How to get to Chiang Mai from Phuket (with schedule and cost)

Phuket Island and the city of Chiang Mai are located in different parts of the country in the south and in the north at a distance of more than 1,500 kilometers from each other. To get from one to the other, it is best to fly by plane, because this way you will save a lot of time, and in some cases money. However, if you have a desire to travel around Thailand and have a lot of time, then you can get on the ground by train or bus. We will tell you more about each method with prices and schedule:

By plane

• Cost: from 2000 baht (61.27 USD, see Thailand's currency and exchange rate)
• Time spent: 2-3 hours
• Frequency of cruising: 4 flights per day

There are at least 4 direct flights daily from Phuket to Chiang Mai and back. On the way 2 hours, a one-way flight without luggage will cost from 2000 baht (approximately 61.27 USD) when buying in advance for several weeks.

There are also connecting flights in Bangkok, but they are usually more expensive than direct flights. Just be careful: there are two airports in Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang, and accordingly there are connecting flights with a change of airport. For such a transfer, you should plan at least 3 hours, and preferably all 5. You can move from the airport to the airport for free, here they told you about all the ways how to get from one Bangkok airport to another.

ЦЕНА	ПЕРЕСАДКИ	АВИАКОМПАНИЯ	ДАТА ВЫЛЕТА	ДАТА ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЯ
Купить от 13346 ₽	Без пересадок		29.05.2026	06.06.2026
Купить от 12191 ₽	Без пересадок		15.06.2026	18.06.2026
Купить от 13435 ₽	1 пересадка		09.07.2026	10.07.2026

Chiang Mai Airport is located just 3 kilometers from the city center almost within its limits, i.e. leaving the airport you will immediately get to the city streets (Changmai airport on the map). With a light backpack from the airport, you can even walk to some hotels.

If it's far away on foot, it's easier to take a taxi. You can use the official airport taxi by booking it at the counter in the arrivals hall. The cost of the trip is fixed - 150 baht (4.6 USD) to any hotel in the city center.

Also, when you exit the terminal in the parking lot, you will see a lot of taxis from other companies, almost all of which work on the meter (Taxi meter). But a trip to the counter in the end may even cost a little more – up to 200 baht (6.13 USD). It is cheaper to go if you use the Grab or Maxim application, which replace Uber in Thailand. In the applications you can order a car, motorcycle taxi, airport taxi, limousine, etc., there are many categories. You will pay the cost immediately, on average a trip to the center will cost from 120 baht. To order a car, you can use mobile Internet or airport WiFi, and you can pay for the trip in cash.

Also in the parking lot you can find a Sonthaew minibus, the fare on which costs from 50 baht (1.53 USD), unless you hire it as a taxi. Hotels also offer airport transfers, sometimes even free, but more often paid and more expensive than a taxi.

And finally, you can rent a transport right at the airport and take it to the hotel or on a further trip through the province and the north of Thailand. To rent, you need national rights and IDP, read more here about what rights are needed to rent transport in Thailand.

The car can be rented in advance online or at the counters in the arrivals hall:

If you prefer two-wheeled transport, then there is no rental of motorbikes and motorcycles directly at the airport, but you can book on the website 🏍 BikesBooking.com with delivery to the airport.

By bus

• Cost: from 2000 baht (61.27 USD)
• Time spent: 1-2 days
• Frequency of cruising: 1 direct flight daily, at least 10 buses with transfers

There is a direct bus from Puhket to Chiang Mai, although it takes more than 24 hours, i.e. it is a rather tedious move. This bus is conditionally night: it departs in the afternoon at 13 o'clock, travels all day and all night, and arrives the next day in Chiang Mai after 13 o'clock. Costs more than 2000 baht (61.27 USD), and this, by the way, is almost the same as a flight without luggage. You can buy tickets at 12go.asia. Departs from Phuket Town from the new bus terminal Bus terminal-2. more information about this terminal and how to get to it from the beaches of Phuket was told here.

If you don't like such a long trip, then it's better to go with a transfer in Bangkok with an overnight stay, or even with several overnight stays if you've never been to the capital. At least 10 buses run daily from Phuket to Bangkok from the same bus station, there are day and night buses departing in the evening and arriving in the morning, 12-20 hours on the way, cost from 700 baht (21.44 USD), you can check the schedule and buy online at 12go.asia. They arrive in the capital mainly at the southern terminal of Sai Tai Mai (more details about Sai Tai Mai and how to get to it here), and some flights to the northern terminal of Mo Chit (more details about Mo Chit and how to get to it here). The bus to which of these terminals to choose does not play a fundamental difference, but still it will be easier to get from Mo Chit by metro and buses to tourist areas with inexpensive hotels and attractions, for example, to Pratunam district or to Khao San Road.

Further from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, buses run very often, at least every hour from 5:30 to 22:00, about 10 hours on the way, cost 650-1100 baht (19.91-33.7 USD). There is no longer even a need to book tickets in advance, but you can simply arrive at the bus station and buy for the next flight. But if you need a specific departure time or want to take a night flight, it's better to book in advance on 12go.asia. All flights depart from the above-mentioned northern Mo Chit bus station, and there are also tourist and branded buses, tickets for which can be purchased at travel agencies on Khao San Street and they provide departure from this area or a free transfer to the carrier's private bus station.

In Chiang Mai, these buses arrive at the main large bus station Chiang Mai Arcade Bus Station, also known as Chiang Mai Bus Terminal 3 (Chiang Mai bus station on the map). From here, you can get to the city center by minibus and tuk-tuks, which are on duty here around the clock, or by car taxi through the Grab and Taxi-Maxim applications. A trip by minibus will cost on average about 50 baht per person (but you need to bargain), by tuk-tuk - 150-200 baht, taxi through applications from 100 baht.

By train

• Cost: from 260 baht (7.97 USD) Surat Thani-Bangkok train and from 230 baht (7.05 USD) Bangkok-Chiang Mai train
• Time spent: 2-3 days
• Frequency of cruising: 5 trains daily

Trains in Thailand are a cool way to travel and get to know the country. But in the case of a route from Phuket to Chiang Mai, this is not the way to get from one point to another. The fact is that there is no railway in Phuket, and the nearest station is in the city Surat Thani is 200 kilometers away. But that's not all, because there are no direct trains from Suratani to Chiang Mai, you'll have to transfer via Bangkok.

That is, as a result, such a move will turn into a small trip around the country with transfers along the route:

• From Phuket by bus to Surat Thani railway station (4-5 hours, from 300 baht).
• Surat Thani-Bangkok train (10 hours, from 260 baht).
• Overnight in Bangkok (from 500 baht room for two) or transfer immediately to the next train.
• Train Bangkok-Chiang Mai (14 hours, from 230 baht).

The prices above are for seats in third-class cars (hard benches as in electric trains). And if you go in sleeping cars or a compartment, then such a route will cost more than an airplane, and it will take 2-3 days in time. But on the other hand, you can plan this trip so that along the way you can visit other interesting places and resorts in Thailand: Chumphon, Hua hin, Chaam, Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Lopburi, Pitsanulok and Sukhothai.

Transport schedule from Phuket to Chiang Mai