Travel Chiang Mai

Travel and Transport Info for Chiang Mai, Thailand by Hobo Maps- - - Home

Click to see our Chiang Mai Area Map our Chiang Mai Central Map and our Chiang Mai University Map.

Municipal Tourism Office is located at grid code KY216 on our map but has very limited information.

Getting Around Town - Motorbike rental is easy and cheap although local police often set up checkpoints for helmet use and international licenses. Bicycle rentals are also easy and cheap.

C. Mai has almost no motorbike taxi service - different from most Thai towns.

Many songtaew buses (pickup style with benches in back) and tuk tuks go around town. Just stand by the road most anywhere and wave your hand in a downward motion to flag them down. Songtaews will take you to a specific location but may use a long route while picking up and dropping off other passengers. The problem is getting the driver to know where you want to go as most don't speak English. Many visitors today have a mobile device app that shows drivers in Thai where they want to go.

Tuk tuks are chartered and will go direct to your destination and across town without stopping for other passengers but cost more than songtaew buses. Agree on prices before going and pay after arrival. Local people pay about 30 baht for short songtaew trips and 60 baht for long trips but visitors are expected to pay a bit more. A long distance tuk tuk charter with 3 passengers can cost 400 baht while a short trip with only one passenger might cost about 80 baht. Be patient and willing to flag down a few before getting one to go where you want. Tipping is not common.

tuk tuk taxi

Major Bus Stations in Chiang Mai -

Arcade Bus Terminals 2 & 3 are located across the street from each other at grid code KH234 on THIS MAP and have long distance buses to most major cities and tourist destinations in Thailand. There is a Left Luggage place at Terminal 3 for short term baggage storage.

Chang Puak Bus Station located at grid code KI197 has regional buses to areas north of C. Mai and local buses to places near C. Mai such as Mae Rim, Chiang Dao, Fang, Tha Ton, Ban Tawai, Lamphun, San Kamphaeng, Hod, etc. 4 different colors of songtaew buses start from there - red, white, yellow & dark green.

Main songtaew bus station is beside Ping River at Warorot Market & Flower Market at grid code KT215 on our map.

- Blue buses go south to Lamphun,

- Yellow to Doi Saket on Hwy. 118

- White to San Kamphaeng,

- Dark green to Maejo Univ. and Sansai on Hwy. 1001

- Yellow goes to Mae Rim via Chottana Road

- Red buses go all around central town

Regional Destinations:

NORTH: Chiang Dao, Fang & Thaton - big orange buses go from Chang Puak Bus Station to Chiang Dao, Fang and Tha Ton. Yellow songtaews go to Mae Rim.

WEST: Doi Suthep - red songtaew buses run from Huay Kaew Road in front of Zoo to Doi Suthep and depart whenever they have a full passenger load

Pai & Mae Hong Son - see below schedule

EAST: Doi Saket - yellow songtaew buses go from Warorot Market to Doi Saket on Highway 118

SOUTH: Baan Tawai, Hang Dong - Can take Baan Tawai bus from Chang Puak Bus Station.

San Kamphaeng - white songtaew buses go from Warorot Market to San Kamphaeng. Monjam (Mon Cham) is near Mae Rim north of Chiang Mai. See schedules below.

Can also take Baan Tawai bus from Chang Puak Bus Station.

Lamphun - blue songtaew buses go from Warorot Market to Lamphun. Minivans also go from Chang Puak Bus Station. Many big buses on way south from C. Mai stop in Lamphun.

Lampang - many buses going from Arcade Bus Terminal in C. Mai to Bangkok, Khon Kaen, Phitsanulok, Udon Thani, etc. go thru Lampang on the way and sell tickets to Lampang. Most trains from C. Mai stop in Lampang. Many big buses on way south from C. Mai stop in Lampang.

Pai & Mae Hong Son - most transport to Pai from C. Mai is done by minivns from Arcade Bus Terminal 2 and the trip takes about 3 hours with a lunch stop on the way. The minibus cost is 150 baht per person (14 passenger spacious vans) and tickets can be bought the day before or the day of the trip. Bicycles cost an extra 100 baht. Most guest houses in C. Mai can also arrange for minivans to pick up passengers from the guest house. The roads near Pai are winding and up and down hills a lot.

