Chiang Saen is connected by local bus to Chiang Rai (2 - 2.5 hrs, nominally 3-4 per hour but tend to depart when reasonably full, 37 baht). There are a few 3-4 /day long distance buses which can do the trip in 1.5 hrs but times are more convenient for long distance journeys such as going to or from Chiang Mai or Bangkok than for commuting to Chang Rai. Blue songthaews also travel from Mae Sai via the Golden Triangle to Chiang Saen in about 1 hour. The timetable for this service is chalked up at the depot which is next to the bus stop. These seem to depart every half hour or so. The service from the Golden Triange to Chiang Sen seems to be much more irregular. Whilst aspiring to a timetable this service varies with available customers and the flow of life along the Mekong and the Myanmar border.
The bus station and songthaew depot is located about 50 meters before the main road (Highway 1016) ends in a T-intersection on the banks of the Mekong river (intersection pictured above).
There does not appear to be any regular public transport south to Chiang Khong and the Lao border crossing, apart from the occasional songthaews . One must ask locally for details of this service as departures times do vary.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Chiang Saen
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Chiang Saen - updated May 2024
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Chiang Saen 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.
