Driving from Bangkok to Chiangrai (with GPS) easy for beginner?

[wowjudo]

Hello guys,

I have quick questions on the trip from bkk to chiangrai.

- Is it beginner friendly route with a GPS ? recommend or more likely dangerous ?

- Had any of you experienced heavy stonechip damage on the car after such long trips ?

The 2nd question is abit silly but ill be driving an expenssive car that isnt cheap to repair so i better ask before making wrong decision.

The car is a gift for my Uncle that always fancy sportcar and i wanted to surprise him for helping our family out so much.

So for a first-timer that makes this route would u rather let me deliver the car via a sleigh truck or safe enough to drive it myself there.

thanks for the replies in advance

[thailoht]

You will be driving one of the most popular traveled routes in LOS, so nothing out of the ordinary in all of my travels. Personally, 'chips' would be the last thing on my mind with the way some of your fellow travelers will undoubtedly be driving!

GPS is your friend - I would never travel without it!

Hope you enjoy your commute.

[mortenaa]

Easy peasy. Just follow AH1 (blue square signs). Do not follow Highway 1 (as the GPS might suggest), as you will be in for one helluva detour. In Rangsit (north of Bangkok), continue on Highway 32 (AH1). Once you reach Tak, you can follow Highway 1 for the rest of the way.

The roads are good, but the tarmac is in bad shape in some places. Keep your distance and your eyes open

[fredob43]

As others have said no problem 32/1 all the way. The road is a bit rough once you go down the N/Sawan By-pass and for about 30km after that but most of the rest has been resurfaced should take with a bit of luck 9/10 hours depending on what part of BKK you are coming from also what speed.

[VocalNeal]

I think, for effect, as it is a gift and if it is a new car it would be better for it to arrive at your uncle's house on a truck with a ribbon tied around it.

[BSJ]

Don't be tempted to detour up Hwy 11 as there is a lot of bad road surface.

[wprime]

9>32>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1>1

[thailoht]

^ ^ ^ ^ I second that!

GPS will be your best friend +97% of the time.

[wowjudo]

Thanks guys i arrived alive. Was nice to drive there at night. No traffic at all

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[thailoht]

Thanks guys i arrived alive. Was nice to drive there at night. No traffic at all.

You drove the roads at night! I am glad you arrived 'alive' but you were throwing all caution to the wind ........

[wowjudo]

well this is what i got recommend to do. but it was really a pleasant trip besides some weird moments with truckers in the uphill roads.

the roads are in a very good condition except a part somewhere leading to nakhorn sawan.

[wprime]

well this is what i got recommend to do. but it was really a pleasant trip besides some weird moments with truckers in the uphill roads.

the roads are in a very good condition except a part somewhere leading to nakhorn sawan.

So many trucks are overloaded and can't accelerate up hills in any higher than the lower gears (<5km/h) so they will do anything to avoid losing momentum (which usually involves sudden lane changes to the right). The worst part is when you're heading into Isaan, the long climb before the curved road in the mountains on the outskirts of Khorat - even in non-holiday periods this road can be backed up for miles as the trucks are climbing the hill in all lanes at low speed.

[RT85]

hey guys!! yes it's an old post.. but..

i am planning a drive up to Chiang Rai from Bangkok... and possibly Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai, then Chiang Mai Bangkok..

CR-BKK... i know i can drive up in one day.. but IF i wanted to take an overnight pitstop along the way up.. preferbly at least 50% of the way to CR... which part would be the nicest or make the most sense to stop at? anywhere safe with good food and comfortable but not too expensive lodging will be great!!!

i speak thai and my wife is thai.. so we aren't worried about getting lost or asking for help anywhere.

[fredob43]

hey guys!! yes it's an old post.. but..

i am planning a drive up to Chiang Rai from Bangkok... and possibly Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai, then Chiang Mai Bangkok..

CR-BKK... i know i can drive up in one day.. but IF i wanted to take an overnight pitstop along the way up.. preferbly at least 50% of the way to CR... which part would be the nicest or make the most sense to stop at? anywhere safe with good food and comfortable but not too expensive lodging will be great!!!

i speak thai and my wife is thai.. so we aren't worried about getting lost or asking for help anywhere.

How about Kamphang Phet roughly halfway between the two.

