Part of the eastern wall, Tha Phae Gate is a 700 year old red brick wall. It is recommended to take a walk around this magnificent wall, that used to be the only entrance to the city. Today, it is the site of many community activities, like the Chiang Mai Flower Festival in February, the Thai New Year of Songkran in April and the market stalls on Sundays which attracts flocks of tourists.

The Czartoryski Museum houses a vast collection of ancient works of art from Greece and Egypt, but the key artworks here have to be Leonardo Da Vinci’s "Lady with an Ermine” and Rembrandt’s “Landscape with the Good Samaritan”.

Tobe was once a separate town to the south of Matsuyama. It's home to many potteries producing ceramics known collectively as Tobe-yaki. These tend to be white with navy blue decoration, although there are many varieties. You can purchase very serviceable tableware for everyday use at the potteries, and you can also try your hand at making your own ceramics. Tobe is also home to a number of interesting museums and a sake brewery.

This extravagantly decorated clandestine church built centuries ago when Catholicism was considered a crime is hidden in plain sight behind an unassuming front door in the city centre. Those walking down Juffrouw Idastraat would never imagine that within one of the typical terraced houses lies the enormous Parish of Saints James and Augustine where Catholics used to practice their faith in secret. Nobody is quite sure who built the church, but the stunning baroque plastering seems to suggest that it was the famous architect and artist Daniel Marot or one of his students. Book a free tour which takes you through the church and the attic to the more recent Bishop’s Chamber which is full of some of the original features and furniture that were used in the 1700s.