Bus times from Khon Kaen to Chiang Rai

By bus the journey from Khon Kaen to Chiang Rai is scheduled to take 12 hours 15 minutes.

Bus Timetable from Khon Kaen to Chiang Rai

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

Bus Stop in Khon Kaen

Bus services to Chiang Rai depart from Khon Kaen Bus Terminal 3, Mueang Kao Sub-district, Mueang Khon Kaen District, Khon Kaen 40000.

Arrival in Chiang Rai

Bus services from Khon Kaen arrive in Chiang Rai at Chiang Rai Bus Terminal 2, Phahonyothin Rd, San Sai, Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai 57000.

Wat Phra Kaew in Chiang Rai

Wat Phra Kaew is a temple in Chiang Rai town centre which is famous because this is where the Emerald Buddha, the most important Buddha statue in Thailand, was discovered in 1434.

Legend of the Discovery of the Emerald Buddha

According to legend the statue had been hidden inside a chedi at the temple some years earlier and was revealed when a bolt of lightning hit a chedi cracking it open to reveal the statue inside.

Moved to Bangkok

Two years after the Emerald Buddha was discovered at Wat Phra Kaew it was moved to Lamphun, before being taken to Chiang Mai and finally to the temple attached to the Grand Place in Bangkok where it remains today. A high quality replica of the original Emerald Buddha, made from jade, was installed at Wat Phra Kaew in 1990 and this statue is now the centre piece of the temple.

Ordination Hall

The other main points of interest to see at Wat Phra Kaew are its 19th Century Lanna style ordination hall which hosts a 700 year old Buddha statue and the temple’s on site museum.

Museum at the Temple

The two floor museum is full of curiosities arranged in no particular order but well worth browsing. Highlights of the museum include the uniform and sword of a 19th Century Governor of Chiang Rai and wide range of religious artefacts from the Lanna era (1292 to 1775) and other older statues which appear to be Khmer in origin.