Guide · Private days

Chiang Rai private tour: your own car, guide and pace

A Chiang Rai private tour trades the big bus for a car of your own and a guide who waits for you. Here is what the private days include, from Chiang Mai and in Chiang Rai itself.

Check availabilityfrom $149 · cancellation is free

Editorial team, chiang-rai-tour.comUpdated October 27, 20266 minutes to read17 sources

On this topic: the tour Chiang Rai White and Blue Temples Private Trip 5.0 (1,402 reviews) 13 hours from$149 Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

Quick answer, privately

01From Chiang Mai: Viator's private trip runs 13 hours, from $149 per person, with 1,402 reviews.
02Its stops: White Temple, Wat Sang Kaew Phothiyan, the Blue Temple and Wat Huay Pla Kang.
03Included: Lunch, water, hotel pickup and the White Temple fee.
04From Chiang Rai: A 10-hour day with a driver and your own route starts from $87.
05Good to know: The Viator trip needs at least 2 people per booking.

What going private changes on a Chiang Rai day

On a shared day the timetable belongs to the bus: everyone gets back on at the same minute, and the group moves at the pace of its slowest member. A private day gives that control back to you. You decide how long to stand in front of the White Temple's bridge, whether to stop for coffee, and when you have seen enough of a crowded courtyard.

The difference matters most on this route because the drive is long. One shared listing gives the road from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai as about 172 km one way, roughly 3 hours each way. In a private car those hours are yours: you can stop when you need to, ask the guide questions without competing with a van full of strangers, and rest in quiet.

Going private also suits people for whom a shared day is hard work: families with small children, older travellers, anyone who needs regular breaks, or photographers who want to wait for the light. The cost is higher per person, so weigh it against how much the extra freedom is worth to you.

The private day

Stops and time on the Viator private trip

Morning

Hotel pickup

Collected from your Chiang Mai hotel, with lunch and water included.
60 min

Wat Rong Khun

The White Temple; its entrance fee is in the price.
30 min

Wat Sang Kaew Phothiyan

A stop in Mae Suai that the big shared days do not list.
60 min

Blue Temple

Wat Rong Seur Ten, on the edge of Chiang Rai.
40 min

Wat Huay Pla Kang

The giant Guan Yin; the lift inside is in the price.
Evening

Back in Chiang Mai

The trip lasts 13 hours in all.

The private day from Chiang Mai, as listed

The private trip recommended on this page is sold on Viator and run by Pagoda View Tours. It is a 13-hour day from Chiang Mai with a live guide in English, priced from $149 per person, and rated 4.95 from 1,402 reviews. Of those reviews, 1,360 give five stars.

The listing names its stops and the time at each: 60 minutes at Wat Rong Khun, 30 minutes at Wat Sang Kaew Phothiyan in Mae Suai, 60 minutes at the Blue Temple, Wat Rong Seur Ten, and 40 minutes at Wat Huay Pla Kang. Wat Sang Kaew Phothiyan is a stop the big shared days do not list, which gives the private day a quieter middle.

Included are the private driver and guide, lunch and bottled water, hotel pickup and drop-off at Chiang Mai hotels, the White Temple entrance fee, which the listing gives as 200 THB, and the lift at the Red Temple, given as 40 THB. Coffee, tea and alcoholic drinks are extra, and so is dropping luggage in Chiang Rai after the tour, at 400 THB.

Reviews

How reviewers rate the private trip

reviews

The star breakdown Viator reports for the private trip, 1,402 reviews averaging 4.95.

Private options

Private Chiang Rai days compared

Private day	Starts in	From	Hours	Reviews
White & Blue Temples trip	Chiang Mai	$149	13	1,402
Private highlights	Chiang Mai	$75	10	80
Driver & custom route	Chiang Rai	$87	10	336
Bespoke sightseeing	Chiang Rai	$75	8 hrs to 1 day	141
Customizable full day	Chiang Rai	$78	8	104

From-prices, hours and reviews as each listing gives them; the first is sold on Viator per person, the rest on GetYourGuide.

