Getting from Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International Airport to the city

The taxi counter

• Chiang Rai Airport Taxi charges 150 THB per ride within Chiang Rai city. The airport's own listing says it plainly: no extra fees, no additional charges.
• Sedans and 7-seaters are both available, and the fare is for the car, so four people split 150 THB rather than paying four fares.
• Chiang Rai Taxi runs metered cars, with the meter starting at 40 THB, and lets you agree a fixed rate instead if you prefer. Ask which is cheaper for where you are going before you get in.

No bus

• The airport lists no scheduled public bus, only taxis and car rental. This is a small airport with a handful of flights a day, mostly from Bangkok.
• Do not plan on public transport out of here after dark. Take the counter taxi.

Going further than the city

• The same counter offers charters to other provinces. Chiang Rai is the base for the Golden Triangle, Mae Salong and the Chiang Khong border crossing.
• Chiang Khong is where the Mekong slow boat to Luang Prabang starts, a two-day trip that has to be booked and timed rather than improvised.
• Book the boat or the onward bus before you arrive through 12Go, the operator or your guesthouse; departures are once a day and the seats go.

Getting to Chiang Mai

• Buses run from Chiang Rai bus terminal, about three hours on the new road, and they are frequent enough to turn up for outside holiday weeks.