From Chiang Mai To Chiang Rai By Bus

If you are based in the Chiang Mai region, you might want to consider a trip to its sister city, Chiang Rai.

Though not as well known as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai is definitely worth considering. It has markets, street food, bars, an amazing clock tower and some of the most interesting temples in the whole of Thailand.

Click here to discover more about Chiang Rai.

Getting From Chiang Mai To Chiang Rai By Bus

Trying to book tickets for the bus proved troublesome. The company ‘Greenbus Thailand’ apparently have agents in the centre of Chiang Mai, but we were told that there had been some problems and this was no longer an option and the only way would be to buy tickets in advance from the actual bus station. As the bus station is not in the centre, this didn’t seem ideal.

How To Buy Chiang Mai To Chiang Rai Bus Tickets Online

We didn’t want to risk turning up without a ticket as it is a popular route, so we looked into buying online. As expected, this too was not a simple process. We went through the whole booking process, entered all our details and waited for a text confirmation. It never came. We also had no money leave our account. We phoned them up but they seemed to get frustrated at us speaking English and hung up on us! We contacted our bank (Starling) and they told us that the bus company had denied our request. It appeared that you have to register to buy online, though at no point through the process is this made clear and it does tell you your tickets have been booked.

It’s so bizarre that big companies like these can have such terrible websites! So, to save you all the hassle, you CAN book online at https://www.greenbusthailand.com/website/ but you have to register first. You then need your email notification to exchange for actual tickets at the station.

How To Get To Chiang Mai Bus Station

Our tickets booked, all we needed to do was get from our hostel to the bus station in Chiang Mai. There are limited buses in Chiang Mai so we decided to take a songthauw. We’d been told not to pay more than 100 baht. As we were leaving early though, there was no guarantee we would find one easy enough.

Grab Taxis In Thailand

We decided to use ‘Grab’ which is the Thai version of ‘Uber’. There are mixed feelings about Grab in Thailand as they appeared as soon as Uber was banned. The fact is, at least with Grab, you know exactly what you are expected to pay and you know they will turn up. Having a 100 baht code meant that our ride was free, which also made it an easy decision.

The grab driver turned up on time and it was a comfortable 20 minute ride to the bus station. There is more than one station in Chiang Mai and to get to Chiang Rai, you need to go to Chiang Mai Bus Terminal 3 (map). Our driver dropped us nearby as Grab taxis are not allowed in the bus station!

Grab Taxis: divide opinion

Chiang Mai Bus Station

The greenbus ticket office was easy to find so we picked up our tickets, found our departure stop and went for some coffee and food. There are some cafes in the bus station but we preferred to go just outside the station where we found decent coffee (but indifferent service) at ‘Doi Pui Coffee’ (map). We then had a Thai omelette at a typically Thai restaurant which was cheap and did the job. There was no English name for this place but you can find it here.

There are three classes of travel on Greenbus. We chose the cheapest and it was comfortable enough. It was basic but we had enough room and the coach had air-con. We were upgraded on the way back and I really could not tell the difference. The journey took around three-and-a-half hours and this included a short toilet break.