There are two bus stations in Chiang Rai. The old bus station and new bus station. There is a songthaew' (officially a "minibus") connecting the two bus terminals. It costs 10 baht per person and takes 15 minutes. Some drivers ask you to pay more if there are fewer than 10 passengers, despite what the official price list posted inside the songthaew says. You can just wait for the next one and pay 10 baht.
Old Bus Station (Bus Terminal 1) is located in the centre of town. Buses coming from Chiang Rai province stop here.
From here you take the bus south to Phayao, and north to Mae Sai (as at May 2010). There is enough English written on the signs and buses at the terminal to tell where the bus is going. You board the bus and pay the Ticket Collector.(confirm with him/her first that the bus is actually going where you want to go - they stand outside the entrance door of the bus as well as help load large luggage to the top of the bus).
Chiang Khong, on the Laos border. Buses leave every hour or so and have the destination clearly marked. The journey takes two and a half hours and costs 70 THB on local bus.
New Bus Station (Bus Terminal 2), (7km south of the city, just off the super highway). Buses from elsewhere in Thailand stop here
Chiang Mai - There are three types of bus: First Class with air-con, Second Class with air-con and VIP. Air-con (First and Second) - stops one time for 15 Minutes. Takes just over 3 hours. Costs 169 baht (2nd class a little less). VIP - takes 3 hours, costs 360. Operated by depart Chiang Mai on a regular basis. Green bus stops at both terminal.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Chiang Rai
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Chiang Rai - updated May 2024
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Chiang Rai Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
