Known as the hills of Thailand, Chiang Mai is the second largest city after the capital Bangkok, but their characters are poles apart.
While Bangkok is a very busy and crowded metro city, Chiang Mai is much more laid back and relaxed. Its the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok and only a 55 minute flight away with many airline options all through the day. Depending on how close to your travel date you book, flights are very reasonably priced ( I generally never pay more than Thb 2500 return and often pay much less) and easily available. Both Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Muang International have flights to Chiang Mai so if you are transiting make sure you book from the correct airport as the travel time between the two can be anywhere from 1-3hrs depending on what time of day you are travelling and what the traffic situation is like.
If you are more adventurous and have time in hand, the trains between the two cities are an adventurous way to do the trip. It is about a 11-14 hrs journey depending on which train you choose. The day trains start around 8:30 am and reach Bangkok by 7:30 pm or so, while if you want to save on a hotel room night you can board the night train which leaves around 7:30 pm and arrives in Chiang Mai around 7:30 am the next day.
Again depending on when and which class you book, the cost can be around Thb 350 to Thb 1500 one way.
For more details on the train journey check out the "All Aboard BKK-CNX " blog post coming soon!
Other travel options are driving and taking the bus but I have no personal experience with either as yet.
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