Hotel I would suggest would be the Chakungrao Google it, morning buffet breakfast around 1,000bt a night. If that's to pricy there are many around the 350bt

Plenty of good restaurants abound. If you decide to stop just ask via TV or a PM and I'll give you names & directions.

As you speak Thai you wont have any problems.

BKK it isn't so don't expect everyone or anyone come to that to speak English as you will be disappointed.

N/B they are doing repairs to the 1 between N'Sawan and K.P.Phet on the route up, no problem with that just a bit slower at times.

[RT85]

Hey Fredob43, thanks for the info and suggestions. I will check that out!

[fredob43]

Hey Fredob43, thanks for the info and suggestions. I will check that out!

If you care to Google Hotels in K.P Phet you will find a post from the Globetrotter girls, bit out of date now but it'll give you some idea of what the town/city??? is like.

Just looked up G/Trotter girls post it's entitled The Town That Tourism Forgot.

There is nowhere to stop further north other than Tak has hotels but the food bit is a trite lacking. 'Whatever not recommended' so you'll be buggered if you want to stop after K.P.Phet.

Enjoy your trip.

[RT85]

Thanks again Fredob43... read the article... looks like not much around there... we may decide to leave at sunrise and drive all the way to CR... it's only a solid 8 hours or so anyway... cheers! Will update if we find a place to pitstop.

[fredob43]

Thanks again Fredob43... read the article... looks like not much around there... we may decide to leave at sunrise and drive all the way to CR... it's only a solid 8 hours or so anyway... cheers! Will update if we find a place to pitstop.

It's a very busy town but it's Thai, loads of bars restaurants to indulge in if that's your forte. Also Thai prices half what they are in BKK.

Regards the 8 hours unless you drive very fast it'll take you longer than that, C/R is 4.5+ hours from K.P.P if you don't hit traffic.

Just driven back from BKK 'Ding Dang' expressway and it took over 5 hours normally less than 4, and I don't drive slow the roads are up remember, that'll stick 30+ Minutes on your trip.

Best of luck let us know how you get on.

[KhunBENQ]

Bangkok to Chiang Rai, about 800 km.

In 8 hours?

No, simply be happy when you make it from dawn to dusk (only driving in daylight is a must for me).

Under good conditions expect an average speed of 80 km/h.

[fredob43]

Bangkok to Chiang Rai, about 800 km.

In 8 hours?

No, simply be happy when you make it from dawn to dusk (only driving in daylight is a must for me).

Under good conditions expect an average speed of 80 km/h.

Spot on 8 hours is not possible. I would say 10 on a good day. That's why I recommended K.P.P. Half way. Next place to stop would be Lampang about 1/3 the size of K.P.P. Sorry cant recommend anything food or Hotel wise there.

Update on my previous post. Bit late comp: went down.

After Tak there is only 1 place I know of between Tak & C/Mai that's if you don't want to wander though towns, to get food and that's on the down side of the road have to do U/Turn (two big fuel station opposite one another)

Miss it and your buggered. There are 7/11 at some petrol stations but that's about it.

Picnic might be a good idea.

[fredob43]

Bangkok to Chiang Rai, about 800 km.

In 8 hours?

No, simply be happy when you make it from dawn to dusk (only driving in daylight is a must for me).

Under good conditions expect an average speed of 80 km/h.

Spot on 8 hours is not possible. I would say 10 on a good day. That's why I recommended K.P.P. Half way. Next place to stop would be Lampang about 1/3 the size of K.P.P. Sorry cant recommend anything food or Hotel wise there.

Update on my previous post. Bit late comp: went down.

After Tak there is only 1 place I know of between Tak & C/Mai that's if you don't want to wander though towns, to get food and that's on the down side of the road have to do U/Turn (two big fuel station opposite one another)

Miss it and your buggered. There are 7/11 at some petrol stations but that's about it.

Picnic might be a good idea.

Just a bit of trivia.

On my way out last night I happened to see the signpost regarding distances. Lampang is 249km up from K.P.P. Should give you some idea how your 8 hours measures up.

Lampang might be ok for your pit stop for the trip up totally useless for trip back. So still recommend K.P.P for return.

[Tomtomtom69]

Easy peasy. Just follow AH1 (blue square signs). Do not follow Highway 1 (as the GPS might suggest), as you will be in for one helluva detour. In Rangsit (north of Bangkok), continue on Highway 32 (AH1). Once you reach Tak, you can follow Highway 1 for the rest of the way.

