Sunday evenings. Spend the afternoon among the shelves and the evening among the craft stalls. Warorot Market is 15 minutes’ walk east for the city’s main fresh-market trip; the Buddhist Book Service inside Wat Phra Singh sells Thai dharma books in modest selection. For a longer day, take a midmorning songthaew to Bo Sang for the umbrella village, return for lunch and book-browsing on Ratchamanka in the afternoon, and finish with dinner at one of the temple food courts on Ratchadamnoen.

Photos

Frequently asked questions

Where are the second-hand bookshops in Chiang Mai?+

The main cluster sits inside the Old City along Ratchamanka Road, the central east-west street between Tha Phae Gate and Wat Phra Singh. Backstreet Books occupies the corner of Ratchamanka and Chang Moi Kao. Gecko Books has two branches, one on Ratchamanka opposite Wat Phantao and one in the Loi Kroh Road area outside the moat. On the Road Books sits one block south on Ratchamanka, near Wat Chedi Luang. Lost Book Found is near Tha Phae Gate. The Suriwong Book Centre is a new-and-used chain shop with its main Old City branch near the Three Kings Monument.

What are the opening hours of the used bookshops?+

Hours vary by shop, and several are owner-run with informal posted times. The standard range is 10:00 to 19:00, Monday to Saturday, with most shops closed one day a week (usually Sunday or Monday — check the door notice). Backstreet Books runs 10:00 to 21:00 daily including Sundays. Gecko Books is 09:30 to 20:00 daily. On the Road Books is 11:00 to 19:00, closed Mondays. Lost Book Found keeps the most variable hours, generally 12:00 to 19:00. The Suriwong Book Centre, as a chain, runs 09:00 to 21:00 daily. The hours tighten in the wet season; phone ahead if you are travelling a distance.

Is there an entry fee at any of the bookshops?+

No. All Chiang Mai second-hand bookshops are public retail premises with no entry fee. Browsing is welcome without purchase; most owners also welcome quiet readers who want to sit and read a chapter before deciding. Backstreet Books and Gecko Books both have a small reading corner with two or three chairs. Lost Book Found has a single shared bench. The shops do not serve coffee; the surrounding lanes are full of small cafés, and a coffee-and-read combination across Ratchamanka is a standard local routine.

What kind of books do the Chiang Mai second-hand bookshops carry?+

Travel-writer-grade English-language collections are the city's distinctive strength. Decades of through-travellers leaving books behind has produced unusually deep shelves in travel writing, Southeast Asia history, Buddhism and dharma, language learning, fiction (the long Penguin Modern Classics tail), out-of-print colonial-era Asia books and the occasional rare first edition. Each shop has a specialism: Backstreet on travel and language, Gecko on dharma and fiction, On the Road on Southeast Asia history, Lost Book Found on secondhand novels and self-help, Suriwong on new Thai-history titles and academic Southeast Asia.

What is Backstreet Books?+

Backstreet Books is a long-running Old City second-hand bookshop on the corner of Ratchamanka Road and Chang Moi Kao Road. The shop has been at the same location since 1998. Approximately 35,000 English-language titles fill the floor-to-ceiling shelves across two rooms; smaller Thai, German, French, Dutch and Spanish sections sit along the back wall. Backstreet is the city's strongest single shop on travel writing, with an unusual depth in Southeast Asia and Burma titles. The owner trades in, sells and buys; condition and edition are inspected at the counter. Most paperbacks cost 120 to 200 *baht*.

What is Gecko Books?+

Gecko Books is a chain of two used bookshops, the main branch on Ratchamanka Road inside the Old City and a second branch on Loi Kroh Road outside the moat. The Ratchamanka shop has been at the same location since 2003. Approximately 25,000 English titles fill the shelves; the dharma and Buddhism section is the city's deepest. The shop's three resident cats are the unofficial mascots. Gecko also runs a buy-back scheme: any book bought from Gecko can be returned for 50 per cent of the purchase price in trade credit, which is the city's most generous secondhand policy. Most paperbacks cost 100 to 180 baht.

Are there any books in languages other than English?+

Yes. The major shops carry smaller sections in French, German, Dutch and Spanish, reflecting the long-stay tourist demographics. Backstreet Books and Gecko Books each have 500 to 1,000 titles in each of the four main European languages. On the Road Books has the strongest French shelf. Italian, Scandinavian and Hebrew sections are smaller and turn over less frequently. Thai-language books are a separate sub-market; the Suriwong Book Centre carries new Thai titles and the Buddhist Book Service inside Wat Phra Singh sells Thai dharma books in modest selection. There are no working second-hand bookshops for Chinese, Japanese or Korean.

Can I sell my used books at the Chiang Mai shops?+

Yes. Backstreet Books, Gecko Books and On the Road Books all buy in second-hand stock. The typical offer is 25 to 40 per cent of the original cover price, in cash or trade credit. Trade credit is usually 50 per cent — that is, books worth 100 baht traded buy 50 baht of new stock. Bring books in good condition; broken spines, water damage and writing in the margins reduce the offer or get the book refused. Travel guides older than five years are usually refused. The shops do not buy magazines or paperback romance novels. Gecko's standing buy-back scheme means anything purchased from Gecko can be returned for 50 per cent credit.

Are there any new bookshops in Chiang Mai?+

Yes, though the second-hand trade is the more distinctive offer. The Suriwong Book Centre, with its main Old City branch near the Three Kings Monument, is the long-standing new-and-used chain and carries new Thai-history, academic Southeast Asia, English fiction and travel guides. CentralPlaza Festival on the eastern Superhighway has a B2S branch (the Central Group's bookshop chain). The Maya Lifestyle Shopping Centre in Nimman has an Asia Books branch with the city's strongest selection of English-language children's books. None of the new bookshops match the second-hand cluster for back-catalogue depth.

How do I get to the Ratchamanka Road bookshop cluster?+

From anywhere inside the Old City, walk. The cluster runs along Ratchamanka Road from Tha Phae Gate west to Wat Phra Singh, with the densest concentration between Chang Moi Kao and Phra Pokklao. Walking from Tha Phae Gate to Backstreet Books takes 4 minutes; from Wat Phra Singh, 10 minutes. A red *songthaew* costs 30 *baht* and drops at Tha Phae Gate or at the Three Kings Monument square. Grab and Bolt cars charge 50 to 80 baht. Avoid driving; the surrounding lanes are narrow and parking inside the Old City is scarce.