Chiang Rai & the White Temple
Three hours north, three temples that could not be more different, and the Golden Triangle where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. A 13-hour day, and the only one on this list where an overnight is genuinely worth considering.
The Chiang Rai day trip from Chiang Mai costs $125 per person and runs about 13 hours, leaving at 07:00. It covers the White Temple, the Blue Temple and the Golden Triangle, and involves roughly six hours of driving in total. Entrance fees are included.
- Price$125 per person
- DurationAbout 13 hours
- Drive timeSix hours total
- IncludedAll entrance fees
The three stops
Wat Rong Khun — the White Temple. Covered entirely in white plaster and mirror fragments, built since 1997 by one artist, still unfinished. Best after 15:30 when the tour buses leave; we reverse the usual order to get there late.
Wat Rong Suea Ten — the Blue Temple. Deep cobalt interior, a huge white Buddha, ten minutes and worth every one of them.
The Golden Triangle — the Mekong confluence, a boat along the river, and the opium museum at Sop Ruak, which is a genuinely good museum about a genuinely grim trade.
The honest version
This is a long day. Three hours each way plus five stops means a lot of car. If you have the time, stay a night in Chiang Rai and come back the next afternoon — we can restructure it at the same per-day cost.
| Time | Where | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 07:00 | Depart Chiang Mai | Coffee stop at Mae Khachan |
| 10:30 | Golden Triangle | Boat on the Mekong |
| 12:30 | Lunch | Riverside |
| 14:30 | Blue Temple | 20 minutes |
| 15:30 | White Temple | After the coaches leave |
Private car, guide, all entrance fees, Mekong boat, water. Not included: lunch, tips.
The honest arithmetic of this day
Chiang Rai is 190 km from Chiang Mai, which is three hours each way on a good road and closer to four in the rainy season. The day is 13 hours door to door, and about six of those are in the car. We are upfront about that because the alternative — a Chiang Rai "day trip" advertised as seven hours — is a tour that shows you the White Temple car park and turns round.
What you get for the drive: the White Temple in the late morning, lunch, the Blue Temple, the Golden Triangle viewpoint at Sop Ruak, and a longtail crossing to the Lao island of Don Sao. Three temples and two countries is a good return on six hours, but it is a long day and it starts at 07:00.
If you have two days
Stay the night in Chiang Rai and do it properly. The White Temple at 08:00 before the coaches, Doi Tung or the Golden Triangle the next day, and a three-hour drive back in daylight. It costs one hotel night and it turns a 13-hour endurance test into two good days — this is what we recommend to anyone who asks.
Who it suits
Adults and children over ten who are comfortable in a car. Not suitable for toddlers (the drive, the heat, the temple steps) and not recommended for anyone with back problems. Photography is banned inside the White Temple's mural hall, so bring a wide lens for the exterior and leave the tripod in the car.
Before you book
Can we do it as an overnight?
Yes, and it is better. Same daily rate, one night in a Chiang Rai hotel, return the next afternoon.
Is 13 hours too long for children?
For under-eights, yes. The car time is the problem, not the temples.
Is the White Temple worth the drive?
If you like architecture, absolutely — it is unlike anything else in the country. If you are templed out, add a second sanctuary day instead.
Check your date.
Tell us the day and how many of you — we confirm availability, the boat and the price.
Written and checked by the Travel Thailand Tour team, Bangkok · Last updated · Prices are per person and were correct at the time of writing.