Nice by train in Thailand
With the tren by Thailand journey, I can recommend to everyone. It is my favorite means of transport, but that is of course personal.
The only drawback is that it is rather slow. From Bangkok to Hua Hin easily takes four hours. When I travel to Isaan, I prefer to take the night train with a sleeper compartment. You will then arrive rested at your destination.
Thailand's rail network
The Thai railways may look a bit old-fashioned with the unwieldy diesel trains and the old railway tracks. Yet it is efficient, safe, cheap and practical.
The Thai rail network is well-organized, there are four main routes:
- Northern Line Bangkok – Bang Sue – Ayuttha – Lop Buri – Phitsanulok – Nakhon Lampang – Chiang Mai.
- Southern Line Bangkok – Nakhon Pathom – Hua Hin – Chumphon – Hat Yai – Padang Besar.
- Eastern Line Bangkok – Asoke – Hua Takhe – Chachoengsao – Aranyaprathet.
- Northeastern line Bangkok – Ayutthaya – Pak Chong – Surin – Ubon Ratchathani – Khon Kaen – Nong Khai.
Hualamphong Central Station
Bangkok Central Station, hualamphong, is much smaller than you would expect from this metropolis. You will find the station near the Chinatown district. The fastest way to get there is by metro. There is a metro stop under the station.
Another alternative is the taxi. It is not recommended to take a taxi from the airport to Hualamphong station. You will probably get stuck in one of the many traffic jams in Bangkok. The chance that you miss the train or that it takes a few hours is therefore high.
If you plan to continue your journey by train after arrival at the airport, that is fine. Then choose the Airport Rail Link (the fast rail connection to the center of Bangkok) and change to the subway to Hualamphong station.
Buy train ticket
It is quite easy for tourists to buy a train ticket in Bangkok. The staff at Hualamphong station speak English and are happy to help. The timetable is also in English.
Only use official train personnel. There are sometimes scammers who say the train is full and offer you an alternative ride in a minivan. Another trick is to receive your luggage, with the result that you have lost it. These people are often neatly dressed and have an ID card hanging around their neck to look as official as possible. Therefore, just buy a train ticket at one of the many counters and you will not be bothered by anything.
Train ticket for the night train
You can usually buy a regular train ticket the same day. However, are you planning to travel by night train? Then it is advisable to buy your tickets a few days in advance. Especially in the high tourist season. If you plan to travel during a Thai holiday, you must buy or reserve your ticket at least a week in advance.
Combination tickets
It is possible to buy combination tickets such as train-boat and train-bus to certain destinations including Krabi, Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Phi Phi and Ko Tao. In most cases this is not cheaper than individual tickets.
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Train ticket also for sale locally
Train tickets can also be purchased at a local travel agency or booking office in the tourist areas.
Luggage storage
In the main hall of Hualamphong (with your back to the counters), you can find a left-luggage office at the back right where you can leave your bags for a small fee (guarded). This can be very useful if you have to wait a few hours for your train and want to explore Bangkok. The depot is open daily from 04.00:22.30 to XNUMX:XNUMX.
Sleeping compartments
The night trains are rather slow, but comfortable. You can choose from a private coupe with air conditioning (1st class) or a 2nd class coupe with air conditioning or fan.
When traveling with children, it is best to take the 1st class coupe. Two compartments are separated by a kind of connecting door that can be opened. In that case you have 1 compartment with four berths. The disadvantage of a first class coupe is that you lie parallel to the railway sleepers. That means a lot of shaking and shaking. It is a lot less comfortable than the second class where you lie in the same direction as the rails.
In second class you share the compartment with all fellow travelers and you have less privacy. Nevertheless, I still prefer a second class coupe with fan. The windows can open and you can hang out the window for a while. You can read a nice story about a train journey from Bangkok to the coast here: Boomel to the coast
Tips from Thailand blog
- Try the night train and book the 2nd class sleeping compartment with fan. Read also: Night train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok.
- Travel comfortably by subway to Hualamphong station. From the airport? Then first with the Airport Rail Link.
- Buy your train ticket for the night train well in advance.
- Hua Hin station is historic and truly beautiful to see.
- A nice train ride is to the old and little known fishing village of Maha Chai on the coast. Read: Boomel to the coast
- Another nice train story: Where would we be without the train?
- For only 100 baht you can take the train from Bangkok Thonburi station (also known as Bangkok Noi) to Kanchanaburi. You can then cross the river via the 'Death Railway' via the world famous 'Bridge over the River Kwai'. A must for enthusiasts. Read more here: Bridge over the River Kwai (English).
More information about train travel in Thailand:
- Thai Railways website: State Railway of Thailand
- A very extensive website about train travel in Thailand with photos: Seat 61
– Reposted message –
You are right, the train is great!
If I can choose the train or bus, I go by train.
Stretching legs, smoking a butt, and having a good time too.
Saves you another night in a hotel…..
Have traveled all those journeys by train in the past, I stick to the domestic flights.
Can't sleep at all at night, every time the train arrives at some insignificant station, then it starts, passing the vendors with all their fruit and smelly fried fish. comes along (of course with the noise of his heavy boots. to see if the people are in the right place.
I have experienced that I was eating my evening meal in the dining car (I thought it was very cozy, by the way, it was a pity that it was closed at 22:30 pm) when I came back to my sleeping cabin (low bed) someone was sleeping in my bed.
I don't want those situations anymore, live the plane!!
