Bangkok to Chiang Mai
GO
Five trains a day from Krung Thep Aphiwat, two of them overnight sleepers that arrive in the morning. Night buses take about 9 hours; a flight is about 1¼ hours in the air.
- TRAINS
- 5
- FROM
- ฿230–฿2,446
- CHECKED
From the operators’ timetables (checked 31 October 2026).
Short answer
Checked 31 October 2026
Most people take an overnight sleeper: train 9 (18:40 → 07:15) or train 13 (20:05 → 08:45) from Krung Thep Aphiwat, about 12½ hours. A berth costs ฿768–1,646, a single room ฿1,946–2,446; train 13 also has seats from ฿310 (SRT).
In a hurry, fly: about 1h 15m in the air from Don Mueang or Suvarnabhumi, plus the trip to the airport and check-in.
Ways to go compared
Travel time as the operator gives it; fares for one adult seat, one way.
| Way | Time | Fare | From | A day | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overnight train | 10h 20m–13h 45m | ฿230–฿2,446 | Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (Bang Sue) | 5 a day | Operator’s timetable |
| Bus · Nakhonchai Air | about 9 hours | Not on the operator’s page | Nakhonchai Air Bangkok terminal | 10 a day | Operator’s timetable |
| Bus · Transport Co. (Bor Kor Sor) express VIP | about 9.5 hours | ฿924 | Mo Chit 2 Bus Terminal | 1 a day | Operator’s timetable |
| Flight | 1h 15m in the air | — | Don Mueang Airport (Thai AirAsia, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air) | — | Flight-data sites |
| Flight | 1h 15m in the air | — | Suvarnabhumi Airport (Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, Thai Vietjet) | — | Flight-data sites |
| Nakhonchai Air fares | 9–10 hours | Gold ฿740, First ฿970 (seller, November 2024) | Nakhonchai Air terminal | 10 a day (operator) | From reviews |
| Other bus companies | about 10 hours | ฿500–950 (guide, 2026) | Mo Chit 2 (Northern Bus Terminal) | — | From reviews |
Getting to the airport and checking in come on top of the flight; door to door takes longer.
Timetable
Trains from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (Bang Sue)
| Train | Departs | Arrives | Time | Fare | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Special express | 07:30 | 17:50 | 10h 20m | ฿558 | Not stated |
| 109 Rapid · sleeper | 14:15 | 04:00 +1 day | 13h 45m | ฿230–฿758 | Not stated |
| 9 Special express · sleeper | 18:40 | 07:15 +1 day | 12h 35m | ฿938–฿2,446 | Not stated |
| 13 Special express · sleeper | 20:05 | 08:45 +1 day | 12h 40m | ฿310–฿1,946 | Not stated |
| 51 Express · sleeper | 22:30 | 11:40 +1 day | 13h 10m | ฿270–฿818 | Not stated |
The day train 7 has seats only. Train 109 arrives at 04:00.
Days: SRT’s search marks some trains “Available daily” and the excursion trains “Saturday–Sunday and public holidays”; for the rest it gives no days.
Fares by seat
SRT lists each train’s adult fares by seat type only. Where a type has two or three prices, the train has more than one class of carriage; SRT does not say which price is which class.
| Train | Seat | Upper berth | Lower berth | Single room |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 109 | ฿230 · ฿388 | ฿688 | ฿758 | — |
| 9 | — | ฿938 · ฿1,446 | ฿1,038 · ฿1,646 | ฿2,446 |
| 13 | ฿310 · ฿468 | ฿768 · ฿1,246 | ฿838 · ฿1,446 | ฿1,946 |
| 51 | ฿270 · ฿428 | ฿748 | ฿818 | — |
Trains back to Bangkok
| Train | Departs | Arrives | Fare | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 102 Rapid | 06:25 | 20:05 Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (Bang Sue) | ฿230–฿388 | Not stated |
| 8 Special express | 07:30 | 17:40 Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (Bang Sue) | ฿558 | Not stated |
| 52 Express | 15:30 | 05:10 +1 day Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (Bang Sue) | ฿270–฿818 | Not stated |
| 14 Special express | 17:05 | 05:55 +1 day Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (Bang Sue) | ฿310–฿1,946 | Not stated |
| 10 Special express | 18:20 | 06:30 +1 day Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (Bang Sue) | ฿938–฿2,446 | Not stated |
Buses
Nakhonchai Air Bangkok terminal → Chiang Mai bus terminal (Arcade 3) · Nakhonchai Air
- Fare
- Not on the operator’s page
- Time
- about 9 hours
- From Bangkok
- 09:00 10:00 F 18:45 19:35 20:00 F 20:45 21:35 F 21:45 F 22:20 22:30
- Back to Bangkok
- 08:30 09:30 F 19:15 19:46 F 20:10 20:15 F 20:30 20:51 21:00 F 21:30
F: First Class (2+1 seats); the others are Gold Class (2+2).
