Bangkok to Chiang Mai: night train, flight or bus, the complete guide

Bangkok to Chiang Mai: all options compared

Four realistic ways to cover the 700 km, each with a clear profile.

The real choice is between time and experience. A flight looks like one hour, but once you add the trip to the airport, check-in and the transfer at the other end, you should budget four to five hours door to door. The night train takes three times longer yet replaces a hotel night, and waking up to the forested hills around Lampang and the Khun Tan tunnel is a highlight of many trips. Buses are the cheapest and fastest ground option, but they are the least comfortable for a full night.

Flying from Bangkok to Chiang Mai: Don Mueang or Suvarnabhumi?

Bangkok has two airports and both serve Chiang Mai. Don Mueang (DMK), in the north of the city, is the hub for low-cost carriers and usually has the widest choice of cheap departures. Suvarnabhumi (BKK), east of the centre, handles full-service flights and is the smart choice if you are connecting from an international arrival, since you avoid a one to two hour cross-city transfer. Flights run from early morning to late evening, and Chiang Mai International Airport is only 10 to 20 minutes by car from the Old City.

1. 1Compare fares from both airports on the same day before booking
2. 2Add checked baggage when you book, as airport rates are much higher
3. 3Check which airport is printed on your ticket, a very common mistake
4. 4Arrive 90 minutes before a domestic flight, more on Friday evenings and holidays
5. 5Avoid a separate-ticket connection with less than 3 hours between flights

What is the night train to Chiang Mai really like?

The sleeper train is the option people remember, so here is the honest picture.

Long-distance trains now leave from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (the former Bang Sue Grand Station), not the old Hua Lamphong station in Chinatown. The evening departures, such as Special Express no. 9, reach Chiang Mai the next morning after roughly 12.5 hours, and delays of an hour or more are normal on this single-track line. In second class, seats face each other during the evening; around bedtime an attendant converts them into a lower berth and pulls down an upper berth, then adds clean sheets, a pillow and a blanket. Each berth has a curtain for privacy.

• Air conditioning is strong: bring a fleece, long trousers and socks
• Corridor lights stay on overnight, so an eye mask and earplugs help a lot
• Staff sell simple meals and drinks onboard, but bringing snacks and water is wise
• Toilets and small washbasins sit at the end of each carriage, bring tissues
• Alcohol is banned on trains in Thailand, rules are enforced

How to book the Bangkok to Chiang Mai train step by step

Tickets are sold by the State Railway of Thailand through its official online booking system, at station counters and through licensed agents who add a service fee. Sleepers on popular dates, especially Thai holidays, Christmas, New Year and Songkran in April, can sell out weeks ahead, so book as soon as your dates are fixed. Bookings open up to 90 days before departure; a second-class sleeper costs about 940 THB for an upper berth and about 1,040 THB for a lower berth.

1. 1Choose your train: the evening sleepers are the classic choice, a morning train suits stopovers
2. 2Book online or at any major station counter with your passport
3. 3Pick class and berth (lower or upper) and keep the ticket on your phone and on paper
4. 4Reach Krung Thep Aphiwat by MRT Blue Line (Bang Sue station) or taxi, allowing extra time
5. 5Arrive 30 to 45 minutes early, find your platform on the departure boards and board your numbered carriage

Bangkok to Chiang Mai by VIP bus

Buses to Chiang Mai leave from the Northern bus terminal, universally called Mo Chit, next to Chatuchak. Established operators run VIP coaches with 24 or even fewer reclining seats, blankets, a snack and an onboard toilet, and they arrive at Chiang Mai Arcade bus terminal, a short songthaew or ride-hail ride from the Old City. The journey takes around 9 to 10 hours with a rest stop, and night buses let you skip a hotel night, although sleep is lighter than in a train berth.

• Buy directly from the bus company's counter at Mo Chit or its official website or app
• Choose the top VIP class for fewer seats per row and more legroom
• Keep passport, cash and electronics in a small bag on your lap, not in the hold
• Daytime buses are a good alternative if you want to see the countryside

Stopovers worth doing between Bangkok and Chiang Mai

The northern railway passes several of Thailand's best historic towns, so the journey can become part of the trip.

Breaking the trip turns a long transfer into two or three easy days. Ayutthaya is only 1 to 2 hours north of Bangkok by train, Sukhothai is reached by bus or from the railway at Phitsanulok, and Lampang is a charming quiet town just 2 hours before Chiang Mai. Daytime trains and buses connect all of them, and luggage storage is available at many guesthouses. Our Thailand itinerary planner helps you fit these stops into your dates.

Arriving in Chiang Mai: getting to the Old City and Nimman

Chiang Mai railway station lies east of the Ping River, about 3 km from Tha Phae Gate, and Arcade bus terminal is a similar distance to the north-east. Red songthaews wait outside both and take you to the Old City for a negotiated price, while ride-hailing apps give fixed fares. The airport is the closest of all to the centre, just south-west of the Old City and 10 to 15 minutes from the Nimman area. To pick a base, see where to stay in Chiang Mai; heading further north, our Chiang Mai to Pai guide covers the next leg.

Best time to travel from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

The cool season from November to February is the most pleasant time in the north, with fresh mornings and clear skies, but trains and flights are busiest and should be booked early. From roughly February to April, crop burning can cause heavy smoke haze around Chiang Mai, which matters if you have respiratory issues. The rainy season from June to October brings green landscapes and lower prices; trains still run, though heavy rain occasionally causes delays. Details in our Chiang Mai weather month by month.

Budget scenarios: what the trip really costs

The cheapest ticket is not always the cheapest trip. A night train or night bus saves a hotel night, which in Bangkok or Chiang Mai can easily be worth 800 to 2,000 THB, while an early flight can cost more once you add baggage and a taxi to Don Mueang. Here are three realistic scenarios for one adult, with indicative figures. For the whole trip, use our Thailand travel budget calculator.

Luggage and travelling with kids

On the train, large suitcases go on racks at the end of the carriage or under the lower berth, so a medium bag or backpack is much easier. Low-cost flights have strict hand-luggage weight limits and charge heavily for excess at the airport. Buses store bags in the hold, where you should never leave valuables. Our Thailand packing list generator helps you travel light.

Children usually love the night train: the bunk beds feel like an adventure and they can move around. Book a lower berth to share with a small child, or a first-class cabin for the whole family, and bring pyjamas, snacks and a warm layer against the air conditioning. For toddlers or a short holiday, flying is often simpler, and ten hours in a bus seat is the hardest option with young children. Check official rules for child fares and car seats, which are rarely available in taxis. More advice in our guide to Thailand with kids.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Going to Hua Lamphong instead of Krung Thep Aphiwat for the northern trains
• Booking a Don Mueang flight when you land at Suvarnabhumi, or the reverse
• Waiting until the last minute for sleepers in high season or at Songkran
• Forgetting a warm layer on the air-conditioned train or bus
• Buying cheap tourist bus tickets on Khao San Road
• Planning a tight onward connection on the day the train arrives
• Assuming the check-in counter will add baggage cheaply at the airport