Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai: which place suits you?

Chiang Mai is the larger city, with an old town inside a moat, many temples and cafés. Chiang Rai is small and relaxed; its sights are mostly outside the town and make good day trips.

Golden chedi of a temple on a wooded hill, surrounded by mist, rice terraces and mountains in northern Thailand, seen from above

Chiang MaiTemples and mountains in the north

White Temple Wat Rong Khun with sparkling mirror decorations in calm morning light, a pond with a reflection in front and green hills behind in northern Thailand

Chiang RaiWhite Temple and the Golden Triangle

Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai compared

	Chiang Mai	Chiang Rai
Region	North	North
Character	Temples and mountains in the north	White Temple and the Golden Triangle
Best time to visit	November to February: dry, warm by day, cool at night.	November to February: dry, warm by day, cool at night.
Getting there	Flight from Bangkok (Don Mueang) about 1 hr 10 to 1 hr 20 min, or by night train or bus	Flight from Bangkok (Don Mueang or Suvarnabhumi) about 1 hr 20 to 1 hr 35 min, bus about 10 to 12 hrs
Rain over the year	JJanuary: 4 mm, dry FFebruary: 9 mm, dry MMarch: 18 mm, dry AApril: 57 mm, dry MMay: 162 mm, rainy season JJune: 124 mm, changeable JJuly: 140 mm, changeable AAugust: 217 mm, rainy season SSeptember: 211 mm, rainy season OOctober: 118 mm, changeable NNovember: 54 mm, dry DDecember: 16 mm, dry Chiang Mai station	JJanuary: 8 mm, dry FFebruary: 14 mm, dry MMarch: 28 mm, dry AApril: 98 mm, changeable MMay: 213 mm, rainy season JJune: 178 mm, rainy season JJuly: 311 mm, rainy season AAugust: 358 mm, rainy season SSeptember: 284 mm, rainy season OOctober: 125 mm, changeable NNovember: 59 mm, dry DDecember: 14 mm, dry Chiang Rai station
Highlights	Wat Phra Sing in the old town Wat Phra That Doi Suthep high above the city Doi Inthanon National Park with Thailand's highest peak	White Temple Wat Rong Khun south of the city Wat Phra Kaeo, where the Emerald Buddha was found Golden Triangle on the Mekong with views of Laos and Myanmar

dry under 60 mm
changeable 60 to 150 mm
rainy season over 150 mm

Bars: rain per month from January to December. Weather figures: Thai Meteorological Department (TMD), climate averages 1981 to 2010, rounded. All monthly figures are on the weather page: Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

How to decide

Choose Chiang Mai if you …

want an easy journey: a sleeper train leaves Bangkok in the evening and you arrive in the morning. Chiang Rai has no railway station.
like markets: in Chiang Mai there is one somewhere every day, and on Sundays the big Walking Street is added.
want to eat well and stroll through modern neighbourhoods: Nimman has cafés and bars, and in 2026, 18 places in the city hold a Bib Gourmand.

All about Chiang Mai →

Choose Chiang Rai if you …

want to see the White Temple, the Blue Temple and the Black House: the White Temple costs 200 baht, the Blue Temple is free.
want to explore the surrounding area: from Chiang Rai you can reach the Golden Triangle, Doi Tung, Doi Mae Salong and Phu Chi Fah.
like relaxed evenings: at the Clock Tower a short light and music show runs at 19:00, 20:00 and 21:00, and right next to it the night market is open until around 22:30.

All about Chiang Rai →

Frequently asked questions

How do I get from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai?

By bus it takes about three to four hours. Green Bus runs about 13 times a day, and a seat on the express bus costs 260 to 290 baht.

What is the weather like in the north?

Almost the same in both places. From November to February it hardly rains; it is warm by day and cool at night. In March and April it gets very hot. The most rain falls in Chiang Mai in August and September, in Chiang Rai in July and August.

What is the air like?

In the dry season there is smoke and fine dust in the air. In Chiang Mai it builds up from January and is worst in March and early April, in Chiang Rai mostly from February to April. If you have respiratory or heart problems, you are better off travelling between November and January.