rail travel thailand

The Man in Seat 61

A beginner's guide to

Train travel in thailand.

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Thailand has one of the best metre-gauge rail systems in the world, taking the train is easily the best way to get around & see the country.  It's comfortable, safe, cheap, environmentally friendly, and unlike flying it's a genuine Thai experience.  Ride the train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai or take train+ferry or train+bus from Bangkok to Ko Samui , Phuket or Krabi .  You can travel Bangkok-Vientiane , Bangkok-Cambodia or Bangkok-Penang-Kuala Lumpur-Singapore by train, too.  The 1,200-mile journey to Singapore takes 48 hours & costs only $80/£55.  This page has schedules & fares for key train routes in Thailand and explains how to buy tickets.

Bangkok Krung Thep Aphiwat Central station now open!  The new Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Station (KTW) opened on 19 January 2023 and all long-distance trains now start/terminate there instead of Bangkok's original Hualamphong station .

Timetable & fares for popular routes

Bus & ferry links, international trains & buses, other useful information, useful country information, general train travel information, how to check train times & fares.

You can check train times in Thailand at the official State Railways of Thailand website, www.railway.co.th .  Click Enter website to enter the English version and click Timetables .  Or use any of the booking systems explained here .

It can help to know that the Northern Line means the line to Chiang Mai, the Southern Line means the line south to Hua Hin, Surat Thani & Hat Yai, also the line to Kanchanaburi & the River Kwai.

To buy tickets online see here .

Map of the Thai train network

Are the trains on time.

You'll need to use buses for some routes where there are no trains, for example Phuket to Koh Samui.  There are many bus operators in Thailand, you can check times & buy tickets online for many bus, train & ferry routes throughout Thailand using 12Go.Asia or www.baolau.com .

Bangkok Airport rail link

Suvarnabhumi airport:   A modern rail link between Suvarnabhumi airport and central Bangkok opened in August 2010, see www.srtet.co.th or www.bangkokairporttrain.com .  Fast trains run about every 15 minutes 06:00-24:00 from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the City Air terminal at Makkasan (22 minutes, 35 baht) and Phaya Thai Skytrain station in the city centre (26 minutes, 45 baht).  There is interchange with the MRT (metro) at Phetchaburi station and with the Skytrain at Phaya Thai station.  It does not directly serve Bangkok's main Hualamphong station.

Don Muang airport:   State Railways of Thailand trains between Bangkok and Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai & Nong Khai (for Vientiane in Laos) call at Don Muang station, right next to the old Bangkok Airport, about 50 minutes (22 km) from central Bangkok.  However, most long-haul flights were transferred from the original Dong Muang Bangkok Airport to the new Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport in 2006.

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How to buy train tickets online

Do you need to buy tickets in advance .

No , if all you want is a 3rd class local ticket such as Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, Ayutthaya, Hua Hin or Aranyaprathet as these are only sold at the station on the day.  They cannot sell out!

No , even for longer distance trains if you want to stay flexible and are prepared to risk the specific train or class you want being fully-booked.  There are often places available even on the day or a few days before, at least outside peak periods, as long as you're prepared to take an alternative train, class or date if your first choice is full.

However, sleepers on the best trains can sell out weeks ahead in the peak Thai holiday periods such as New Year (30 December to 3 January) & Songkran (Thai New Year, usually 11-16 April).  To be sure of a place, book ahead if you can.  1st class sleepers usually sell out first, as there is only one 1st class sleeping-car on those few trains which have them.  The trains with the newer Chinese-built sleeping-cars are the most popular, especially on the Bangkok-Chiang Mai route, those should ideally be booked several weeks ahead.

Yes, always book ahead if you want to be sure of a ticket in a specific class on a specific train & date for a long distance journey as Bangkok to Chiang Mai.  Booking in advance is essential at peak periods.  To buy tickets online, read the section below.

If you want tickets all the way to Kuala Lumpur & Singapore, see the advice in the Bangkok to Singapore section .

When does booking open?

Booking for most long distance journeys (for example, Bangkok to Chiang Mai or Hat Yai) opens 30 days ahead .

Booking for trips of less than 25% of a long-distance train's journey only opens 1 day ahead .

However, booking for the best Chinese-built sleeper trains now opens 90 days ahead , as of November 2023.

Booking for less than 25% of these trains' journey only opens 1 day ahead , for 25%-59% of the journey, 30 days ahead .

These Chinese-built trains are shown as CNR in booking systems, train numbers 9, 10, 23, 24, 25, 26, 31 & 32.  These trains are popular and often sell out soon after booking opens.  1st class sleepers sell out first as there's only one 1st class sleeping-car, so be prepared to accept 2nd class sleepers, which are absolutely fine.

Option 1, buy online at 12Go.Asia

You can easily order Thai train tickets online from reliable agency 12go.asia .

When to book

You must book at least 3 days ahead.  Their system shows current seat & berth availability, although they don't offer real-time online booking, their staff procure the ticket for you manually.

12go.asia will take bookings more than 30 days ahead but remember they can only buy your tickets when State Railways of Thailand open reservations, 30 days before departure.

Ticket delivery

If 12go.asia can source your tickets from SRT's online system, this produces an e-ticket which they can email you and you can board the train with it.

However, only a % of places are loaded in the online system.  When these sell out 12go use the regular SRT booking system and hard-copy tickets then need to be collected.  You can choose to collect from one of several possible collection points, at least 60 minutes before your train leaves:

(1)  Bangkok:  12go.asia 's collection counter is in the DOB building opposite Hualamphong station open 10:00-20:00 every day.  There's no added fee for collecting here.

(2)  Chiang Mai:  You can collect tickets from the 24h Bossotel hotel reception across the road from Chiang Mai station, 70 baht fee, or from the station baggage room for 150 baht fee.

(3)  Surat Thani:  You can collect tickets from the station parcels office, open 24h.

(4)  Don Muang airport:  You can collect here if heading north, open 09:00-20:30.

(5)  Nong Khai:  You can collect from the station baggage office, for a 150 baht fee.

(6)  Ayutthaya:  You can collect from the parcels office.

(7)  Bang Sue: You can collect from the parcels office for 100 baht fee, open daily 08:00-17:00.  Bang Sue junction station is adjacent to the new Krung Thep Aphiwat Central station.

Alternatively, you can choose to have tickets sent by express post to an address in Thailand (although they won't send to Thai islands after many lost tickets).  This option costs an extra 100 baht ($3).

Payment & booking fee

12go.asia charge the regular Thai Railways fare plus a pretty reasonable 250 baht ($7.50) booking fee and a small PayPal payment fee (3.4% + 11 baht).  The price they show for each train includes the 250 baht fee but not the PayPal fee.  You pay securely via PayPal, either using a credit card or your own PayPal account, or you can choose their Visa or MasterCard payment channel provided by Omise which is a bit cheaper.  There's no additional delivery fee if you collect tickets in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, and just a small ($4) fee for collection at Surat Thani.

Which trains & routes can 12go.asia sell?

Most State Railways of Thailand routes, trains & classes are loaded on the 12go.asia system, but not every class on every route between every station, so bear that in mind.  It won't sell tickets for local trains such as Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, Hua Hin or Aranyaprathet as you need to buy these on the day at the station.  But the most popular longer-distance trains, routes & classes are bookable online.  They can even sell the combined train+bus/ferry tickets from Bangkok to Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan & Koh Tao (although only in the outward direction in the case of Phuket & Krabi), and they can book the International Express between Bangkok and Butterworth in either direction.  12go.asia can also book buses & ferries around Thailand, and now it can also book Malaysian KTM trains too.

Tip:   If you want one whole 1st class 2-berth compartment for two people, buy two 1st class tickets, selecting one upper and one lower berth, they will then book you together in one compartment.  Make sure you select the option to book 2nd class if 1st class sleepers are full, see my advice on this here !

Feedback is always appreciated .  So far, seat61 correspondents report good & helpful service.

Option 2, buy at www.baolau.com

Option 3, order from a thai travel agency.

Alternatively, you can arrange Thai train tickets with various Thai travel agencies including www.travelconnecxion.com .  They can have tickets waiting for you at your hotel in Bangkok for a small fee.  Remember that you can't book before reservations open.

Option 4, buy from State Railways of Thailand

State Railways of Thailand has its own online booking system.  It's had a chequered history, but the current system can be found at www.dticket.railway.co.th .  It's slow to open, but it has an English version and it will accept most overseas credit cards, so you can use it to book tickets if you like.

For Bangkok, you should enter Krung Thep Aphiwat Central as your origin or destination rather than plain Bangkok if your train starts/terminates there (as most long-distance trains now do).  Trains with the latest Chinese-built sleepers are shown as Special Express CNR .

If you have any problems using SRT's D-ticket system, or if it won't accept your credit card, use www.baolau.com or 12go.asia instead.  These are quicker and easier to use, being designed for western visitors.

How to buy tickets at the station

It's easy to buy tickets yourself at the station when you get to Thailand, but remember to take your passport, as it may now be required to buy a ticket.  All long-distance express trains require a reservation, which can be made on the day of travel or up to 30 days in advance.  Reservations are computerised, and the booking office at any main station can reserve seats or berths for any journey in Thailand.  Your ticket will have the train time and your seat or berth number printed on it.  3rd class local trains such as Bangkok-Ayutthaya or Bangkok-Kanchanaburi don't require a reservation, you just turn up, buy a ticket from the ticket office and hop on.

Buying tickets at Hualamphong

Even though all long-distance trains now leave from the new Krung Thep Aphiwat Central (KTW) station 11km out of town, you can still buy tickets at the more centrally-located Hualamphong station, worth a visit in its own right.

The main ticket office are on the concourse and well organised.  TV screens above each window show what tickets each window sells.

Ticket scalping by agencies?   I've had at least one report that trains to Chiang Mai were 'full' when the traveller asked at the official booking office for a train in two days' time, but they were later directed to a travel agency on one of the upper levels inside Hualamphong station who sold them first class sleeper tickets on the train they wanted for an extra 700 baht each.  Agencies sometimes buy up blocks of tickets to re-sell, a practice known as scalping.  SRT should stop this, but in the meantime, if you find a train full it's worth asking a travel agency inside the station, if you're willing to pay the extra!  Feedback appreciated .

Busy periods

New Year (30 December to 3 January) & Songkran (Thai New Year, usually 11-16 April).   Normally there's no problem buying tickets when you get to Thailand, if you are flexible as to the exact day, train and class, although obviously if it's mission-critical that you travel on a particular train in a particular class on a particular date, you should pre-book online .  However, there are a few holiday periods when booking ahead is strongly recommended under all circumstances.  The two biggest are New Year (30 December to 3 January) and Songkran (Thai New Year, usually 11-16 April).  If you want to travel at these periods you should definitely pre-book, preferably on the very day booking opens.

Buy by phone on 1690

When in Thailand you can call State Railways of Thailand by dialling 1690 - there now seems to be no 'proper' phone number accessible from outside Thailand.  It's reported that they are very helpful and are comfortable speaking English.  You'll need to give your name, passport number and contact number.  They'll give you a 10-digit reference number to collect your ticket at the ticket office, so have pen & paper handy.  However, you must book by phone at least 5 days before travel and you have to pick up and pay for the tickets at the station within 24 hours .  Feedback appreciated .

Which station in Bangkok?   See map

Krung Thep Aphiwat Central station :  From 19 January 2023, all long distance trains leave from (& arrive at) the impressive new Krung Thep Aphiwat Central station, located some 7 km north of Bangkok Hualamphong.  Normally abbreviated as KTW, this modern out-of-town airport terminal for trains can be reached from downtown Bangkok by free shuttle bus, metro or local train.  More information .

Bangkok Hualamphong station :  This is Bangkok's original station opened in 1916, located in the city centre.  Even after 19 January, some 13 local trains will continue to leave Hualamphong station.  This includes some local trains to Ayutthaya, the two daily trains to the Cambodian border at Ban Klong Luk, the trains to Pattaya and the weekend excursion train to the Bridge on the River Kwai and Nam Tok waterfall.

Thonburi station :  The two daily local trains to Kanchanaburi, the Bridge on the River Kwai & Nam Tok use the much smaller Thonburi station on the far bank of the river, also known as Bangkok Noi.  Map of Bangkok showing Hualamphong station & Thonburi (Noi) station .  Thonburi station is a 9-minute 750m walk from Bang Khun Non station on the MRT metro blue line, see walking map .  Thonburi station was formerly known as Bangkok Noi, it was the original terminus for trains to Hat Yai & Malaysia until the Rama VI Bridge opened in 1926, allowing express trains into Bangkok Hualamphong.

Wong Wian Yai station: This is the station for local trains to Samut Sakhon, better known as the Mae Khlong Market Train .

Krung Thep Aphiwat Central station (KTW)

The new Krung Thep Aphiwat Central station opened on 19 January 2023 and all long-distance expresses now use it instead of Hualamphong .  Officially abbreviated as KTW , this vast new transport hub is located alongside Bang Sue junction station on the old line, 7 km north of Hualamphong station , see location map .   Krung Thep is simply Bangkok in Thai.

Overview & platforms:   The street entrance is at ground level (Level 1), use entrance gate 4 for State Railways of Thailand long-distance trains.  The trains leave from the 1st floor (Level 2), follow signs to Long distance trains .  Access to the platforms is only allowed when the train becomes ready for boarding, around 20 minutes before departure.  You'll need to listen for announcements, the departure screens show scheduled departures, but not platform numbers.

Northern & Northeastern line trains to Chiang Mai & Nong Khai leave from platforms 1 & 2 and arrive on platforms 5 & 6.  Southern line trains to Hua Hin, Surat Thani, Hat Yai & Padang Besar leave from platforms 7 & 8 and arrive on platforms 11 & 12.  The trains exit the station on a new section of elevated railway with views over the city.

Ticket office:   The station has plenty of ticket counters for State Railways of Thailand ticket sales.  You can still buy tickets at the more centrally-located Hualamphong station if you find that more convenient.

Luggage lockers:   There are left luggage lockers near the ticket office, operated using a touch screen with English language facility.  You can pay per hour or per 24 hours, reckon on around 230 baht per 24h.

Food & drink:   There are various food outlets, including burger outlets.

Toilets & showers:   There are toilets which are free to use, with baby-changing facilities.  There are also several showers which are also free to use, but you need to ask the toilet attendant to unlock one for you, you'll also need your own soap & towel.

Metro (MRT):   The red line & blue line metro (MRT) platforms are in the basement.

How to reach KTW

By free shuttle bus:  This ran for a year but has now been discontinued.  Local bus 49 links KTW with Hualamphong every 15-20 minutes 05:00-21:00, taking between 30 & 60 minutes.  The cheapest but slowest option.

