Gulf coast to the north · from 8 hours door to door

Ban Krut to
Chiang Mai

Train up the coast, one short flight from Hua Hin, and dinner in the old city the same evening.

Book your stay

Find a room before you go.

Find hotels on Booking.com · Chiang Mai
Train to Hua Hin
Direct flight north
Same-day arrival
Bangkok alternative
Overnight sleeper
Cool season Nov–Feb
The journey

Coast to mountains in one day

Ban Krut and Chiang Mai sit at opposite ends of Thailand, and the trip has always been treated as a two-day affair. It no longer has to be. A northbound train gets you to Hua Hin in two and a half to three and a half hours, and the evening flight from Hua Hin lands in Chiang Mai at 18.50.

Thai AirAsia Airbus A320

It only works on the flying days — Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday until 24 October 2026, then daily. Outside those days the trip runs through Bangkok instead, which costs you a few hours but opens up far more departures.

Transport

Tickets & connections

Search tickets on 12go

Affiliate link. If you book through it we earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Quick facts

Ban Krut → Chiang Mai

  • Train Ban Krut–Hua Hin: 2½–3½ hours
  • Flight FD3901 Hua Hin–Chiang Mai: 17.35–18.50
  • Flying days: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun — daily from 25 October 2026
  • Via Bangkok: 4–5 hours to the capital, then 1 h 20 in the air
  • Overnight sleeper from Bangkok: about 12 hours
Yi Peng lanterns over Chiang Mai
How to do it

Step by step

Take a morning train from Ban Krut. Any northbound service stops in Hua Hin, and a morning departure leaves the whole afternoon as a buffer — worth having, because the southern line is not famous for punctuality.

From Hua Hin station, a taxi or Grab takes you the seven kilometres north to the airport in ten to fifteen minutes. Check in two hours ahead as the airline asks; in practice bag drop and security are done in half an hour.

If your date falls outside the flying days, continue from Hua Hin to Bangkok by train, bus or minivan, and fly north from Don Mueang or Suvarnabhumi — departures run all day. The overnight sleeper from Krung Thep Aphiwat is the slow, cheap and rather lovely alternative.

Good to know

Timing

  • Book the flight before the train: it is a single aircraft, four days a week.
  • Allow at least three hours between train arrival in Hua Hin and departure.
  • Chiang Mai airport is fifteen minutes from the old city, so a late landing is not a problem.
  • November to February is the best window in the north. March and April bring smoke haze.
Hua Hin Airport terminal
At the other end

What is waiting up north

Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai
Old city

Wat Phra Singh

The best known of the thirty-odd temples inside the moat, with a Lanna assembly hall that is worth the walk on its own.

Chiang Mai Night Bazaar
Market

Night Bazaar

Chang Klan Road turns into a market every evening of the year — handicrafts, food halls and live music a short walk from the old city.

Terraced fields at Mon Cham
Mountains

Mae Rim valley

An hour north of town the road climbs into terraced hills and hill-tribe villages, cool enough for strawberries and an evening blanket.

Where to stay

Where to stay in Chiang Mai

Arriving in the evening, it pays to be central. Inside the moat you can drop your bag and walk out to eat; Nimman is the choice for a longer stay; the riverside hotels give you space and quiet a short ride from the old town.

Browse hotels in Chiang Mai on Booking.com →
Where next

Read on

Home › Travel guides › Ban Krut to Chiang Mai