Travel in Thailand – From Chiang Mai To Other Major Cities

Traveling in and out of Chiang Mai Thailand is pretty easy.  The airlines that fly out of Chiang Mai consistently offer great deals to Bangkok which can cost as low as 1000 baht (30usd).  From there are you are often better of buying a new ticket from Bangkok to your next location.

Click here for advice on leaving from Bangkok to other major cities in Thailand

Although bus and trains are always a little cheaper, if you can catch one of these specials, there is no reason why you should spend an extra 12 hours traveling to save 200 baht (6usd)

How To Travel in Thailand From Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai to Bangkok:

Fast Option: Fly
– Book Through: Bangkok Air, Thai Airways, Nok Air, Air Asia, or One-Two-Go Airways
– Price: Starting from 1000 (30usd) each way
– Time: About 1 hour

Slow Option: Train or Bus
– Book Through: Any travel agency in Thailand
– Price: 300 – 800 baht (9 – 25usd) each way
– Time: 12 to 16 hours

Chiang Mai to Phuket:

Fast Option: Fly
– Book Through: Air Asia, Bangkok Air, and Thai Airways
– Price: Range from 2,500 – 4,500 baht (80 – 150usd)
– Time: 2 hours for Air Asia, 4 hours for Bangkok Air

Slow: Bus / Train
– Book Through: Any travel agency in Thailand
– Price: 500 – 1000 baht (15 – 30usd)
– Time: 20+ hours

Chiang Mai to Pattaya:

Fast Option: Fly
– Book Through: Any airlines that flies to Bangkok and then take a taxi to Pattaya
– Price: Starting at 3,000 baht (90usd)
– Time: Around 3 hours of total travel time

Note: There are rarely any direct flights from Chiang Mai to Pattaya.  And it usually works out fast to take a private taxi from Bangkok to Pattaya instead of flying from Bangkok to the Pattaya airport.

Slow Option: Bus / Train
– Book Through: Any travel agency in Thailand
– Price: 500 – 1000 baht (15 – 30usd)
– Time: 12+ hours

Chiang Mai to Koh Samui:

Fast Option: Fly
– Book Through: Bangkok Air
– Price: 6,000 baht (180usd) each way
– Time: Starting at 2 hours

Slow Option: Bus / Train / Boat
– Book Through: Any travel agency in Thailand
– Price: 1,000 – 1,500 baht (30 – 45usd)
– Time: 20+ hours

Note: This is the most expensive of all the routes because of the Bangkok Airs monopoly on the Koh Samui airport.  However, the alternative is nearly a full day of traveling by bus and boat.

Chiang Mai to Krabi / Phi Phi:

Fast Option: Fly
– Book Through: Bangkok Air
– Price: 4,000 baht (120usd)
– Time: 4 hours

Slow Option: Bus
– Book Through: Any travel agency in Thailand
– Price: 1,000 – 1,500 baht (30 – 45usd)
– Time: 20+ hours

Note: If you are going directly to Phi Phi from the Krabi airport, you can book a boat ticket inside the Krabi airport.  The pier is a 20 minute taxi drive and the boat is around 2 hours.  It costs about 100 baht to do a mini bus to the pier and 300 baht for the boat to Phi Phi.

You can also take a boat from Phuket to Phi Phi.  However, with Phuket being such a large island, often you can spend over an hour in a taxi just trying to get to the pier.  So you if you trying to go directly from Bangkok to Phi Phi, I recommend you take the Krabi route.

Chiang Mai to Koh Chang

Fast Option: Fly
– Book Through: Bangkok Air (Fly directly to Trat – TDX)
– Price: 4,000 baht (120usd) each way
– Time: 3.5 hours

A Few Helpful Tips:

1- The Bus Prices
There are two different types of buses in Thailand, the cheap Thai option, and the more expensive foreigner buses.  In all the above prices, I used the more expensive bus route.  Why?  All these buses that cost more will have air-conditioning, reclining chairs, and not stop every 5 minutes to pick up and drop off passengers which drastically adds additional time to the journey.

Also, if you want the best prices from the travel agencies, simply ask 3 different travel agencies what their best price is.  You’ll be surprised at how much negotiation room there is.

2- Links To The 5 Major Airlines in Thailand
Bangkok Air:
http://www.bangkokair.com/eng

Thai Airways:
http://www.thaiairways.com/

Air Asia:
http://www.airasia.com/ot/en/home.page

Nok Air:
http://www.nokair.com

One Two Go (Orient Thai):
http://flyorientthai.com/en/home/

FYI: You will get cheaper prices by booking your flight on these websites.  A travel agency will rarely save you any money for flights within Thailand.

3- Train
I rarely recommend taking the train in Thailand.  The train system always tend to be hours behind schedule, random break downs, and simply not comfortable.  If you decide to take the train anywhere, try the Bangkok to Chiang Mai route and make sure you get a sleeping bed.

Two great websites for Thailand train routes and schedules are:

http://www.railway.co.th/home/Default.asp?lenguage=Eng

http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm

Posted on Gods of Thailand July 10, 2013 in Chiang Mai, Travel in Thailand

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