The short version
The Old City is the most legible place to begin in Chiang Mai. The moat and surviving gates give it a boundary that most cities lack, and that boundary makes an ordinary address easier to understand. You are either inside the old city, walking towards it, or living just beyond one of its four sides.
This is not a preserved set piece. Temples, guesthouses, cafés, small shops and family homes occupy the same short streets. The pleasures are immediate: a morning errand can become a walk past a temple courtyard, and a visitor has little trouble finding a meal or a place to sit. The inconvenience is equally immediate. Tourism is part of the district’s working life, not an occasional interruption, and the street outside a peaceful-looking room can change character after dark.
The gate matters
Tha Phae Gate on the eastern side is the public front door. The Tourism Authority describes it as an ancient wall landmark and places the start of the Sunday walking street just inside the old city from there. That is useful knowledge for living here. The eastern lanes have the most obvious connection to the visitor centre and the riverward streets, while the quieter appeal of other sides can depend on how close you are to the moat road.
Within the walls, a short line on a map does not necessarily make for a quiet walk. Pavements can disappear around parked scooters, food stalls and a busy frontage. I would choose a side street, inspect it early and late, and treat the room’s relationship to the road as seriously as its distance from the gate.
Who it suits
This is the right choice for someone who wants Chiang Mai to arrive at the door: temples, markets, visitors and familiar local routines all within a small compass. It is less persuasive for anyone seeking a conventional residential estate, easy parking or a clean separation between home and the visitor economy. A quieter address just inside the moat can be excellent. A fashionable address on the wrong lane can become tiring quickly.
Would I live here?
For a first stay, yes. The Old City makes it easy to learn the shape of Chiang Mai without making every outing a transport problem. I would accept a smaller home in return for a lane that remains liveable after the evening crowds have gone through.