Another reason why I go by train: then how not to go with a minibus (minivan). I am not suicidal. If you are, feel free to get into such a van with a kamikaze pilot behind the wheel.
Completely agree, especially the sleeping train 2nd class with fan is fine.
Have noticed that different types of cars are used on the various routes, for example, the beds of the night train between BKK and Chang Mai are wider and more comfortable than those between BKK and Udon Thani.
But otherwise excellent service price quality is excellent in short, recommended
Yes, it is indeed very nice to go by train.
Two years ago we took the night train to Chiang Mai and the night train (and bus and boat) to Kho Lanta.
The train to the North is indeed better.
This year we took the day train to Chiang Mai, which is also very nice to do because you see a lot of different landscapes.
It is highly recommended.
Your story reminds me of a train journey in India, from Delhi to Goa. My girlfriend had a sofa bed next to the aisle and I on top. During the night I heard a lot of screaming and she had kicked a man off her bed because he started to paw. At first he only came to sit there while she was lying there, but that went on and on.
The next day, a man stared nonstop into her eyes for hours on end. Even shooting photos with flash right in his face didn't help him stop staring.
In Thailand I once took the night train from Bkk to Chiang mai, which I thought was not special because it was dark. Can imagine that it is nice for tourists on the train because there are many things that don't happen in Holland and it is a cheap way of traveling / staying overnight. I prefer to fly from Don Muang myself.
Our 1st class trip from Chiang Mai to Krunthep was a bit less. Before leaving I asked my girlfriend if they would deliver a (free) evening meal. She said that she had read all about it and that this was indeed the case, much like in an airplane where food and drinks are included on the long haul. You guessed it: for dinner we ate chips and nuts… The journey itself was nice, the bed big enough but the compartment a lot smaller than expected. With the large travel bags on the floor there was hardly any room to move. All in all, not a bad trip, but not a great one either. Unfortunately, hanging out of her window was also not possible because those windows cannot be opened… Next time we will take the plane.
I always go by train when I have the choice in Thailand, why? Inexpensive, because of the social aspect of being among people, can comfortably go to the toilet as long and as much as I want. Can stretch my legs, can sleep in a bed and can eat and drink in peace and after a night's sleep I always arrive at the destination well rested. Plus the fact that the train is also the safest option and there is always a police presence to keep an eye on things. I like traveling by train in general, I have already done that in Kenya, India, Sri-Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. By the way, it is a very nice way to get to know a country and its people by traveling by train. I don't like a bus or minivan for longer distances and a taxi no way, why make it difficult if it can be so easy and cheap, at least that is my vision of traveling by train in Thailand on longer distances.
I also think trains are fantastic, cheap, comfortable, and reasonably good food in the dining car. Coming back to cheap, our last train journey, all night 2nd class sleeper fan, was 480 Thb per person. The bill in the dining car was 4 Thb with 4500 men, a delicious meal drunk and one of my best evenings ever on the train.
I am a train fanatic and have traveled huge distances by train all over the world, it never gets boring for me.
I am even thinking of going to the Netherlands by train, the rail route is almost complete, only from Vientiane you will have to take the bus to Hanoi, and from there it will be very simple. Hanoi-Beijing-Moscow-Amsterdam!!!
There are travel agencies that even offer it costs around 2000 euros and it takes you more than 15 days!
We (family with three children aged 15-11-9) traveled last holiday on August 11 by night train from Bangkok to Surat Thani. I wanted to travel first class, but 'unfortunately' there was no room left. We have therefore opted for 2nd class, but we have not regretted it for a moment, what an experience. Super .. we had the upper beds and for my children this was one big adventure. Thailand was one big adventure anyway. We had a wonderful holiday and were well prepared, partly because of this forum. We bought the tickets about a week in advance at Hualamphong station. I walked straight to the counters, but my wife was approached by an employee.. I thought… ahh, there are those people who are going to trick us, but this was wrong. The best man was super nice, walked me to the right counter and waited until everything was arranged .. really friendly and not pushy. We had nice contact in the train with French holidaymakers, a Thai family .. but also with the seller of beer .. highly recommended !!
We also used the train in Thailand last summer. From Kanchanaburi to Bangkok was a lot of fun. A delay, but hey, you're on vacation. From Bangkok to Hua Hin we had to wait for a train later because the train we wanted was full. So yes, get your ticket in advance during the holidays if you really want to go on a certain train. Thanks also to this blog, from the moment I knew we were going to Thailand I read a lot here and it also helped me a lot. Partly because of this, we have had a nice journey
It's a choice, yes, flying is faster and more comfortable. But I don't consider the time spent on the train as lost time! You get to know the country and the people well on the train. It is striking that my Thai girlfriend thought it was unbelievable that I wanted to take the train. I had to move heaven and earth. Those Falang are strange. Thai take the bus for long distances. I think they find the train too easy. But on the bus you are stuck in your seat and on the train you can move. Once I went by bus to Suratthani and at a stop at a restaurant / market the driver shouted: 10 minutes! I ran to the toilet where I expected a long queue and wanted to be back on time….After waiting for an hour minutes, the driver also came back…no Thai people thought it was strange.
In the day train to Hua Hin, second class is better for me than first class: the fan is fine and you can look through the open window and take pictures and you're at the Thai. However, the train to Isaan is a lot worse. How could that be. Second class is not recommended here: no fan and hard seats. Not something to keep up for 8 hours.