By metro (MRT):   Metro trains run from Hualamphong & various other downtown MRT station to Bang Sue MRT station.  From Hualamphong, take the Blue Line to Tha Phra and change onto another Blue Line train to Bang Sue.  Trains run every few minutes, metro journey time 31 minutes, so around 50 minutes in total including walking and waiting.  Fare 43 baht.  The metro accept contactless MasterCard & Visa cards, just touch in and out at the ticket gates with a contactless card.

For Bangkok metro information see metro.bemplc.co.th

By local train from Hualamphong:   You may still want to experience a departure (or arrival) in Bangkok's classic central Hualamphong station .  Some 13 trains per day will still run the 7 km from Hualamphong to Bang Sue junction station on the original line, even after KTW opens.  The line takes you over many busy level crossings (a key reason the long-distance trains were moved out to KTW) and through the station serving Bangkok's royal palace. 

Check train times from Bangkok to Bang Sue Junction at www.railway.co.th/Station/StationList .  Fare 2 baht, buy at the station on the day, no reservation necessary.

Bang Sue junction station is across the road from the new KTW station.  On arrival at Bang Sue, walk towards the rear of the train and over the crossing at the southern end of the platform, cross the road on the nearby pedestrian crossing and you're there.  Just don't cut it fine if catching a long-distance train, these local trains can be delayed.

By taxi :  From downtown Bangkok it takes about 25 minutes and costs around 130 baht.  Ask to be dropped at Gate 4, which is the main entrance for the long distance ticket office, waiting area and food court.  Taxi fare calulator: www.worldtaximeter.com/bangkok .

Bangkok Hualamphong station

Bangkok Hualamphong is Bangkok's original central station, opened in 1916 in downtown Bangkok.  It still handles local trains to Ayutthaya, the trains to Aranyaprathet and Ban Klong Luk on the Cambodian border, and the weekend excursion train to Kanchanaburi, Bridge on the River Kwai and Nam Tok waterfall.  There are regular (roughly hourly)  departures to Ban Sue junction station, adjacent to the new Krung Thep Aphiwat Central station.

Train information counter :  In the photo above, it's on the far right-hand side of the concourse, with the white lightbox visible above it.  They can give you a simple pocket timetable in English for any of the main Thai rail lines.

Tickets for travel today:   To buy tickets for immediate travel, go to any of the ticket windows to the left of the King's picture in the concourse photo below.  In theory, the TV screens above each window say for which trains that window is selling tickets, but most screens merely say 'All trains'.

Left luggage office:   This closed during the pandemic and has not yet reopened.  Feedback appreciated .

Food & drink:   There are several food outlets and a cafe on the station, but much fewer than there were now the new KTW station has opened.  To buy supplies of drinks and snacks for the journey, there's a 'Tiffy Mart' in the far left-hand corner of the concourse towards the taxi rank.

Taxis:   The taxi rank is on the left-hand side of the station.  In the photo above, you'd head towards the King's picture then turn left.  Expect a taxi to any city centre hotel to cost around 50 baht (£1 or $1.50).  Taxi fare calculator for Bangkok .

Toilets :  The toilets are beyond the information counter in the far right-hand corner of the concourse.  They are of a reasonable standard, now free.

Luggage on Thai trains

Luggage arrangements are really simple.  You take your own luggage onto the train with you, and put it on any suitable luggage rack next to your seat or berth or inside your 1st class sleeper compartment.  It will be quite safe, although some travellers take a bike lock with them to padlock it to the rack at night, just for peace of mind.  You can put your daypack with camera, passport, and so on, in the berth alongside you at night.  A very large suitcase would simply go on the floor alongside your seat.

Luggage limits:   Officially, every passenger is allowed one big suitcase and one smaller item although this is not rigorously enforced.  Your bags won't be weighed, but in principle baggage limits are a generous 60 Kg (110 lbs) for 1st class passengers, 40 Kg (88 lbs) for 2nd class passengers and 30 Kg (66 lbs) for 3rd class passengers.

Excess baggage:   Large items in excess of the allowance such as golf clubs or additional suitcases can be carried in the baggage car if you buy a cargo ticket.  You follow exactly the same procedure as for taking a bike, see the paragraph below.

Left luggage at stations

There are left luggage offices at Bangkok Hualamphong station ( see above ), Chiang Mai, Surat Thani, Ayutthaya and most other major Thai stations where you can leave your luggage for a small fee whilst you explore the town.  The new Krung Thep Aphiwat station has left luggage lockers, see above .

Taking a bicycle or motorbike

You can take a bicycle or motorbike on most Thai trains for a small fee.  The new Krung Thep Aphiwat Central station handles bicycles, but not motorbikes.

You can't take bikes on the diesel railcar (DRC) trains, or the Chinese-built (CNR) sleeper trains which have no baggage car, or the sleeper to/from Padang Besar in Malaysia which also has no baggage car.  Nor on the on the Bangkok airport rail link.  But other Thai express trains usually have a baggage car.

First, buy your passenger ticket, either in advance or at the station on the day.  You cannot pre-book your bike, even if you pre-book your passenger ticket.

On the day of travel, go to the station with your passenger ticket, find the cargo desk and buy a cargo ticket for your bike.  The cargo desk will be a chair, a desk and a set of scales on or near the platform, the location varies and some smaller stations don't have a cargo desk.  A cargo ticket costs around 90 to 130 baht (£2.00-£2.70 or $3-$5) for a bike, but can be up to 1230 baht for a motorbike.  It's a flat fee based on where the train is going, not on where you're going, so on a train going from Bangkok to Hat Yai, the cargo price is the same to Hua Hin as to Hat Yai.  Part of the cargo ticket will be attached to your bike, the other part to your passenger ticket.  If you arrive immediately before the train departs or if there isn't a cargo desk at that station, you may be told to pay on the train. 

When the train is ready for boarding, you take you bike to the baggage car for loading.  It's a good idea to provide something to secure your bike, a couple of luggage elastics or even just some plastic string picked up from one of the vendors on the platform, don't rely on this being provided.  Ask if you can secure your bike to the inside of the baggage car yourself, which they usually allow, as otherwise they may just lean it against other cargo and it could be damaged when the train is in motion.  Some 3rd class trains don't have a baggage car, so on these you'll have to manhandle your bike into a passenger carriage and stash it in the corridor next to one of the washrooms.  Now take your seat in the train.  At your destination, go to the baggage car, show your cargo ticket and collect your bike.  There is nothing further to pay when you arrive.

Traveller David Mitchell reports on taking a bike on a train in Thailand:   "I can confirm that it is indeed possible to take bicycles on Thai trains, or at least the Bangkok to Chiang Mai route, though I’m sure it is similar for the others. You have to send the bike as cargo and it travels in the cargo/guards van.  The procedure is to buy your ticket, then locate the cargo office where they will fill out a cargo ticket.  They will attach part of the cargo ticket to the bike and part to your passenger ticket – the cost for a bike was 90 baht each way. You then have to drop off the bike in the cargo car yourself before taking your seat.  At your destination you go to the cargo car and collect the bike – you will have to show your ticket & cargo ticket before they will release it.  The cargo car sometimes gets full so it is worth turning up early to make sure that there is enough space in it to accommodate your bike."

Traveller Saibal Chatterjee took a bike from Thailand to Singapore by train:  "In April 2012 I set out to ride my bike from Chang Mai to Singapore. I managed to bike as far as Surat Thani but then fell sick due to heat & exhaustion.  So I carried on my journey towards Singapore by train.  I took the overnight Thai Railways train to Hat Yai with my bike safe in the luggage compartment. From Hat Yai I took the Malaysian Railway train to Padang Besar and on to Kuala Lumpur (same train).  I was allowed to take my bike on the Malaysian Railway train (at no extra charge). Initially I parked the bike between the space between the two toilets but the train conductor asked me to put it in the lockable luggage space on the other side of the compartment. I arrived at Kuala Lumpur station no problems.  At Kuala Lumpur station I had to talk with the station manager to be able to take my bike on the train to Singapore. After a bit of sweet talk he allowed me to take my bike on the day (chair car) train to Singapore only if I bought a first class ticket (no extra charge for bike). I boarded the train and placed my bike between the last and the second last chairs. Later the ticket checker asked me to place the bike in the generator car so that it did not cause problems for other passengers. I did place my bike in the generator car and chained it with the door handle and reached Singapore without problems.

What are Thai trains like?

Which class.

Thai trains have 3 classes, 1st, 2nd & 3rd.  1st class only exists as modern air-conditioned sleeping-cars on overnight trains.  2nd class comes in seat and sleeper versions, in air-conditioned and non-air-con varieties, and is very comfortable especially on sleeper trains and the air-conditioned express railcars.  Indeed, many experienced travellers including myself actually prefer a cosy & sociable 2nd class sleeper to a 1st class one.  Even 3rd class is surprisingly clean and acceptable by European standards, and is an enjoyable way to travel on local trains for shorter trips.  The photos below will help you decide which is best for you.  The sitting and sleeper areas of all trains are non-smoking.

Quick links:  1st class sleepers   2nd class sleepers   Restaurant cars   2nd class express railcars (DRC)    2nd class seats    3rd class seats

1st class sleepers

1st class sleeping-cars are air-conditioned with 9 lockable 2-berth compartments with washbasin opening off a side-corridor.  Clean sheets, blankets, soap & towels are provided.  There's a western-style toilet at the end of the corridor and even a shower, with hot water in the new Chinese-built cars but luke warm water in the older cars.

Berths are sold individually, so one ticket buys one bed.  Solo travellers will share with another passenger of the same gender unless they pay for two tickets.  The berths convert to a sofa for evening & morning use.  If there are 3 or 4 of you, you can book two adjacent 2-berth sleepers with an inter-connecting door (berths 1 & 2 connect with berths 3 & 4, berths 5 & 6 connect with 7 & 8, and so on).

On key routes such as Bangkok-Chiang Mai, Bangkok-Nong Khai or Bangkok-Surat Thani-Hat Yai, a steward or stewardess from the restaurant car may come round and take your food & drink order, offering you a set menu with several choices, around 180 baht for dinner and 100 baht for breakfast.  The meal will be delivered to your sleeper and if that suits you that's great, but it can be more fun and more social to go along to the restaurant car , where you'll get a wider choice - just be warned that as the attendants get commission, they have been known to deny that there's a restaurant car on the train when there is and you're free to go there if you want!

The Man in Seat 61 says :  "There's usually just one 1st class sleeping-car per train, so book early as the 1st class car often gets fully-booked several weeks ahead.  If there are two of you, select one upper berth & one lower berth when booking online to get a whole compartment to yourselves.  First-time visitors often obsess about 1st class, perhaps if I were on my honeymoon I'd go 1st class for the privacy - and the new Chinese 1st class looks very nice.  But like many experienced travellers I actually prefer the more sociable open-plan 2nd class sleepers to rattling round in a 1st class compartment, especially if I'm solo.  The 2nd class bunks have curtains for privacy at night and are fine for most travellers, even families with children.  So don't feel you have to go 1st class.  You really don't!"

High-quality 1st class sleepers on trains 9, 10, 23, 24, 25, 26, 31, 32

High-quality 1st class sleeping-cars built in China entered service in November 2016 between Bangkok & Chiang Mai on trains 9 & 10 and Bangkok & Ubon Ratchathani on trains 23 & 24.  These were joined in December by trains 25 & 25 between Bangkok & Nong Khai (for Vientiane) and trains 31 & 32 between Bangkok & Hat Yai.  Their layout is similar to the regular Thai type, with nine 2-berth compartments with washbasin opening off a side corridor.  They feature TV information screens and power sockets for laptops & mobiles.  There are toilets and a hot shower at the end of the corridor.  A slightly higher fare is charged for travel in these new cars.  See the video here or this article here .

1st class sleepers other trains

If your train has a 1st class sleeper, it will be of this regular Thai type, unless it one of the trains which have been equipped with new Chinese-built sleepers (trains 9, 10, 23, 24, 25, 26, 31, 32), or trains 51 & 52 which use a second-hand Japanese sleeping-car as shown in the next section.  These cars have nine lockable 2-berth compartments opening off a side corridor.  There are toilets are at the end of the corridor, along with a cold but still very welcome shower.

Japanese 1st class sleeper on trains 51, 52.

Train 51/52 between Bangkok & Chiang Mai is an exception.  It has an ex-Japanese 1st class sleeper, which uniquely for Thailand has single-berth compartments, see the photos below.  There are no 2-berth compartments on this train, but pairs of adjacent single-berth compartments have a connecting door, so berth 1 can be connected to berth 2, berth 3 to berth 4, and so on.  Incidentally, until 10 November 2016, these cars were used on train 13/14, but from 11 November 2016 they are reassigned to train 51/52.

2nd class sleepers

Most western visitors use 2nd class sleepers, which are comfortable, safe and great fun.  Berths are not in compartments, but are arranged 'open plan' either side of a central aisle.  During the evening and morning part of the journey, seats are arranged in cosy face-to-face pairs on each side of the aisle, see the photos below.  At night, the attendant makes up the sleeping berths by pulling together each pair of seats to form a lower berth, and folding an upper berth out from the wall above.  He then arranges a mattress, pillow and fresh clean bedding on each berth, and hooks up the curtains on each bunk for privacy - see him do this in the video below !

Luggage goes on the overhead racks or under the seats, or on the floor next to your seats.  Some people bring a bike lock to chain it up for peace of mind, but you'd normally take daypacks with any valuables into the berth with you.

2nd class sleepers come in both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned varieties, the air-con ones are usually cleaner and more modern, but the non-a/c ones have windows which open, better for taking photographs of the scenery.  The fare for an upper berth is a fraction cheaper, but the upper bunks tend to be narrower.  There's plenty of luggage room, take a bike lock if you want to chain up your luggage for peace of mind.  Security is not a problem, it's a great way to travel which saves time even compared to flying, and saves a hotel bill too.  Upper berths are fine for anyone up to 6' 2" tall, if you're taller than that you should choose a lower berth as these are significantly wider, allowing tall people to sleep comfortably on the diagonal.  On key routes such as Bangkok-Chiang Mai, Bangkok-Nong Khai or Bangkok-Surat Thani-Hat Yai, a steward or stewardess from the restaurant car may come round and take your food or drink order, offering you a set menu with several choices, around 180 baht for dinner and 100 baht for breakfast.  The meal will be delivered to your seat, and if that suits you that's great, but it can be more fun and more social to go along to the restaurant car , where you'll get a wider choice - just be warned that as the attendants get commission, they have been known to deny that there's a restaurant car on the train when there is and you're free to go there if you want!

The Man in Seat 61 says :  "The 2nd class sleepers are the best choice for most western travellers, and in fact I actually prefer them to the first class variety, especially if I'm travelling solo, and I'm not the only one who does!  The air-conditioned sleepers are more comfortable and usually newer and cleaner, but the non-air-con ones have windows which open, better for viewing the countryside and taking photographs on the daylight parts of the trip."

