Pai is a small town in the far north of Thailand, famous for its nature and chill backpacker vibes. Pai is one of those places that everyone raves about. Backpackers usually use terms like “Pai family” to refer to the people they met in Pai or say they got stuck in a Pai hole and didn’t want to leave. Pai is a really nice place to chill after busy days and nights backpacking Chiang Mai and Bangkok.
How many days to spend in Pai
While there may not seem like a lot to do in Pai on paper, it’s not uncommon to meet people backpacking that stay more than a week in Pai just for the vibes. In reality, you could do all the popular activities and see everything in one full day in Pai. But only one day wouldn’t give you a proper idea of the vibe and atmosphere of this small town. The other thing to consider is it is a bit further out of the way, so if you’re heading to Pai, you would want to stay a few days to make the journey worth it. I believe between 3-5 days would be the perfect amount of time to spend in Pai! This gives you time to see the sights, chill out and take in the atmosphere.
How to get to Pai
Pai is quite far north in Thailand (close to the Myanmar border), so it is a bit trickier to get to. There is no airport near Pai, so you must get there overland. 90% of people backpacking will come to Pai from Chiang Mai as there is a regular minibus service between these places. The other place people come from is Chiang Rai, as you can get a private transfer from here. The road to Pai is notoriously bad; it contains more than 700 curves, most of which are hairpin turns. Many people get carsick on the journey there and back due to the road condition. However, there is no other way to get to Pai besides this road. You can book all transportation online on 12GOAsia here.
How to get to Pai from Chiang Mai
This is the most popular way to get to Pai. If you are coming from anywhere in Thailand, you must first arrange transport to Chiang Mai and then book a seat on a van heading to Pai. Vans depart daily from 6:30 am every hour until 5:30 pm. The journey takes 3.5 hours from Chiang Mai Arcade 2 Bus Terminal to the Pai Bus Terminal in the town centre. The ticket costs 135 THB Thai Baht ($4 USD) and can be purchased online at 12GOAsia or from the bus station. From the bus terminal in Pai, your hostel will probably be walkable. Even the furthest away hostels are only a 15-minute walk from the terminal. Some hostels (like Nolo Hub) include a free pickup service from the bus terminal.
How to get to Pai from Chiang Rai
If you’re coming from Chiang Rai, there is no direct shared van or bus to get to Pai. However, many travel agencies and hostels can book a shared one-way private transfer in a car. This can be a great option to avoid backtracking to Chiang Mai. It takes around 6 hours to get from Chiang Rai to Pai, including rest breaks and food stops. You can choose when you leave Chiang Rai and will get picked up from your hostel in Chiang Rai and dropped off at your hostel in Pai. For a car, it costs 3400 THB Thai Baht ($97 USD). If you have four people in the car, this is 850 THB Thai Baht ($24 USD) per person.
How to get around Pai
Pai is fairly small, so it’s easy to get everywhere in town, like bars and restaurants, on foot. There’s no Grab in Pai and very few taxis. Most taxis are active only during the day, as you can hire them out for a flat rate to take you to all the main sights. Scooters are also a popular way to get to many sights outside the city, such as waterfalls and temples. If you don’t feel comfortable riding a scooter but still want to sightsee, you can join a small group tour for the main sights around Pai. You can also hire a driver for the day to take you around, and that way, you can do a custom itinerary.
Getting around Pai on foot
Even if you stay at a hostel further from the centre, you are never more than a 20-minute walk into town. So you’ll easily be able to get to all the cafes, bars, restaurants and the night market on foot. There’s really not much traffic around Pai, and most of it is scooter traffic. The only thing to be wary of is there are not really footpaths in Pai, so that you will be walking on the side of the road. Other than that, Pai feels extremely safe to walk around even late at night.
Getting around Pai by scooter
Most people backpacking in Pai will hire a scooter to get around during the day. Given how little traffic there is, it is an easier place to drive if you aren’t super confident. That being said, there are still big hills and curvy roads getting out of town. There are heaps of scooter rentals in town, and a lot of hostels will rent out scooters as well. Generally, you will pay less than 200 THB Thai Baht ($5.50 USD) a day for scooter rental.
Getting around Pai by car
If you want to see the sights outside the town but are uncomfortable driving a scooter, you could rent a car for the day. Renting a car with a driver for the day will cost around 900 Thai Baht ($25 USD). With four people in the car, this would work out to be 225 THB Thai Baht ($6.25 USD) per person. You will have to haggle a little to get this price. This will generally be better than a tour as you can customise your itinerary and stay as long as you want at any stops. Alternatively, the half-day Pai sightseeing tour (the most popular tour) is 285 THB Thai Baht ($8 USD) per person. Group sizes can be anywhere from 7-20 people.
Where to stay in Pai
Even though Pai is small, there are so many hostels to choose from! Hostels like Nolo and Revolution are a little bit further from the main area of town but still walkable. There are a few hostels in the middle of town, like Pai in the Sky Hostel. In my opinion, location isn’t super important in Pai as can still get around easier. Some people prefer staying in the middle of town as it’s less of a walk back of a night. You can book all accommodation online here.
Nolo Hub Hostel– best social hostel!
Nolo Hub is one of the best hostels in South East Asia for making friends as a solo traveller. They have both day and night events every day, making it super easy to make friends. The beds are pod-style with curtains and comfortable bedding. They have a bar and restaurant on site too. If you are booking Nolo, make sure you book at least four days in advance, as they will completely book out! The only downside to Nolo is the location is slightly out of town, meaning you do have a 15-minute walk to get home from the bars every night. They do offer a transfer service into town and have free pickup and drop off at the bus terminal for when you arrive and depart.
