Chiang Mai to Bangkok: train, bus and flight options (2026)

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.