On Monday, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year there is a direct bus service from Luang Prabang in Laos to Chiang Mai in Thailand. The journey takes 20 hours by bus to travel the 679 km from Lung Prabang to Chiang Mai. The direct bus service is quicker than travelling from Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai via Vientiane and Nong Khai.
Travel Times to Chiang Mai
There is are 4 direct bus services a week from Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai which are available to book online.
Luang Prabang | Chiang Mai | Cost | Company |
17:30 | 15:30 | $44.00 USD | Naga Travel |
- This service does not currently operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
- Passengers on this service travel on a VIP 36 seater bus with reclining seats, A/C, on board toilet, snack and food at a roadside restaurant included in the price.
Buy Tickets to Chiang Mai
Use the Search Box below to buy your bus tickets from Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai.
Luang Prabang Bus Station
Bus services to Chiang Mai depart from the small car park opposite side of the road to the entrance to the Southern Bus Terminal in Luang Prabang.
Chiang Mai Bus Station
Bus Services from Luang Prabang terminate at Chiang Mai’s Arcade Bus Station.
Travel from Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is a regional transport hub for travel across the Northern region of Thailand, as well as direct services to the North East of Thailand and locations in Central Thailand such as Bangkok and Ayutthaya. Chiang Mai has three bus terminals next to each other, a train station and a large international airport.

For travel to Bangkok most travellers choose to either fly or take the train. A 2nd class sleeper seat from on a train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok is about 30% cheaper than flying and if you travel overnight you also get a further saving by not paying for a hotel for the night. The journey by train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok takes between 10 hours 35 minutes and 14 hours 40 minutes depending upon which train you take. There are also many different bus services from Chiang Mai to destinations such as Pai, Chiang Khong, Kanchanaburi, Loei and Mae Sot for the border crossing to Myanmar.