The roads are good, but the tarmac is in bad shape in some places. Keep your distance and your eyes open

There are two main routes from Bangkok to Chiang Rai.

The main route is to get yourself from wherever you are in Bangkok to the Bang Pa-in interchange. If you're living in the east, you would normally travel via the 8-lane outer ring ring (one of only 2 proper intercity expressways in Thailand, the other is the Bangkok-Chonburi-Pattaya motorway) and then you follow the signs to Ayuttaya-Nakorn Sawan/Phak Nuea (northern region), which will take you along Phahonyothin road via an overpass to the 8-lane (later 6-lane with a generous shoulder) Bang Pa-in to Nakorn Sawan road, Asia Highway 2 I believe it is. If coming from western Bangkok, you head along the western outer ring road (which is not an expressway, unlike the eastern outer ring road) and if coming from central Bangkok you travel via Din Daeng-Don Muang to Rangsit via Viphawadi Rangsit road and/or the Don Muang-Rangsit tollway.

After reaching Nakorn Sawan from the Bang Pa-in interchange, after around 175km, there will be a bypass which takes you towards Kampaeng Phet. The section from Bang Pa-in to Nakorn Sawan is usually in excellent condition and can be traversed quite quickly.

The section from Nakorn Sawan to Kampaeng Phet is usually in poor condition with constant repairs and some lane closures in places requiring a detour onto the opposite side of the road. Kampaeng Phet to Tak is better, due to lower traffic volumes. After Tak, the road starts taking you into the mountains towards Lampang (180km). From Lampang, you head north towards Phayao/Chiang Rai and after around 30km, the road starts to become winding and heads up into the mountains. North of Ngao you end up on a plateau and there are no longer too many ascents/descents. The road also becomes fairly straight and after Phayao towards Chiang Rai and Mae Sai, it's relatively flat.

Total driving time from Bangkok to Chiang Rai should be around 10-11.5 hours. You'll be lucky to make it in 10 or less unless you experience no traffic whatsoever and make minimal stops.

The second route goes via Phitsanulok so instead of taking the bypass road at Nakorn Sawan, you follow the signs to Nakorn Sawan, then Phitsanulok followed by Uttaradit/Den Chai then Lampang, before rejoining the main road to Chiang Rai via Phayao. The Uttaradit/Den Chai/Lampang sectors are winding in some places but since traffic volume is lower than the main route via Tak, travelling times are not very different.

There are of course many possible secondary roads you could use but most people tend to drive along the main highways.

[RT85]

Easy peasy. Just follow AH1 (blue square signs). Do not follow Highway 1 (as the GPS might suggest), as you will be in for one helluva detour. In Rangsit (north of Bangkok), continue on Highway 32 (AH1). Once you reach Tak, you can follow Highway 1 for the rest of the way.

The roads are good, but the tarmac is in bad shape in some places. Keep your distance and your eyes open

There are two main routes from Bangkok to Chiang Rai.

The main route is to get yourself from wherever you are in Bangkok to the Bang Pa-in interchange. If you're living in the east, you would normally travel via the 8-lane outer ring ring (one of only 2 proper intercity expressways in Thailand, the other is the Bangkok-Chonburi-Pattaya motorway) and then you follow the signs to Ayuttaya-Nakorn Sawan/Phak Nuea (northern region), which will take you along Phahonyothin road via an overpass to the 8-lane (later 6-lane with a generous shoulder) Bang Pa-in to Nakorn Sawan road, Asia Highway 2 I believe it is. If coming from western Bangkok, you head along the western outer ring road (which is not an expressway, unlike the eastern outer ring road) and if coming from central Bangkok you travel via Din Daeng-Don Muang to Rangsit via Viphawadi Rangsit road and/or the Don Muang-Rangsit tollway.

After reaching Nakorn Sawan from the Bang Pa-in interchange, after around 175km, there will be a bypass which takes you towards Kampaeng Phet. The section from Bang Pa-in to Nakorn Sawan is usually in excellent condition and can be traversed quite quickly.

The section from Nakorn Sawan to Kampaeng Phet is usually in poor condition with constant repairs and some lane closures in places requiring a detour onto the opposite side of the road. Kampaeng Phet to Tak is better, due to lower traffic volumes. After Tak, the road starts taking you into the mountains towards Lampang (180km). From Lampang, you head north towards Phayao/Chiang Rai and after around 30km, the road starts to become winding and heads up into the mountains. North of Ngao you end up on a plateau and there are no longer too many ascents/descents. The road also becomes fairly straight and after Phayao towards Chiang Rai and Mae Sai, it's relatively flat.

