How do you get to Pai from Bangkok? In two stages. First get to Chiang Mai, most quickly by a domestic flight, or by overnight train or long-distance bus. Then travel from Chiang Mai to Pai by road, usually in a shared minivan. Pai is in Pai District of Mae Hong Son province in Thailand's mountainous northwest, and there is no rail line or direct Bangkok bus service that avoids the road section.
Plan on most of a day for the whole journey if you fly, and longer by train or bus. The road from Chiang Mai climbs through mountains, so the timing of that leg matters more than anything else.
Step 1: Bangkok to Chiang Mai
By air (fastest)
Chiang Mai International Airport, run by Airports of Thailand, is the gateway for Pai. Nok Air, for example, sells Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Chiang Mai fares on its own website. Other domestic airlines also fly to Chiang Mai, some from Suvarnabhumi, so compare on the airlines' own sites; fares change daily.
Check which airport your flight uses before you set off. Don Mueang is in the north of the city and has a station on the SRT Red Line, which runs from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal. Suvarnabhumi is to the east. Choose a morning flight if you want to reach Pai the same day: the scheduled minivans described below leave Chiang Mai between morning and mid-afternoon.
By train
The State Railway of Thailand runs trains between Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The train is much slower than flying; an overnight sleeper, where available, saves a night's accommodation and can arrive in time for a Pai minivan. We could not reach SRT's website to confirm current timetables and fares, so check them with SRT or at the station before you plan around a specific train.
By bus
Bangkok's main terminal for buses to the north is the Bangkok Bus Terminal (Chatuchak), often called Mo Chit 2, on Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road in Chatuchak district, the same district as the Chatuchak Weekend Market. Buses are usually the cheapest way to Chiang Mai. We could not reach the state bus company's website to confirm current schedules, so buy tickets from an operator's counter at the terminal or its official website rather than from street agents.
Step 2: Chiang Mai to Pai by road
From Chiang Mai, the usual way to Pai is a shared minivan. Aya Service, which has run Chiang Mai to Pai transfers for about 20 years according to its website, sells minivan seats online with departures from its office on Soi Srimongkol in Chiang Mai's Kham Thiang area. On the day we checked, it listed hourly departures from Chiang Mai to Pai from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and from Pai back to Chiang Mai from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Morning departures had sold out, so book a day or two ahead in busy periods.
Other options are a private car with driver, which Aya and other operators offer, or renting a motorbike. Think carefully about the motorbike. The road to Pai climbs through mountains with many bends. Canada's travel advice for Thailand recommends avoiding mountain roads at night, especially in the rainy season, and the UK government's advice notes that Thailand has a high number of motorcycle accidents and that riding without the correct licence can invalidate travel insurance.
If you're prone to motion sickness, take precautions before the minivan leaves, sit near the front if you can, and avoid a heavy meal just before the trip.
Getting from Chiang Mai Airport to the minivan
Airports of Thailand lists several ways into Chiang Mai from the airport: car rental counters, the Chiang Mai City Bus, the city's red songthaew trucks, and airport shuttle buses from Gate 12 of the international terminal that run to hotels on the main roads. The shuttle routes cover Nimmanhaemin Road, the old city moat and the Night Bazaar area. If your minivan leaves from an operator's office, a taxi straight there is the simplest option when you have luggage and a tight connection.
Which route should you choose?
- Short on time: fly from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in the morning, then take an early-afternoon minivan to Pai.
- On a budget: overnight bus or sleeper train to Chiang Mai, then a morning minivan.
- Want to see Chiang Mai too: spend a night or two there and continue to Pai afterward, which also avoids rushing the mountain road late in the day.
Before you leave Bangkok
If you're starting from Bangkok, stay somewhere with easy access to your departure point: near the SRT Red Line for Don Mueang, near the Airport Rail Link for Suvarnabhumi, or in the north of the city for the Chatuchak bus terminal and Krung Thep Aphiwat station. Our Bangkok hotels guide notes the nearest station for each property where it can be verified, and our Bangkok attractions guide can fill a spare day before or after the trip north.
Sources: Airports of Thailand, Chiang Mai International Airport, Nok Air, SRT Electrified Train (Red Line), Aya Service, Aya Service minivan booking, Aya Service contact, Government of Canada, Travel advice for Thailand, UK FCDO, Thailand safety and security. Checked September 26, 2026.
Fly from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, then take a minivan or private car from Chiang Mai to Pai. Leave Bangkok in the morning if you want to reach Pai the same day.
Pai is in Pai District, Mae Hong Son province, in northwestern Thailand. It is reached by road from Chiang Mai.
Aya Service's online booking listed seats at 250 baht each way when checked on September 26, 2026, with departures from Chiang Mai hourly from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Prices and times can change, and morning departures can sell out.
Its website gives its Chiang Mai office as 60-60/1 B13-14 Kham Thiang Plaza, Soi Srimongkol, Mueang Chiang Mai 50300. Confirm the pickup point when you book. Phone +66 86 920 8666.
Airports of Thailand lists the Chiang Mai City Bus, running 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., and airport shuttle buses from Gate 12 of the international terminal: routes A1 and A2 at 40 baht and route A3 at 60 baht. Car rental counters and songthaew trucks are also available.
It is a mountain road, and government travel advice urges caution. Canada advises avoiding mountain roads at night, especially in the rainy season, and the UK notes that riding without the correct licence can invalidate travel insurance. Most visitors are better off in a minivan or private car.
No. Trains run from Bangkok as far as Chiang Mai; the final leg to Pai is by road.
