Bus times from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai

The journey by bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai is scheduled to take between 3 hours 10 minutes and 5 hours 30 minutes depending upon which bus you take.

Bus Timetable from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai

Click on the Chiang Mai – Chiang Rai link in the timetable below for more information and to buy tickets.

Bus Stop in Chiang Mai

Bus services to Chiang Rai depart from Chiang Mai Bus Terminal 3, Wat Ket, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50000.

Arrival in Chiang Rai

Bus services from Chiang Mai terminate at Chiang Rai Bus Terminal 1, Wiang, Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai 57000.

White Temple in Chiang Rai

The White Temple, also known as Wat Rong Khun, is a major tourist attraction located 14 km by road to the south of Chiang Rai town centre. The temple is open to visitors everyday from 08:00 to 18:00 and admission costs 50 THB for foreign visitors. You can get there from Chaing Rai town by tuk tuk, which the easier and more expensive option, or you can take a local bus from Chaing Bus Terminal 1 which will drop you on the main road a short walk away from the entrance to the temple.

The White Temple is a private venture by local artist Chalermchai Kositpipat. The temple is a work in progress which has several component parts. The most visited part of the White Temple is the central Shrine Hall which you reach via a bridge. The buildings in this part of the temple are intricately decorated in white plaster, with a wide variety of different themes and subjects represented to convey a message about Buddhist beliefs about life and death, good and bad, and also the temporary nature of the human condition. The art work is staggering and at times shocking and bizarre. One of the most striking features is the area by the bridge to the shrine where the ground opens up and thousands of hands modelled in white plaster are reaching up. It looks like a chasm has opened in the ground to reveal souls stuck in hell desperate to escape.