Chiang Mai Getting there & around

Getting around

Bus & tram

Bus

After much protracted talk and studies concerning a Mass Transit System to alleviate Chiang Mai’s traffic congestion, a bus system has finally emerged. There are four new routes – numbers 2, 4, 6 and 8 – in addition to number 10, an existing bus route.

White air-con buses ply routes 2, 6 and 10. Numbered red sǎwngthǎew follow routes 4 and 8. The air-con buses cost 10B per person and the sǎwngthǎew (on these routes) charge 15B. With no number allotted, yellow sǎwngthǎew (or the purple line on the map) run from Th Praisani (the road running along Mae Ping River near Warorot Market), stop at Chang Pheuak bus station, Rajabhat University and finally, Mae Rim.

Maps of these routes can be found in most free publications around Chiang Mai, or pick one up at TAT. These services run every 15 minutes from 6am to 9pm daily.

At the time of writing this seemed to be a fledgling service. Most Chiang Mai residents still take the regular sǎwngthǎew and many also own their own bicycles or motorcycles.

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Bicycle

Cycling is a good way to get around Chiang Mai if you don’t mind a little traffic and, at the denser intersections, vehicular fumes. The city is small enough so that everywhere is accessible by bicycle, including Chiang Mai University, Wat U Mong, Wat Suan Dok and the Chiang Mai National Museum on the outskirts of town.

If you have your own bicycle with you and need repairs or hard-to-find parts, your best bet is Canadian-owned Top Gear Bike Shop (0 5323 3450; topgearbike@hotmail.com; 173 Th Chang Moi), near Soi 2.

Basic Chinese- or Thai-manufactured bicycles can be rented for around 30B to 50B a day from some guesthouses or from various places along the east moat:

Contact Travel (0 5381 2444; www.activethailand.com; 73/7 Th Charoen Prathet) Rents rugged 21-speed mountain bikes for 200B a day. Also operates cycling tours around the province.

Velocity (0 5341 0665; velocity@thaimail.com; 177 Th Chang Pheuak) Rents mountain and racing bikes, offers guided tours and carries all kinds of cycling accessories.

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