Chiang Mai to Lampang — Blue9 Vans Every 20–30 Minutes ฿109, Trains from ฿23, Green Bus, Times (September 2026)
Blue9 minivans leave Chiang Mai's Arcade terminal every 20–30 minutes from 07:00 to 18:30 for ฿109 and take 1.5 hours; trains take about 2 hours for ฿23–100 and stop in the middle of Lampang; Green Bus coaches run the same road. The easy day trip north of Chiang Mai, with the horse carts and Wat Phra That Lampang Luang.
Quick answer: Blue9 minivan from Arcade Bus Terminal — every 20–30 minutes from 07:00 to about 18:30, ฿109, 1.5 hours, no booking needed most days. Or the train from Chiang Mai station, about 2 hours, ฿23 in third class to ฿100 in air-con second, arriving at Lampang's handsome old station five minutes from the river. Last vans back around 18:30.
The route in numbers
| Chiang Mai → Lampang | checked September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Distance | 100 km on Route 11 over the Khun Tan hills |
| Blue9 minivan | 07:00, 07:30, 08:00, 08:55, 09:20, 09:45 … every 20–30 min to about 18:30 · ฿109 · 1 h 30 |
| Green Bus | several a day · ฿73–150 by class · 1 h 45 – 2 h |
| Train | 6–8 a day, first before 07:00 · ฿23 third class, ฿50–100 second class · about 2 h · Chiang Mai station → Lampang station |
| Leaves from | Blue9 and Green Bus: Arcade Bus Terminal (Terminals 2/3), Kaew Nawarat Road · trains: Chiang Mai railway station, Charoen Muang Road |
| Arrives at | Lampang bus terminal, 2 km south-west of the centre (songthaew ฿20–30) · Lampang railway station, 1 km from the river and old town |
The van: the workhorse
Blue9 runs the Chiang Mai–Lampang shuttle like a city bus: a 14-seat van every 20–30 minutes from 07:00 to the early evening, ฿109 online, about the same at the counter, 90 minutes on the expressway-standard Route 11. Departures on the September listing: 07:00, 07:30, 08:00, 08:55, 09:20, 09:45, 10:50, 11:10, 11:30, 11:50, 12:10, 12:30, 12:50, 13:10 and on through the afternoon. Turn up at the Arcade complex, buy a ticket, take the next van; book online only on Thai holiday weekends.
Vans arrive at Lampang bus terminal on the ring road, 2 km from the centre — songthaews (฿20–30) and the town's horse carts wait outside.
The train
Chiang Mai–Lampang is the first stretch of the main line to Bangkok, so every departure from Chiang Mai stops at Lampang: six to eight trains a day, the first before 07:00, the last in the evening. Third class is ฿23 and perfectly comfortable for two hours; second-class air-con seats on the express railcars ฿50–100. The line climbs through the Khun Tan tunnel — Thailand's longest, over a century old — and the scenery beats the highway. Lampang station, a 1916 teak-and-brick building, is a kilometre from the Wang river and the old town, an easy walk or a ฿50 horse cart.
Green Bus
Green Bus coaches from Arcade run the same road several times a day, ฿73 standard to ฿150 VIP, 1 h 45 – 2 h; they are long-distance services continuing to Phrae, Nan or Bangkok and arrive at the bus terminal. Fine if the timing suits; the van is more frequent.
What to do with the day
- Wat Phra That Lampang Luang, the finest Lanna temple in the north, is 18 km south-west of town: a songthaew from the market (฿40–60) or a hired tuk-tuk (฿300–400 return with waiting time).
- Horse carts (rot ma) are Lampang's thing — ฿200–300 for a 30–45-minute circuit of the old town and riverside.
- Kad Kong Ta walking street on the riverside runs Saturday and Sunday evenings; stay the night for it.
- The Thai Elephant Conservation Center at Hang Chat is on the Chiang Mai road, 30 km before Lampang; Blue9 vans will drop you at the turn-off on request.
Onward
- Lampang → Bangkok: every southbound train stops here — see Bangkok → Chiang Mai for the sleepers, which pass Lampang two hours after leaving Chiang Mai.
- Lampang → Sukhothai / Phrae / Nan: buses from the terminal.
Where to stay
Compare hotels and guesthouses along this route (prices change by season; check the live price on the booking page): Lampang · Chiang Mai
Sources and last check
Checked 15 September 2026 against: 12Go listings for Chiang Mai → Lampang (Blue9 departure times and fare; train and Green Bus fare ranges). Train frequency, songthaew and horse-cart prices, temple transport and the elephant-centre stop are traveller-reported details, not official tariffs.