Also private

Private days on GetYourGuide

Starts in Chiang Mai

From Chiang Mai

Hot spring, Black House, temples

From: $75
Hours: 10
Reviews: 80

View the day

Chiang Rai: Private Tour with Driver and Custom Itinerary

Most reviewed

Driver in Chiang Rai

You set the route

From: $87
Hours: 10
Reviews: 336

View the day

Chiang Rai: Private Bespoke Sightseeing Tour

Flexible length

Bespoke day

Guides in English and Thai

From: $75
Length: 8 hours to 1 day
Reviews: 141

View the day

Decision helper

Which private day fits?

Match the private option to where you sleep and who travels.

We sleep in Chiang Mai and want a guide We want the Black House too We are already in Chiang Rai Someone in our group uses a wheelchair I am travelling alone

Viator private trip

13 hours with a live guide in English, lunch and hotel pickup included.

Private highlights

That day lists Baan Dam Museum alongside the temples.

Driver and custom route

A 10-hour day with pickup in Chiang Rai city.

Driver and custom route

That listing is marked wheelchair accessible.

Check the minimum

The Viator trip needs at least 2 people per booking.

The gleaming building is decorated with creatures from Thai and Buddhist mythology and visitors enter the main Ubosot over a bridge representing cycle of rebirth.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom)Source 1

Who can book, and the small print

The price is per person and a booking needs at least 2 people, so a solo traveller should check the total before paying. The listing takes adults from 11 to 75, children from 5 to 10 and infants up to 4, with up to 12 adults on one booking. That makes it a fit for a couple, a family or a small group of friends.

Confirmation is instant, and you can still pull out free of charge until 24 hours before departure. The operator's note says the dress code is formal and asks for comfortable walking shoes, and it calls the day suitable for all fitness levels. Read formal here as temple-ready: covered shoulders and knees rather than a suit.

Hotel pickup is part of the price, but the exact pickup time is set by the operator, so keep your phone on the evening before. If you are moving on to Chiang Rai rather than returning, say so when you book: the luggage drop-off there is the 400 THB extra mentioned above.

Map

From Chiang Mai to the temples of Chiang Rai and the Mekong

The road north from Chiang Mai with its stops, then the temples around Chiang Rai and the border country up to the Golden Triangle.

Map of northern Thailand from Chiang Mai past Mae Kachan Hot Spring and Mae Suai to the White Temple, Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle — Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai

Map of Chiang Rai with the White, Blue and Red Temples, Baan Dam, Doi Tung, Mae Sai, Chiang Saen and the Golden Triangle — Around Chiang Rai

1
Chiang Mai
Start of the site tour: meeting points at Burger King Thapae or McDonald's Night Bazaar for the English tour, with pickup on some options.
In Google Maps ↗
2
Mae Kachan Hot Spring
The first stop of the site tour, 1.5 hours by bus from Chiang Mai; visitors soak their feet and boil eggs in separate wells.²
In Google Maps ↗
3
Mae Suai
Wat Sang Kaew Phothiyan, a 30-minute stop on the private trip, lies in Mae Suai.
In Google Maps ↗
4
White Temple
Wat Rong Khun, 15 km from Chiang Rai city centre on Highway 1.³
In Google Maps ↗
5
Chiang Rai
The provincial capital, with the Saturday walking street on Thanalai Road and the Night Bazaar on Prasopsuk Road.⁴ ⁵
In Google Maps ↗
6
Blue Temple
Wat Rong Suea Ten, at 306 Moo 2, Mae Kok Road in Rim Kok.⁶
In Google Maps ↗
7
Wat Huay Pla Kang
The Guan Yin statue of 69 meters and the 9-story chedi.⁷ ⁸
In Google Maps ↗
8
Baan Dam
Thawan Duchanee's Black House in Nang Lae, open 09.00 to 17.00.⁹
In Google Maps ↗
9
Doi Tung
The Royal Villa at 1,630 metres and the Tree Top Walk in Mae Fah Luang Garden.¹⁰ ¹¹
In Google Maps ↗
10
Golden Triangle
More than 70 km from Chiang Rai city, where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet.¹² ¹³
In Google Maps ↗
11
Mae Sai
On TAT's Golden Triangle route from Chiang Rai to Sop Ruak.¹⁴
In Google Maps ↗
12
Chiang Saen
The district of the Golden Triangle; the green public bus runs here from Chiang Rai.¹²
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

