Lamphun is a small, quiet town with two very remarkable temples, Wat Phra That Haripunchai and Wat Chamathevi. It is situated on the banks of the river Kwang (a branch of the Ping river of Chiang Mai) and surrounded by a moat. You can reach it from Chiang Mai within about half an hour by car (There are also buses that run several times per hour).
 

Wat Phra That Haripunchai  has been built (in the year 1044 A.D.) upon the ruins of an ancient Mon royal palace. It is located between the main street of Lamphun and the river. The Wat is large and offers a lot of  sightseeing highlights. You should plan to spend at least an hour there.

The most impressive structure in the temple courtyard of Wat Phra That Haripunchai is, no doubt, the big, bell-shaped, 51 m high golden Chedi (picture)The colour is not bronze paint, it is real! The Chedi is covered in gold leaf , and the finely-wrought foliage around its burmese-style spire is made of pure gold. The Viharn which is next to it has very lovely doors. Left of the Viharn is a dark red tower that holds an enormous bronze gong (it is said to be the largest bronze gong in the world - but there is a competitor for this title, the Gong of Pura Pentaran Sasih in Bali). The temple courtyard also holds a beautiful Bot (ordination hall) (which is at most times unfortunately closed) and several Buddha shrines where people light incense and place flower offerings. There is also a smaller, pyramidal Chedi that is a copy of an antique Mon Chedi in Wat Chamathevi.
 

When you feel you have admired everything in Wat Phra That Haripunchai to the fullest, you can leave the temple courtyard through the eastern gate, cross the road and the footbridge over the river and in just some minutes be in Wat Prayoon. The most interesting building is again the Chedi. This Chedi is not bell-shaped but square and has the golden spire that is typical for the Burmese style. Each side has a niche that holds a gold-plated Buddha image.

The third  interesting temple in Lamphun is Wat Chamathevi (also called Wat Kukut). It has been named after the (legendary) Mon queen Chamathevi who fled from Lopburi in order to found a new city in the North. When she arrived at the river Kwang she ordered that a city be built, which was called Haripunchai and is now called Lamphun.

You can reach Wat Chamathevi if you return to Wat Phra That Haripunchai and exit through the western gate. Then you turn left, walk to the corner, cross the street and either take a Tuk-Tuk or a Samlor (bicycle rickshaw) or walk 1 km to the west until you reach Wat Chamathevi (on the way you come across the Lamphun National Museum that displays bronze statues and also stucco and terracotta images form the Mon period.) Wat Chamathevi`s masterpiece is a Mon-style stepped pyramidal Chedi with lots of niches containing stucco Buddha images. Have a close look a the statues, their physiognomy is typical for the Mon style of sculpture.