Phrae (; ) is a town (''

thesaban mueang Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system. The mu ...

'') in northern Thailand, capital of Phrae Province. The town occupies '' tambon'' Nai Wiang of Mueang Phrae District. It has an area of nine kilometres² and a population of 17,971 (2005). Phrae is 555 km north of Bangkok by road. Yom River in Phrae Province

Geography

Phrae lies on the Yom River, at an elevation of . The town is mostly built on the east side of the river, but some outlying parts are built on the west side of the river and are connected to the main part by bridges. There are hills both to the east and west of the town; the Phlueng Range to the east are higher, reaching about above sea level, whereas the Phi Pan Nam Range to the west are about above sea level. At Phae Muang Phi, a few kilometres north of Phrae, there is an impressive landscape of

mushroom rocks A mushroom rock, also called rock pedestal, or a pedestal rock, is a naturally occurring rock whose shape, as its name implies, resembles a mushroom. The rocks are deformed in a number of different ways: by erosion and weathering, glacial action ...

and distinctive pillars shaped by natural erosive action.

Climate

Phrae has a tropical savanna climate ( Köppen climate classification ''Aw''). Winters are dry and warm. Temperatures rise until April, which is very hot with the average daily maximum at . The monsoon season runs from May through October, with heavy rain and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm.

Culture

Wat Chorm Sawan and Wat Phra That Cho Hae are two important

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...

s in Phrae. The latter is on a hill, nine km away from the town center.

Transportation

The main road through Phrae is Route 101, which begins in Nan to the north, passes through Phrae, and leads to Sawankhalok, Sukhothai, and finally Kamphaeng Phet. Phrae Airport is a small airport in Mueang Mo, on the east side of town. It handles only domestic flights from Don Mueang (DMK).

References

External links

*{{Wikivoyage-inline, Phrae Populated places in Phrae province Cities and towns in Thailand