--- title: "Bangkok to Chiang Mai: train, bus and flight options (2026)" description: "Bangkok to Chiang Mai in 1h10–1h20 by flight, from ฿450 one way — 8 options with operators, frequency and 2026 fare bands." url: https://bestofthailand.org/routes/bangkok-to-chiang-mai locale: en --- # Bangkok to Chiang Mai: train, bus and flight options (2026) 8 ways to make this trip, from ฿450 one way, and 1h10–1h20 on the quickest, direct. Below: what each costs, who runs it, how often it goes and the pier or station it actually leaves from. Fares checked 7 September 2026 and quoted as one-way bands per adult. They move with season, fuel and demand — the flight bands move fastest of all. Our pick for time Flight 1h10–1h20 · ฿1,000–฿3,500 · Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet, Nok Air, Thai Airways, Thai Lion Air Our pick for budget Bus ฿450–฿900 · 9h40–12h30 · Sombat Tour, Nakhonchai Air, Sritawong Tour ## All options **Bangkok to Chiang Mai: every option with mode, time, fare, operators and frequency** | Option | Time | Fare | Operators | How often | Change | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Flight | 1h10–1h20 | ฿1,000–฿3,500 | Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet, Nok Air, Thai Airways, Thai Lion Air | Roughly 25–30 departures a day split between Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi | Direct | | Bus | 9h40–12h30 | ฿450–฿900 | Sombat Tour, Nakhonchai Air, Sritawong Tour | Departures through the day and evening from Mo Chit (Northern Terminal) | Direct | | Sleeper train | 11h–14h | ฿768–฿1,038 | State Railway of Thailand (trains 9/10 and 13/14) | 4–5 overnight departures from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal | Direct | | Flight + Flight | 3h30–5h55 | ฿5,000–฿13,200 | Bangkok Airways | Around 20 departures a day from Suvarnabhumi · Seasonal direct service; otherwise a connection through Bangkok | via Koh Samui | | Flight + Flight | 4h15–6h40 | ฿2,400–฿8,000 | Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet, Nok Air, Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways | 30-plus departures a day across both Bangkok airports · A handful of direct flights a day; the rest connect through Bangkok | via Phuket | | Bus + ferry (one ticket) + Flight | 12h30–17h35 | ฿3,600–฿7,700 | Phantip Travel, Seatran Discovery, Raja Ferry, Nakhon Si Bus, Bangkok Airways | Mostly overnight departures from Sai Tai Mai and Khao San · Seasonal direct service; otherwise a connection through Bangkok | via Koh Samui | | Bus + Bus | 12h35–18h | ฿650–฿1,350 | Win Tour, Khao San Tara Tour, Tour with Thai, Green Bus | Departures roughly 07:00–19:00 from Mo Chit · Several departures a day, concentrated in the morning | via Sukhothai | | Bus + Flight | 14h50–19h | ฿2,200–฿5,900 | Sombat Tour, Phuket Central Tour, Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet, Bangkok Airways | Evening departures from Sai Tai Mai · A handful of direct flights a day; the rest connect through Bangkok | via Phuket | ## Booking notes ### Flight · 1h10–1h20 · ฿1,000–฿3,500 The flight is 75 minutes and the airport transfers either side are longer than that, so the real saving over the sleeper is about half a day, not eleven hours. Bands move sharply around Songkran and Loy Krathong. ### Bus · 9h40–12h30 · ฿450–฿900 VIP 24-seat coaches sit at the top of the band, 32- and 40-seat services at the bottom. The overnight bus arrives earlier than the train but sleeps worse. ### Sleeper train · 11h–14h · ฿768–฿1,038 Band shown is a 2nd class air-conditioned sleeper berth; upper berths sit at the bottom of it and lower berths ฿70–100 above. A 1st class two-berth cabin runs ฿1,946–2,446. Berths on trains 9/10 sell out days ahead in high season — book on dticket.railway.co.th. ### Flight + Flight · 3h30–5h55 · ฿5,000–฿13,200 Bangkok → Koh Samui: Bangkok Airways owns Samui airport and runs a near-monopoly on the route, so the floor here sits where other islands' ceilings do. Flying to Surat Thani and continuing by bus and boat is the standard way around it. Koh Samui → Chiang Mai: Samui airport is privately owned and Bangkok Airways runs almost all of it, which is why this leg costs more than a longer flight to Phuket. Flying to Surat Thani and taking the boat is routinely half the price. ### Flight + Flight · 4h15–6h40 · ฿2,400–฿8,000 Bangkok → Phuket: The most competitive domestic route in the country, which is why the floor sits under ฿1,000 outside holidays. Phuket airport is 32km north of Patong — budget an hour and ฿200–800 for that transfer on top. Phuket → Chiang Mai: Direct flights exist but are thin — a connection through Bangkok can be cheaper and is often only an hour longer overall. Check both before assuming direct wins. ### Bus + ferry (one ticket) + Flight · 12h30–17h35 · ฿3,600–฿7,700 Bangkok → Koh Samui: Standard coaches sit at ฿600–800 and VIP at ฿900–1,100, both including the Donsak ferry. One ticket means one company owns the connection — worth more on this route than the ฿100 difference between operators. Koh Samui → Chiang Mai: Samui airport is privately owned and Bangkok Airways runs almost all of it, which is why this leg costs more than a longer flight to Phuket. Flying to Surat Thani and taking the boat is routinely half the