Revolution Hostel– best party hostel!
Revolution Hostel is frat party vibes. Enough said. They have a bar on site and run nightly events like dress-up parties and beer pong competitions. They also run daytime events like tipsy tubing. The beds are standard hostel beds (not pod-style) with ensuite bathrooms off the rooms. The location is closer than Nolo Hub but still around an 8-minute walk out of the centre of town.
Pai in the Sky– best location!
Pai in the Sky is literally right in the centre of town, so you couldn’t get a better location! They have pod-style beds with curtains as well, so you’ll get a good night’s sleep. It’s definitely one of the quieter hostels in Pai, so perfect if you’re not wanting to party or want some time to yourself.
What to do in Pai
To be completely honest, there is not much to do in Pai in terms of activities, but you don’t come to Pai for the activities; you come for the vibe. You can do all of these activities as a part of a half-day or full-day tour of Pai, both of which you can book through hostels or tour agencies. Or if you have a scooter, you can spread seeing these sights over a few days.
Pai Canyon
If you only see one thing in Pai, make sure it’s Pai Canyon! Pai Canyon is super impressive, with stunning views. It’s only around a 15-minute drive out of town, and entrance to the canyon is free. There are parts of Pai Canyon that are pretty narrow and require a bit of a scramble, so you may want to avoid these parts. You can walk as little or as much as your fear of heights will allow!
Bamboo Bridge
The Bamboo Bridge is a bamboo bridge/ walkway through stunning rice fields and nature. It is also called Boon Kho Ku So and is around a 25-minute drive out of town. There is a 30 THB Thai Baht ($0.85 USD) entrance fee. It is well worth it, though, for the views. The walkway does take a bit of time to walk to the end and back (with plenty of photo stop) so allow at least an hour here.
Big Buddha
Another free sight you can visit outside of Pai. Big Buddha is, as the name suggests, a big white Buddha located about a 10-minute drive out of town. Entry is free, but as it is a religious sight, you will need to cover your shoulders and knees and wear nothing low-cut or see-through. There are over 300 steps to the actual Buddha itself, but it’s worth it as it’s impressive white and picturesque.
Chinese Village
The Chinese Village is a quant replica of a Chinese Village, located around 90 minutes drive outside of Pai. It’s pretty picturesque to walk around and free to enter.
I am Pai sign and viewpoint
The I am Pai Sign is basically a scenic viewpoint with a big “I am Pai” sign. While the sign itself isn’t that impressive, the views are beyond stunning! It’s only around a 5-minute drive out of town and free to enter. There’s a cute coffee shop at the viewpoint as well that does good drinks and pastries.
Ban Luk Khao Lam Viewpoint
Ban Luk Khao Lam Viewpoint is another viewpoint to take in the stunning views of the mountains and nature surrounding Pai. It is free to visit, but it is around an hour and 15 minutes drive out of town.
Where to eat in Pai
Despite Pai being small, they have many quality restaurants, cafes and street food vendors. Honestly, it’s hard to have a bad meal in Pai!
Pai Walking Street
Pai Walking Street is a nightly market down the main street of Pai. They have a large range of foods such as dumplings, Pad Thai, nachos, felafels and sushi. The market runs from 6 pm until 10:30 pm every night.
Om Garden Cafe
Om Garden Cafe is one of the cutest cafes in Pai for breakfast and brunch. All of the seating is out back in the garden, and it has a very chill hippy vibe. The coffee and food are delicious, and it’s just a nice place to chill out and do some travel planning or journaling.
Lemon Thyme Cafe
Lemon Thyme Cafe is a small cafe on the main street of Pai. They have tables indoors and outdoors (be warned, they only have a few tables). The food and coffee are good and reasonably priced.
Witching Well
If you feel like treating yourself to a bougie dinner, then Witching Well is the spot! They are a really nice Italian restaurant in Pai. The food is delicious, and they have proper wine for a treat.
Ped’s Pizza
Ped’s Pizza is a local restaurant just near Nolo Hub Hostel. The pizza is delicious and affordable, and they use real cheese!
Pai Nightlife
Pai has amazing nightlife for those backpacking, with so many different bars to go to! You could go out in Pai every night of the week and end up at a different bar (all of which are packed). All of the bars are in the centre of town within walking distance, so it’s easy to bar hop.
Paizy Bar
Paizy Bar is a super popular backpacker bar in Pai. They have pool tables, drink specials and an open mic night on Sundays from 8 pm, which is a good vibe. The indoor area of the bar is pretty small as the building is narrow, so usually, the dancing spills out onto the street.
Boom Bar
Boom Bar is a fun backpacker bar in Pai with beer pong and a dancefloor. They have long trestle tables, which are perfect for meeting people and making new friends. Boom Bar is pretty busy most nights of the week, and there’s often a queue for the bar, so be warned, better to get two drinks at once to avoid wasting time queuing.
Yellow Sun
Yellow Sun is one of the best places to go dancing in Pai! The dancefloor is buzzing every night of the week, and they have a really cool vibe.
Sunset Bar
Sunset Bar is a chilled-out hippy backpacker bar on the outskirts of Pai. It is around a 15-minute walk from the town centre, with nice views of the surrounding nature. They have a chilled vibe with hammocks, comfy seating and psychedelic art. They have cocktails and alcoholic drinks, but they are better known for their happy shakes. Sunset Bar is better during the day or early evening (around sunset) rather than late at night.
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