How long should you stay in Pai?

When backpacking around South-East Asia, it can be difficult to know how long to spend at each place you visit until you get there. But sometimes you need a plan! For example, when booking flights or accommodation in places that sell out early.

In my opinion, nowhere has this in such a pronounced way as Pai. This town in northern Thailand has a reputation for sucking backpackers in and making it hard for them to leave, despite being tiny and having minimal attractions.

When I was planning my trip to Thailand, I had no idea how long I should budget for in Pai. Therefore, I’ve written this guide to help give you an idea of how long you should spend there.

Looking for an intro to the town? Check out my guide to visiting Pai!

2 nights: the absolute minimum

If you only want to visit Pai for the highlights, the truth is, there aren’t actually that many attractions you need to visit. Personally I think only a few places are must sees!

You can easily visits the highlights in one day, by renting a scooter or joining a day tour.

However, it takes four hours to get to Pai from Chiang Mai (the nearest big city). There’s no way you can visit Pai on a day trip, and even just one night would be a stretch. I’d therefore suggest visiting for at least two nights, regardless of your plans. It’ll give you an evening or two for the night market, a full day for activities, and maybe even a bit of spare time to relax in the town either side.

Like to party? More time is required

Two nights in Pai is great, but it’s only really enough time if you commit to doing Pai quickly. This means that you can’t indulge in too many distractions, such social events and partying, which modify your sleep schedule, provide obstacles to your daily activities (such as hangovers) and require additional time, money and effort.

If you want to enjoy the nightlife, I’d recommend adding on one or two nights to your schedule. That way, if your hostel offers social activities or there are bars you want to visit, you have the time and flexibility to do them.

Want to take things slow? Add more time

Similarly, Pai is known for being a tranquil place, with a gentle hippy aura. All the bars, cafes and hostels have a relaxed atmosphere, and things are a bit slower than they would be in a big city.

For many backpackers, taking things slow when in Pai is part of the attraction. If that’s you, I’d also recommend adding a little bit extra time as part of your visit.

Want to do everything (and can ride a scooter)? Spend longer

Most people visiting Pai aren’t here to tick off the whole list of attractions. Whilst I don’t think there are many stand-outs, some backpackers have the time and enthusiasm to do everything.

If that’s you, definitely add more time onto your trip; you’ll need a few extra days to do everything in full.

However, to get off the beaten track and do more unusual things in Pai, you need to rent a scooter. It’s possible to rent a taxi in a large group for a reasonable cost, but that’ll only get you to the most popular locations. I personally wasn’t prepared to learn to ride a scooter in Pai, so this limited how long I was prepared to stay in the town, as I couldn’t do much.

Need to learn to ride a scooter? Spend longer

I personally can’t advocate for newbies to learn to ride a scooter in Thailand: whilst it depends on their individual circumstances, most people will be unlicensed and uninsured.

However, if you choose to ride a scooter, I can appreciate that this town is one of the best places to learn. It’s quiet, the roads are easy to navigate and there’s many other backpackers riding one for the first time too.

If you learn to ride a scooter in Pai, make sure to budget an extra day. That’s because you might want to drive up and down one of the roads for some time, getting to grips with the controls.

Something to note: whilst I was visiting in December, there was a scooter shortage, which meant that some people struggled to get one for the first couple of days they were in Pai. If this happens to you, it might mean a few extra days in Pai are necessary.

Not riding a scooter? Less time is fine

If you’re like me and don’t ride a scooter (with zero intentions of learning how to), then it’s a little harder to fall down the Pai hole. Part of the joy of Pai is the freedom to do what you want, whenever, without any logistical problems. Without a scooter, you just… can’t.

In some circumstances you’ll be able to join in a group to get a taxi – most notably at sunset or on hostel organised trips – but for the most part you’ll be in town. Chilling here can get quite boring quickly, at least if you’re me.

The dilemma of being flexible

Most backpackers begin in Pai with a booking of three or four nights. For some this is set in stone – if you are booking onward flights or have limited time in Thailand, of course it is!

Other backpackers’ plans are flexible. Therefore, in theory, they can extend their trip in Pai for as long as they want…

In reality, when I visited Pai during the high season, things got booked up. Buses to leave were sold out a couple of days in advance. So were dorm beds.

As such, it no longer is so easy to extend your stay in Pai as and when you want to. I’m sure it’s easier in the low season or at certain hostels, but in the high season there are definitely issues. During these times, pre-empting how long you want to stay is quite useful. I met people who had done this and consequently had booked five or six nights from the get go.

You’ll also want to decide a couple of days in advance, minimum, when you want to leave!

For longer stays, go somewhere that matches your vibe

If you are hoping to spend a long time – say, more than a week – in Pai, you’ll need to stay somewhere that matches your travel style. For example, intense partiers will enjoy a party hostel, such as Circus.

More chill people will like the hostel I stayed at, Common Grounds, which had a social but not party atmosphere. Likewise, if you’re not planning on socialising, you’ll have a range of reasonable hotels to pick from.

Summary: how long do you need in Pai?

To summarise, this is how long I think you need to stay in Pai:

1. For the highlights: 2 to 3 nights
2. For the highlights, with plenty of chill time: 4 to 5 nights
3. For a relaxing stay with time to get off the beaten track: 7 nights plus

If you want to stay for longer than a week, I’d recommend going to Pai first and seeing what you think before committing yourself to an extended stay. You’ll need to make the decision at least a few days in advance though, so that you have time to extend your stay.

I hope this guide helps you to plan how long to stay in Pai. Do you have any questions about visiting? Let me know in the comments.