High-quality 2nd class sleepers on trains 9, 10, 23, 24, 25, 26, 31, 32

New high-quality Chinese-built sleepers came into service on trains 9 & 10 between Bangkok & Chiang Mai, and trains 23 & 24 between Bangkok & Ubon Ratchathani starting 11 November 2016.  These were joined on 2 December by trains 25 & 26 between Bangkok & Nong Khai (for Vientiane) and trains 31 & 32 between Bangkok & Hat Yai.  The layout of these cars is essentially the same as the previous most-modern type shown below.  See the video here .  The trains that use these modern sleepers are popular, so if you want one you should book several weeks ahead, especially on the Bangkok-Chiang Mai route.

Modern air-con 2nd class sleepers

These modern air-conditioned sleepers now operate on trains 13/14 between Bangkok & Chiang Mai and trains 45/46 between Bangkok & Padang Besar, amongst others.  There is a washing area with two sinks and western & squat toilets at the end of the coach.  Soap & toilet paper are provided.  At night, upper & lower berths fold out, each with curtains for privacy.

Watch the video:  Making up the beds

Older air-con sleepers.

These older air-conditioned sleepers operate on train 69/70 between Bangkok & Nong Khai, and on many other overnight express trains in Thailand.  The layout is the same as the newer type shown above.

Non-air-con 2nd class sleepers

These are older and a bit grubbier, but the fare is a fraction cheaper and some people prefer the ability to open a window, for example to take photographs.  There are fans on the ceiling, and window shutters to keep out the sun as well as glass panes.  Not sure about that green, though.

Restaurant cars

All the most important trains have a restaurant car, including trains 9, 10, 13, 14 Bangkok-Chiang Mai, trains 35 & 36 Bangkok-Hat Yai, trains 84 & 85 Bangkok-Surat Thani, trains 69 & 70 Bangkok-Nong Khai.  Some restaurant cars are air-conditioned like the one shown below, including those on all the Chinese-built sleeper trains.  Others are non-air-con, with opening windows such as the restaurant car on Bangkok-Chiang Mai sleeper train 13/14.

The food is remarkably cheap and good, a set meal costs around 150-200 baht (£3-£4 or $5-$6) and you choose from a leaflet with pictures & English captions.  Beer is unfortunately no longer available since 2014.

A restaurant car attendant usually walks through the train with a menu card showing pictures & English captions.  They will take meal orders and serve you at you seat if you prefer.  You may find this more convenient, but its more fun & sociable to go to the restaurant car.  Click here for sample menu & food photos .

One traveller reports "We particularly enjoyed the restaurant car, the food was better than expected and they switched on the disco lights and 70's bogie music after the sun went down!"

Food & drink vendors :  On almost all Thai trains, even 3rd class ones, you'll find vendors selling fruit & soft drinks.  Obviously, you can bring your own food and drink if you like, bought at the station or nearby supermarket.

Alcohol:   Sipping a beer on a Thai train  has always been one of the pleasures of train travel, but sale and consumption of alcohol has been banned from July 2014 as a knee-jerk reaction to a specific incident.  Restaurant cars therefore no longer sell beer.

2nd class seats

Special express drc (diesel rail car ).

The air-conditioned express diesel railcars (DRC) are an excellent option for daytime travel on routes such as Bangkok to Chiang Mai and Bangkok to Hua Hin, Chumphon & Surat Thani.  These air-conditioned trains were built by Daewoo in the mid 1990s and have comfortable 2nd class reclining seats, half of the seats in a car facing forwards and the other half backwards.  There is a hostess service of a light meal, coffee & soft drinks included in the fare.  The pre-packed rice-based lunch isn't hugely substantial, so feel free to take some other supplies with you if you're hungry.  Relax and enjoy the journey as the scenery rolls by.

2nd class seats on express trains

A pleasant and comfortable way to travel for long-distance daytime journeys, although slower than the express railcars.  There are both air-conditioned and non-air-con varieties.  The advantage of the non-air-con coaches is the open windows and unrestricted views, a breeze wafting in as the train clickety-clacks through the Thai countryside.  Each pair of seats can be rotated, seats are normally turned to face forwards.  Photos courtesy of Graeme Thorley .

3rd class seats

In spite of its name, 3rd class is a perfectly good option for short trips such as Bangkok to Kanchanaburi or Ayutthaya, as it's generally clean, not usually crowded outside the commuter peaks, unbelievably cheap, and sitting next to an open window as the train clickety-clacks through the countryside is a very pleasant experience.  Although, 2nd class would be better for long trips such as Bangkok to Nong Khai or Chiang Mai.  3rd class usually has padded seats, but some older carriages have wooden seats.  It's normally non-air-con, but air-con 3rd class exists on a few long distance routes.

Bangkok to Chiang Mai

It's Thailand's most popular train route.  Travelling from Bangkok to Chiang Mai by sleeper is effectively faster than flying, far less stressful, far more fun, better for the environment and it saves you a hotel bill, too.  Think you don't see much from a night train?  The scenery on the last third of the trip up into the mountains approaching Chiang Mai is particularly good, and even on the sleeper, watching the sunrise from the train in the morning is wonderful.  The new Chinese-built high-quality sleepers on trains 9 & 10 are excellent, and of course, the sleeper train itself is the scenery, a real Thai train with a chance to meet Thai people.

*  Train 9/10 is the best train to take as it uses new high-quality Chinese-built sleeping-cars & restaurant car introduced in 2016 .

**  Train 13/14 is the next-best sleeper train using the next most modern cars, northbound it passes the best scenery near Chiang Mai in daylight.  It also has a non-air-conditioned restaurant car with opening windows, ideal for photography.

*** Train 7/8 is the best daytime option, the air-conditioned express railcar .

Train classes:

1 = 1st class sleepers .  S = 2nd class sleepers (air-conditioned) .  s = 2nd class sleepers (non-air-con) .  2 = 2nd class seats .  R = Restaurant car .

3 = 3rd class seats .  DRC = Diesel Railcar express with 2nd class air-con seats, meals included , but no sleepers so not recommended for overnight journeys).

How to buy tickets    What are Thai trains like?    Map of train routes in SE Asia    Luggage & bikes    Recommended hotels in Chiang Mai & Bangkok

Fares are in Thai baht.  £1 = 44 baht.  €1 = 35 baht.  $1 = 33 baht.

Children aged 0 to 3 and less than 100cm in height travel free, children aged 4 to 11 and under 150cm travel at reduced fare, children 12 years old and upwards (or over 150cm high) pay full fare.

Bangkok to Nong Khai for Laos

Here are trains between Bangkok & Nong Khai, near the border with Laos.  If you're travelling into Laos, see the Laos page for information on the new Bangkok-Vientiane train service & on local transport across the Friendship Bridge between Nong Khai & Vientiane.

1 = 1st class sleepers .  S = 2nd class sleepers (air-con) .  s = 2nd class sleepers (non-air-con) .  2 = 2nd class seats .  3 = 3rd class seats .  R = Restaurant car .  DRC = Diesel Railcar express with 2nd class air-conditioned seats, meals included (no sleepers).

* Recommended daytime train, air-con express diesel railcar.

** Recommended train, high-quality sleeper train with modern Chinese-built sleeping-cars introduced in December 2016 .

A train connection to Vientiane in Laos opened in 2009:  The railway was extended across the Friendship Bridge to a new station at Thanaleng on the Laos side of the Friendship Bridge some 13 km from downtown Vientiane.  Two daily local shuttle trains link Nong Khai with Thanaleng in each direction, one of them providing a connection with train 69/70 to/from Bangkok.  See the Laos page for travel between Bangkok & Vientiane .

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Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani

1 = 1st class sleepers .  S = 2nd class air-con sleepers .  s = 2nd class sleepers (non-air-con) .  2 = 2nd class seats . 

3 = 3rd class seats .  R = Restaurant car .  DRC = Diesel Railcar express with 2nd class air-conditioned seats, meals included (no sleepers).

* Recommended train for daytime travel, air-con express diesel railcar.  Train 71/71 is an older railcar which also has 3rd class non-a/c seats.

** Recommended overnight train, train 23/24 uses new high-quality Chinese-built 1st & 2nd class air-con sleepers , introduced November 2016.

How to buy train tickets online    Buying tickets at the station     What are Thai trains like?     Map of train routes in SE Asia    Luggage & bikes     Hotels in Thailand

Fares are in Thai baht.  £1 = 44 baht.   €1 = 35 baht.  $1 = 33 baht.

Traveller Ian Craven from Sydney reports :  I recently travelled on the State Railways of Thailand on the Bangkok-Ubon run.  We took daytime train 21, the express diesel rail car, in 2nd class air conditioned seats.  We easily bought tickets the day before from a Bangkok travel agent for a very reasonable commission, about 50 baht.  The train consisted of only three cars, and predictably we were the only farang on board.  Train left just 5 minutes late, at 0550, and took at least an hour to get out of the suburbs of Bangkok, with the country eventually giving way to rice paddies as far as the eye can see; the train then climbs through some low hilly country with mainly teak plantations and orchards, and eventually gives way to a vast plain, again with rice predominate, along with sugar and banana’s, and all kinds of towns and villages, large and small.  The seating was very comfortable, the air con just right (not too cold which is often the case), and the service impeccable.  Despite a rather gruff visage, the conductor was in fact a very amiable fat controller, turned out in an immaculately pressed uniform.  The train even features a 'trolley dolly', who serves breakfast (croissant & sweet bun), water, orange juice, tea and coffee (why is railway coffee uniformly bad everywhere in the world?!) and lunch (like an airline pack featuring a small chicken curry and rice, and some kind of putrid fish that even the locals were poking at with disdain!).  All this comes included in the price of the ticket.  Train arrived in Ubon dead on time at 1410, despite some unscheduled stops along the way to let off passengers.  While it is certainly not one of the great train journeys of the world, it is not overly long and provides some excellent views of Thai rural life, and is a cheap, efficient and very effective way to get to the southern Lao PDR frontier.  I would highly recommend it to anyone. The international bus from Ubon-Pakse runs twice daily, about 3 hours, 200 baht.

Bangkok to the Cambodian border

Ban Klong Luk is located at the Cambodian border, just metres from the border post.  Trains only used to run as far as Aranyaprathet, 255 km from Bangkok and 6 km from the Cambodian border, but were extended to Ban Klong Luk in July 2019, just 200m from the Thai border post.  You can now walk through the Thai & Cambodian border posts into Poiphet on the Cambodian side from where buses run to Siem Reap & Phnom Penh.  See the Cambodia page for information about the journey from Bangkok to Siem Reap (for the Angkor Wat temples) & Phnom Penh, and about onwards bus transport to Saigon in Vietnam.  Trains 275-280 have 3rd class seats , but Thai 3rd class is clean and comfortable, a very pleasant way to travel with vendors selling food & soft drinks.  Train 279/280 is a diesel railcar.  Train 275/276 is a locomotive & coaches.  These trains continue to use Bangkok Hualamphong station.

Children aged 0 to 3 and less than 100cm in height travel free, children aged 4 to 11 and under 150cm travel at half fare, children 12 years old and upwards (or over 150cm high) pay full fare.

Bangkok to Kanchanaburi

The best way to reach Kanchanaburi & the Bridge on the River Kwai is by train, using the infamous Death Railway itself, for just 100 baht (£2 or $3), see the Bridge on the River Kwai page for details .

There is also a special railcar (2nd & 3rd class air-conditioned) for tourists at weekends, leaving Hualamphong station at 06:30 for Kanchanaburi at 09:25, Nam Tok 11:30, returning from Nam Tok at 14:40 and Kan'buri at 16:55 arriving Bangkok 19:30.  Special fares apply, reservation required, see the Bridge on the River Kwai page for details .

Bangkok to Sukhothai

Sukhothai has no rail station, but you can take a comfortable train from Bangkok to Phitsanulok on the Bangkok-Chiang Mai main line, which is about 59 km from Sukhothai by bus.  This train/bus combo avoids a nightmare 7 hours on a bus from Bangkok.  The 08:30 or 11:50 DRC express railcars from Bangkok would be a good choice to reach Phitsanulok, see here for train times .  On arrival by train at Phitsanulok, simply ask one of the tuk-tuk taxis waiting outside the station to take you to the nearby bus station.

Buses leave Phitsanulok for Sukhothai frequently between 07:00 and 19:00, fare around 40 baht or so, journey time 1 hour.

One-time capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom, the UNESCO-designated ruins are 12 km outside Sukhothai town, easily reached by local transport.

Bangkok to Chiang Rai

To reach Chiang Rai, first take a train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, see above for train times . 

Ordinary (non-air-con) buses leave Chiang Mai Arcade bus station every hour or two from 06:00 to 17:30, journey time 3 hours 50 minutes, fare around 60 baht. 

Air-conditioned buses also leave from Chiang Mai Arcade bus station every hour or so from 07:00 to 17:00, journey time 3 hours 10 minutes, fare 102 baht.

Bangkok to Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya is the UNESCO-listed ancient capital of Siam, with impressive ruins and temples.  It's a great day trip from Bangkok, or you can stop off on your way between Bangkok & Chiang Mai.  The start of the UNESCO-listed area is some 3.5 km from Ayutthaya station, a 44-minute walk or short hop by tuk-tuk, see map .

Option 1, by local train

There are a range of local trains from the conveniently-located Bangkok Hualamphong station to Ayutthaya with basic but clean 3rd class seats, taking a leisurely 1h45 for the 71 km (44 miles).  No reservation is necessary, just turn up, buy a ticket at the station and hop on.  3rd class isn't crowded outside peak times, as a day tripper from Bangkok you'll be going in the opposite direction from commuter crowds in any case.  It's a pleasant way to get there, sitting next to an open window with a cool breeze blowing in, as the train clickety-clacks along.

To check these train times, go to See www.railway.co.th and look for Timetables .

Option 2, by express train

You can also travel between Bangkok & Ayutthaya by express train.  These are faster (typically 1 hour), more comfortable and you get a reserved seat.  On the downside, all express trains now leave from the less-convenient Krung Thep Aphiwat Central station 7 km north of Hualamphong, and tickets need to be pre-booked. 

Book online at www.baolau.com with instant confirmation,  You print your own ticket and can board the train with the printout.

You must book at least the day before.  On the day of travel, tickets aren't sold online, only at stations.

Booking for most trains opens 30 days ahead, but there are a few long-distance express trains (including express air-con railcar SP7 on its way to Chiang Mai) for which short-hop tickets such as Bangkok to Ayutthaya are only sold the day before, to avoid short-hop passengers using up long-distance places.

Using www.baolau.com you'll see that each train number is preceded by RP (rapid), EX (express) or SP (special express).  The Bangkok-Ayutthaya fare on a rapid (RP) train is 20 baht in non-a/c 3rd class, 61 baht in non-a/c 2nd class.

Fares for EX & SP trains are significantly higher because they carry an express surcharge and they may have air-con cars or sleepers with higher fares.  A non-a/c 2nd class seat on a rapid (RP) train is a good choice if the timings suit you, the cars have opening windows making it a pleasant option.

