Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai is about 190km through the northern hills, and it’s one of the easiest transfers in Thailand: Green Bus runs it 13 times a day, it costs under ฿400, and it takes a shade over three hours. The only decisions are VIP or Express, and which terminal you’re at.
Prices are in Thai baht (THB) with US dollars in parentheses at ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026). Sources are linked at the bottom.
Quick comparison
| Mode | Duration | Rough price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bus VIP | ~3h20m | ~฿400 (US$12) | Most travelers |
| Green Bus Express | ~3h45m | From ~฿290 (US$9) | Tight budgets |
| Shared minivan | ~3.5 hours | ฿700-750 (US$21-23) | When bus times don’t fit |
| Private car | 3-3.5 hours | ฿3,800-6,700 per vehicle | Groups, luggage, door to door |
Green Bus: the obvious choice
Green Bus dominates this route with 13 departures a day — 6 VIP and 7 Express — running from 06:00 to around 19:00. That frequency means you rarely need to plan ahead outside Songkran or New Year.
VIP costs around ฿400 and takes about 3 hours 20 minutes. Express starts around ฿290 and takes about 3 hours 45 minutes. The VIP coaches have wider reclining seats, more legroom, and make fewer stops. For ฿110 on a three-and-a-half-hour trip, most people find that worth it — but Express is perfectly comfortable and the road is good either way.
Get the terminals right
This is the one thing that goes wrong on this route.
In Chiang Rai you leave from Bus Terminal 1, in the city centre. If you arrived from Bangkok you’ll have landed at Terminal 2, about 5km outside town, and it’s easy to assume you go back to the same place. You don’t — the Chiang Mai services run from the central terminal.
In Chiang Mai you arrive at Bus Terminal 3, usually called Arcade. It’s a few kilometres northeast of the old city, so plan on a songthaew or Grab for the last leg. Arcade is also where you’d return from, and where the long-distance Bangkok buses go.
Minivan and private car
Shared minivans run the route for ฿700-750 (US$21-23) in roughly the same 3.5 hours. They’re worth considering only when the Green Bus timetable doesn’t suit, since they cost roughly double for no time saving and less space.
A private car runs ฿3,800-6,700 (US$115-204) per vehicle for up to four passengers, door to door in about 3-3.5 hours. Split four ways with luggage, that’s a defensible ฿950-1,675 a head for skipping both terminals entirely.
Flying isn’t an option
At 190km the two cities are simply too close for air travel to make sense, and there’s no useful direct service. Between transfers and check-in, any routing you can construct takes longer than the bus and costs several times more.
What about the temples?
A scheduled bus won’t stop at the White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) or the Blue Temple (Wat Rong Suea Ten), both of which sit near the road out of Chiang Rai. If you haven’t seen them yet, do it before you leave — they’re a short songthaew ride from central Chiang Rai and easily done in a morning.
The alternative is to skip the standalone transfer and do the journey in reverse as a White Temple day tour from Chiang Mai, which covers the same road via Highways 118 and 1 and includes the stops, though it turns a 3-hour transfer into a 12-13 hour round trip.
Which should you pick?
Green Bus VIP, booked for whichever departure suits your day. ฿400, three hours twenty, done. Leave from Terminal 1, arrive at Arcade.
Before you go, outthailand.com’s Blue Temple guide and White Temple day trip guide cover the two sights worth staying an extra morning for, and things to do in Chiang Rai covers the rest. Heading the other way, the Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai guide covers the southbound run. Once you’re in Chiang Mai, things to do in Chiang Mai and getting around Chiang Mai cover the city, and the Chiang Mai events hub has what’s on while you’re there.
Sources
- CheckMyBus: Bus Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai: daily departure count, fastest journey time, first and last departures, terminals
- Siam Tickets: Green Bus Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai: VIP and Express schedules and classes
- Omio: Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai buses: fare floor across operators
- CheckMyBus: GreenBus tickets and schedules: travel classes and VIP pricing
- Rome2Rio: Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai: mode comparison and private car pricing