How to Get from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

Tucked into a green valley, Chiang Mai has managed to preserve its artistic and cultural legacy, despite the growing tourism industry. Flush against modern condos, boutique hotels and entertainment venues are golden dragons and jewel-encrusted temples. Culture buffs can visit stupas backdropped by verdant jungles, and up in the rainforest await friendly hill tribes. Wild whitewater rafting, crazy ziplining and rock climbing thrills feed people’s adventurous side. And of course there’s also plenty of nightlife to dive into. But how do travellers actually get there from Thailand’s capital? From flights to bus and train rides, here’s how to get from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. 

Travel Options from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

You have three options to get to Chiang Mai from Bangkok: plane, train, or bus. 

Depending on the company, the pick-up and the drop-off station, the bus journey up north can take anything from 9.5 to 13 hours. From first class and economy class to VIP, tourist, and express coaches, the Bangkok to Chiang Mai bus of today isn’t one and the same. It departs several times daily and is the cheapest option from central Bangkok to the largest city in northern Thailand. Flying is the fastest way to travel from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. And the romance of train travel offers plenty of time for reflection.

If you travel by bus or train, you can buy the tickets on the spot, which is often cheaper, even if only marginally. Just ignore the ticket touts and head straight for the counter. To arrange things in advance and book online, you can check out Bookaway’s travel search engine.

Flying to Chiang Mai

At 75 minutes, the Bangkok to Chiang Mai flight time is pretty short. Even if you factor in the time it takes to drive to and from the airport, check in and complete the security checks, then wait until it’s boarding time, flying is still shorter than spending all day or night on a bus or train.

Flying from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, the first capital of the former Lanna Kingdom, is also quite affordable these days. From Air Asia and Thai Vietjet to Nok Air and Bangkok Airways, there’s no shortage of inexpensive flights. Take Thai Vietjet Air; a cheap flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai with that airline costs about $36 in economy class. 

You could visit every airline’s website. Much more convenient, however, is to look for flights in TAGTHAi’s in-app search engine in the “booking” tab. Round trips are available from both the Suvarnabhumi and the Don Mueang airports in Bangkok.

Riding a Bus to Chiang Mai

Coaches cover the Bangkok to Chiang Mai distance more quickly and with fewer stops than trains, but some travellers consider them a less pleasant way to get from A to B. Those people are not necessarily right, given that you can recline your seat while watching the scenery become greener and greener on your way up north. If you ride the night bus, you usually get a snuggly blanket.

The pick-up points depend on whether you jump on a tourist or official bus. If you’re travelling on a shoestring, we recommend the tourist buses at Khao San Road, made famous by Joe Cummings, who wrote the first Thailand guide for Lonely Planet in the early 1980s. It’s been a backpacker mecca ever since. The 11.5-hour journey to the “Rose of the North,” as Chiang Mai is known for, costs between 500 ($14.35) and 1,000 baht ($28.70). 

By hopping on a Bangkok to Chiang Mai night bus, you kill two birds with one stone. You get to Chiang Mai and save one hotel night. But don’t be surprised if they’re packed with international backpackers.

Official buses are more popular with local Thais. These government coaches run from the Mochit Bus Terminal, Taling Chan Sai Tai Mai (Southern Bus Terminal), as well as Vibhavadi in the Chatuchak area and Thaisriram office in the Banglumpoo area. They cost slightly more, but you get complimentary refreshments and can watch movies. Remember to bring a hoodie, as the air conditioning’s arctic blast can be overkill.

You can ride the rumbling BTS Skytrain to bus terminals like Mochit. Once you arrive in Chiang Mai, the guys will drop you off at Chiang Mai’s Arcade Bus Station (Bus Terminal 2) or Bus Terminal 3.

Riding a Train to Chiang Mai

Train travel between Bangkok and Chiang Mai continues to be a preferred means of transport for many, albeit taking much longer than flying. That might be because it allows people to meet locals and fellow travellers. Like travelling by bus, if you ride the 12-hour Bangkok to Chiang Mai night train from Don Mueang station near the airport, which costs about $24, you also save one hotel night. 

The most common sleeper train is the second-class train, which offers a modest bunk with a privacy curtain. While that requires sharing the entire compartment with other passengers, you will likely meet friendly locals who are happy to give travel tips. Second-class sleeper trains are also available at Krung Thep Aphiwat Station, better known as Bang Sue. A seat on a third-class fan train is available for as little as $7. If you need a private room, there’s no way around the first-class sleeper train.

While you can book tickets through travel agencies, your best bet is to buy them at the station – ideally, a day or two before your departure date, as tickets sell quickly.

By and large, how to get from Bangkok to Chiang Mai by train is a question of personal preferences. Whichever class suits your fancy, watching green landscapes roll past and seeing buffaloes grazing peacefully on great plains has its appeal. That particularly holds true if you travel on the sleeper train, waking when the sun rises above mountains. For trip ideas in the hub of northern Thailand, check out TAGTHAi’s Chiang Mai blog. You can also peruse the benefits of a Chiang Mai Premium Pass.