The largest city in northern Thailand, Chiang Mai is a colorful and vibrant city in a beautiful mountain setting. While it is famous for its old quarter and large number of temples, it also has a modern quarter, but tourists usually spend their time in the old town. The city is surrounded by lush jungle, so you don’t have to go far from the asphalt to reach small towns with a completely different lifestyle. After getting to know the history of Thailand up close, what better than a trip to Sukhothai? Sukhothai Historical Park protects an ancient ruined city that was the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom between the 13th and 14th centuries. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this place is considered one of the best in Thailand because of how impressive it is. It is full of temples and covers an area of about 70 square kilometers.
Options to go from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai
Sukhothai is located 310 kilometers south of Chiang Mai on a road that meanders quite steeply from east to west, cutting through mountains and national parks. For this reason, the views along the way are fantastic, but the journey is much longer than if it could be done in a straight line. By road you have the option of traveling by bus, van or taxi. You can also travel by train, and although you can’t get to Sukhothai this way, you can get pretty close. The tour ended with a transfer by bus or taxi.
From Chiang Mai to Sukhothai by van
Toyota vehicle commonly used as a van in Thailand © nitinut380 / Shutterstock.com
Although the bus is the most popular means of transport for getting around Thailand, it is not always the best option. We’ll have more details on this a bit later. For the journey from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai, we recommend vans because they are faster than buses and because they are smaller, they are easier to navigate on mountain roads. This makes the journey more comfortable in some ways, although it is true that you have less space in the van, so you are sacrificing some personal space when traveling this way.
The advantage of traveling by van from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai is the cost, speed and the fact that you can enjoy a direct connection from the center of Chiang Mai to the Sukhothai Historical Park itself. Aside from taxis, which are much more expensive, vans are the only transportation option that offers this ease.
You can book a van from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai through the website 12Go.asia. These vans are operated by the same company, 12Go Travel, so you can enjoy several benefits as you get instant confirmation and reliable service as well as economy when you book directly with them. Vans can accommodate up to nine passengers. It departs from the Suriwong Book Center in Chiang Mai at 8:00 a.m. each day and arrives at The Coffee Cup in Sukhothai Historical Park at 1:30 p.m. In total, the tour should take approximately 5.5 hours.
From Chiang Mai to Sukhothai by taxi
If you book a seat in the van, you will share a seat with up to 8 other passengers whom you probably don’t know. But if you’re exploring Thailand with friends or meet people along the way who want to visit the same places as you, booking a taxi from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai can be convenient and affordable.
If you are a group of nine people, you can take the van, and if you share the cost between everyone, the individual price will only be a few euros more expensive than a ticket in a shared van. You may wonder what is the point of choosing this option, but the truth is that it is more practical and faster. Premium van taxi offers a more direct service, with pick-up from your accommodation in Chiang Mai and the option to drop you off at your hotel in Sukhothai. Thus, the trip with Glassflower takes approximately 4.5 hours.
You can also consider other private taxi companies such as Jed Yord. This company has vehicles of various sizes and offers different pick-up locations as well as hotels in Chiang Mai. Of course, the fewer passengers travel, the more expensive it will be per person.
From Chiang Mai to Sukhothai by bus
Arcade Bus Terminal © Amnat Phuthamrong / Shutterstock.com
Buses are the cheapest option to get from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai, but they also have their downsides. The main bus companies that serve this route do not have modern vehicles, so it is more difficult to find a way to buy a ticket online. It is best to go to the Chiang Mai bus station and buy tickets directly there. Please note that the bus you will be traveling on is considered a second class bus and does not offer any comfort except for air conditioning. It is also important to know that the bus goes to the city of Sukhothai, not to the Historical Park, so from there you will have to make your own way to the park, which is 1.5 km from the new city. This will make the trip a bit more expensive and longer, in addition to the 5.5 hours it takes for the bus to cover the route from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai.
From Chiang Mai to Sukhothai by train
Phitsanulok Railway Station © pittaya / Shutterstock.com
As mentioned earlier, the train doesn’t cover the entire route from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai, but you can make most of your journey by train if you prefer. Choosing the train may seem strange, because ultimately the journey is longer and more expensive than by bus or van. So why should you consider traveling by train from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai?
Many travelers like to travel around Thailand by train because it is a fantastic experience. From the train you can enjoy the beautiful scenery, although the biggest advantage of the train is that there is room to get up, walk, go to the bathroom, drink or eat something, etc. These are very convenient services that are not available in buses or vans. Therefore, choosing a train is a completely personal option. If you decide to take the train from Chiang Mai to Phitsanulok, you can book a ticket through 12Go and take a tuk-tuk from there to the bus station. Once at the station, you would have to take a minibus to Sukhothai or take the last leg of a taxi from the train station.
With all these transportation options to get from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai, you’ll find that there’s something for every budget. If you are looking for a cheap and easy solution, you can choose a van. If you prefer to travel quietly contemplating the landscape, it is worth taking the train.