Thailand Guide

Getting around Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is known for red songthaews and short Grabs rather than a BTS grid, so sleep in the Old City or Nimman and use a hired truck for Doi Suthep. Skip a first-week scooter on the moat corners.

Back to Chiang Mai
CNX carsRed trucksGrab in town
Getting around Chiang Mai
Photo: Diliff (CC BY-SA 3.0)
CNX15 to 25 minutes to the Old City
Suthep30 THB plus songthaew 60 to 100 THB
Nimman hopGrab often 80 to 120 THB, 4 to 7 minutes
Leave07:00 for the hill wat
Search stays on Trip.com Check live 2026 rates and free-cancellation options. Book tickets on Klook Book tickets, tours, or transfers ahead for peak dates.

CNX to the Old City is 15 to 25 minutes. Book a Trip.com car if you land with bags. In town, red songthaews run shared routes; agree a charter fare before you climb in. A 2026 Grab from Nimman to the moat is often 80 to 120 THB and four to seven minutes.

Doi Suthep is 30 THB at the wat plus a songthaew at 60 to 100 THB each way, and leave at 07:00. Do not scooter the ridge in rain on a first week, and pair this page with where to stay. Route 1095 to Pai is a different day.

Which mode for which hop

  • CNX car: 15 to 25 minutes to the moat.
  • Grab: Nimman, Wat Ket, late nights.
  • Red songthaew: Shared city hops; charter for Suthep.
  • Suthep: 30 THB plus 60 to 100 THB each way. Leave 07:00.

Book

Southeast Asia TravelGuide Network

Compare Across Southeast Asia: Northern Thailand vs. Vietnam

If you love Chiang Mai’s walled Old City, mountain valleys, and artisan markets, compare Vietnam’s northern highlands and heritage towns.

Northern Cultural Capital

Hanoi

Vietnam’s northern hub for centuries-old guild streets, temple courtyards, and specialty robusta coffee culture.

Read the Hanoi guide →UNESCO Lantern Town

Hoi An Ancient Town

Shares Chiang Mai’s walkable historic core, custom tailors, cooking schools, and relaxed bicycle-friendly pace.

Read the Hoi An guide →Highland Terraces & Trekking

Sapa & the Northern Mountains

Vietnam’s answer to Pai and Mae Hong Son: dramatic terraced valleys, cool mountain mist, and hill-tribe ridge trails.

Read the Sapa guide →
Search flights Chiang Mai to Hanoi CNX to HAN Direct or one-stop

Common questions

Grab or songthaew to Doi Suthep?
Shared red trucks from Chang Phuak or CMU are 60 to 100 THB each way. Grab costs more and leaves when you do.
Can you walk Nimman to the moat?
You can. It is hot. Grab is four to seven minutes.