Hat Yai to Chiang Mai by Train, Bus or Flight
If you want to travel by from Hat Yai to Chiang Mai, you have the options of travel by train, bus or fly.
The distance from Hat Yai to Chiang Mai is over 1,600 km, so if you travel overland, it is best to break the journey and stop off along the way.
Flight from Hat Yai to Chiang Mai
This is a long overland journey, so easily the best option is to take an Air Asia flight from Hat Yai to Chiang Mai (HDY to CNX).
The flight time is around two hours and it is easily the quickest way to get to Chiang Mai from Hat Yai.
To find cheap flights from HDY to CNX click here >
Hat Yai to Chiang Mai by Train
This long rail journey is possible with two separate train trips:
The first part of the journey is to take a train from Hat Yai Junction to the new Bang Sue Grand Station (Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal) in Bangkok.
Bang Sue Grand Station is the main interchange station for the South, North and North-Eastern Railway Lines in Thailand.
All trains from Hat Yai Junction to Bangkok now terminate at Bang Sue Grand Station (from January 2023).
To see the train timetable from Hat Yai to Bang Sue Grand click here >
Once at Bang Sue Grand you can then take another train to Chiang Mai.
To see the timetable for trains from Bang Sue to Chiang Mai click here >
Our recommended way to travel by train to Chiang Mai from Hat Yai:
A good option is to take an overnight sleeper train to Bang Sue Grand.
Then take a regular train from Bang Sue Grand to Ayutthaya.
Spend the night in Ayutthaya to see the sights of the ancient capital.
Next take the train from Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai.
When you finally arrive in Chiang Mai by train, the train station is located around 3 km away from the old city (the walled area of Chiang Mai).
For more information on the train station, click on the picture link below:
For information about how to travel from the train station to the city centre, see our:
How to get to/from Chiang Mai train station page here >
Hat Yai to Chiang Mai by Bus
There are no direct bus services to Chiang Mai from Hat Yai.
If you really want to do this journey by bus (not recommended), here is how you can do it.
Take a bus from Hat Yai to Bangkok (all buses arrive at the Southern Bus Terminal).
You will then have to get to the Northern Bus Terminal (Mo Chit), where most buses leave for Chiang Mai.
A nicer alternative would be to take a bus or train from Hat Yai to Hua Hin (220 km south of Bangkok).
From Hua Hin there is a direct bus service to Chiang Mai.
To search for buses in Thailand click here >
