How To Reach Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is one of the largest ethnic cities in northern Thailand. Known as the doorway to northern Thailand, tourists can easily reach the city of Chiang Mai by air, rail or bus. There are many domestic and international airlines to Chiang Mai International Airport. One can also travel by Express Trains or Sleeper Trains which depart from Hua Lamphong Station in Bangkok. Buses are also an option if travelers are looking for an inexpensive mode of transport. Tourists will experience a beautiful journey to Chiang Mai by buses or self-driven cars as it is surrounded by mountains and valleys.

Chiang Mai International Airport receives domestic as well as international flights with direct flights from many countries such as China, Malaysia, Singapore, Burma and others. The airport is 3 km south-west of the city centre and has the facilities of taxis, buses and local transport available from the airport to the city. The easiest way to reach Chiang Mai from India is to take a connecting flight via Bangkok. There are many Indian cities like Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai having flights to Bangkok. The shortest flight is from Chennai. From Bangkok, there are numerous flights to Chiang Mai with a variety of airlines within an average tourist’s budget.

Roadways are a risky option if tourists want to travel from India to Thailand. Buses are a feasible option if tourists want to experience a long journey to Chiang Mai. We are thankful to the latest trilateral highway which connects India and Thailand through one road via Myanmar. The highway starts from Manipur, India and runs about 4,300 km to reach Bangkok, which might take almost a week. From Bangkok, there are daily buses running from Northern Bus Terminal and take about 9-12 hours to reach Chiang Mai. Tourists can go for government as well as private transport buses.

There are no direct trains to Chiang Mai from India, although travellers can opt for trains till Kolkata, Hyderabad or Chennai and can take up flights from there to Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok. There are frequent trains from Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong train Station to Chiang Mai station which might take about 12-15 hours of travelling. The train journey from Bangkok to Chiang Mai is fairly smooth and pleasant, if travelling by first or second class.

Chiang Mai has local transportation in form of tuktuks, songthaews, rickshaws and bus services. Songathaews is a very familiar local transport of Thailand. It is a mini-van-like tuk tuk, which has a completely covered front like van but has partially open seating area. They are the cheapest mode of transportation within Chiang Mai. Tourists can go for the local transportation or they can also opt for self- driven rental cars from several places in the city centre of Chiang Mai. But the tourists going for self-driven cars must have an international driving license to drive in Thailand.