TL;DR: From Chiang Mai, Green Bus runs roughly hourly through the day to Chiang Rai for ฿290-400 (about US$9-12), taking 3h20-3h45; a private car or day-tour van covers the same ~190km route in about 3-3.5 hours and can detour via the White Temple. From Bangkok, the fastest option is a 1h20-1h35 direct flight to Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International Airport (CEI) on AirAsia, Nok Air, Thai Vietjet, or Thai Airways, from roughly ฿1,000-3,500 (about US$30-105) one-way; the budget alternative is an overnight bus (about 11 hours, ฿700-900/US$21-27) or a train to Chiang Mai followed by the Green Bus onward. Once in Chiang Rai, Grab exists but has few drivers, so plan on songthaews, tuk-tuks, a rented scooter, or a half-day tour to cover the spread-out temples. All prices at ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026).
Chiang Rai sits far enough north that “just hop on a bus” undersells the decision a bit. Most travelers reach it one of two ways: overland from Chiang Mai, which is short, cheap, and scenic if you route it through the White Temple, or from Bangkok, where flying is the only option that doesn’t eat most of a day. This guide lays out every real route from both cities with current 2026 fares and times, plus what to expect once you’re actually in Chiang Rai, where the sights are spread out and ride-hailing apps aren’t as reliable as you’d hope.
Every fare and time below is pulled from bus operator pages, flight-search aggregators, and current 2026 transfer guides, listed in the Sources section. Prices are in Thai baht (THB) with US dollars in parentheses, converted at ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026). Once you’ve arrived, see outthailand.com’s things to do in Chiang Rai pillar guide for what to see first, and where to stay in Chiang Rai to pick an area near the sights you actually want.
Routes to Chiang Rai at a glance
| From | Mode | Time | Cost THB (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiang Mai | Green Bus Express | 3h45 | ฿290 (~$9) |
| Chiang Mai | Green Bus VIP | 3h20 | ฿400 (~$12) |
| Chiang Mai | Private car / hired driver | ~3-3.5 hrs | ฿2,000-6,000 total (~$60-180) |
| Chiang Mai | Shared day-tour van | ~3-3.5 hrs | ฿1,200-1,600 pp (~$36-48) |
| Bangkok | Direct flight to CEI | 1h20-1h35 | ฿1,000-5,000+ (~$30-150+) |
| Bangkok | Overnight bus (Mo Chit) | ~11 hrs | ฿700-900 (~$21-27) |
| Bangkok | Train to Chiang Mai + Green Bus | ~15+ hrs total | ฿400-900 (~$12-27) |
| Chiang Rai Airport (CEI) | Taxi to city | 15-30 min | ฿160-250 (~$5-8) |
Figures compiled from Green Bus schedules, flight aggregators, and 2026 transfer guides; see Sources. Prices at ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026).
How do you get from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai?
The default answer is the Green Bus, which runs roughly hourly through the day between Chiang Mai Bus Terminal 3 (Arcade) and Chiang Rai Bus Terminal 1. Express buses cost ฿290 (about US$9) and take 3h45; VIP buses cost ฿400 (about US$12), take a slightly faster 3h20, and add extras like a restroom, personal entertainment screens, USB ports, and bottled water. Departures run from around 7:00am to early evening, with a mix of VIP and Express services throughout the day. Book at least a day ahead in high season (November-February) since popular time slots sell out.
If you’d rather not deal with a fixed schedule, a private car or hired driver covers the same ~190km in roughly the same 3-3.5 hours. Renting a car yourself runs about ฿2,000-2,800 (about US$60-85) for the day including fuel, which works out cheap split between three or four people. Hiring a driver for a full day, including the return trip, costs more: ฿4,000-6,000 (about US$120-180). The upside of driving yourself or hiring a car is control over stops, most obviously the White Temple (Wat Rong Khun), which sits just off the highway on the way into Chiang Rai and is the natural reason to skip the direct bus. For the entry fee, hours, and what else to pair it with, see outthailand.com’s Chiang Rai White Temple day trip guide.
A shared day-tour van splits the difference: organized group tours from Chiang Mai run about ฿1,200-1,600 per person (about US$36-48) for a full day that typically includes the White Temple, Blue Temple, and Black House alongside the transport itself, departing Chiang Mai around 7:00-7:30am and returning by 7:00-8:00pm. It’s the easiest no-planning option if you only want a single day in Chiang Rai rather than an overnight stay.
How do you get from Bangkok to Chiang Rai?
Flying is the realistic option for most people. AirAsia, Nok Air, Thai Vietjet, and Thai Airways all operate nonstop flights from Bangkok to Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International Airport (CEI), with around 5 flights a day and a flight time of 1h20-1h35. Fares swing widely: budget-carrier sales can drop as low as ฿1,000-1,500 (about US$30-45) one-way, especially in the shoulder season around September, while booking close to departure or flying in high season (November-February) pushes fares to ฿3,000-5,000+ (about US$90-150+). Thai Vietjet and Thai AirAsia are generally the cheapest; Thai Airways is the full-service option with more baggage and flexibility built in.
