Travel from Bangkok to Phrae

By bus the journey from Bangkok to Phrae is scheduled to take from 8 to 9 hours depending upon which bus service you take.

Bus Times from Bangkok to Phrae

There are currently 7 direct bus services a day from Bangkok Northern Bus Terminal to Phrae available to book online.

Buy Tickets from Bangkok to Phrae

Use the Search Box below to buy your bus tickets from Bangkok to Phrae.

Location of Bangkok Northern Bus Terminal

Read more about Bangkok Northern Bus Terminal which is also known as Morchit Bus Terminal.

Location of Phrae Bus Station

Read more about Phrae Bus Terminal.

About Travel to Phrae

Phrae is a fascinating and ‘off the beaten track’ destination in the Northern Region of Thailand to the south of the better known city of Chiang Mai. Phrae is a fairly small town with a population of under 20,000 permanent residents, which is main settlement of Phrae Province. Phrae has a long history as independent state which, due to it small size, frequently experienced periods when it had to accept being partially controlled by other larger neighbouring kingdoms, such as the Lanna Kingdom of Chiang Mai. Exactly when Phrae was founded as an independent state is not known for sure, although some historians speculate that it was established as long as go as the 7th Century as part of the Hariphunchai Kingdom, whose capital was nearby Lamphun. Phrae had ancestral rulers, effectively kings, until as late as late at 1902 when the last ‘King of Phrae’ fled an invasion by the Burmese. Thereafter, Phrae became part of the Kingdom of Siam (Thailand). In Phrae town centre there are two very well preserved former residences of Phrae ruling family which are open to visitors as museums: the Vongburi House and the Khum Chao Luang.

The other thing Phrae is well know for is its teak forests. The Vongburi House and the Khum Chao Luang, along with lots of other older houses in Phrae, are made from teak wood. The hills around Phrae are covered in teak forests although to a lesser extent than they were during the 19th Century when Phrae was one of the main producers of teak in the world. Phrae’s ruling family became very rich from the teak logging industry although this came at a massive cost to the local environment, with the cutting down of the forest leading to the near extinction of much of the indigenous wildlife, particularly the once abundant tigers and leopards. The teak industry in Phrae is now heavily regulated with a limited number of licences to cut down teak trees being granted. A trip outside in the town in a car or a motorbike is highly recommended, with teak forests clearly visible on the hillsides that surround the town.