Chiang Rai & Golden North Thailand - Green Bus Co. dominates long distance bus service in Northern Thailand and is highly recommended as they take reservations in advance and have comfortable big buses. Click HERE to see their bus schedules. These buses depart from Arcade Bus Terminal 3 in C. Mai and take about 3 hours to get to C. Rai, 4 hours to Mae Sai, 4 hours to Chiang Saen and 4.5 hours to Golden Triangle at Sop Ruak.

Mae Sai, Thailand & Tachilek, Myanmar - Green Bus Co. has big buses going daily via Chiang Rai to Mae Sai Bus Terminal. From there take a songtaew bus to central Mae Sai at the Myanmar border where you can go thru Immigration and walk over the bridge into Tachilek, Myanmar. Can usually get a 3 day Myanmar visa on arrival for $10 USD or 500 baht if not have dollars.

Chiang Khong & Laos Border at Huay Xay / Bokeo - Green Bus Co. has daily buses to Chiang Khong and some will drop off passengers at the junction near Mekong Friendship Bridge 4 so they may take a 50 baht tuk tuk ride to the bridge itself for crossing to Bokeo Province Laos. Click HERE to see their bus schedules. See our International Bus section below for taking a direct bus that crosses the Mekong and goes far into Laos all the way to Luang Prabang.

Lamphang - Green Bus Co. has daily Blue buses to Lamphang from Arcade Bus Station

Phayao - Green Bus has daily buses to Phayao. It is also a stop on other buses going to Chiang Khong.

Phrae - Green Bus has daily buses to Phrae. It is also a stop on the longer bus trip to Nan from C. Mai.

Tak & Sukothai - some buses going to Phitsanulok from Arcade Bus Station go via Sukothai and Tak on the way.

Phitsanulok - is on main route from C. Mai to Bangkok so possible to get on a bus to Bangkok and get off at Phitsanulok. Fastest route is via Phrae by Highway 11. Slower route goes via Ayuthuya and Tak. Phitsanulok is a major transfer point to change buses between east-west and north-south routes. From there buses go east to Loei, Udon Thani, Sakon Nakhon & Nakhon Phanom. Buses go west to Tak & Ayutthya. South to Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani & Bangkok. North to Phrae, Lampang, Lamphun & Chiang Mai. Most trains from C. Mai stop in Phitsanulok.

Udon Thani - Only 2 or 3 bus companies have direct routes to Udon Thani via Phitsanulok with only one daytime bus (Phetprasert) while the others go at night departing around 19:00 to 21:00 daily. Takes about 11 hours at night and longer for daytime. All these buses depart from Arcade Bus Stations 2 & 3 and most sell tickets in advance the day before departure. Nok Air has flights to Udon Thani at low rates.

Nong Khai - Before the pandemic there was one daily direct VIP bus to Nong Khai leaving at 20:30 from Arcade Bus Terminal 3. Minivans offered trips from C. Mai all the way to Vientiane via Nong Khai for visa runs but maybe need to book a return trip and accommodation as a package deal. For other trips to Nong Khai people need to change buses in Udon Thani, usually taking a big bus from C. Mai to Udon Thani and then switch to minivan for short 1.5 hour trip to Nong Khai.

Nan & Laos Border at Huay Kon - Green Bus Co. has daily buses to Nan and Thung Chang (near the Laos border at Huay Kon) - See Green Bus Schedules HERE . These buses pass thru either Phayao or Phrae on the way. Nan has an airport with flights to and from Chiang Mai. .

Khon Kaen - Arcade Bus Stations 2 & 3 have many buses going to Khon Kaen daily.

Bangkok - Arcade Bus Stations 2 & 3 have many buses going to Bangkok daily and too many to list here. Some take reservations in advance but others do not so passengers can just go to the station and expect to depart after a short wait.

Chonburi, Pattaya, Rayong - Nakhon Chai Bus Co. has daily buses departing from Arcade Bus Terminal 3. Air Asia and Kan Air have flights to Utapao Airport in Chonburi Province (about an hour by bus from Pattaya). Utapao Airport is being greatly expanded into a regional hub airport.

The International Bus service between Luang Prabang, Laos and Chiang Rai / Chiang Mai, Thailand was stopped during the pandemic and has not restarted.

One-hour flights to Luang Prabang, Laos go 3 times per week on fun propeller planes below for about $135 one way. You can then take new fast train to Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Oudom Xay or Kunming China.