Incidentally, if you're returning from Ayutthaya to Bangkok in the afternoon, the long gap in 3rd class local trains between lunchtime and early evening may make a seat on an express train look a good option - and it might well be!  Just remember that whilst the 18:48 local train might be more or less on time, a late afternoon express train coming from way up country could be an hour late by the time it reaches Ayutthaya.  Not a reason not to book it, but bear that in mind when deciding between the 18:48 3rd class local train or the 16:37 Rapid - though I reckon the 16:37 rapid still usually gets to Bangkok first!

Stopping off on the way to Chiang Mai

All trains between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Nong Khai & Ubon Ratchathai stop at Ayutthaya.  It's easiest to use the 3rd class local trains for the Bangkok-Ayutthaya section rather than booking a seat on an express, the local trains are cheaper, more frequent and no reservation is necessary.  Then see the Chiang Mai or Nong Khai timetable above for express train times Ayutthaya-Chiang Mai or Ayutthaya-Nong Khai.  Ayutthaya has a left luggage office (on the platform, marked 'Cloak Room') where you can stash your bags for a 10 baht fee between trains.

Bangkok to Samut Songkhram

The Market Train:   You may have heard of a little train near Bangkok that runs right through the middle of a market.  This is the Bangkok - Mahachai - Mae Khlong Line, which runs within inches of the market stalls approaching its terminus at Samut Songkhram, some 70 km (45 miles) from Bangkok and known locally as Mae Khlong after the river on which it is situated.  In fact, it's not one rail line but two, separated by a ferry across the Tha Chin river in the middle.  These two lines are part of the State Railways of Thailand, but were originally built in 1905 as private lines and they are not physically linked to the rest of the network.  A trip to Mae Khlong makes an interesting trip from Bangkok if you've a day spare.  Watch this video to see the train pass through a busy market, when the train passes the market traders replace their canopies and you'd never know a train track was there.

Bangkok ► Mae Khlong Market

Step1, first take a little silver diesel railcar from Bangkok's Wong Wian Yai station to Samut Sakhon, known locally as Mahachai.

Bangkok's Wong Wian Yai station is located on the west side of the Bangkok river, a 20 minute walk from the BTS Skytrain station at Wangwan Yai, see map of Bangkok showing stations .

Trains run from Bangkok Wong Wian Yai to Mahachai roughly every hour from 05:30 until 20:10, journey time around 59 minutes, usually 3rd class only, fare 10 baht, distance 31.2 km (19 miles).

Most trains are non-air-conditioned with opening windows (better for photography), but you'll also find some 2nd class air-con cars on the 07:00 & 10:40 departures from Bangkok, plus a couple of later trains, with fare 25 baht.

Step 2, you then cross the Tha Chin river by ferry to Ban Laem, 3 baht.  The ferry takes just a few minutes.

Step 3, on the other side, four trains a day run from Ban Laem to Mae Khlong (Samut Songkhram), departing 07:30, 10:10, 13:30, 16:40, journey time 1 hour, fare 10 baht, distance 33.6 km.

Mae Khlong Market ► Bangkok

Step 1, trains leave Mae Khlong (Samut Songkhram) at 06:20, 09:00, 11:30, 15:30 taking 1 hour to Ban Laem, 10 baht.

Step 2, cross the river by ferry from Ban Laem to Samut Sakhon (Mahachai), 3 baht, the crossing takes just a few minutes.

Step 3, trains return from Samut Sakhon (Mahachai) to Bangkok every hour from 04:30 to 19:00, journey time 59 minutes, fare 10 baht.

For more information, photos and a video, see www.nomadicnotes.comk .  The trip makes an interesting excursion from Bangkok.

Bangkok to Southern Thailand

There are plenty of good air-conditioned trains from Bangkok to Hua Hin, Chumphon, Surat Thani & Hat Yai, with connections by ferry or bus to Thailand's popular beaches and islands such as Phuket , Krabi or Ko Samui .

You can also travel to Malaysia & Singapore this way, by train from Bangkok to Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, see the Bangkok to Malaysia & Singapore page .  This takes you along the west coast main line route. 

Alternatively, you can take a train to Sungai Kolok on the eastern end of the frontier with Malaysia.  You can walk across the frontier and get a bus a few miles on to Kota Bharu.  The railway station for Kota Bharu is Wakaf Bahru (3 miles or so from Kota Bharu), from where there are daily trains to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur via the scenic Jungle Line , see the Malaysia page .  This route forms an interesting alternative to the usual mainline route via Padang Besar, although you need to be aware of the security concerns around Sungai Kolok at the eastern end of the Thai/Malay border.

Bus/ferry connections to:  Phuket    Krabi    Ko Samui & Ko Phangan    Ko Tao

The timetable below starts 15 December 2023, many trains are speeded up thanks to completion of the double-tracking project.

* Malaysian time is one hour ahead of Thai time, times shown here for Padang Besar & Butterworth are Malaysian time.  Be warned that State Railways of Thailand timetables usually show Padang Besar times in Thai time!

To/from Butterworth, you change trains at Padang Besar, hence the Butterworth time is in italics & (brackets).

1 = 1st class sleepers .  S = 2nd class sleepers (air-conditioned) .  s = 2nd class sleepers (non-air-con) . 

2 = 2nd class seats .  3 = 3rd class seats .   R = Restaurant car .

DRC = Diesel Railcar express with 2nd class air-conditioned seats , meals included, but no sleepers so not recommended for overnight journeys.

* Recommended trains - express railcar by day, air-con sleepers by night.  Train 31/32 uses high-quality Chinese-built sleeping-cars introduced December 2016

** Useful 3rd class train between Bangkok Hualamphong & Hua Hin. No reservation needed, cannot sell out, buy a ticket on the day and hop on!

*** Only two 2nd class sleeping-cars run all the way to/from Butterworth, the rest of the train only runs Bangkok-Hat Yai.

How to buy train tickets online    Buying tickets at the station      What are Thai trains like?     Map of train routes in SE Asia      Luggage & bikes      Hotels in Thailand

Fares are in Thai baht.  £1 = 44 baht.   €1 = 39 baht.  $1 = 33 baht.

Security warnings in Southern Thailand:   You may be aware of the security warnings for southern Thailand.  These primarily apply to the eastern end of the Malaysia-Thailand border around Yala & Sungai Kolok, where there is a risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time if you were to hang around.  Bombs have gone off outside bars and police stations in Yala and Sungai Kolok, and the eastern Sungai Kolok-Yala-Hat Yai rail line has been affected on a number of occasions, so use this route with extreme care if at all.  However, the Bangkok-Hat Yai-Penang-Kuala Lumpur-Singapore main line passes through the border at the western end which isn't as badly affected.  Although I must make it clear that I'm no security expert, there are unlikely to be any problems simply passing through a small part of the less-affected area non-stop on board a train via the Singapore-KL-Penang-Hat Yai-Bangkok main rail line via Padang Besar.  Although travellers should always take advice and be aware of the current situation.  I certainly don't claim to provide current security advice!

Bangkok to Ko Tao

Option 1, via lomprayah ferry.

Book a comfy train from Bangkok to Chumphon, stay overnight - Chumphon station is in the town centre.  Next day, a Lomprayah minivan leaves from outside the station for the 26 km drive to the Lomprayah pier for the Lomprayah's fast catamaran to Ko Tao.

1 = 1st class sleepers .  S = 2nd class sleepers (air-conditioned) .  s = 2nd class sleepers (non-air-con) .  2 = 2nd class seats .   3 = 3rd class seats .

R = Restaurant car .  DRC = Diesel Railcar express with 2nd class air-conditioned seats, meals included .

The train can run an hour or two late, these schedules allow for that.  The minivan+ferry is run by www.lomprayah.com .

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets, option 2, via surat thani.

The train-ferry connections actually work just as well via Surat Thani & Ko Samui, though it's a long way round.  See the section below .

Bangkok to Ko Samui & Ko Phangan

It's easy to travel from Bangkok to Ko Samui, Ko Phangan or Ko Tao, using a train to Surat Thani then a combined minivan+ferry service operated by Lomprayah.  It's the safe, comfortable & environmentally-friendly way to travel, much better than cramped buses or short-haul flights.  The overnight sleeper option takes no more time out of your holiday than flying and is a lot more fun, and far more of an experience.  Simply take a train from Bangkok to Surat Thani.  On arrival at Surat Thani railway station (located at Phun Phin, 14 km from Surat Thani town centre), shuttle buses meet the train and take you to the Don Sak ferry terminal 60 km east of Surat Thani.  You then take the fast ferry from Don Sak to Ko Samui, Ko Phangan & Ko Tao.  Here is the recommended timetable.

The train can run an hour or two late, these schedules allow for that.  Have breakfast in Surat Thani!  The minivan+ferry is run by www.lomprayah.com .

Option 2, via Seatrans Ferry

The train can run an hour or two late, these schedules allow for that.  Have breakfast in Surat Thani!  The minivan+ferry is run by www.seatranferry.com .

Bangkok to Phuket

Taking train+bus from Bangkok to Phuket is the comfortable & environmentally-friendly way to go, avoiding a gruelling 14-16 hour overnight bus journey in a cramped bus seat or an unnecessary short-haul flight.  You simply take the comfy overnight sleeper train from Bangkok to Surat Thani, and next morning hop on an air-conditioned bus from Surat Thani to Phuket taking around 4h30.

Bangkok  ► Phuket

Step 1, travel from Bangkok to Surat Thani by air-conditioned sleeper train.

Book any train you like, for example train 85 leaving Bangkok KTW at 19:50 & arriving Surat Thani at 05:34, with comfortable 1st & 2nd class air-conditioned sleepers, see the train timetable above .

Step 2, travel from Surat Thani to Phuket by an air-conditioned minivan.

On arrival in Surat Thani, walk out of the station, turn left and look for the Phantip Travel office across the road, see map showing office . 

They will arrange for you to be picked up from the station and taken to their main office in Surat Thani Town some 14 km away.

A Phantip Travel minivan leaves from outside their Surat Thani Town office every hour from 09:00 to 17:00, journey time 4h30.  It arrives at Phuket bus terminal 1, but they may be able to arrange drop-off at major hotels, feedback appreciated .  The Phantip Travel website is www.phantiptravel.com .

Phuket  ► Bangkok

Step 1, travel from Phuket to Surat Thani by an air-conditioned minivan.

A Phantip Travel minivan leaves from Phuket bus terminal 1 every hour from 07:00 to 15:00, journey time 4h30.

The minivan arrives at the main Phantip office in Surat Thani town, they should be able to arrange the transfer from Surat Thani town to Surat Thani station, about 14 km, or take a local taxi or tuk-tuk.

Allow plenty of time to catch your train, for example I'd leave Phuket on the 11:00 or 12:00 minivan departure to connect with train 86, or the 13:00 or 14:00 minivan departure to connect with train 84.  The Phantip Travel website is www.phantiptravel.com .

Step 2, travel from Surat Thani to Bangkok by air-conditioned sleeper train.

Book any train that suits you, for example train 86 leaving Surat Thani at 19:40 & arriving Bangkok KTW at 05:30, or train 84 leaving Surat Thani at 20:45 & arriving Bangkok KTW at 06:30, both with comfortable 1st & 2nd class air-conditioned sleepers, see the train timetable above .

Bangkok to Krabi

Krabi hasn't got a railway station, but it's easy to get there using a comfortable train to Surat Thani then an air-conditioned bus for the last leg.  Using the overnight sleeper train from Bangkok, the train+bus to Krabi takes no more time out of your holiday than flying, but is a lot more interesting, cheaper, and far more environmentally friendly.  You're likely to find a number of buses to Krabi waiting at Surat Thani station after the arrival of your train.

Bangkok  ► Krabi

Step 2, travel from Surat Thani to Krabi by an air-conditioned minivan.

A Phantip Travel minivan leaves from outside their Surat Thani Town office at 09:00, 10:30, 12:00, 13:30, 15:00 & 16:30, journey time 3 hours.

It arrives at Krabi bus terminal, but they may be able to arrange drop-off at major hotels, feedback appreciated .  The Phantip Travel website is www.phantiptravel.com .

Krabi  ► Bangkok

Step 1, travel from Krabi to Surat Thani by an air-conditioned minivan.

A Phantip Travel minivan leaves from Krabi bus terminal at 09:00, 10:30, 12:00, 13:30, 15:00, 16:30 journey time 3 hours.

Allow plenty of time to catch your train, for example I'd leave Krabi on the 12:00 or 13:30 minivan departure to connect with train 86, or the 13:30 or 15:00 minivan departure to connect with train 84.  The Phantip Travel website is www.phantiptravel.com .

Bangkok to Phi Phi islands

The Phi Phi islands can be reached by ferry from either Phuket or Krabi.

Phuket to Phi Phi by speedboat takes an hour.  Several companies operate the route, including the Andaman Wavemaster ( www.andamanwavemaster.com ), Satun Pakbara Speedboat Club ( www.spcthailand.com ) & Bundhaya Speed Boat ( www.bundhayaspeedboat.com ).

You can check times, fares & buy tickets for all of these operators at 12go.asia .

Phuket to Phi Phi by regular boat takes 2 hours with a  morning & afternoon sailing by Phi Phi Cruisers ( www.phiphi-cruisers.com ).  You can check times, fares & buy tickets at 12go.asia .

Bangkok to Pattaya

A train line links Bangkok with the popular resort of Pattaya.  A 3rd class train runs every day, comfortable enough, cheap, no reservation is necessary, just turn up, buy a ticket and hop on, see the 3rd class photos here .  At weekends State Railways of Thailand run an air-conditioned Special Express diesel railcar, with 2nd class reserved seats.  Both trains are a good and pleasant way to reach Pattaya, and they continue to use Bangkok's original Hualamphong station.  You can check these times at www.baolau.com .

Train 283/284 = local train, 3rd class only, no reservation needed, you sit where you like.

Trains SP997/998 = special express diesel railcar, 2nd class air-conditioned seats, all reserved.

On train 283/284, 3rd class = 31 baht.

On train SP 997/998, 2nd class air-con reserved seat = 170 baht.

Children aged 0 to 3 and less than 100cm in height travel free, children aged 4 to 11 and under 150cm travel at reduced fare, children 12 years old and upwards (or over 150cm high) pay full fare.  £1 = 44 Baht.   €1 = 35 Baht.  $1 = 33 Baht.

Tickets for Special Express 997 /998 can be booked online in advance at www.baolau.com .

Tickets for ordinary train 283/284 are only sold at the station an hour or less before departure, they cannot be bought in advance.

