Getting Around Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is the largest city in northern Thailand and the second-largest city in the country by urban population, sitting about 700 km north of Bangkok in the Thai highlands. For a visitor, the most useful thing to understand is that the city has two layers: a compact historic core and a much larger, sprawling urban area that reaches into neighbouring districts. The heart of the city is commonly defined by a square area about a mile by a mile, bordered by the remnants of ancient red brick walls and surrounded by a moat. Beyond that, the built-up area extends outward in all directions, especially north, south and east, into districts such as Hang Dong, San Sai, Saraphi, Mae Rim, Suthep and San Kamphaeng.
That geography shapes how you move around. Many of the sights, guesthouses, restaurants and markets a short-term visitor wants are concentrated in and around the old city and the riverside area, which is very manageable on foot. Anything farther out — the airport, the bus stations, outlying neighbourhoods, or the mountains west of town — is best reached by a vehicle of some kind. Below is a practical rundown of the options.
Rail, Metro and Trams
Chiang Mai has no metro, tram or light rail system for visitors to use. There is a railway station, and the source material notes plans as of 2024 to reopen a "Chiang Mai Railway Park" opposite the central train station, which confirms that rail in the city is conventional mainline rail rather than an urban transit network. In practice, this means you should not plan your trip around catching a train or metro to get across town. Long-distance trains are a separate matter from daily city transport, and for getting around Chiang Mai itself you will be relying on road-based options.
Buses and Other Public Transport
Chiang Mai's public transport is built around buses and shared vehicles rather than a single integrated network, and the bus stations are mainly gateways for travel to and from the city rather than a way to criss-cross the centre.
- Arcade Bus Station handles buses from destinations outside Chiang Mai Province. It has two official terminals plus a separate Nakhonchai Air terminal behind Terminal 2. The layout is genuinely confusing, with no obvious order and overlapping destinations between terminals. Terminal 2 has a tourist police office, ATMs, food vendors and many ticket sellers, including the booking office for BKS government buses. Terminal 3 is the larger and newer of the two, with an air-conditioned waiting room, an internet cafe upstairs, small food vendors, ATMs and the booking window for Green Bus. If you are arriving by long-distance bus, expect to sort out your onward transport from here rather than finding a convenient city bus loop.
- Chang Phuak Bus Station, off Chang Phuak Road on the north side of the moat, handles buses within Chiang Mai Province, including services to Mae Rim, Chiang Dao, Fang, Tha Ton, Phrao, Hot, Chom Thong, Doi Tao and Samoeng.
- Songthaews — shared pickup trucks with two rows of seating in the back — function as a de facto bus network. The most common are the red songthaews, also called rot daeng or "red car", which roam the main streets in the city. Warorot Market, on the west bank of the Ping River, is the most common terminus for songthaews running fixed routes, and the colour of a songthaew indicates its general route or usage: white songthaews head to the eastern suburban town of San Kamphaeng, yellow ones go to Mae Rim and Samoeng in the north, blue ones to Saraphi and Lamphun in the south, and green ones to Mae Jo in the northeast. They line up along the road parallel to the Ping River, between it and the market. Destinations are posted on round yellow signs, but only in Thai, so it helps to know your destination's name or ask the driver.
For a visitor, the practical takeaway is that songthaews are the closest thing to a local bus for short hops, while the bus stations are where you go for trips out of the city or onward travel around the province.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis and app-based ride-hailing are the most straightforward way to cover longer distances in Chiang Mai, and the apps are especially useful because they remove the need to negotiate a price.
- Grab is widely used. Note that the motorbike-taxi option is not available in the Grab app in Chiang Mai, even though you may be used to seeing it in Bangkok.
- Bolt is an alternative, and its rates can be noticeably lower than Grab's — for example, a Bolt motorbike taxi to the city centre can cost around 40 baht, and Bolt car rates from or to the airport can be under 100 baht. Bolt does offer the motorbike-taxi option that Grab lacks.
- Metered taxis exist, but if you take one there is a starting fee plus a service fee from the Meter Taxi counter, so the final price is not simply the meter reading.
- Tuk-tuks and songthaews can also be chartered for a trip, though you will usually need to negotiate the fare. They are not typically waiting around at the airport.
If you are travelling alone with no luggage, a motorbike taxi booked through Bolt is a cheap and quick way to reach the centre. If you have bags or are travelling as a group, a car through Grab or Bolt is the simpler choice.
Walkability
Walking is a genuinely practical way to explore the historic core. The old city is defined by a square area about a mile by a mile, enclosed by the remnants of its red brick walls and a moat, and the city centre within the walls falls mostly within Sriwichai ward. This compact, flat core is where many visitors spend most of their time, and it is well suited to wandering on foot between temples, cafés, guesthouses and markets.
There are also several parks and green spaces inside the city that make pleasant walking destinations. Buak Hat Public Park, in the southwest corner of the old city, is the most frequented public park in Chiang Mai. Directly opposite, to the southwest, is Kanchanaphisek Park, which contains remnants of the old extended city walls. Larger green spaces include Lanna Rama 9 Park to the north in Chang Phueak district and Ang Keaw Reservoir, near the northern entrance to Chiang Mai University.
Beyond the old city, however, the city sprawls outward into surrounding districts, and walking becomes less practical for covering distance. The city centre sits west of the Ping River, and the urban area extends in all directions, so for anything outside the core you should plan on a songthaew, taxi or ride-hailing app rather than a long walk.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX) handles both domestic and regional international flights, and it is remarkably close to the centre — just 3 km southwest of the city centre, or about 10–15 minutes away by car. That short distance makes the transfer cheap and quick, and you have several options.
- Airport taxi: Registered airport taxis charge a flat 150 baht for up to five passengers anywhere in the city. They operate close to the car park, not far from the exit at the north end of the terminal.
- Grab: Charges the same flat fare as the airport taxis when going to or from the airport.
- Bolt: Rates can be noticeably lower than the flat taxi fare — under 100 baht for a car.
- Metered taxi: Available, but there is a starting fee plus a service fee from the Meter Taxi counter, so the total is more than the meter alone.
- Motorbike taxi: A good option if you arrive alone with no luggage. You will not find this option in the Grab app in Chiang Mai, but it is available in Bolt and costs around 40 baht to the city centre.
- Shuttle minibus: The airport has a shuttle minibus service offering drop-off to any hotel in the city for a flat fee of 50 baht (as of October 2025). It is ideal for a solo traveller or a couple who do not mind waiting 10–15 minutes for a few fellow passengers. Be aware that the service can be unreliable — the source notes it was not operating at all during one period in mid-2026 — so have a backup plan. The minibus counter is at the southern end of the terminal, near international arrivals.
- Tuk-tuk or songthaew: You can charter one, but they are not usually hanging around at the airport. You could negotiate with a songthaew driver who already has a few passengers if you are travelling alone.
- Hotel pick-up: Most hotels and some upmarket guesthouses offer cheap or free pick-up and drop-off services, which is worth checking before you arrive.
One practical note on money: the main airport hall is very long and combines both international and domestic arrivals and check-in booths on one floor, and it contains numerous ATMs and exchange offices from several banks. Once you have checked in and gone up to the second floor, you will not find exchanges or ATMs there. Rates at the airport are not as good as in town — for example, Mr. Pierre Money Exchange on Tha Phae Road offers significantly better rates, though it is not walkable from the airport. If you need cash on arrival, it is worth changing only what you need at the airport and getting better rates in the city.