If you’d rather skip flying, the overnight bus direct from Bangkok’s Mo Chit terminal (operators include Sombat Tour) takes about 11 hours and costs roughly ฿700-900 (about US$21-27) for a VIP or sleeper-class seat, with air-conditioning, reclining seats, a restroom, and sometimes food included. It saves a hotel night if you travel overnight, but 11 hours on a coach is a real commitment next to a flight that’s over in under 90 minutes.
There’s no direct train to Chiang Rai since the city has no railway station. The train option is really a train to Chiang Mai (10-14 hours depending on the service, from Bangkok’s rail terminals) followed by the Green Bus onward to Chiang Rai (3h20-3h45). All in, that’s roughly ฿400-900 (about US$12-27) for both legs and 15 hours or more door to door, which makes sense if you want the overnight-train experience or plan to stop in Chiang Mai anyway, but not if you’re purely trying to reach Chiang Rai quickly.
How do you get from Chiang Rai Airport into the city?
Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International Airport (CEI) sits about 10km from the city center, roughly 15-30 minutes away depending on traffic. The public shuttle bus stopped running on August 22, 2024, so it’s no longer an option. A metered taxi is now the standard route, running roughly ฿160-250 (about US$5-8) based on a per-kilometer meter plus a small airport surcharge. Grab also operates at the airport, but with a limited number of drivers, so a pre-booked private transfer is worth arranging in advance if you’re landing late at night or don’t want to wait around outside arrivals.
How do you get around Chiang Rai once you’re there?
This is the part that catches people out: Chiang Rai’s main draws, the White Temple, Blue Temple (Wat Rong Suea Ten), and Black House (Baan Dam Museum), are scattered 5-15km apart across the city and countryside, not clustered in a walkable core the way some of Chiang Mai’s old-city temples are.
Grab works, but unreliably. It’s available in Chiang Rai town and to the major attractions, but with noticeably fewer active drivers than Chiang Mai or Bangkok. Expect longer waits, occasional cancellations before pickup, and patchier coverage once you’re outside the town center. It’s fine as a backup, not something to plan an entire day’s sightseeing around.
Songthaews (shared red pickup trucks) run fixed routes along the main roads for about ฿20-30 (about US$0.60-0.90) a hop, the cheapest way to move around town if your route matches theirs. Tuk-tuks go anywhere but don’t run meters, so agree the fare before you get in; expect ฿40-100 (about US$1.20-3) depending on distance. For reaching the spread-out temples on your own schedule, renting a scooter for ฿150-250 (about US$5-8) a day is the most flexible option, provided you’re comfortable riding one and carry an international driving permit. If you’d rather not drive yourself, a half-day or full-day private tour or hired driver covering the White Temple, Blue Temple, and Black House in one trip is the easiest way to see all three without piecing together rides between each stop.
Honest downsides
The Green Bus from Chiang Mai takes longer than the 190km distance suggests, 3h20-3h45 door to door once you count boarding, so don’t treat it as a quick hop. The mountain and valley roads between the two cities have plenty of curves, which can be rough if you’re prone to motion sickness. From Bangkok, flying is genuinely the only fast option; the overnight bus and train-plus-bus combination both run 11-15+ hours, so budget an overnight if you’re not flying. And once you’re in Chiang Rai, don’t count on Grab the way you might in Bangkok; the driver pool is thin enough that a plan built entirely around summoning a car on demand will occasionally leave you waiting, so build in a scooter rental or a pre-arranged tour as backup, especially for the airport transfer or an early start to beat the tour-bus crowds at the White Temple.
If you’re coming from Chiang Mai and only have one day to spare, weigh whether a direct bus followed by local transport in Chiang Rai suits you better than a private car that lets you stop at the White Temple on the way in. For a broader look at what’s worth doing once you’ve arrived, see outthailand.com’s things to do in Chiang Mai guide if you’re splitting your trip between both cities, and check outthailand.com’s live events in Chiang Rai to see what’s on while you’re there.
Sources
- Green Bus Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai: VIP & Express Schedule (siamtickets.com): fares, schedule, terminals, fleet features
- Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai | Bus times & tickets (thailandlife.info): journey times, departure frequency
- Thailand Trains: Bangkok to Chiang Rai train and bus fares: train-plus-bus combination, fares, no direct rail line
- FlightConnections: Flights from BKK to CEI: flight time, airlines, frequency
- Trip.com: Cheap flights from Bangkok to Chiang Rai: fare ranges, airlines
- Expedia: Bangkok to Chiang Rai flights: fare ranges
- Rome2Rio: Bangkok to Chiang Rai bus and overnight coach: overnight bus duration and fares, Sombat Tour
- ThaiEst: CR Bus Chiang Rai Airport shuttle (discontinued): airport shuttle closure date, taxi fares, distance/time to city
- Baan Maikradan: How to get to the city from Chiang Rai Airport: taxi meter rate, Grab limitations
- outthailand.com internal guide: Chiang Rai White Temple day trip: White Temple entry fee, distance, private/group tour pricing
- Bon Voyage Thailand: Getting around Chiang Rai: songthaew, tuk-tuk, scooter rental prices
- Chiang Mai à La Carte: From Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai and back: private car and driver pricing, route time