Bangkok - Kuala Lumpur - Singapore

It's easy, safe and comfortable to travel from Bangkok to Malaysia & Singapore by train, over 1,200 miles for around £50 or $80 one-way, including sleepers, a real bargain.  It's the environmentally sound way to travel, too.  Trains run daily, and if done all in one go, the complete journey from Bangkok to Singapore takes two nights, though you can stop off wherever you like for as long as you like.  I'd suggest stopping off at least in Penang and Kuala Lumpur.  Map of train routes in Southeast Asia .

Bangkok to Phnom Penh, Saigon

It's easy to travel between Bangkok, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, & Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) by train & bus, see the Train travel in Cambodia page .

Bangkok to Yangon & Burma

It's possible to travel overland between Bangkok, Moulmein & Yangon in Burma (Myanmar) by train & bus, see the Train travel in Burma page .

Singapore, KL & Penang to Ko Samui

Singapore & malaysia ► ko samui, ko samui ► malaysia & singapore.

Step 1, take an afternoon or evening ferry & from Ko Samui to Surat Thani, see the ferry timetable below.  You can book integrated ferry+minivan tickets from Ko Samui to Surat Thani Train Station via Lomprayah catamarans or Seatran conventional ferries at 12go.asia .

Stay overnight in Surat Thani.

Step 2, travel from Surat Thani to Butterworth (Penang), Kuala Lumpur & Singapore by comfortable train, see the Malaysia page for full details of times & fares .

Ko Samui - Phuket

Several operators offer integrated ferry+bus options between the two holiday centres, Ko Samui & Phuket.

Journey time is between 6h15 & 7h30, fares from $18, book at 12go.asia .

Singapore, KL & Penang to Phuket

Singapore & malaysia ► phuket.

The 07:28 from Butterworth (Penang), change at Padang Besar, will get you to Hat Yai at 09:50.

Phuket ► Malaysia & Singapore

Step 1, travel from Phuket to Hat Yai by bus or minibus, you can check bus times and buy tickets online for various bus operators using 12Go.Asia .  Minibuses run regularly and take 6 hours, fare around 350 baht.  1st class air-con buses take 7½  hours, fare around 344 baht. 

For example, 1st class air-conditioned buses run by Sritrang Tour leave Phuket for Hat Yai at 07:30, 08:30, 09:30, 11:30, 12:30, 19:30 & 21:30 (check bus times locally).  On arrival at the bus terminal in Hat Yai, take a tuk-tuk to the railway station.

Step 2, travel from Hat Yai to Butterworth (Penang), Kuala Lumpur & Singapore by comfortable train, see the Malaysia page for full details of times & fares .  For example, as you can see on the timetable :

The 07:30 from Hat Yai, change at Padang Besar, will get you to Butterworth (Penang) at 12:30, change there for Kuala Lumpur arriving 18:47.

Singapore, KL & Penang to Krabi

Singapore & malaysia ► krabi, krabi ► malaysia & singapore.

Minibuses run regularly from Krabi to Hat Yai, journey time 4 hours, fare around 300 baht.  No need to pre-book, arrange locally.

Then travel by train from Hat Yai to Butterworth (Penang), KL or Singapore, see train times & info Singapore-Malaysia-Surat Thani .

London to Thailand by Trans-Siberian Railway

If you have the time (we're talking a minimum of 3 weeks one-way), you can travel from London to Bangkok overland, see the route map here .  The links below cover travel in either direction, eastbound from London to Bangkok or westbound from Bangkok to London.

Step 1, London to Moscow by train .  There are daily departures via Brussels, Berlin & Warsaw.  Trains to Russia are suspended due to Covid-19 and now sanctions .  Spend at least 1 night in Moscow.

Step 2, Moscow to Beijing by Trans-Siberian Railway .  Two direct trains every week all year round, 6 nights.  Fares from around £500 one-way with a bed in a 4-bed sleeper.  Spend at least 1 night in Beijing.  Trains to China are suspended due to Covid-19 .

Step 3, Beijing to Hanoi by train .  There are two direct trains a week, 2 nights, about $320 or £220 one-way in soft sleeper.  Alternatively, there are daily trains with a change in Nanning.  Spend at least 1 night in Hanoi.

Step 4, Hanoi to Saigon by train .  There are several comfortable air-conditioned trains every day over the Reunification Railway taking 2 nights.  Why not stop off to see Hue or Hoi An?  About $90 or £50 one-way in soft sleeper.

Step 5, Saigon-Phnom Penh by bus .  There are lots of buses every day, journey time 6 hours, $12.  Spend at least 1 night in Phnom Penh.

Step 6, Phnom Penh to Poiphet by bus or train, train to Bangkok .  Takes a day.

How to arrange this trip

There aren't any travel agencies who can arrange the whole trip, so you will need to plan it out and arrange each stage of the journey yourself.  It's an exercise in project management!  Unless time is absolutely no object, you should book the key sections in advance through various travel agencies.

Book London-Moscow as shown on the London to Russia page .

Book Moscow-Beijing & Beijing-Hanoi through a local Russian agency such as Real Russia, as shown on the Trans-Siberian page & Vietnam page .

Tickets for other parts of the trip, for example, Hanoi-Saigon-Phnom Penh-Bangkok can all be bought locally, as you go along.  You'll need to pre-arrange visas for Belarus, Russia, possibly Mongolia, China & Vietnam, and in many ways complying with the various visa requirements (which sometimes require confirmed onward tickets to be held) is actually the biggest challenge, not buying the tickets, so check this out carefully using the relevant embassy websites.

Where do you start?  First, read through the seat61 pages linked above.  Then sketch out your itinerary using a simple spreadsheet like this , deciding where and for how long you want to stop off.  Next, check out the visa situation for each country.  Finally, follow the advice on each seat61 page to buy tickets for each train journey that you want to pre-book.

Some inspiration

You won't be the first to travel between Europe and Southeast Asia overland this way, far from it.  Check out this excellent blog from Tom Woods, "Woodlands to Woking",  woodlandstowoking.wordpress.com , and Matthew Woodward's equally excellent blog from Edinburgh to Singapore www.matthew-woodward.com/edinburgh-to-singapore .

Take a good guidebook, a sound investment even in the age of free info on the internet.  Easily the best guidebooks for the independent traveller are the Lonely Planets and Rough Guides, they'll zero you in on the most important sights, with stacks of practical information plus historical and cultural background.  You won't regret buying either of these guides.

Buy at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Alternatively, you can download just the chapters or areas you need in .PDF format from the Lonely Planet Website , from around £2.99 or US$4.95 a chapter.

Hotels in Thailand

Suggested hotels in bangkok.

Consider the Shanghai Mansion (close to Hualamphong station, excellent reviews), the Centre Point Sillom (excellent reviews, river views), the Chillax Resort (free wifi, swimming pool, great reviews in spite of the name!),  Inn a Day (rave reviews, close to palace & river, balconies to all rooms, free WiFi), Shangri-La Hotel (on the river, pool, rave reviews).

Suggested hotels in Chiang Mai

Try the Sila Boutique B&B (rave reviews, free WiFi, inside old city), La Pillow (great reviews, free WiFi, inside the old city), Villa Thapae (free WiFi, swimming pool, all rooms with balcony, rave reviews), Tamarind Village (spa, pool, poolside restaurant, tour desk, free WiFi, inside the old city and great reviews), De Naga Hotel (inside the old city, free WiFi, swimming pool, spa, great reviews), Rachamankha Hotel (pool, spa, free WiFi, great reviews).

The classic choice in Bangkok :  Mandarin Oriental Hotel

Known by locals (and taxi drivers) by its original name, plain Oriental Hotel, the Mandarin Oriental is Bangkok's oldest and grandest hotel.  Located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, its outdoor restaurant tables line the riverbank, where they do a great evening buffet.  Most of the rooms are now housed in two huge modern tower blocks, but hidden behind palm trees in the courtyard is the diminutive original block, today restored to within an inch of its life and housing just a few of the more expensive suites.

Other hotels in Bangkok or Chiang Mai

Click for hotels in Bangkok - Click for hotels in Chiang Mai

Backpacker hostels

www.hostelworld.com :  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in Paris and most other European cities at rock-bottom prices.

Flights to Bangkok

Overland travel by train & bus around Southeast Asia is an essential part of the experience, so once there, don't cheat and fly, stay on the ground!  But a long-haul flight might be unavoidable to reach Thailand in the first place.

1)  Check flight prices at www.opodo.com

2)  use skyscanner to compare flight prices & routes worldwide across 600 airlines....

3)  Lounge passes

Make the airport experience a little more bearable with a VIP lounge pass, it's not as expensive as you think, see www.loungepass.com

Travel insurance & other tips

Always take out travel insurance.

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself.  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

Get an eSIM with mobile data package

Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a mobile data package for the country you're visiting and stay connected.  Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM card so you don't need to buy a physical SIM, including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list .  Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data .

Get a Curve card for foreign travel

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then add a foreign transaction fee on top.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month at time of writing.  The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.

How it works:   1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android .  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader.  The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than digging a card out).  I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card , they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  W hy you need a VPN

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi.  It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply.  See VPNs & why you need one explained .  ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription.  I get a small commission to help support this site.

Carry an Anker powerbank

Tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes are often held digitally on your mobile phone, so it's vital to keep it charged.  I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over if I can't get to a power outlet.  Buy from Amazon.co.uk or from Buy from Amazon.com .

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Thailand's top 6 train journeys

Oct 16, 2023 • 6 min read

It may be slower than flying, but you won't regret taking the time to see Thailand by train © mahaaphoto / Getty Images

It's been over a century since Thailand ’s first train line – a scant 50 miles linking Bangkok and the former royal capital of Ayuthaya – was completed. Tracks have since been extended to most of the country, and while train travel has almost entirely been superseded by bus and air, scenic railway routes and sleeper trains remain one of the best ways to see the country.

Even the Thai government can see the potential in railways again. There’s talk of high-speed rail lines, and Bangkok’s shiny new Bang Sue Grand Station is (allegedly) Southeast Asia’s largest rail hub.

For now, Thailand’s rolling stock isn’t that advanced, but trains run by the State Railways of Thailand (SRT) are generally on time, comfortable and charming in a nostalgic type of way. 

If you’re not in a rush, trains also offer good legroom (particularly in sleeper cars), great Thai food (either from the dining car or from vendors selling snacks between stations), gorgeous views, antique train stations and quirky experiences (such as the route that appears to crash into a fresh market).

Here are the six best train journeys in Thailand.

1. Mahachai Line

Start – Thonburi; End – Samut Songkhram; Distance – 50 miles/80km

One of the best train rides in Thailand is this short, workaday commuter line. It begins near Bangkok and famously terminates smack dab in the middle of a wet market. 

Start at Thonburi’s Wongwian Yai train station, just across the Chao Phraya River from Bangkok, where hourly trains go to Samut Sakhon (known by locals as Mahachai). From the window, you can peek into homes, temples and shops built just an arm’s length from the passing trains. Further on, palm trees, patchwork rice fields and marshes filled with giant elephant ear perennials and canna lilies line the route, punctuated by whistle-stop stations.

The farmland evaporates as you enter Samut Sakhon. After disembarking and walking through one of the most hectic fresh markets in the country, you’ll reach a harbor clogged with water hyacinths and wooden fishing boats. 

Take the ferry across to Baan Laem, where you'll board yet another train, this time for Samut Songkhram. You’ll emerge directly into a hubbub of hectic market stalls. Between train arrivals and departures, these stalls are set up directly on the tracks and must be hurriedly cleared away when the train arrives. It’s a fantastic scene.

2. Death Railway

Start – Thonburi; End – Nam Tok; Distance – 258 miles/415km

Built during the WWII Japanese occupation of Thailand, the so-called Death Railway is Thailand’s most famous – and historic – train line. Construction began in October 1942 by Allied prisoners of war (POWs) and conscripted workers armed only with basic tools and dynamite. Well over 12,000 POWs and as many as 90,000 recruited and forced laborers died due to disease, poor hygiene, lack of medical equipment and brutal treatment by camp guards. The deadliest section of railway construction was an immense rock cutting dubbed “Hellfire Pass” because of the eerie glow of their torches when working at night.

Given the rugged territory it passes through, this is undoubtedly the most scenic train trip in Thailand. A total of 688 bridges were built along the route; the bridge that spans the “River Kwai” near Kanchanaburi city (now referred to as the Death Railway Bridge ) was, at the time, the only steel bridge built in Thailand.

The trains that run the Death Railway are 3rd-class, meaning they have no air-conditioning and mostly wooden benches (sit on the left-hand side for the best views). It’s a tourist line today, so there are stops for short visits to historical sights and a cave.

3. Sleeper Train to Chiang Mai

Start – Bangkok; End – Chiang Mai; Distance – 467 miles/751km

Thailand’s first long-distance train route, which links Bangkok and the northern city of Chiang Ma i, is the classic Thai train journey. 

The route is a great chance to try one of Thailand’s sleeper trains. They depart Bangkok in the afternoon, which means the majority of the journey is at night. In the morning, you’ll wake up to beautiful glimpses of the northern Thai countryside. In particular, keep your eyes peeled as the train cuts through tunnels and the rugged forest of Doi Khun Tan National Park , just south of Chiang Mai (another fascinating sight is watching railway staff unfold and make the sleeper beds).

If you book a more expensive ticket, you’re likely to travel on one of the SRT’s shiny new trains. Likewise, purchase your tickets as far in advance as you can - this particular route is popular with tourists, especially backpackers.

4. Beach Train

Start – Bangkok; End – Hua Hin; Distance – 131 miles/212km

This route skirts around the Gulf of Thailand, and although sea views are rare in Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan Provinces, there’s some beautiful scenery, including salt flats and seemingly never-ending coconut plantations. Your destination, Hua Hin , is Thailand’s original beach escape with a history that dates back to the 19th century.

The highlight of the route is Hua Hin’s train station . Arguably the most beautiful train terminus in Thailand, this red-and-white icon was built in 1926 with a Victorian gingerbread design boasting lots of carved wood pillars and trim. Because Hua Hin owes its prosperity to the train, the station is a major source of pride and you'll find imitations of its design all over town.

5. Night Train to Laos

Start – Bangkok; End – Thanaleng; Distance – 402 miles/648km

Departing from Bangkok in the afternoon, this lauded international route crosses the Mekong River into Laos and is a great opportunity to try out Thailand’s overnight sleeper trains. In the morning, with warm sunlight streaming into your bed, you’ll pass by the tiny villages and seemingly endless rice fields that make up Thailand’s rural northeast.

After a stop in Nong Khai , you’ll cross the so-called Friendship Bridge to Laos. The 15-minute ride drops you at Thanaleng (aka Dongphasay) station, meaning you’ll need to take a taxi or tuk-tuk the remaining 10 miles to the capital, Vientiane .

A high-speed train linking these two destinations is in the works, with its projected completion in 2028.

