Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai by Scooter: Temples, Singha Park and the Golden Triangle
Yes, you can ride a scooter from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, and it’s a great trip as long as you stay at least one night. The ride is about 190 km on Route 118 and takes 3.5 to 4 hours with a couple of stops. Take a 155cc scooter or bigger. Once you’re up there it’s really handy to have your own bike, because the White Temple, the Blue Temple, the Black House, Singha Park and the Golden Triangle are all in different directions out of town.
I’ve done this ride a few times, and it’s one of the trips customers ask us about most, so here’s how I’d do it.
How far is Chiang Rai from Chiang Mai?
It’s roughly 180 to 190 km. You leave Chiang Mai on Route 118 through Doi Saket and Wiang Pa Pao, and it joins Highway 1 just south of Chiang Rai city. The bus does the same road in about 3 hours 20 minutes to 3 hours 45 minutes (GoAsia). On a scooter you’re not much slower, but you’ll want a petrol stop and probably a coffee, so I’d allow 3.5 to 4 hours.
What’s the ride from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai like?
I’ll be honest: the ride up isn’t the best part of this trip. Route 118 is the main road, and it’s long, mostly straight and pretty hot by late morning. There are a few bends through the hills after Doi Saket, but if you’ve ridden the Samoeng Loop or the Mae Hong Son Loop you’ll find it a bit boring in comparison. You’re really going for what’s at the other end.
It is an easy ride, though. There are petrol stations and 7-Elevens all the way along, plus plenty of roadside places for food and coffee, so you don’t have to plan your stops. Nothing on the way really stands out for me, so I wouldn’t plan the day around any of it; just stop when you feel like a break.
Leave early. If you’re out of Chiang Mai by 7 or 8am you ride the first couple of hours while it’s still cool, and you get to Chiang Rai with the whole afternoon ahead of you.
Wear sunscreen, and put more on when you stop. Four hours of sun on a straight road will burn your arms and the backs of your hands before you notice. A light long-sleeved top is even better, and it’ll keep you cooler than you’d think.
Which scooter should you rent for the Chiang Rai trip?
I’d say 155cc minimum. A 125cc will get you there, but it’s working hard the whole way on a 190 km highway ride, and with two people or a bag it’s slow on the hills. A 155cc like the Yamaha NMAX or Aerox sits at highway speed without any trouble. If there are two of you with luggage, our 300cc scooters (the Yamaha XMAX and Honda Forza) are the most comfortable, and they have a lot more space under the seat.
Taking one of our scooters up to Chiang Rai is fine. The guide on which scooter to rent in Chiang Mai explains the differences between the bikes, and the 300cc models are on the big scooters page.
Can you do Chiang Rai as a day trip?
You could, but I wouldn’t. The round trip is 7 to 8 hours of riding, most of it in the heat, and you’d miss the two best things about Chiang Rai: the Blue Temple at night and the sunset at Singha Park. One night is the minimum. If you want to see the Golden Triangle as well, stay two.
What is there to see in Chiang Rai?
These are the places I’d go to. Prices and hours are from current guides and do change, so it’s worth checking on the day.
| Place | Where | Entry | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) | about 13 km south of the city | 200 baht for foreigners | 8am–5pm |
| Blue Temple (Wat Rong Suea Ten) | about 3 km north of the centre | free (donations welcome) | 7am–8pm |
| Black House (Baan Dam Museum) | about 13 km north | 80 baht | 9am–5pm, closed 12–1pm |
| Singha Park | about 12 km from the city | free to get in | 9am–6pm |
| Golden Triangle (Sop Ruak) | about 70–80 km north | free viewpoint | open all day |
The White Temple
The White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) is the one most people come for, and it’s worth the hype. The Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat designed it, and the whole thing is white plaster and little pieces of mirrored glass, so on a sunny day it’s almost too bright to look at. It’s about 13 km south of the city, just off Highway 1 (Gecko Routes), which means you go right past it on the way in from Chiang Mai.
Foreigners pay 200 baht now. It was 100 baht until the price doubled on 1 January 2026; Thai visitors still go in free (Khaosod English). It’s open from 8am to 5pm (Passport and Stamps). You’ll need your shoulders and knees covered, but they lend sarongs at the entrance. The tour buses from Chiang Mai arrive around the middle of the day, so early morning or late afternoon is a lot quieter.
