Chiang Mai to BKK - fastest route

[connda]

If driving from CM to Bangkok, two highways split at Lampang.  There are highway 11 and highway 1.  Which is the best road to take?  Just looking for opinions.  I've been down 11 but have never driven down highway 1.  Google maps shows it as the fastest route, but without knowing the quality of the road, that may or may not be true. 

[anon467848]

Let me be the first one to say it, FLY, cheap as chips these days...

[jackdd]

I've never used highway 11, but used highway 1 in the past.

It's an average Thai highway, the road is ok, nothing special

[YaiJung]

Just drove highway 1 both ways in the last week. Most of it is newly surfaced and about as good as it gets in Thailand. Tiny bit of construction near Nakhon Sawan.

[bubba]

Definitely Highway 1 from Lampang. It's a bit shorter, driving time is considerably less and the road is better.

[connda]

Thanks much! 

[connda]

14 hours ago, merlin2002 said:

Let me be the first one to say it, FLY, cheap as chips these days...

This is a road trip.  Bpai tieow! 

BKK isn't the destination, but we'll pass by it.  Otherwise, I agree.  If I was simply taking a trip to BKK, I'd fly.  But we're being tourists and getting out of the Northern haze - hopefully.  Stopping here and there, smelling the flowers, seeing the sights along the way. 

[KhunBENQ]

Not my route, but looked at the map and just noticed that highway 1 does quite a turn/detour at Nakhon Sawan/Chainat border to Saraburi.

The straight way to Bangkok outer ring after that would be highway 32 ("AH1"). Looks like a proper 4 lane divided highway.

?

 

 

[YaiJung]

That is correct. South of Nakhon Sawan you take 32 the rest of the way down. Just follow googlemaps. 32 is in good shape. Easy drive.

[OneZero]

Hiway 1 /32  for sure.  This thread helped me tremendously.