6. Eastern & Oriental Express

Start – Bangkok; End – Singapore; Distance – 1,100 miles/1,800km

Finding the SRT dining car menu a bit lacking? Then consider a trip on the ultra-luxury Eastern & Oriental Express , a privately operated train that links Bangkok and Singapore . Outfitted to recall the golden era of train travel, passengers on the three-night, four-day journey reside in sumptuous private cabins, although they may also find themselves spending much of their time in the Observation, Dining and Bar Cars. 

The journey is all-inclusive, and non-train activities include tours and excursions in Thailand and Malaysia . The E&O runs between Bangkok and Singapore twice a month.

Tips for buying train tickets in Thailand

• You can buy train tickets online via the clunky SRT website , but if you’re in Bangkok it’s much more efficient to head directly to Hualamphong Station and purchase tickets in person. 
• Avoid touts in and around the station, who will try to redirect you to travel agencies.

This article was first published August 2021 and updated October 2023

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How to travel thailand by train | complete guide.

Posted By: Renegade Travels | Posted in: Thailand , Transport

We love traveling by train and have explored much of Thailand using this method of transport. Read on for our comprehensive guide to getting around Thailand by train . We start with this map of Thailand’s main train lines.

Map provided by Johomaps.com

Bonus:  How to buy Thailand Train tickets online

There are four main train lines in Thailand (Northern, Northeastern, Southern and Eastern) and three smaller lines (Mae Klong, Namtok Branch and the Airport Rail Link). Note that you can get to Namtok via the Southern line (from Hua Lamphong station) as well the Namtok Branch (from Thonburi station).

Northern Line | Thailand Trains

This is the line that will probably be most familiar to many tourists, as it’s the main line between Bangkok and Chiang Mai , Thailand’s two most popular destinations. Ticket prices range from around 230 baht ($8) for a 3rd class seat (no aircon or fan) to 1,453 baht ($48) for a 1st class sleeper. Typical journey time is around 12 hours, although this varies depending on the train. It’s advisable to buy your tickets in advance, as they are often sold out and not available on the day of travel. This train also passes through Ayutthaya , the ancient capital of Thailand, where you can visit many temples and ancient monuments.

More info on RenegadeTravels:

How To Get From Bangkok To Chiang Mai By Train

Bangkok To Ayutthaya By Train

Northeastern Line | Thailand Trains

The Northeastern line has two routes. One runs from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) , and then on to Khon Kaen and Udon Thani, which is near the Laos border. The other route also runs from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), and then runs onto Buriram, Surin, Sisaket and Ubon Ratchanthani (near the Cambodia border).

Typical journey times are around 10 hours to Udon Thani and 12 hours to Ubon Ratchathani. There are four trains a day to Udon Thani and six to Ubon Ratchathani. Typical prices to Udon Thani are 245 baht ($8) for 3rd class, 479 baht ($16) for 2nd class with aircon, and berths for 519 baht ($17) for 2nd class no aircon, 739 baht ($25) for 2nd class aircon, and 1,277 baht ($43) for 1st class with aircon. Typical prices to Ubon Ratchathani are 205 baht ($7) for 3rd class, 331 baht ($11) for 2nd class, 581 baht ($19) for 2nd class with aircon, and 481 baht ($16) for a berth. Different trains have different seating arrangements, so not all of these will be available on every train.

We’ve taken the train on the Ubon Ratchathani line as far as Surin many times, and also as far as Nakhon Ratchasima a few times. Recently we visited the Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival and got the train back from there to Surin. We are planning to travel on the route to Udon Thani in a week or so. We’ll update this page once we’ve completed that journey.

Bangkok To Surin By Train

Bangkok To Nakhon Ratchasima By Train

Ubon Ratchathani To Surin By 3rd Class Train

Khon Kaen To Udon Thani By Train

Southern Line | Thailand Trains

The Southern line is interesting because of the fact that you can travel all the way from Bangkok to Singapore by train . We’ve traveled along this route from Bangkok to Hua Hin, and from Butterworth (in Malaysia) to Singapore.

The Southern line trains run from Bangkok to Butterworth (via Hat Yai), Sungai Kolok, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Kantang and Nam Tok. Typical journey time for Bangkok to Sungai Kolok (the southernmost station) is around 20-22 hours. Currently there are two trains per day on this route. The 13:00 train from Bangkok that arrives at 10:45 the next day, and the 15:10 that arrives at 11:20 the next day. Tickets cost 290-370 baht ($10-12) for 3rd class, 527-607 baht ($18-20) for 2nd class no aircon, 677 baht ($23) for 2nd class berth no aircon, 917-977 baht ($31-33) for 2nd class berth with aircon, and 1,753 baht ($60) for 1st class with aircon. Different trains have different seating arrangements, so not all of these will be available on every train.

Bangkok To Singapore By Train

Bangkok To Hua Hin By Train

Eastern Line | Thailand Trains

The Eastern line has two main routes – Bangkok to Aranyaprathet , and Bangkok to Ban Phlu Ta Luang. One of the main tourist destinations on the Aranyaprathet route is Pattaya.

Maeklong Line | Thailand Trains

The Maeklong trains are famous as being the ones that run right through the middle of a market in the small town of Maeklong. This line is actually split in two sections. The first section is from Wongwian Yai (in Bangkok) to Mahachai, from where passengers need to take a ferry across the Tha Chin River.

The line then continues to Maeklong. This train line is separate from the rest of the national rail network. If you take the train there you’ll have to hang around for a few hours waiting for the next train to arrive, as there are only around five a day.

Train Runs Through Maeklong Market

Namtok Branch | Thailand Trains

As the name suggests, this line runs from Thonburi station in Bangkok to Namtok , which is where the Death Railway is located. The train also stops at Kanchanaburi, and crosses the River Kwai Bridge and the famous Wampo Viaduct. This is an interesting journey that we did last year. Tickets only cost 100 baht ($3) and are available on the day of travel. Getting from central Bangkok to Thonburi station is almost as interesting as the train journey.

We got there by BTS (skytain), boat and taxi. There are also special tourist trains that run from Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station to Kanchanaburi. I think these only run at weekends though.

Bangkok To Kanchanaburi For River Kwai Bridge & Death Railway .

Airport Rail Link | Thailand Trains

This is a fairly new train line that runs between Makkasan station and  Suvarnabhumi airport. Trains take 15 minutes and cost 150 baht ($5) – no need to purchase tickets in advance. There’s also a separate City Line train that runs from the airport to Phaya Thai BTS (skytrain) station, costs 45 baht ($1.50) and takes 30 minutes.

If your hotel is near a BTS station, then this is probably a better option than the express train.

More info from RenegadeTravels:

  To And From Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport By Train

Where To Buy Train Tickets In Thailand

You can buy train tickets at any train station and also at some travel agencies throughout Thailand. Some agencies charge a booking fee and some don’t, you’ll just have to ask.

Of course, it’s entirely possible to purchase tickets online using a service like 12go.asia . To help, we’ve written an in-depth guide to how this works .

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Traveling by train in Thailand: The complete guide

Although it is feasible to fly throughout Thailand in a short time, taking the train is far more enjoyable, thrilling, and cost-effective. Traveling by train in Thailand is relatively simple and convenient, and it is an excellent option for moving between large and smaller cities due to the fact that four separate train lines cover a significant portion of the nation. Bangkok, the nation’s capital, acts as the central hub for the country’s rail transportation network, which spans around 4,180 kilometers from end to end. The north line, the southern line, the eastern line, and the northeast line all converge in Bangkok . We highly recommend using the train when you’re in Thailand since it’s the finest way to take in the breathtaking scenery of this Asian nation, and it also provides an opportunity to learn about the local culture. Tourists do not only utilize trains, but they are also popular with residents since they are so inexpensive.

So traveling by train in Thailand will allow you to immerse yourself in the nation’s culture fully.

Is it safe to travel by train in Thailand?

In contrast to the situation in some other countries, where private companies hold the railway lines, the State Railway of Thailand is the only owner of all of Thailand’s railway tracks, which are all of the meter gauge kind. Because the state runs the trains and the lines, you can be confident that they adhere to the requirements set out by the standards. Travelers have said that Thailand has one of the greatest metro rail systems in the world. Not only is it a secure method of transportation, but you will also get the impression that you are safe while riding it.

The fact that no train in Thailand is capable of reaching high speeds is the most significant disadvantage of traveling by rail there. In point of fact, the average pace at which they go is 40 kilometers per hour; nevertheless, this also makes them even safer and gives you the opportunity to appreciate the scenery and the cities that they travel through without disturbance.

Where to buy tickets to travel by train in Thailand

Train travel in Thailand offers passengers a unique and exciting experience as they traverse the country. As a result of this, it is often a very well-liked pastime among tourists from both the United States and other countries. The busiest roads are those that travel from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and even those that go to the border with Laos. This is especially true for the issuing of renewing visas, but it is not the sole reason for the high volume of traffic along these routes.

It is a good idea to buy your tickets a few days in advance, especially if you are going to be traveling at a popular time of year, such as Thai New Year, which occurs around the middle of April each year, or during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

After deciding where you wish to go, you will be able to purchase your ticket at any of the many windows that are spread around the stations themselves. Remember to have a picture identification with you, ideally a passport, because you will be asked to validate the reservation as well as the information that is associated with the ticket.

There is also the option to order tickets over the phone by using the following numbers: 1690 022233673 , 022247788 , or 022250300 . This last choice, on the other hand, is only available to people who are already in Thailand .

If you are calling from outside of the United States, the number to use is +6622233762 .

Purchasing tickets directly from the official website of the Thailand train is an additional option worth considering. After selecting the day and the route that are of most interest to you, you will be able to pay for the ticket and then print it right at your own house.

Going to the station in person allows you to purchase tickets up to two months in advance, whereas purchasing them online only allows you to do so one month in advance. The box offices are open every day from 8:30 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon.

Remember that you may only buy tickets for journeys that start in Bangkok or Chiang Mai; this is a very significant restriction that must be adhered to.

Train in Thailand: Bangkok to Maeklong

Have you ever thought of taking one of the trains that moves the slowest in the world? Now, though, such a thing is feasible. When we talk about this line, we’re referring to the one that runs between Bangkok and Mae Klong. The tour begins in Wongwian Yai, often known as Bangkok, and it is a 2.5-hour excursion that takes travellers through both the city and the countryside.

It is precisely owing to the reason that makes this train so sluggish that its popularity has grown: it traverses the Maklong market, which is one of the most popular sites for tourists to visit while they are in Thailand. In order for the train to traverse the market that is located on both sides of the tracks, it is required to halt and go very slowly. Their speed is slowed down to the point that it is even feasible to bump hands with market merchants and customers as they go across the space.

Read More: Thailand in December: Complete Travel Guide

Train in Thailand: Bangkok to Chiang Mai

There is a journey that you should not skip if you take pleasure in viewing different kinds of scenery. Chiang Mai, located in the northern part of Thailand, is considered by many to be the spiritual centre of the Land of Smiles.

The train journey will begin in the early hours of the morning in Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong Station, and as it travels north, it will take passengers through the historic cities of Lopburi and Ayutthaya, as well as expansive areas of jungle. Before stepping off the train to see the magnificent temples in the north of the country, you will have the opportunity to take in the breathtaking panoramas of the interior of Thailand, which are a highlight of this route.

Train in Thailand: Bangkok to the Gulf of Thailand

What do you think of taking a train to travel to an island? Technically speaking, you won’t be able to do that, eye. But you are really close to doing so. You may take trains from Bangkok that will take you to Chumphon or Surat Thani, and these trains will take you to the coast. From the coast, it is quite simple to board a ferry that will take you to the islands.

Because of this technique, you will be able to take in breathtaking vistas both on land and at sea. You will be amazed by the views as you cruise through the beautiful turquoise waters to Ko Phaluai, Ko Pha Ngam, and other stunning islands in the Gulf of Thailand while you are on the train ride to Ko Phaluai, Ko Pha Ngam, and other stunning islands in the Gulf of Thailand. You will see sights as beautiful as Hua Hin.

Train in Thailand: Bangkok to Nong Khai

Isan is home to the lovely town of Nong Khai, which is located not far from the Laotian border. You may take a train from Bangkok to get there, and one of the things that makes it interesting is that it is one of the regions that visitors least frequent. As a result, it is perfect for going on self-exploration vacations or going on romantic trips with a significant other.

The breathtaking view of the broad green plains that reach all the way to Isan may be had from the cosiness of a train window, illuminating a particularly charming element of Thailand.

Read More: Solo Travel in Thailand: Guide & Practical Tips

Types of classes and trains in Thailand

There are several different kinds of trains that run on a regular basis in Thailand. Depending on which one you select, the speed of the train will change, it will either make more or fewer stops along the way, it will take longer to get to its destination, and you will only be able to purchase tickets for certain classes rather than others. In order to assist you in making your reservation, we have compiled a list of the various classes of trains that you will need to take into consideration. We provide you with the train numbers so that it is less of a guessing game for you to determine the service you are purchasing.

Conventional trains: Conventional trains travel at a very sluggish pace, and passengers may only ride in third-class carriages. They never travel during the night and never go more than 500 kilometers in a single direction. These trains have anything from 298 to 300 passengers on board.

Commuter trains: As their name implies, commuter trains, sometimes known simply as commuter trains, are the kind of trains that are utilised by residents travelling on suburban lines. They have numbers ranging from 301 all the way up to 398, and they are remarkably identical to regular trains.

Local trains: Local trains are similar to regular trains; however, they travel shorter distances and are denoted by the numbers 401 to 498.

Special express trains: The prices for Thailand’s Special Express Trains are the highest since these trains travel the quickest distances. These trains are able to go from one city to another with few or no stops in between, and all of them (with the exception of number 37, which travels from Bangkok to Sungai Kolok) only contain first and second class carriages. Special Express train in Thailand have numbers from 1 to 48.

Express trains: As their names imply, express trains may travel at a high rate of speed; nevertheless, they are not quite as quick as special express trains. The express trains make more stops along the way, which causes the journey to be longer; however, if you are looking to save some money, the express trains are a fantastic alternative because they are less expensive than the Special Express. Express train in Thailand have first, second and third class cars and operate numbers 51 to 98.

Trains classified as “fast” are not actually that quick. They will often stop at practically all of the stations they travel through, which can add a significant amount of time to the journey. These trains have numbers ranging from 101 to 198, and their cars are often classified as second or third class; however, they do not typically have air conditioning. These are the most frequent train in Thailand, and there are always a great number of them available.

Is an overnight train in Thailand safe?

When you are travelling in Thailand, it is possible that making advantage of the large train network that the country possesses can provide you with the most value for your money. Even though they travel at a snail’s speed, the overall service is good, and passengers’ safety is not compromised. It is essential to bear in mind that the times of arrival that are indicated in the itinerary are only estimates and not promises, particularly for journeys that cover a great distance.

High-speed train in Thailand

As you may have noted from our previous discussion of the many trains available for travel in Thailand, none of them—not even the special express trains—are very quick. The good news is that a high-speed rail network is being built in Thailand, so this will soon change. The parliament gave the network permission in 2010 to run five distinct lines out of Bangkok. The ability of the trains to travel at speeds of up to 250 km/h (156 mph) would significantly alter Thailand’s transportation options and its links to its neighbours.

