Travel from Chiang Rai to Nan

There are direct bus services from Chiang Rai to Nan, but no direct flights and no connection to the railway network.

Bus Times from Chiang Rai to Nan

There is a single direct bus services a day from Chiang Rai to Nan available to book online.

• The Green Bus Company uses an Intercity Bus on this route with reclining seats, on board toilet, TV and snack included in the price.

Buy Tickets from Chiang Rai to Nan

Use the Search Box below to buy your bus tickets from Chiang Rai to Nan.

Chiang Rai Bus Station

Bus services from Chiang Rai to Nan depart from Chiang Rai Bus Terminal 2.

Nan Bus Station

Bus services from Chiang Rai to Nan terminate at Nan Bus Terminal.

About Travel to Nan

Nan is a small town with just over 20,000 permanent residents but a long history, and a unique blend of cultural influences from Laos, China and elsewhere. Nan is slowly becoming popular as tourist destination in its own right, particularly with Thai tourists, however for many foreign visitors the town is transit point for travel to the North West of Laos. The winding road to Xayaboury, on route to Luang Prabang, makes for one of the most interesting road journeys in Laos albeit a slow one particularly if you take a local bus from the Laos side of the border rather than the very comfortable bus that goes direct all the way from Nan to Luang Prabang. For more information about onward travel from Nan to Luang Prabang read our article entitled Nan to Luang Prabang by local bus.

Nan town itself has a small number of interesting places to visit, mostly temples, the design of which is influenced by the architectural style of the Thai Lue people who are currently most prominent as an ethnic group in the Yunnan Province of China. If you have a day or two spare in Nan then considering visiting:

• Wat Phumin: Established in the 16th Century, this temple features a prayer hall built in a cross shape, inside which are some very interesting 19th Century murals. Principally because of these murals, which depict daily life and events in Nan more than a 100 years ago, Wat Phumin is often considered Nan’s major tourist attraction.
• Wat Phra That Chae Haeng: Also located in Nan town, this temple was established in the late 14th Century although the only part of the temple that has survived from the 14th Century is the chedi.
• Wat Phaya Wat: Located on the edge of the town near the old city walls, this one of the few temples in Thailand with an example of architecture from the Indian influenced Dvaravati period, although built six centuries after the Dvaravati period ended.
• Nan National Museum: Displays of antiquities relating to the history of the area and other displays relating to Thailand’s royal family.