Total driving time from Bangkok to Chiang Rai should be around 10-11.5 hours. You'll be lucky to make it in 10 or less unless you experience no traffic whatsoever and make minimal stops.

The second route goes via Phitsanulok so instead of taking the bypass road at Nakorn Sawan, you follow the signs to Nakorn Sawan, then Phitsanulok followed by Uttaradit/Den Chai then Lampang, before rejoining the main road to Chiang Rai via Phayao. The Uttaradit/Den Chai/Lampang sectors are winding in some places but since traffic volume is lower than the main route via Tak, travelling times are not very different.

There are of course many possible secondary roads you could use but most people tend to drive along the main highways.

thanks for the very detailed drive thru!!! this will be useful as i plan the route!!

i must ask my friend again how the hell they make it to CR from BKK in 8 hours...

i know he starts from Rama 2 area where he lives.. and arrives near south Cr... but still.. 8 hours is pretty amazing.

cheers

[Tomtomtom69]

Bangkok to Chiang Rai, about 800 km.

In 8 hours?

No, simply be happy when you make it from dawn to dusk (only driving in daylight is a must for me).

Under good conditions expect an average speed of 80 km/h.

Spot on 8 hours is not possible. I would say 10 on a good day. That's why I recommended K.P.P. Half way. Next place to stop would be Lampang about 1/3 the size of K.P.P. Sorry cant recommend anything food or Hotel wise there.

Update on my previous post. Bit late comp: went down.

After Tak there is only 1 place I know of between Tak & C/Mai that's if you don't want to wander though towns, to get food and that's on the down side of the road have to do U/Turn (two big fuel station opposite one another)

Miss it and your buggered. There are 7/11 at some petrol stations but that's about it.

Picnic might be a good idea.

Lampang is a much better place for a pit stop than Kampaeng Phet. It's a bigger city, and has more facilities/more things to do. It's a minor tourism city, unlike Kampaeng Phet which has just one tourist attraction.

Try Agoda if comparing hotels, but the 7-8 hour drive from Bangkok to Lampang is comfortable and there are a lot of good new (and older) hotels.

In Lampang, head for the Wieng Lakorn hotel located on Phahonyothin road (access is also possible from the Asia Highway) or the nearby Wieng Thong, traditionally one of the best hotels in town but now showing it's age. I think the latter has become quite popular with Thai and some smaller foreign tour groups (from European countries and China), but if you want to be closer to the center of action try the Kim City hotel, which is also a fair bit cheaper and no worse. The charming hotels along the Ping river near the night market are probably your best bet though, there's a couple of boutique hotels there. The best of the bunch is the R-Lampang, where I have stayed. Lots of chic there, but very nice.

For food, there is a branch of Central Lampang, with the same chain restaurants and food court as anywhere else (something which I don't think Kampaeng Phet has), otherwise for something more local, try the Riverside area where you have the riverside restaurant and relax pub. These two places are institutions in Lampang and serve good Thai and international food with live music to boot. The former is owned by a Belgian and her brother who speak fluent Thai. Then there's also Ma Maison another place with good food and which often shows live football on TV, which is on Phahonyothin road just before Lampang Kanlayanee high school, on the same side of the road.

[mortenaa]

8 hours would be possible if u start 3am - 4am from BKK, and have an average speed of more than 100 km/h all the way - no stops. Something I wouldn't recommend

[Tomtomtom69]

Easy peasy. Just follow AH1 (blue square signs). Do not follow Highway 1 (as the GPS might suggest), as you will be in for one helluva detour. In Rangsit (north of Bangkok), continue on Highway 32 (AH1). Once you reach Tak, you can follow Highway 1 for the rest of the way.

The roads are good, but the tarmac is in bad shape in some places. Keep your distance and your eyes open

There are two main routes from Bangkok to Chiang Rai.

