Chiang Mai Travel Transport
Motorcycle Taxi Driver wanting a Customer
The Chiang Mai Travel Transport system will provide you with ample assistance when touring in one of the most charming and friendly cities of northern Thailand. Why! you could even in some parts, travel overland atop an elephant through the beautiful and bewildering evergreen countryside, should you so wish. Apart from all the usual airway connections and bus and train services to Chiang Mai, there are also a number of extremely convenient local public support setups to choose.
Row of Tuk Tuks waiting for Customers
Getting to and from Chiang MaiPlanesYou can reach Chaing Mai with Thai Air International or Bangkok Airways from the now domestic Don Muang airport in Bangkok. Together they operate twenty eight daily round trips lasting approximately one hour and ten minutes each way. There are also daily flights from other domestic and international airports around the country including the far northern cities of Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son. Flights from Phuket and Koh Samui stop over in Bangkok before heading north.TrainsA fabulous alternative to flying would be to embark on an adventurous journey by train from the city of Bangkok which will then take you all the way to Chiang Mai. Tickets can be purchased directly from the Bangkok Railway Station also known as Hua Lamphong Railway Station. It's the main railway station in Bangkok.There are fourteen trains leaving for Chiang Mai daily with most of them being overnight trips lasting between twelve to fifteen hours one way. You can book private cabins in the first-class section for a more comfortable ride or you can opt to travel second-class which offers seats that fold out into sleeping berths. Because the journey is a rather long one, I would avoid the third-class seats. As there are no trains going to Chiang Rai near both the northern border of Bruma and the north-eastern border of Laos or for that matter, Mae Hong Son near the north-western border of Burma, you would either have to take the bus or a plane should you wish to visit these cities. Touring by car would be an ideal way to go.
Chiang Mai Station
Chiang Mai Travel TransportBusesThere are a number of bus stations around Chiang Mai linking the city to various long distant routes, not only to Bangkok but also the central and northern areas of the country. Chiang Mai Arcade Bus Terminal is the main station situated north-east of the city which provides a ten to twelve hour bus ride to Bangkok as well as a number of shorter rides to places like Phitsanulok and Ayutthayain central Thailand. You would need to hop on one of the Songthaew or tuk tuk's to get here though. You could even take a Samlor ride if you can find one. If you want to take a bus trip within the Chiang Mai province, then you would have to go from the Central Chang Pheuak Bus Terminal north of Chiang Puak Gate. Unfortunately Chiang Mai lacks a public rapid transit transport infrastructure such as the setup you find in Bangkok which has the Bangkok Skytrain transit system and the underground Bangkok Metro. The local bus service in Chiang Mai serves it's routes far less frequently than you would expect from a city of this size.
Samlor Driver looking for a Customer
Chiang Mai Travel SolutionsMany other local Chiang Mai Travel Transport solutions are provided in the form of Metered Taxis, Motorcycles, Songthaews, Tuk Tuks and Samlors.
SongthaewSongthaews are basically converted pick-up trucks that can easily carry a fair amount of passengers around the city. You would simply hop on at one spot and hop off at another. They usually have a hard canopy connected to a metal frame to keep the sun at bay and plastic side-walls which roll up and down to keep out the rain should it come down. At the back they have bench type seats on either side on which you can sit. In order for the driver to stop at a destination of your choice, simply press one of the buzzers, seen attached to the canopy crossbar. The driver will then acknowledge your request to disembark. Songthaew fares are in the region of 20 to 50 baht per person depending on the length of the trip and they usually operate from early in the morning until around midnight. Give it a try.
Songthaew
Chiang Mai Travel SolutionsTuk TukTuk Tuks are great little three-wheeler taxis that whizz in and out of congested traffic with relative ease. You will find them all over the city and at times difficult to ignore. Tuk Tuk drivers will frequently be seen waiting for potential customers outside hotels, shopping malls, night bazaars and many other places of interest.Chiang Mai Tuk Tuks usually operate from early in the morning until past midnight with fares starting around 50 baht for a short trip and ever increasing in price the further you wish to travel. You may be able to find one or two Tuk Tuks after hours but prices would be somewhat more expensive. I will leave that up to you. They comfortably accommodate two passengers with ease but often are a lot of fun to travel in even if you squeeze in up to four people. You need to negotiable an equitable fare with the driver before boarding to avoid any altercation later.
Congested Tuk Tuk Traffic
Chiang Mai Travel SolutionsMetered TaxiMetered Taxis are fairly self explanatory and are abundant throughout the city with the added advantage of being air-conditioned which is a blessing from the heat of the day or night. They are also available from Chiang Mai airport with a 50 baht airport fee paid upfront at one of the counters there. Metered charges start at 35 baht so a short trip to the city centre will cost you around 60 to 70 baht depending on the traffic at the time. You are not required to tip the driver.Motorcycles TaxisMotorcycle Taxis can be a great alternative if you want to get anywhere in a hurry but drivers are not always available on call when you most need them. You will recognize motorcycle taxi drivers by their often brightly coloured waist-coats. If you should be visiting Chiang Mai for a more lengthily period, then hiring a motorbike could be a rather efficient way to see the city and surrounding area.SamlorsSamlors are best known as a three-wheeled bicycle or a kind of rickshaw. This fabulous form of transport has been around Thailand for the last six decades so if you want to get nowhere slowly, then there would be nothing quite like a quiet comfortable ride through the surrounding country-side and villages of Chaing Mai.
Chiang Mai Travel by Motorcycle
Return from Chiang Mai Travel to the Getting around Thailand page
|
