By bus the journey from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai is scheduled to take 5 hours 30 minutes. The alternative to travelling all the way by bus is to travel by road to Phitsanulok in order to board a train to Chiang Mai.
Bus Times from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai
There are currently 5 direct bus services a day from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai available to book online.
| Sukhothai | Chiang Mai | Ticket | Company |
| 08:15 | 13:45 | 600 THB | Tour with Thai |
| 09:30 | 15:00 | 600 THB | Tour with Thai |
| 10:45 | 16:15 | 600 THB | Tour with Thai |
| 16:00 | 21:30 | 600 THB | Tour with Thai |
| 23:30 | 05:00 | 600 THB | Tour with Thai |
Buy Tickets from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai
Use the Search Box below to buy tickets from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai.
Sukhothai Bus Stop
Read more about Sukhothai Bus Terminal.
Chiang Mai Bus Stop
Read more about Chiang Mai Bus Terminal 3.
About Travel to Chiang Mai
In English the name Chiang Mai means ‘New Town’. Chiang Mai is, however, far being a new town as it was founded in 1296, as the new capital city of the Lanna Kingdom of Northern Thailand.
History of Chiang Mai
The oldest part of Chiang Mai is the city centre area often referred to as Chiang Mai Old Town. This part of Chiang Mai is easily identifiable as it coveres a rectangular area with a footprint of around 2.5 square kilometres, surrounded on all 4 sides by a moat.
Chiang Mai is a very early example of a ‘planned’ city constructed in a lightly populated area. Foremost in the mind of the city’s founders was the need to build defences against regional threats. At the time neighbouring states, particularly Burma, frequently invaded Thailand, and more worringly Mongol forces where close to the border with Thailand having conquered Southern China. For this reason a defensive wall was also built along the inside of the moat. Only small parts of the original wall, such as the Fort of Sri-Poom, are still intact today. Other parts of the defensive outer perimeter, such as the Tha Phae Gate, have been reconstructed which is helpful in understanding what Chiang Mai looked like in the early 14th Century.
The centre of Chiang Mai is surrounded by a moatTemples in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is famous for it’s temples. The style of the temples in Chiang Mai is generally different to those of the Central Region of Thailand, as well as the older temples in Southern Thailand. Many temples in Chiang Mai incorporate the distinctive artwork and traditions of the former Lanna Kingdom.
The most popular of the temples to visit in Chiang Mai fall into two categories: the temples of Chiang Mai Old Town and the temples located outside of the city centre.
There are lots of temples in Chiang Mai Old Town. Estimates of the exact number vary, however, it is likely that are between 50 and 100 functioning temples in the Old Town area, which is the highest density of religious institutions anywhere in Thailand. The two most popular and well known of these temples are Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang. Both of these large temples were founded in the late 14th Century.
Of the out of town temples in Chiang Mai, the most famous is Wat Doi Suthep. Wat Doi Suthep is located on a hill 16 km by road to the North West of Chiang Mai Old Town. It takes about 40 minutes to travel there by shared taxi from Chiang Mai Old Town. From this temple there are panoramic views across the city of Chiang Mai and the valley within which it is located. The inner part of Wat Doi Suthep is also noteable, featuring a large gold chedi and numerous golden colured statues.