By bus the journey from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang is scheduled to take 19 hours 30 minutes. There are currently no direct flights between Chiang Rai and Luang Prabang.
Bus Times from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang
There is currently 1 bus service a day from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang available to book online.
| Chiang Rai | Luang Prabang | Company | Cost |
| 12:00 | 07:30 | Naluang | 1,350 THB |
Please note that on the Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang route passengers will change vehicle 3 times. The first vehicle is a bus to the border. The second vehicle is a taxi across the border. The third vehicle is sleeper bus from the Laos side of the border to Luang Prabang.
Buy Tickets from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai
Use the Search Box below to buy your bus tickets from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang.
Chiang Rai Bus Terminal
Naluang bus services from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang depart from Chiang Rai Bus Terminal 1. Read more about Chiang Rai Bus Terminal 1.
Luang Prabang Bus Terminal
Naluang bus services from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang terminate at Chokprasert Bus Terminal.
About Travel to Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang, with a population of around 50,000 permanent residents, is one of the larger settlements in Laos although compared to regional capitals in neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam Luang Prabang is more of a town than a city. Luang Prabang is also situated in remote location a long way from the capital.
Travel Links to Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang used to be a very difficult place to reach, and tourists who wanted to go needed to endure a nearly 2 day journey on a slow boat or a very dangerous half day journey on a locally constructed speed boat. This situation changed in 2013 when the local aiport was upgraded to take more commercial flights, and in 2014 when a sealed road from Vientiane to Luang Prabang was completed. As a consequence more people now visit Luang Prabang, particularly older people and families who wouldn’t have had the time or the inclination to take the slow boat to Luang Prabang.
Wat Xieng Thong in Luang PrabangModern Day Luang Prabang
Tourism in Luang Prabang is becoming increasingly upmarket. The city centre has a lot of good quality and relatively expensive accommodation, and the range of Western style restaurants and cafes in the part of the city with the most famous temples has grown very quickly. Luang Prabang is not a city full of young backpackers in the same way as Vang Vieng.
Attractions in Luang Prabang
The main attractions in Luang Prabang are its many temples. Luang Prabang was the home of the Laos Royal Family from 1353 until 1975, when Laos changed to a communist system of government. During that time, under royal patronage, many large temples where built in Luang Prabang along with a Royal Palace, which is open to visitors. The most famous and most visited of these temples is Wat Xieng Thong. Wat Xieng Thong is the oldest survving temple in Luang Prabang. The wooden congregation hall at Wat Xieng Thong was built in 1559, and was where the kings of Laos were crowned.
Attractions outside Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang is a very remote city and there is not much to see and do in the surrounding area. There are, however, two excursions you can take from Luang Prabang that don’t involve hiking. The first of these is a visit to Kuang Si Falls. Kuang Si Falls are a 40 minutes drive from Luang Prabang and impressive enough to make the journey worthwhile. The other popular day trip is to The Pak Ou Caves. The Pak Ou Caves can be reached by tourist boat from the centre of Luang Prabang. The caves are full of Buddha statues, some hundreds of years old. The most exciting part of this trip, however, is the riverboat journey to and from the caves.