Although more expensive than a regular train service, high-speed train in Thailand should be very affordable when compared to airfare. Additionally, doing it this way will give you more chances to take in the scenery as you go.

But for the time being, you will have to select one of the sluggish choices if you decide to travel by rail in Thailand. In any case, taking the train is a memorable experience that we encourage you to have. You will get the chance to become fully immersed in Thai culture, interact with the populace, and take in the scenery. Additionally, the process would be easier and safer if you purchase the tickets through websites.

Although Thailand is not a dangerous place, much like the rest of Southeast Asia, you should exercise caution whenever you go outside of your own country. Do not bring valuables with you, or at the very least, do not let them out of your sight.

If you are given the opportunity to select the bunks, it is recommended that you select the ones that are located in the centre of the car. The first and final ones are the worst since they are the noisiest, which is especially problematic when one considers the significant number of stops.

If you find yourself in one of the last berths (those that are literally close to the door), you run the risk of not being able to get any sleep due to the noise of the train braking, the lights being on, and the continuous shouting of the service personnel who are coordinating with the restart of the journey.

In conclusion, I recommend that you bring something to eat and drink with you. They do provide food, but it is either canned food that is easily accessible at any 7/11 or food that has been sitting out for many days. Despite the fact that they do serve food, the pricing is often quite high in comparison to the norms of Thailand.

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Hua Lamphong = Bangkok station You collect your tickets from the 12Go.Asia collection office, on Hualamphong station concourse on one of the two 1st-floor rows of shops.

Introduction to Thai Railways

Train services around thailand.

Home - Rail Network

Thailand By Train

Thailandbytrain.com:, international connections, railway routes.

Eastern & Oriental Express

Railway relics.

Is it possible to online change passport details (document number) after booking and? I plan to buy tickets for the SE no. 9 to Chiang Mai via D-ticket website. Tickets are available from April 19 onwards for departure date July 18, but I still have to renew my son’s travel document. Thank you.

See this blog here:

How to Change Your Passport Details when buying train tickets on D-Ticket. For example, your passport number. https://www.thaitrainguide.com/2024/04/19/how-to-change-passport-details-on-d-ticket/

Hallo Richard Wij gaan in December naar Thailand en willen 15 December van Bangkok naar Chiang mai kan ik deze tickets nu al kopen?

Tickets can be bought up to 90 days in advance.

Dear Richard, thank you so much for your helpful webpage. I am planning to take the #43 train from Hua Hin to Surat Thani end of July. Is is advisable to book the ticket in advance with 12go or 5-6 days earlier in Bangkok at the trainstation? Thank you and best regards from Berlin

If you were were going all the way then I would say buy 2-3 weeks in advance. Going part way is not so bad but no guarantee you can get 5-6 days in advance. Maybe yes, maybe no.

Hi, Is there available advance ticket booking for Bangkok to Aranyaprathet? We are planning to go to Cambodia after Thailand tour.

No, tickets can only be bought on the day at the station just before departure. They won’t sell out.

Hello, I have first and second name and I only include first name, is it alright or I need to purchase a new ticket

It is fine as they don’t cross check with ID. But if there’s an accident you aren’t covered by their insurance. I presume you have your own though.

Hi Richard, Thank you for this write up. I was trying to book tickets online through the official site but always face this glitch that the button for ’round trip’ can never be turned on and so the ‘return date’ button also doesn’t work. Any idea how this can be remedied?

That option is not turned on and so you have to book it separately.

Ah! thank you.

Hi there Sir, Is the express train no 45 from Krung Thep Apthiwat terminal station to Padang Besar (Malaysia) is on time? because I plan to catch another connecting train in Padang Besar.

There is no guarantee of course as it is coming a long way from Bangkok. Plus it is single track in the far south. If a train breaks down or something they it will delay all other trains. What time is your connection?

Hi Richard. I just bought ticket train no 32 for 4 person me, husband and 2 sons by online in dticket website. How i can buy ticket for my son age 6 years old this year? Buy online or in the counter? Can she share seat with me?

They look more at height than age which puts foreign children at a disadvantage. He can only get a discounted price if he is taller than 100 cms but not more than 150 cms. On D-Ticket you can choose a child ticket to get a discount. Less than 100 cms is free but they have to share your seat.

Hi, I read that CNR train is available for booking 90 days before traveling. I tried to book ticket in CNR 31 ticket for end of March 2024. I can select the seats as well as can see come seats were booked. However when i tried to make payment, it says “Can be sold no more than 30 days in advance.”. Can someone help?

Hi Richard! Thank you very much for your great website.

I am looking to buy 3 tickets (2 adults, 1 child) from Hua Hin to Georgetown, Malaysia.

So far I understood that I have to buy 3 routes (HH to Hat Yai, then to Padang Besar, then to Butterworth) is that correct? I don’t think I can buy all 3 routes in advance, since I won’t know the exact times of the trains leaving HY and PB. Are there many trains leaving or will we have to wait long times at the train stations?

Also on 12go the price for the 1st class overnight sleeper is almost double than it is on dticket.railway. I am guessing that that they are charging full price for my son, whereas dticket is only charging for the room (2 beds). Is it still save to opt for the cheaper option?

Thank you so much for your help!

I presume you are aiming to catch the Special Express No. 31 to Hat Yai that arrives at 7:05am (new timetable). This is a CNR train and tickets go on sale 90 days in advance. As there ar eonly 12 1st Class cabins you should book as soon as possible. I always advise people to book using D-Ticket if they can but many people say they cannot and so book with 12Go.

On arrival in Hat Yai, you can buy your ticket for the shuttle train across the border. The next one goes at 8:55am. There are only three a day. You cannot buy this ticket in advance. Price is 50 baht. On arrival in Padang Besar, you can buy your ticket for Butterworth. This ticket can only be bought on the day too. Trains to Butterworth go around every hour and you shouldn’t need to wait long.

The Train Station Hotel at Hat Yai do short term rental – 350 baht for three hours if you need to take a quick shower. But 1st Class on the train does have a shower room with hot water.

Hi, I have been trying to book first class tickets from Bangkok to Chiang Mai with no success. I need first class tickets as my husband has very long legs and wouldn’t fit in 2nd class. We are looking for Feb. 2nd – express #7 train daytime. The D-tickets website doesn’t appear to be working and 12Go only has 2nd class. We are still in Canada leaving Jan. 29th and want to get them booked before we leave. Do you have any other suggestions? A reliable travel agency I could use in Bangkok? Or? thanks!

The daytime special express to Chiang Mai only has 2nd Class seats.

Hi Richard, all tickets for the number 9 train on my desired departure date are not available. Is it possible to get tickets elsewhere or purchase from the station? thanks!

The Chiang Mai route always sells out fast. 1st Class cabins within seconds. Then the rest often within hours if it is the weekend. It is best to call 1690 to see if anyone has returned tickets as that does happen sometimes. Also, they reserve seats in the accessible carriage for people in wheelchairs. These then go on sale to everyone at noon on day of travel.

Hi Richard. Thank you for sharing this-this is so helpful. I have a question for train #43. I read on some schedule said it departs at 7.30, but some said at 08.10. Since I cannot access Dticket website from my country, I am so confused which one is thw correct one?

Also, is there any 13.10 hour train from Krung Thep Aphiwat to Hua Hin? Again, some website said yes and some said no.. thanks in advance!

The timetables on the Southern Line changed on 15th December and No. 43 leaves Krung Thep Aphiwat at 7:30am. The 1.10pm train that stops in Hua Hin departs from Thon Buri Station. It’s a local train and so you can only buy tickets on the day.

Hi Richard! Thank you for your information! I have to book the night train from Ayuthaia to Chiang Mai for February 4th. The official website doesn’t let me book the first class. Are the tickets available only 30 days before the date? Thank you

Which night train? All of the CNR sleepers (No. 9 in your case) can be booked up to 90 days in advance. The other sleepers can be booked up to 30 days in advance. This is a popular route and 1st Class cabins sell out within minutes of going on sale.

Hi Richard, thank you very much for your information! I am trying to book a train ticket Bangkok-Ayutthaya for December 29 od D-ticket website but it says that I can only buy tickets for the next 24h. Actually, if I try to book for tomorrow, it seems i can go through the payment process. How is this possible? I thought I could book 30days in advance? Thank you for your help!!

Which train are you trying to book for? Some you can only book on the day like the local and commuter trains. Long distance trains you can book up to 30 days in advance, but if your journey is less than 25% of the route then you need to book less than 24 hours in advance as they want to sell long distance seats first. You can now book CNR sleeper trains up to 90 days in advance.

Hi Richard !

Thanks for your information, I have booked a first class sleeper on train 9 from Ayutthaya to Chiang mai with the officiel site. My question : How many time we need to arrive before the depart hours and does the pdf ticket received by email is ok or I need to go to their office to have an official ticket ?

Best to aim to be there half an hour before departure. There’s a good restaurant on the platform that serves coffee. A screenshot of your e-ticket is fine. No need to print.

Hi Richard, thanks for this helpful site. I am getting no data found for a trip from Hua Hin to Pattani. This made sense after reading the info above as the trip is more than 30 days away, but when I change the date to bring it inside the 30 days, I still get nothing. In the meantime there is availability from Hua Hin to Hat Yai on the real date, because that train can be booked 90 days in advance. I don’t know whether to book that while I can or wait for a ticket to my final destination. From what I can see there should be a direct sleeper train but it’s not coming up on D-Ticket or 123. Any advice?

I just checked on DTicket and I see trains No.171, No.37 and No.169 on your route.

Hi Richard, I booked my tickets with 12goasia for bangkok- Surat Thani way in advance and paid for it already. My travel dates are Jan 1st and Jan 11 for return but I have not received any confirmation so far. What is the possibility of getting confirmed tickets as I am yet to receive any info.

Which train are you on? I heard they were overwhelmed when advanced ticketing was changed from 30 days to 90 days. Suddenly they had thousands of tickets to quickly book. So they had to give priority to people travelling in december first. Did you try writing to their support about this?

Hi Richard,

Thank you for your informative site and all the time you’ve put in to it.

3 travelers hoping to take a Sleeper train from Bangkok (Krung Thep) to Chiang Mai on the evening of Friday, Jan 5th, 2024. It’s 31 days away, but I see tickets available on Sunday the 7th, but nothing before then. “This trip is not bookable”

Does that mean that you can in fact book these trains more than 30 days, in advance? Is there any way to still get tickets?

If we travel on Sunday, it will severely alter our plans and is the 2nd class A/C car still comfortable? Again, thanks for your time and generosity.

Which train are you trying to go on? If Special Express No.9/10 then you can book up to 90 days in advance. For other trains it is 30 days in advance. Don’t forget to choose Krung Thep Aphiwat as your starting station.

Hi Richard. We were very lucky to find your website with all this information, thanks to that we were able to book without problems. So thank you very much Is there any luggage storage service at Ayutthaya train station?

Yes there is. There are even showers for 10 baht.

Thank you so much for this. It helped a lot. We wanted to go by train from bangkok to Chiang Mai from Dec 26 (first class). Unfortunately we can’t find any available train. Are we doing something wrong or is everything already fully booked?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Kind regards, Sara

Did you get “data not found” message? This is because you entered Bangkok to Chiang Mai. There are no trains that go that far from Bangkok Station. You have to choose Krung Thep Aphiwat.

Thanks for your reply. I did indeed choose Krung Thep Aphiwat based on your advice. I didn’t get the message: No data available. I got a screen with multiple trains to choose from, but ones i’ve clicked on it, al the next option where grey colored and I couldn’t click on them.

Also through 12go Asia I get to see only 1 train (2th class no air conditioning). Does this mean everything is already fully booked or can I try to look somewhere else?

We want to leave on Dec 26 to chiang mai in the evening.

Grey means sold out. I’m pretty sure you are out of luck as Chiang Mai is a popular route and tickets often sell out within an hour. Even more so for the new year.

Hi Richard, We must provide our passport number when booking train tickets. One of us have to get a new one, can you adjust that later? Many thanks!

Not at all. When I buy tickets at the station, if they ask for my passport I just show them my Thai driving license. Really they are only interested in entering your name. And then on the train, ticket collectors do not cross check anything. In theory, you could travel with a ticket with someone else’s name. However, this doesn’t mean that in the future they will be more strict.

Hi Richard, thanks a lot for all the information on this site. It really helps me a lot. I’m planning to travel in the Christmas/New Year holiday, but I kept in mind that the tickets were released 30 days in advance and thus missed the opportunity to buy those CNR tickets.

Anyway, when I was looking for tickets from Chiang Mai back to Bangkok, I noticed a train no.6 which never showed up before. When I clicked into that specific train, it said data not found. Do you know what route this train runs on? I did some digging and found nothing about it.

They are putting on a special train for the holidays as demand was large. Special Express No. 5 to Chiang Mai and Special Express No. 6 for the return trip. I posted details and dates on my social media recently.

Is it normal that you can now book train number 9 from Bankog to Chiang Mai more than 30 days in advance? Or is it an error?

Best regards

U can find on dticket and now it is open 90 days ahead. i cant book as it is sold out really fast. you should also check fast for your travel date

thanks for your answer !

We book a ticket for the 15.01 sleeping train from bangkok to chiang mai.

It was really hard to get one…

Thank you ! 🙂

Your article is very helpful! Just a quick question about refunds. We booked a ticket from Bangkok to Hat Yai junction for December 27. It appears, however, that the previous booking we did was charged to our account even though we did not receive a confirmation. We used a debit card so I am wondering if there is a way to refund it? Thank you!

Did you buy on D-Ticket? If so, then just log in there and click on Cancel Ticket. If you do in advance I believe the fee is 170 baht. Nearer the time it will cost you more.

Recently I am unable to find trains on the official site, it always says “data not found” even if I search for close dates like tomorrow. Do I do something wrong or the site is down? I am about to travel on 23rd of December, so it would be crucial to make my reservation in time. What do you recommend if I am searching for 1st class sleeper car because I do not find this option on 12goasia?

The most common mistake here is using Bangkok Station instead of Krung Thep Aphiwat Station. No long distance trains go from Bangkok Station to Chiang Mai Station.

Thanks Richard, yes you are right, that was the mistake – but by now they are sold out, so I have to find some other solution.

Hi Richard, I also have data not found, for Pran buri to Prachuap, though according to the timetable, there are trains passing through Pran Buri to Prachuap kiri Khan but the search gives no result for 24th january and when I search for 26 january from Prachuap to Surat thani, there’s only one train in the evening, whereas the timetable show many more. What do you think?

Ordinary No. 251 and No. 255 are considered local trains and you can only buy tickets on the day at the station. Don’t worry, tickets don’t sell out.