The main route is to get yourself from wherever you are in Bangkok to the Bang Pa-in interchange. If you're living in the east, you would normally travel via the 8-lane outer ring ring (one of only 2 proper intercity expressways in Thailand, the other is the Bangkok-Chonburi-Pattaya motorway) and then you follow the signs to Ayuttaya-Nakorn Sawan/Phak Nuea (northern region), which will take you along Phahonyothin road via an overpass to the 8-lane (later 6-lane with a generous shoulder) Bang Pa-in to Nakorn Sawan road, Asia Highway 2 I believe it is. If coming from western Bangkok, you head along the western outer ring road (which is not an expressway, unlike the eastern outer ring road) and if coming from central Bangkok you travel via Din Daeng-Don Muang to Rangsit via Viphawadi Rangsit road and/or the Don Muang-Rangsit tollway.

After reaching Nakorn Sawan from the Bang Pa-in interchange, after around 175km, there will be a bypass which takes you towards Kampaeng Phet. The section from Bang Pa-in to Nakorn Sawan is usually in excellent condition and can be traversed quite quickly.

The section from Nakorn Sawan to Kampaeng Phet is usually in poor condition with constant repairs and some lane closures in places requiring a detour onto the opposite side of the road. Kampaeng Phet to Tak is better, due to lower traffic volumes. After Tak, the road starts taking you into the mountains towards Lampang (180km). From Lampang, you head north towards Phayao/Chiang Rai and after around 30km, the road starts to become winding and heads up into the mountains. North of Ngao you end up on a plateau and there are no longer too many ascents/descents. The road also becomes fairly straight and after Phayao towards Chiang Rai and Mae Sai, it's relatively flat.

Total driving time from Bangkok to Chiang Rai should be around 10-11.5 hours. You'll be lucky to make it in 10 or less unless you experience no traffic whatsoever and make minimal stops.

The second route goes via Phitsanulok so instead of taking the bypass road at Nakorn Sawan, you follow the signs to Nakorn Sawan, then Phitsanulok followed by Uttaradit/Den Chai then Lampang, before rejoining the main road to Chiang Rai via Phayao. The Uttaradit/Den Chai/Lampang sectors are winding in some places but since traffic volume is lower than the main route via Tak, travelling times are not very different.

There are of course many possible secondary roads you could use but most people tend to drive along the main highways.

thanks for the very detailed drive thru!!! this will be useful as i plan the route!!

i must ask my friend again how the hell they make it to CR from BKK in 8 hours...

i know he starts from Rama 2 area where he lives.. and arrives near south Cr... but still.. 8 hours is pretty amazing.

cheers

No worries, glad to be of assistance. But 8 hours is near impossible. The distance from Bangkok to Chiang Rai is 830km depending on which part of Bangkok you are starting from, but I think this distance is as measured from Din Daeng. Anyway, no way in hell 8 hours is possible as that would mean an average cruising speed in excess of 100km/h the whole way. This is a near impossibility given the traffic in Bangkok before reaching the Bang Pa-in interchange (and knowing what traffic is like between Rama 2 and the western outer ring road it further proves that just getting out of Bangkok will take around an hour or more) then you have the mountainous stretches where slowing down to 50 or 60km/h is quite common, so under the best circumstances I'd say you can average maybe 80km/h, with some stretches like Bang Pa-in to Nakorn Sawan where you can do up to 120 or so, but even then it will still take you around 10 hours at the very least since there will almost always be some trucks that block your way on the stretch to Kampaeng Phet and further north, slowing you down significantly.

Yeah it's not a race track and you want to stay safe - realistically, it's a comfortable 11 hour drive with 10 minimum and up to 11.5 or 12 if you make a few stops along the way. Can be done in one day but if you aren't in a rush, stop over in Lampang or so on the way up and perhaps Nakorn Sawan on the way back down.

I have driven more than 60,000km in Thailand alone in the past 1 and a half years so I have gotten driving speeds and journey times down to an art. There is something very predictable about driving on Thai roads and even if you were able to floor it for a while at say 140km/h like your friend probably does, I can guarantee you that unless he is a hopelessly reckless driver, he would not be able to reach those kinds of speeds anywhere other than on the Bang Pa-in to Nakorn Sawan stretch where the numerous lanes of traffic and relatively large distance between u-turn bays means there are few impediments to staying at a comfortable cruising speed. This is however not possible further north when you get down to only 2 lanes in each direction and regular u-turn bays not to mention some increasingly winding stretches.

[Tomtomtom69]

Thanks guys i arrived alive. Was nice to drive there at night. No traffic at all.

