Chiang Mai Airport to the train, step by step
Chiang Mai Airport has no railway of its own, and neither does the city — there is no metro or skytrain up here. Take an official airport taxi from the desk inside arrivals: around 15 to 25 minutes to Chiang Mai station for a fixed ฿150–250, depending on the vehicle. Grab usually costs a little less at ฿120–180. Chiang Mai station is the northern terminus, from which daytime expresses and overnight sleepers run to and from Bangkok.
Chiang Mai Airport has no railway of its own, and neither does the city — there is no metro or skytrain up here. Take an official airport taxi from the desk inside arrivals: around 15 to 25 minutes to Chiang Mai station for a fixed ฿150–250, depending on the vehicle. Grab usually costs a little less at ฿120–180. Chiang Mai station is the northern terminus, from which daytime expresses and overnight sleepers run to and from Bangkok.
Not catching a train today? Skip the station entirely — the airport is 10–15 minutes from the old city and the Night Bazaar area.
The route, one step at a time
Follow these steps from the arrivals hall to the platform. Each one is signed in English at the airport.
Book at the official desk in the arrivals hall. You get a fixed-price ticket and hand it to the driver — no haggling, no negotiating.
About 8 km east, past the old town. Shared songthaew trucks are cheaper at ฿80–120 but hard work with a suitcase.
Every train south starts here. Sleepers leave in the late afternoon and evening; the fastest daytime services take about 10 hours to Bangkok.
Good to know before you land
The airport is only 10–15 minutes from the old city for ฿150–200. Almost everyone settles in first and comes back to the station on the day they travel — Chiang Mai is compact enough that this costs you nothing.
Chiang Mai station sits in Wat Ket, about 3 km east of Tha Phae Gate. Allow another 10–15 minutes by taxi or songthaew to reach it from most hotels.
Overnight trains to Bangkok are popular and berths go weeks ahead in the cool season. Book before you arrive rather than gambling at the counter.
Ready to book the train?
Pick a route from Chiang Mai station. We take the booking by hand and email your ticket — foreign cards are refused on the SRT site often enough to plan for it.