Travel from Mae Sai to Chiang Rai

By bus the journey from Mae Sai to Chiang Rai is scheduled take 1 hour 30 minutes. Mae Sai is the northern most town in Thailand near the border crossing to Tachileik in Myanmar.

Bus Times from Mae Sai to Chiang Rai

There are currently 3 direct bus services a day from Mae Sai to Chiang Rai available to book online.

• Express bus services are single deck air-conditioned buses.
• VIP 32 bus services are double deck air-conditioned buses with on board toilet.

Buy Tickets from Mae Sai to Chiang Rai

Use the Search Box below to buy tickets from Mae Sai to Chiang Rai.

Mae Sai Bus Stop

Bus services to Chiang Rai depart from Mae Sai Bus Terminal, Wiang Phang Kham, Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai 57130.

Chiang Rai Bus Stop

Bus services from Mae Sai to Chiang Rai stop at Chiang Rai Bus Terminal 2, Phahonyothin Rd, San Sai, Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai 57000.

Temples in Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai is a much smaller city than Chiang Mai, with a city centre population of around 70,000 compared to over 130,000 in Chiang Mai. Chiang Rai also receives far fewer visitors and has much fewer hotels, bars and restaurants catering for holiday makers. What Chiang Rai does have, however, is some new and very innovative temples and these are the main attractions for visitors to the city.

Three temples in particular attract large numbers of visitors to Chiang Rai:

• White Temple: Located 13 km to the south of Chiang Rai city centre, the White Temple, also known as Wat Rong Khun, is a highly ornate new temple which you enter via a bridge and pass through following a designated route which is intended to symbolise the journey through birth, death and re-birth according to Buddhist beliefs. The White Temple features highly elaborate paintings and sculptures moulded from white plaster mixed with crushed glass. The temple is an ongoing project designed and financed by a prominent Thai artist which was first opened to visitors in 1997 and is unlikely to be fully finished until 2030.
• Blue Temple: Located 4 km to the north of Chiang Rai city centre, the Blue Temple, a known as Wat Rong Seur Ten, has been constructed using similar techniques to the White Temple except that the temple consists of a single building inside which everything is blue. Wat Rong Seur Ten is much more like a traditional Thai temple made exceptional by the innovative artwork and colour scheme.
• Wat Huay Pla Kang: Located 8 km to the north of Chiang Rai, Wat Huay Pla Kang is a new temple on a massive scale that is awe inspiring. The temple currently consists of these main structures: a 26 storey high statue of the Goddess of Mercy, Guan Yin; a 9 storey high Chinese style pagoda; and a very large Thai style prayer hall which bears some resemblance to the White Temple, just a lot larger.