You drove the roads at night! I am glad you arrived 'alive' but you were throwing all caution to the wind ........

I second that. I would not recommend driving at night, fatigue sets in, there are a lot of trucks, many of whom take drugs to try to keep them awake, not to mention long-distance buses, much better to head off from Bangkok at say 5am to avoid rush hour traffic, and then you can comfortably arrive in Chiang Rai mid afternoon say around 4pm.

[Muzarella]

I am glad that you and the car arrived in good shape. Makes me remember a real event that happens in the US in 1984 with a friend of mine. He wanted to surprise her grand daughter with a new and expensive car for her graduation driving it to her house, by the lake. Parked the car on a sloped driveway, and went to call her to show the car. Coming back..the car was missing on the driveway....but can see half of it.......going down on the lake.

[fredob43]

Easy peasy. Just follow AH1 (blue square signs). Do not follow Highway 1 (as the GPS might suggest), as you will be in for one helluva detour. In Rangsit (north of Bangkok), continue on Highway 32 (AH1). Once you reach Tak, you can follow Highway 1 for the rest of the way.

The roads are good, but the tarmac is in bad shape in some places. Keep your distance and your eyes open

There are two main routes from Bangkok to Chiang Rai.

The main route is to get yourself from wherever you are in Bangkok to the Bang Pa-in interchange. If you're living in the east, you would normally travel via the 8-lane outer ring ring (one of only 2 proper intercity expressways in Thailand, the other is the Bangkok-Chonburi-Pattaya motorway) and then you follow the signs to Ayuttaya-Nakorn Sawan/Phak Nuea (northern region), which will take you along Phahonyothin road via an overpass to the 8-lane (later 6-lane with a generous shoulder) Bang Pa-in to Nakorn Sawan road, Asia Highway 2 I believe it is. If coming from western Bangkok, you head along the western outer ring road (which is not an expressway, unlike the eastern outer ring road) and if coming from central Bangkok you travel via Din Daeng-Don Muang to Rangsit via Viphawadi Rangsit road and/or the Don Muang-Rangsit tollway.

After reaching Nakorn Sawan from the Bang Pa-in interchange, after around 175km, there will be a bypass which takes you towards Kampaeng Phet. The section from Bang Pa-in to Nakorn Sawan is usually in excellent condition and can be traversed quite quickly.

The section from Nakorn Sawan to Kampaeng Phet is usually in poor condition with constant repairs and some lane closures in places requiring a detour onto the opposite side of the road. Kampaeng Phet to Tak is better, due to lower traffic volumes. After Tak, the road starts taking you into the mountains towards Lampang (180km). From Lampang, you head north towards Phayao/Chiang Rai and after around 30km, the road starts to become winding and heads up into the mountains. North of Ngao you end up on a plateau and there are no longer too many ascents/descents. The road also becomes fairly straight and after Phayao towards Chiang Rai and Mae Sai, it's relatively flat.

Total driving time from Bangkok to Chiang Rai should be around 10-11.5 hours. You'll be lucky to make it in 10 or less unless you experience no traffic whatsoever and make minimal stops.

The second route goes via Phitsanulok so instead of taking the bypass road at Nakorn Sawan, you follow the signs to Nakorn Sawan, then Phitsanulok followed by Uttaradit/Den Chai then Lampang, before rejoining the main road to Chiang Rai via Phayao. The Uttaradit/Den Chai/Lampang sectors are winding in some places but since traffic volume is lower than the main route via Tak, travelling times are not very different.

There are of course many possible secondary roads you could use but most people tend to drive along the main highways.

Good post.

Yes you can go via N/Sawan but you will add time you will have to go through N/S town and all it's traffic the bridge is having work done on it just now "Was there on Wednesday" and it was horrific. Also Phitsanulok traffic by the time you get there it would be it's usual self nose to tail.

The road to K.P.P as I said before is having work on it but it will still be quicker time wise.

Don't know who suggest N/Sawan to stop at on the way back but it does lack restaurants. Or any decent places to eat come to that. Big C now there's a thought. But up to you as they say.

[Tomtomtom69]

Easy peasy. Just follow AH1 (blue square signs). Do not follow Highway 1 (as the GPS might suggest), as you will be in for one helluva detour. In Rangsit (north of Bangkok), continue on Highway 32 (AH1). Once you reach Tak, you can follow Highway 1 for the rest of the way.

