--- title: "Chiang Mai to Bangkok: train, bus and flight options (2026)" description: "Chiang Mai to Bangkok in 1h10–1h20 by flight, from ฿450 one way — 8 options with operators, frequency and 2026 fare bands." url: https://bestofthailand.org/routes/chiang-mai-to-bangkok locale: en --- # Chiang Mai to Bangkok: 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 **Chiang Mai to Bangkok: 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 | Seasonal direct service; otherwise a connection through Bangkok · Around 20 departures a day from Suvarnabhumi | via Koh Samui | | Flight + Flight | 4h15–6h40 | ฿2,400–฿8,000 | Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet, Bangkok Airways, Nok Air, Thai Airways | A handful of direct flights a day; the rest connect through Bangkok · 30-plus departures a day across both Bangkok airports | via Phuket | | Flight + Bus + ferry (one ticket) | 12h30–17h35 | ฿3,600–฿7,700 | Bangkok Airways, Phantip Travel, Seatran Discovery, Raja Ferry, Nakhon Si Bus | Seasonal direct service; otherwise a connection through Bangkok · Mostly overnight departures from Sai Tai Mai and Khao San | via Koh Samui | | Bus + Bus | 12h35–18h | ฿650–฿1,350 | Win Tour, Green Bus, Khao San Tara Tour, Tour with Thai | Several departures a day, concentrated in the morning · Departures roughly 07:00–19:00 from Mo Chit | via Sukhothai | | Flight + Bus | 14h50–19h | ฿2,200–฿5,900 | Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet, Bangkok Airways, Sombat Tour, Phuket Central Tour | A handful of direct flights a day; the rest connect through Bangkok · Evening departures from Sai Tai Mai | 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 Chiang Mai → Koh Samui: 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. Koh Samui → Bangkok: 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. ### Flight + Flight · 4h15–6h40 · ฿2,400–฿8,000 Chiang Mai → Phuket: 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. Phuket → Bangkok: 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. ### Flight + Bus + ferry (one ticket) · 12h30–17h35 · ฿3,600–฿7,700 Chiang Mai → Koh Samui: 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. Koh Samui → Bangkok: 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. ### Bus + Bus · 12h35–18h · ฿650–฿1,350 Chiang Mai → Sukhothai: 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. Sukhothai → Bangkok: 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. ### Flight + Bus · 14h50–19h · ฿2,200–฿5,900 Chiang Mai → Phuket: 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. Phuket → Bangkok: 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. ## Both ends of the trip ### 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) ### 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) ## Frequently asked questions **How long does it take to get from Chiang Mai to Bangkok?** 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 Chiang Mai to Bangkok?** 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 Chiang Mai to Bangkok?** 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 Chiang Mai to Bangkok 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 [Bangkok to Chiang Mai](https://bestofthailand.org/routes/bangkok-to-chiang-mai) 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=chiang-mai,bangkok&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/chiang-mai-to-bangkok Scan or type the address for opening hours, phone numbers and the map.