The Blue Temple
The Blue Temple is my favourite thing in Chiang Rai, and you should go at night. Wat Rong Suea Ten is deep blue and gold with a big white Buddha inside. After dark the whole temple is lit up, and it looks completely different from the daytime photos you’ve seen online. It stays open until 8pm (Passport and Stamps), so have dinner first and get there around 6:30 or 7pm.
It’s only about 3 km north of the centre, in the Rim Kok area, so that’s a ten-minute ride. Entry is free. The dress code is the same as at the White Temple, and you take your shoes off to go inside.
The Black House
People call it the Black Temple, but the Black House (Baan Dam) isn’t actually a temple. It was the home and studio of Thawan Duchanee, a Thai National Artist, and it’s a big garden of more than 40 dark teak buildings full of his work, about 13 km north of the city (Thai Holiday Guide). After the White Temple it’s a strange contrast (dark and heavy where the other one is bright), which is exactly why I’d see both.
It costs 80 baht. It’s open 9am to 5pm but shuts for lunch between 12 and 1, so don’t turn up at five to twelve.
Singha Park
Singha Park belongs to Boon Rawd, the company that makes Singha beer, and it’s beautiful. It’s a huge farm (more than 8,000 rai) with tea plantations, lakes and flower fields, about 12 km from the city and not far from the White Temple (Love Thailand). It’s free to get in.
Go for the sunset. Watching the sun go down over the tea fields is the best way I know to finish a day in Chiang Rai. There’s food there too: Bhu Bhirom is the restaurant with the view, and there are a couple of tea cafés if you only want a drink. If you want to get around the park you can hire a bicycle (200 baht for two hours) or take the tram tour for 150 baht.
One thing to watch: the park is listed as open 9am to 6pm. From November to January the sun sets around 6, which works out fine. In the hotter months it sets later, so ask at the gate what time they close before you sit down.
The Golden Triangle
The Golden Triangle is where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet, at the point where the Ruak River runs into the Mekong. At Sop Ruak there’s a viewpoint with a big golden Buddha, boats that take you out on the Mekong (the short trip is about 20 minutes, per Love Thailand), and two opium museums. The House of Opium is small and costs 50 baht; the Hall of Opium is the bigger, government-run one at 200 baht.
It’s further than people expect. Sop Ruak is about 70 to 80 km north of Chiang Rai, around 1 hour 15 minutes to 1.5 hours each way on Highway 1 and then through Chiang Saen (Nasha Planeta). That’s why I’d add a second night for it — riding to the Golden Triangle and then 190 km back to Chiang Mai on the same day is too much.
How should you plan the trip?
This is how I’d split it up.
With one night, leave Chiang Mai at 7 or 8am and stop at the White Temple on your way into town. After you’ve checked in, ride out to Singha Park for the late afternoon, watch the sunset and eat there. Then head over to the Blue Temple once it’s dark. The next morning, be at the Black House for 9am when it opens, and ride back to Chiang Mai after that so you’re home before dark.
With two nights, do the same first and last day, and use the middle day for the Golden Triangle: ride up in the morning, take a boat on the Mekong, see the Hall of Opium and come back to Chiang Rai in the evening. If you missed the Blue Temple on the first night, go then. There’s also a short light show at the Clock Tower in the middle of town at 7, 8 and 9pm (Gecko Routes).
When is the best time to ride to Chiang Rai?
November to January is the nicest time, with dry roads and cool mornings, although it still gets hot by midday (so the sunscreen advice still stands). February to April is burning season. The smoke can be as bad in Chiang Rai as it is in Chiang Mai, so check the air quality on air4thai before you go. From June to October you’ll get afternoon rain, which means leaving early and trying to be off the road by early afternoon. There’s more detail, month by month, in our guide to the best time to ride a scooter in Chiang Mai.
Before a long ride like this, have a read of our motorcycle safety guide. Carry your licence and passport with you, because there are police checkpoints on the main highways.
More long rides from Chiang Mai
If you like the sound of Chiang Rai, have a look at the Mae Hong Son Loop, which is the classic 3 to 5 day mountain loop. An overnight trip to Pai is shorter and a lot curvier than the road to Chiang Rai, and Chiang Dao is a good one for caves and mountains north of the city.
Ready to ride? Every scooter and price is on our Scooters & Rates page, or you can message us on WhatsApp. We deliver free anywhere in central Chiang Mai.
Written by Anton from AA Scooter Rentals, from his own rides; drafted with AI help and fact-checked.