Before your private day

When you book

At least 2 people on the Viator booking
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Your Chiang Mai hotel name for pickup

On the day

Covered shoulders and knees
Comfortable walking shoes
Cash for coffee and drinks

Talk to your guide

Agree lunch and breaks at the start
Say which stop matters most to you
Ask about the hottest hours

Video

Chiang Rai travel guide: the Blue and White Temples and the markets

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Private days that start in Chiang Rai

If you are already staying in Chiang Rai, a private day can be shorter and freer. One listing offers a 10-hour day with a local driver and your own itinerary, pickup and drop-off in Chiang Rai city, from $87 with 336 reviews averaging 4.90. Its driver speaks basic English, it is wheelchair accessible, and mountain or remote places cost extra.

The same listing sizes the car to the group: a sedan for 1 to 3 people, an SUV for 4 to 5 and a van for 6 to 10. Because you set the route, you can add places the shared days rush or skip, such as Baan Dam or Doi Tung, and leave out anything you have already seen.

Other custom days include a private bespoke day of 8 hours to 1 day from $75, rated 4.97 from 141 reviews, and an 8-hour customizable day from $78, rated 4.83 from 104 reviews. Compare what each includes before you choose, because a driver-only day and a guided day are very different experiences.

A Chiang Rai tour guide of your own, or just a driver?

A Chiang Rai tour guide brings the stories behind the art: why the White Temple's bridge stands for the cycle of rebirth, or who built the Black House. Visitors cross that bridge into the main ubosot, which is decorated with creatures from Thai and Buddhist mythology.¹ Without a guide you see the shapes; with one you start to read them.

A driver-only day is cheaper and perfectly good if you have read up beforehand or prefer to wander. The custom day above lists a driver rather than a guide, while the Viator trip lists a live guide in English. Decide which you want before you compare prices, because the two are not the same product.

Whichever you choose, give the guide or driver your priorities on the morning of the tour. If temples are the point, ask for longer at Wat Rong Khun. If you care more about views, the Guan Yin statue at Wat Huay Pla Kang has a lift inside for a panoramic view.⁸

Private tour from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, or a shared day?

A private tour from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai costs more than the shared bus. The most reviewed shared day starts from $33 and lasts 11 to 13.5 hours, against $149 per person for the private trip. For a solo traveller that gap is large; for a family it buys comfort, flexibility and a quieter day.

There is also a private option on GetYourGuide from Chiang Mai: a 10-hour private highlights day from $75, rated 4.95 from 80 reviews. It lists Mae Kachan Hot Spring, Wat Rong Khun, Baan Dam Museum, Lalitta Cafe, Wat Rong Suea Ten and Huay Pla Kang Temple.

The shared day still makes sense if you are travelling alone, on a tight budget, or happy to follow a set plan. Choose private when the day is a highlight you do not want to rush, when you travel with people who need breaks, or when you want to add a stop the buses skip.

Getting the most out of a private day

Start early. The temples are calmer in the morning, and with your own car you can be at the White Temple before the shared buses arrive. TAT's art guide gave its hours as daily from 08:00 to 18:00, so an early start is possible, but check the current times before you go.³

Dress once for the whole day. TAT asks men for a shirt with sleeves and trousers or shorts that cover the knees, and women for a skirt below the knee and a top with sleeves.¹⁵ Shoes come off inside every temple hall, so slip-ons make each stop quicker.¹⁶

Agree the plan for lunch and breaks at the start, and say if you want time for photographs. Remove hats and sunglasses inside, keep your voice low, and silence your phone, as TAT's temple etiquette asks.¹⁷ A good private day feels unhurried, and that is exactly what you are paying for.

Your temple day