How to Get from Chiang Mai to Chiang Mai

The public bus or the RTC (Regional Transit Corporation) Chiang Mai Bus is the cheapest way to reach the city centre from Chiang Mai International Airport. These blue-coloured buses are also called the Chiang Mai Smart Bus. A ticket only costs . The bus journey takes about . You can choose from 2 types of R3 buses. The R3 buses with red and yellow signs both head to central Chiang Mai, but in different directions. These buses run from 06:30 to 23:30 daily and are available every 25-30 minutes.

• Route R3 (Red) heads to Nimman Road first before going to Tha Pae Gate, next to the old centre.
• Route R3 (Yellow) takes the opposite route. It goes to Tha Pae first before heading to Nimman Road.

You can find the public buses just outside the arrivals hall. Just look for the white bus stop sign.

Songthaews are the most popular mode of transportation in Chiang Mai. A songthaew is basically a small pick-up truck that’s been customized to seat passengers in the box of the truck. In the Chiang Mai area, all songthaews are red in colour and can be easily spotted along the main streets. You can find songthaews outside almost every exit of Chiang Mai Airport’s arrival hall. Before boarding the songthaew, tell the driver the name of your hotel to make sure that he’s going in the same direction. When travelling to the airport, you can easily find songthaews on any main street around the Old City. The standard rate for travelling between Chiang Mai Airport and the city centre is per person. The trip only takes . Be aware that the driver may ask you to pay an increased rate if there are not many passengers on board because this is considered a 'private ride'. The increased rates will cost you [price 100 THB] to [price 200 THB], but you also have the option to wait for more passengers to pay a lower rate.