The roads are good, but the tarmac is in bad shape in some places. Keep your distance and your eyes open

There are two main routes from Bangkok to Chiang Rai.

The main route is to get yourself from wherever you are in Bangkok to the Bang Pa-in interchange. If you're living in the east, you would normally travel via the 8-lane outer ring ring (one of only 2 proper intercity expressways in Thailand, the other is the Bangkok-Chonburi-Pattaya motorway) and then you follow the signs to Ayuttaya-Nakorn Sawan/Phak Nuea (northern region), which will take you along Phahonyothin road via an overpass to the 8-lane (later 6-lane with a generous shoulder) Bang Pa-in to Nakorn Sawan road, Asia Highway 2 I believe it is. If coming from western Bangkok, you head along the western outer ring road (which is not an expressway, unlike the eastern outer ring road) and if coming from central Bangkok you travel via Din Daeng-Don Muang to Rangsit via Viphawadi Rangsit road and/or the Don Muang-Rangsit tollway.

After reaching Nakorn Sawan from the Bang Pa-in interchange, after around 175km, there will be a bypass which takes you towards Kampaeng Phet. The section from Bang Pa-in to Nakorn Sawan is usually in excellent condition and can be traversed quite quickly.

The section from Nakorn Sawan to Kampaeng Phet is usually in poor condition with constant repairs and some lane closures in places requiring a detour onto the opposite side of the road. Kampaeng Phet to Tak is better, due to lower traffic volumes. After Tak, the road starts taking you into the mountains towards Lampang (180km). From Lampang, you head north towards Phayao/Chiang Rai and after around 30km, the road starts to become winding and heads up into the mountains. North of Ngao you end up on a plateau and there are no longer too many ascents/descents. The road also becomes fairly straight and after Phayao towards Chiang Rai and Mae Sai, it's relatively flat.

Total driving time from Bangkok to Chiang Rai should be around 10-11.5 hours. You'll be lucky to make it in 10 or less unless you experience no traffic whatsoever and make minimal stops.

The second route goes via Phitsanulok so instead of taking the bypass road at Nakorn Sawan, you follow the signs to Nakorn Sawan, then Phitsanulok followed by Uttaradit/Den Chai then Lampang, before rejoining the main road to Chiang Rai via Phayao. The Uttaradit/Den Chai/Lampang sectors are winding in some places but since traffic volume is lower than the main route via Tak, travelling times are not very different.

There are of course many possible secondary roads you could use but most people tend to drive along the main highways.

Good post.

Yes you can go via N/Sawan but you will add time you will have to go through N/S town and all it's traffic the bridge is having work done on it just now "Was there on Wednesday" and it was horrific. Also Phitsanulok traffic by the time you get there it would be it's usual self nose to tail.

The road to K.P.P as I said before is having work on it but it will still be quicker time wise.

Don't know who suggest N/Sawan to stop at on the way back but it does lack restaurants. Or any decent places to eat come to that. Big C now there's a thought. But up to you as they say.

Depends on the time of day. Yes I am aware of the bridge construction even though it's been some months since I last passed through Nakorn Sawan (normally I use the bypass and head in the direction of Kampaeng Phet, but that's quite obvious if I'm heading to Mae Sot, which has been the usual destination for me in northern Thailand in recent times).

However, the question is, how good is the road between Nakorn Sawan and Phitsanulok now? When I last went through, it wasn't that great but it was still kind of better than the road to Kampaeng Phet, which is just rubbish. But once you reach Phitsanulok, you can take the ring road to avoid town and head straight for Uttaradit. Personally I don't think it would take much longer than going via Kampaeng Phet, unless the bridge construction in Nakorn Sawan is now really as bad as you say.

As for dining in Nakorn Sawan, it certainly can't be any worse than in Kampaeng Phet, or Tak for that matter. Big C is probably your best choice. Hotels in Nakorn Sawan are decent, I recommend the Bonito Chinos hotel, about 990 Baht per night with cable TV, free wifi and a decent breakfast. I suggest Nakorn Sawan as a stopover on the way back because it's around 600km from Chiang Rai and 240km from Bangkok, so if you're tired it makes an OK place to stopover before tackling Bangkok's traffic. I'm not saying it is full of attractions but the idea is simply advice that Nakorn Sawan can be used as a place to break a long journey, nothing else.