Mo Chit 2 Bus Terminal → Chiang Mai · Transport Co. (Bor Kor Sor) express VIP
- Fare
- ฿924
- Time
- about 9.5 hours
- From Bangkok
- 20:20
- Back to Bangkok
- 20:00
Flights
| Route | Airlines | Flight time |
|---|---|---|
| Don Mueang Airport → Chiang Mai Airport | Thai AirAsia, Nok Air, Thai Lion AirFlight-data sites | 1h 15m in the air |
| Suvarnabhumi Airport → Chiang Mai Airport | Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, Thai VietjetFlight-data sites | 1h 15m in the air |
Getting to the airport and checking in come on top of the flight; door to door takes longer.
Where to board and get off
Floors, gates, counters and platforms as the operators write them.
In Bangkok
- Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (Bang Sue)
- Every Chiang Mai train leaves from here in SRT’s search.
- Nakhonchai Air Bangkok terminalสถานีเดินรถนครชัยแอร์ กรุงเทพฯ
- The bus also picks up at Mo Chit and at its Rangsit stop. A free shuttle runs from this terminal to the BTS and MRT (Nakhonchai Air).
- Mo Chit 2 Bus Terminalสถานีขนส่งหมอชิต 2
- On Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road. Tickets on the 1st floor, counter 34; board at platform 42. Rail nearby: BTS Mo Chit · MRT Chatuchak Park.
- Don Mueang Airport
- Thai AirAsia, Nok Air and Thai Lion Air fly to Chiang Mai from here.
- Suvarnabhumi Airportสนามบินสุวรรณภูมิ
- Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways and Thai Vietjet fly to Chiang Mai from here.
At the other end
- Chiang Mai station
- The end of the Northern Line.
- Chiang Mai bus terminal (Arcade 3)สถานีขนส่งเชียงใหม่ (อาเขต 3)
- Nakhonchai Air also stops at its own Chiang Mai terminal.
- Chiang Mai Airport
STEP BY STEP
Buying a train ticket
SRT sells special express, express and rapid train tickets online on D-Ticket. Ordinary trains cannot be booked online; buy at the station.
Book between 180 days and 3 hours ahead
D-Ticket opens seats 180 days before the train and closes 3 hours before it leaves.
Sign up with an ID card or passport number
Tick the foreigner box and give your passport number.
Give each passenger’s real details
The name, ID or passport number and phone of everyone travelling.
Pay and print
Card or PromptPay only. Print the ticket. SRT’s call centre is 1690.
Buying online
Buses: buy at the terminal counter or on the bus company’s booking site.
The operators’ own booking sites first. A seller shows trains, buses, vans and flights on one page.
- SRT D-TicketThe railway’s own booking site, not an affiliate link
- Compare flightsAffiliate link
Sellers may add a booking fee; for trains, SRT D-Ticket charges the railway’s own fare.
Questions
- Which Bangkok station do Chiang Mai trains leave from?
- Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (Bang Sue). All five trains to Chiang Mai leave from there in SRT’s timetable search; none leaves from Hua Lamphong.
- Sleeper or seat?
- Trains 9 and 13 leave in the evening with berths and arrive in Chiang Mai at 07:15 and 08:45. Train 7 is a day train with seats only, 07:30 to 17:50. Trains 109 and 51 also have berths but arrive at 04:00 and 11:40.
- How early should I book?
- SRT’s D-Ticket opens seats 180 days ahead and stops selling 3 hours before the train. Book sleepers early for long weekends and holidays.
- Is the bus a good option?
- Nakhonchai Air runs 10 buses a day from its Bangkok terminal, picking up at Mo Chit, most of them at night; its page says about 9 hours. Its page gives no fares; a seller listed ฿740 (Gold Class) and ฿970 (First Class) in 2024. Transport Co. also runs one non-stop VIP bus at 20:20 from Mo Chit 2, ฿924.
- How long is the flight?
- About 1h 15m from either airport (flight-data sites): Thai AirAsia, Nok Air and Thai Lion Air from Don Mueang; Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways and Thai Vietjet from Suvarnabhumi. Add the trip to the airport and check-in: door to door, the sleeper train can be the easier choice.
Before you go
Leaving BangkokThai long weekends (tickets sell out sooner)Day trips from Bangkok