Chiang Mai Airport (CNX) to the old city
The RTC city bus charges 30 baht whatever the distance and loops from the terminal through the old city and Nimmanhaemin. The airport shuttle costs 40 baht and goes to fewer places.
- The RTC Chiang Mai City Bus is 30 THB per trip, short or long, and it starts and ends at the airport.
- Two loops run in opposite directions. R3 Red goes left: Chiang Mai Gate, Night Bazaar, Tha Pae Gate, Chang Phuak Gate, Nimmanhaemin. R3 Yellow goes right and covers the same ring the other way.
- Airport Shuttle A1 is 40 THB for Nimmanhaemin, Huay Kaew Road and the city moat.
- A2 is also 40 THB, for Mahidol Road, the Night Bazaar and the Chang Klan hotels.
- A3 is 60 THB, out to the Second Ring Road and the 700th Anniversary Stadium.
- A metered taxi is the meter plus 50 THB, the driver's surcharge set by the Ministry of Transport.
- The old city is about 4 km away. Nothing here is a long journey.
The city bus
- The RTC Chiang Mai City Bus charges a flat 30 THB per trip, whether you ride two stops or the whole loop. It is the cheapest way out of the terminal.
- R3 Red is the left loop: Airport, Airport Intersection, Wualai Road, Chiang Mai Gate, Pantip Plaza at the Night Bazaar, Anusarn Market, the Buddhist Centre, Tha Pae Gate, Chang Phuak Gate, Kad Suan Kaew, Nimmanhaemin, Suan Dok, back to the airport.
- R3 Yellow is the right loop, the same ring the other way: Far Eastern University, Suan Dok, Nimmanhaemin, Kad Suan Kaew, Chang Phuak Gate, Three Kings Monument, Tha Pae Gate, Waroros Market, Ton Lam Yai Market, Night Bazaar, Chiang Mai Gate, Thipanet Road.
- Which loop you want depends on where you are staying. For Tha Pae Gate and the east side of the moat either works; the Red line gets there sooner.
The airport shuttle
- A1 costs 40 THB and runs Airport, Nimmanhaemin Road, Huay Kaew Road, the city moat.
- A2 costs 40 THB and runs Airport, Mahidol Road, the Night Bazaar and the hotels along Chang Klan Road.
- A3 costs 60 THB and runs out to the Second Ring Road and the 700th Anniversary Stadium.
- The fare is for the whole route, not per stop.
Taxis and ride-hailing
- A metered taxi adds 50 THB to the meter for the driver, under the same Ministry of Transport announcement that applies at the Bangkok airports.
- Grab has designated pick-up and drop-off points at the terminal rather than the kerb, so look for the signs before you order.
Where the airport actually is
- Chiang Mai is one of the very few big Asian airports inside its own city. The old city moat is roughly 4 km away and the runway is a short walk from Wualai Road.
- That is why a 30 THB bus is a real option here in a way it is not at Suvarnabhumi or Kuala Lumpur.
Moving on
- Buses to Pai and Chiang Rai leave from Arcade bus terminal, not from the airport, and the sleeper trains to Bangkok leave from Chiang Mai railway station.
- The Pai minivan is the one to book ahead through 12Go, the operator or your guesthouse. It is three hours of switchbacks and it fills up.
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