price. ### Bus + Bus · 12h35–18h · ฿650–฿1,350 Bangkok → Sukhothai: 369km. The ruins sit 12km outside the modern town, so budget a songthaew or a rented bicycle at the far end before calling the journey done. Sukhothai → Chiang Mai: This is the leg that makes Sukhothai worth a stop rather than a detour: it breaks the Bangkok–Chiang Mai run in half instead of adding to it. ### Bus + Flight · 14h50–19h · ฿2,200–฿5,900 Bangkok → Phuket: Twelve to fourteen hours for a fare that a flight booked in advance regularly beats. It exists, it's cheap in the last-minute case, and almost nobody should choose it over the plane. Phuket → Chiang Mai: Direct flights exist but are thin — a connection through Bangkok can be cheaper and is often only an hour longer overall. Check both before assuming direct wins. ## Both ends of the trip ### Bangkok The arrival point for most trips and the hub every rail and bus line runs back to. Airport BKK / DMK: Two airports 50km apart on opposite sides of the city; a domestic connection between them needs 3 hours, not 1. Bangkok is driest Nov–Apr and wettest May–Oct on its own monthly rain-day normals. [Bangkok weather](https://bestofthailand.org/weather/bangkok) · [Bangkok guide](https://bestofthailand.org/guide/bangkok) ### Chiang Mai The northern hub: temples, cooking schools and the road to Pai and the hills. Airport CNX: 10 minutes from the old city; the busiest domestic route in the country runs here from Bangkok. Chiang Mai is driest Nov–Apr and wettest May–Oct on its own monthly rain-day normals. [Chiang Mai weather](https://bestofthailand.org/weather/chiang-mai) · [Chiang Mai guide](https://bestofthailand.org/guide/chiang-mai) ## Frequently asked questions **How long does it take to get from Bangkok to Chiang Mai?** 1h10–1h20 on the quickest option we hold — flight with Thai AirAsia. The slowest of the 8 options here takes 14h50–19h, so the spread between them is about 15h40. Times are for the scheduled leg and exclude the transfer at either end. **How much is Bangkok to Chiang Mai?** From ฿450–฿900 one way by bus, checked 7 September 2026. The quickest option costs ฿1,000–฿3,500 and saves about 9h50, so the gap between them is ฿550 against roughly that much time. That band comes from a dated route listing rather than a published tariff, so treat it as indicative. **What is the cheapest way from Bangkok to Chiang Mai?** Bus at ฿450–฿900, run by Sombat Tour, Nakhonchai Air, Sritawong Tour. It takes 9h40–12h30 against the quickest option's 1h10–1h20, and runs departures through the day and evening from mo chit (northern terminal). **Where does the Bangkok to Chiang Mai service leave from, and how often does it run?** The flight is 75 minutes and the airport transfers either side are longer than that, so the real saving over the sleeper is about half a day, not eleven hours. Bands move sharply around Songkran and Loy Krathong. Roughly 25–30 departures a day split between Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi. ## Going the other way, or further The return trip is on the [Chiang Mai to Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/routes/chiang-mai-to-bangkok) page — fares are the same in both directions on almost every leg here, but the timetables are not. To string this hop into a longer trip with a pace check, use the [route planner](https://bestofthailand.org/routes?stops=bangkok,chiang-mai&nights=3,4), and see the [island comparison](https://bestofthailand.org/islands) for which coast is dry in the month you are travelling. The Bangkok end of this leg starts at a station or a terminal rather than a hotel door: [getting around Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/getting-around) has the BTS, MRT and boat fares for reaching Hua Lamphong, Krung Thep Aphiwat and the two bus terminals, and [airport to city](https://bestofthailand.org/airport) covers the Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang runs if the leg is a flight. Elephant tourism concentrates at this end of the country, and a riding camp with a new name looks the same in a listing as a genuine one. [Ethical elephant sanctuaries](https://bestofthailand.org/elephant-sanctuaries) checks 16 sourced venues against what actually happens on the visit. ## Sources - [Bookaway Bangkok–Chiang Mai route listings](https://www.bookaway.com/routes/thailand/bangkok-to-chiang-mai) — aggregator listings, not a published tariff. - [seat61.com Thailand rail fares (page updated 8 July 2026)](https://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm) — a dated route reference. - [InsideSamui Bangkok–Koh Samui transport guide (2026 edition)](https://www.insidesamui.com/getting-here/bangkok-to-koh-samui/) — a dated route reference. - [12go.asia route listings (band from what was on sale, not a tariff)](https://12go.asia/en/thailand) — aggregator listings, not a published tariff. - [Bookaway Bangkok–Sukhothai route listings](https://www.bookaway.com/routes/thailand/bangkok-to-sukhothai) — aggregator listings, not a published tariff. Checked 7 September 2026. Every figure on this page is a range, because every one of them moves. Best of Thailand https://bestofthailand.org/routes/bangkok-to-chiang-mai Scan or type the address for opening hours, phone numbers and the map.