Chiang Mai to Pai
Pai is the mountain town over Route 1095, known for 762 bends and a walking-street night. Take a Prempracha minivan from Chiang Mai Arcade. Sleep there. A same-day out-and-back is a wasted Saturday.
Pai is a mountain night, not a Chiang Mai district. You leave on Route 107 to Mae Malai, then 1095 over the ridge. The local count is 762 bends. Minivans do it in about 3.5 to 4.5 hours. A scooter does it in the same time if you do not stop, and in a full day if you do. Pai Airport has had no scheduled commercial flights since 2017.
Prempracha Transport holds the licensed service (route 612 toward Pang Mapha and Mae Hong Son). Vans leave Chiang Mai Arcade roughly hourly from 06:30 to 16:30, with a few minibus sets mixed in. Walk-up fares sit around 210 to 250 THB; online desks add a cut. They take a passport number. Check on arrival for the exact counter.
Ways to go
| Mode | Time | Seat | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prempracha minivan, Arcade to Pai bus station | About 3.5 to 4.5 hours | 12 to 14-seat van. Front seats if you get queasy | Arcade Terminal 2 is the usual counter; some tickets print Terminal 3. They face each other on Kaew Nawarat. Check on arrival. |
| Hotel-pickup van (Aya and similar) | Longer, because of the soi tour | Van seat | Useful if you refuse Arcade. Worse if you already sit near the terminal. |
| Private car | About 3 hours without photo stops | Charter | The correct call for three people, bags, or a loop that continues to Mae Hong Son. |
| Scooter or motorbike | 3 to 6 hours depending on your nerve | Your rental | Only with a motorcycle licence and an IDP that includes category A. See scooters and road rules. Do not ride at night. |
Which Chiang Mai station
Arcade (Terminals 2 and 3) is the intercity pair. Chang Phuak (Terminal 1) is for Mae Rim, Chiang Dao, and Fang, not for Pai. Grab to "Arcade bus station" and read the terminal on the ticket. Green Bus to Chiang Rai uses Terminal 3, a different desk and a different highway.
Vans arrive at the small Pai station on Chaisongkhram Road. Walking Street is about ten minutes on foot. Weekend vans fill. Book Saturday mornings.
Keep going
Book
- Pai staysTown or river
Two nights if you rode 1095. One night if a van dropped you and you leave at dawn.
Search stays 
Chiang Mai night beforeOld City or NimmanSleep here. Arcade is a morning Grab, not a 05:00 walk.
Search stays- Pai vans and toursTours
A day trip is a long sit. Overnight is the product.
See tickets
Common questions
- Can you do Pai as a day trip?
- You can complete the tarmac. You will not have a trip. Sleep there.
- Scooter or van on a first visit?
- Van unless you already ride mountain roads with a motorcycle licence. 1095 is paved and still a clinic for week-one rentals.
- Pai or Chiang Rai?
- Pai for the ridge road. Chiang Rai for temples and CEI. Do not do both on a first week out of Chiang Mai.