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Chiang Mai in November
Good month: November is at the start of the recommended season (November – February). Plan around: Yi Peng Crowds. Loy Krathong and Yi Peng lantern festival can fall this month.
The season runs to the end of February, 3 months away. Burning Season Smoke usually starts in March, 4 months away.
3 days in Chiang Mai in November · from ₹15,973 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
Before you book November
Closures, crowds and rules at Chiang Mai this month.
Worth knowing
Yi Peng Crowds
For Yi Peng and Loy Krathong (24–25 November 2026) the old city is packed, hotel prices double and the lantern-release events sell out months ahead. Book rooms by August.
What’s on in November
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
Loy Krathong2026: 24 Nov
On the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, people float candle-lit krathong baskets on rivers and ponds. Sukhothai's historical park holds the oldest celebration, with light shows over the ruins; Bangkok's riverside piers get very crowded. Hotels in Sukhothai and Chiang Mai fill weeks ahead.
Yi Peng lantern festival2026: 24–25 Nov
Chiang Mai's lantern festival, alongside Loy Krathong. Mass sky-lantern releases now happen only at ticketed events outside the city (several thousand baht a person, sold out months ahead); free lanterns are restricted near the airport. The old city is packed and hotel prices double, so book by August.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 3 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹15,973 for two
- Room a night₹1,970
- Food a day, each₹1,274
- Main sight entry, each₹840
Mid-range
₹36,521 for two
- Room a night₹5,060
- Food a day, each₹2,940
- Main sight entry, each₹840
Luxury
₹92,270 for two
- Room a night₹16,860
- Food a day, each₹6,860
- Main sight entry, each₹840
What November does to prices
- For Yi Peng and Loy Krathong (24–25 November 2026) the old city is packed, hotel prices double and the lantern-release events sell out months ahead.
- The old city is packed and hotel prices double, so book by August.
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for Thailand yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Bangkok (BKK), 582 km away
Then: Flight · 4h (Thai AirAsia / Nok Air / Thai Lion / Thai Airways)
Flights from India: from 16 cities, one way from ₹8,600
Fly into Krabi (Ao Nang & Railay) (KBV), 1196 km away
Then: Flight · 5h (Thai AirAsia nonstop)
Flights from India: from 2 cities, one way from ₹11,500
Routes compared
Entry rules
No visa needed for up to 30 days
- Within 72 hours before landing, fill in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) at tdac.immigration.go.th. It is free; save the QR code it gives you. Do one card per traveller, children included.
- At the immigration counter, show your passport, the TDAC QR code and, if asked, your return ticket, hotel booking and cash.
- You are stamped in for up to 30 days. To stay longer, apply once at a Thai immigration office before the stamp runs out: up to 30 more days, ฿1,900.
Carry: Passport valid for at least 6 months from the day you arrive, with a blank page; Confirmed return or onward ticket leaving Thailand within 30 days; Hotel bookings (or a host's address) for the whole stay; Cash or equivalent of ฿20,000 per person (฿40,000 per family), about ₹56,000 per person; TDAC confirmation QR code (screenshot or printout).
India's visa-free stay was cut from 60 to 30 days from 15 September 2026, after a May 2026 plan to move Indians to a 15-day visa on arrival was reversed. Rules have changed three times this year, so confirm on the Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi site before you fly. A 300-baht tourism fee for air arrivals is still proposed, not collected.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in Thailand in November
Also in season this month.
- Ayutthaya · good month
- Bangkok · good month
- Chiang Rai · good month
- Hua Hin · good month
- Kanchanaburi · good month
- Khao Lak · good month
- Khao Yai National Park · good month
- Koh Chang · good month
Nearby in Northern Thailand:
Want this as a real plan?
Chiang Mai in November, day by day, priced for your group.