Hi! Thanks a lot for your blog post, very helpful in arranging my holiday trip 🙂

If I select a train journey from Nakhon Lampang – Chiang Mai on 05/12/2023 10:01, I see a message saying “The selected train is on 4 December 2023” in red underneath the option. Do you know what this means? Does it just mean that the train leaves from its origin station (Bangkok) the day before?

Yes, that’s what I believe it means. I’ve only recently started to see that.

Hi Richard, Thank you so much for your really informational blog. We are two Couples with three kids and another couple without kids. we want to travel by train from Bangkok to koh pangan. we are going to leave Bangkok on February the 2nd. 12go asia is recently only offering tickets by bus and speedboat. I did this trip in 2019 by train in the class with beds and curtains without air-conditioning and found it super comfortable. afterwards, we had a bigger bus which took us from the train station in surathani to the port, where we took the big ferry (raja) on the island. Recently, I saw that they probably offer only speedboats with a smaller amount of seats. as we are traveling with the kids we want to avoid the speedboat solution. we prefer to go with the ferry where the kids are more free and can walk around etc. our problem at the moment is that we cannot find any solution to book this trip from here in Germany. Do you have recommendations for us? Is it true that the train recently only has air-conditioning? The class with a curtain beds without air-conditioning would be perfectly fine for us. I don’t understood if this still exists.

we would prefer to book this trip as a All inclusive travel solution as I did in 2019. But we would also book train, bus, and boat separately. I am only worried about the train being late so that we cannot catch the bus for the ship. Just a few thoughts.

We are looking forward to hearing from you and thank you very much in advance. Best regards, Jack and family and friends.

Hi Richard, its me again.

I just found my old E-Mails from thailandtraintickets.com where I remotely booked by email our traintickets in 2019.

We took the train Nr 167 and I found some infos on that on your site: https://www.thaitrainguide.com/timetables/no-167/

What I see is, that this trains has the curtain beds without aircon (second class) which should be the exact way we traveled with in 2019.

This makes it easy for us to choose this train.

What would you suggest us as booking platform from here in germany?

Then we will separately book the bus and ship transfer to pangan and pray for the train arriving on time in surathani.

If you have any further tips / suggestions w would apreceate hearing from you.

Thank u in advance and best regards Jack and Families

Is Baolau reliable?

Plenty of people use them without complaint.

Hi, yes I used them without issue and found their customer service very helpful too. Although the ticket alert I signed up to didn’t alert me 🤷‍♀️

We want to book first class train from Bangkok to Chiang mai with train 9. We want to book for the 10.01.2024. So we need to check the official Website for Tickets at 10.12.2023 at 08:30am ? We book from Germany.

Is this correct ?

December has 31 days. So by my calculation, tickets will go on sale on 11th December.

Thanks for your quick answer !! 🙂

With a time difference of 6 hours from German time, I would have to search the site for tickets from 2:30 a.m. on December 11th, right?

Best regards.

hi Frederik, I’m trying to do the same from the uk for 18th December, if your January tickets are on sale on the 11th December then yes you need to try and book 2.30am on the 11th December, good luck!

I booked tickets for travel on 25/11 on 26/10 08:00 – the first day they became available – and there were very few tickets left. I think if I had left it until later in the day there would have been none left. I used Baolau as it was all in English. This time of year and January is high season. Last year I booked less than 30 days before travel during August and got a ticket easily. Good luck!

Hello Richard! I board Ordinary Type Trains on the Eastern Line occasionally, but I have yet to get on the train from a railway halt. The article here states that passengers boarding from stations without offices like a halt are excepted from paying a fine.

But then would that mean I have to pay a ticket price?

This wouldn’t really matter for local travel, but in the case of traveling a long distance while boarding from a halt, this could be a problem. Thanks,

The conductor can collect money and issue tickets on the train.

thank you so much for giving us the insides on the slightly complicated Thai train booking systems… 😉

I am currently looking for train tickets to go from Ayutthaya to Bangkok (Krung Thep Aphiwat) on December 01, 2023. As far as I understand your explanations, I can only get those tickets like 24 hours in advance as they are for a short-distance ride… Is this assumption correct and in case, does the ticket sale open the day before or really 24 hours in advance. As we will leave back to Europe late on December 01 we have to be quite sure to get a ticket for an afternoon train… 😉

Thanks for your reply and kind regards from Munich / Germany Conny

You didn’t say which train you were looking at. For 3rd Class local trains you can only buy an hour or so before departure. For long distance trains, as you are doing less than 25% of the journey, you can only attempt to buy within 24 hours. However, if you are worried you won’t get a ticket, don’t. On local trains they never stop selling tickets. You just might not get a ticket with a seat number!

Hi Richard, your website has been super helpful thank you! I am trying to book 1st class Bangkok (Krung Thep) to Chiang Mai on Nov 30th, so 30 days from now. I was able to select train #9, but when I get to selecting cabin/berth type all the options are greyed out and I can’t select anything. Does this mean they have sold out already or aren’t available yet? I am in NZ so ahead of Thailand timezone wise, so would seem odd that they are sold out already. Thanks for any help you can give!

Tickets go on sale at 8:30am Thai time 30 days in advance. There are only 12 1st Class cabins on that train and as it is the most popular route it always sells out within minutes.

Hey, 830 which TZ?

Thailand of course!

Hi Richard, appreciate your website and your help in figuring this stuff out. Your website solved a couple of mysteries already; here’s another question for you – I’d like to book 2 1st class seats on the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. From what I can tell, the travel agencies you recommend only sell 2nd class seats (1st class always says unavailable). On the official train website, I do see 1st class seats as an option, but whenever I pick the furthest date out (eg 30 days out) it shows them to be sold out.

do you know of any travel agencies that would book 1st class seats for us?

Is it possible that tickets just sell out immediately for 1st class on each train? We’re looking to travel Nov 10, so that 30 day window is opening soon, and I really don’t want to miss booking it. Any help or advice would be much appreciated!!

Special Express No. 9 to Chiang Mai is the most difficult train to book a 1st Class cabin. It will sell out within hours. I just checked now and all the cabins are booked for 9th November. Tickets will go on sale tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. for 10th November. That is a Friday and so it will probably sell out within minutes. A friend of mine wants me to book tickets for him on this exact same train for Monday 13th November. I am not confident I can get it online and so I am going to drive to the train station and camp out at the ticket office as it counts down to 8:30 a.m. I cannot really give any advice other than to say good luck! Or go by 2nd Class.

Thought I’d share an update – i thought i had figured out when tickets become available online (i’m 11 hours behind Bangkok). I thought it was midnight Bangkok time and was ready and prepped to log on then – so I was surprised to find the day I was attempting to book already available at least an hour earlier (eg 11pm). Sure enough first class was sold out on both trains (though for a fleeting moment it did appear bookable, but then the site crashed), and even bottom berths in 2nd class were unavailable (booking directly seems to only ever show one car at a time, is it possible there’s only one 2nd class sleeper??) Final result after some under-breath muttering and several attempts was 2 beds in 2nd class, 1 upper and 1 lower, but not next to each other. Will pack ear plugs and hope for the best!

Moral of the story – be ready to click and check in frequently around the time you expect your day of travel to open up!

Thanks for reporting your experience. It is not the best of websites. Officially, tickets go on sale at 8:30 a.m. though that time may vary a little. As for your comment that there only seems to be one or two 2nd Class carriages available, that is because on the sleeper trains they don’t sell all tickets online. They will only sell one or two carriages at a time. The rest are sold at the stations. I was just booking on the Malaysian site and you can see all of the carriages. So much easier.

Hi Richard. I saw a reply in which you said you can see the remaining sleeping carriage that are sell offline at the counters in Malaysian site. Would you mind sharing the sites please. Thank you in advanced.

It is https://online.ktmb.com.my

Hi. I booked this year with Baolau and it only showed one carriage to choose from and only had 3 seats left – fortunately for me two together so top and bottom together. And this was at 7.30 am UK time on day 30 prior to travel date – the date of release. So if I had left it until later on that day I’m sure they would have all sold out. Travel end November so high season. Last August I booked less than 30 days and had no trouble booking a seat and on the day the train was almost full.

The App download QR code isn’t working for iPhones. it only conenct to Google Play ( on this site) from the Railways of Thailand website, none of the QR code or links to the App download center works either. Just a note so that it can be adjusted. Thank you Asoka

Thanks. I will check it out.

Why is does 12Go only charge in Euros?

I think that is to do with your own settings as I have never paid in Euros.

Quick question. Is the train to Kanchanaburi stil leaving from Thonburi en can you buy the tickets at the station the same day?

I actually just started putting a page together about this line: https://www.thaitrainguide.com/death-railway

To answer your questions, yes the train goes from Thonburi and yes you can only buy the ticket on the day at the station.

Im struggling to find 1st class berth tickets, they seem to be sold out or not released yet. do you have any advice?

1st class tickets sell out quickly as there is only one carriage and 12 cabins. The most popular one is the new CNR train on the Chiang Mai route. You might want to try 12Go to buy it for you as they send ticket agents to the station to buy the second tickets go on sale. Or go there yourself if you have a station near you. I have managed it on D-Ticket but you have to be quick.

Tickets go on sale 30 days in advance at 8:30am. If you are using DTicket make sure you register in advance to save time.

As 12Go online tickets are almost double or 50% higher than original price, is it possible to buy 2nd Class AC Sleeper Train Ticket (Bottom bunk bed with window view is a must for me) for Bangkok to Chiang Mai one or two days in advance from Bangkok rail station? Will it be available?

I will be traveling solo to Bangkok on mid-September. I have heard a lot about the overnight Bangkok to Chiang Mai train journey and want to experience it. I will land in Bangkok on 8th September, Friday early morning.

I would like to buy a 2nd class AC sleeper ticket for Bangkok to Chiang Mai… As 12Go online tickets are very expensive, I would like to buy it in person if possible. Either train 9 or train 13 will be preferred. My Approximate date of journey from Bangkok to Chiang Mai will be 10th September, Sunday, a weekend holiday.

But I heard the tickets of 2nd class AC sleepers get sold out fast. Shall I be able to find 2nd class AC sleeper tickets (Bottom bunk bed with window view is a must for me) For Bangkok to Chiang Mai if I try to buy the ticket one or two days in advance from Bangkok rail station? I really want to avoid buying from 12go due to some budgetary constraints. Hence, buying in person upon reaching Bangkok would be better for me.

Thanks in Advance

Hi! I’m trying to book the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai but for the date I am looking at it’s already complete. I have my already booked my hotel rooms and other internal flights, so I can’t really change the travelling date. Do you think that it’s possible that in a few days there are some cancellations and I might have the opportunity to book my place, does this happen normally? I still have a bit of time since is for the 1st of August. I also wonder if in the city of Bangkok there are agency offices where I can go to book my tickets.

Thank you in advance!

The sleeper trains to Chiang Mai are the most popular route and sell out quickly. If you are in Thailand call the 1690 hotline as sometimes people return tickets and they are the first to know. Or you can try the 12Go agency as they send their agents to the ticket counter for you. Sometimes not all tickets are sold online. The following trains have tickets for 1st August as of this minute:

Special Express No. 7 (day train) Special Express No. 13 (sleeper train) – 2nd Class seats only, no berths Express No. 51 (sleeper train) – berths still available. My favourite sleeper though it arrives at mid-day in Chiang Mai and so not so popular with tourists

How to Buy Train Tickets: https://www.thaitrainguide.com/tickets/

Several times I attempt to make booking on D-Ticket official website for Chiang Mai – Don Mueng for end of July, but at last step after I write my Credit Card(Visa) information and after payment appoved, KTC System rises “System Failure” and I can not buy tickets ( I checked my credit Card and payment has not been done) , Is there anybody with similar problem

Hello. I have a question.

First, my background

As 12Go is quite expensive and Thailand railway official websites are at times unreliable (I am from Bangladesh). I will probably try my luck booking the Bangkok to Chiang Mai overnight train directly from the Bangkok Krung Theph Aphiwat station 2 days in advance. Either train 9 or train 13.

Now my question is

For my return journey, Can I book the Chiang Mai to Bangkok overnight train ticket directly from the Krung Theph Aphiwat station in Bangkok or should I have to reach Chiang Mai first to be able to purchase the Chiang Mai to Bangkok overnight train ticket from the Chiang Mai rail station ticket booking counter?

So, in short, Can I buy Chiang mai to Bangkok train tickets from the Bangkok Krung Theph Aphiwat station’s ticket counter or should I have to buy it from the Chiang Mai station’s ticket booking counter?

Hello, Richard!

I want to go directly from Don Mueang Airport to Ayutthaya, and noticed the train station is right the opposite of the airport. I have a few queries, hoping you are willing to answer:

1. For the express or rapid trains, can we book on the day or should we book far ahead? 2. For the same train, express or rapid train, can we buy the ticket at the station instead of the app/website instead? 3. There are two don mueang train station: Don Mueang and Talad Don Mueang, which one i should choose for the one who sit opposite the airport?

Thanking you in advanced

As Ayutthaya is not far away, you cannot buy an advance ticket for a long distance train. It is fine buying on the day. There is now only one Don Mueang Station. The one on the ground level has been closed. From the airport there is a sky bridge to the station. No need to go down to street level.

Thanks for the details

I am from Bangladesh. I will be traveling Thailand soon. I want to experience the Bangkok to Chiang Mai overnight 2nd class AC sleeper coach train.

I have some queries

1. You mentioned sometimes facing problems on the D-ticket official website. But how about the SRT D-Ticket App? Is it stable and reliable enough?

2. Does the SRT D-Ticket App platform charge any extra fee there? On some websites, I saw online ticket prices are higher than offline charges. But on the app, I found the ticket price to be as same as offline ticket price mentioned on other websites. Is it really the case?

3. Does Bangkok To Chiang Mai 2nd class Ac Sleeper Coach have individual power outlets for each seat to charge smartphone? Asking for both the Newer CNR Carriages and older Daewoo sleeper carriage

Thanks in advance !

D-Ticket should be the first choice as there are no service fees. It is the same price as at the station. Agencies like 12Go charge a service fee. Their agents literally go to the station to buy your ticket the second tickets go on sale. Not all tickets are put on sale on D-Ticket. Particularly with the CNR train to Chiang Mai. So the agents might have a better chance.

Only the CNR trains have power sockets for every passenger to charge devices. Some of the Daewoo carriages have been upgraded to have power sockets, but there is no guarantee your carriage will have a power socket by your berth. Most carriages only have two sets of sockets per carriage. You will never know which carriage they will use on the day.

Hello Richard, I want to book night train tickets for Bangkok Chang Mai line at the end of July for my family live on the SRT website but creating the account is not working. When I try to register, it tells me that I am already registered (which is not the case) and when I do “forgot password”, it does not send me a link (nor in spam) . Do you have an idea ? Is it always 30 days before?

Jerome BOUCOMONT

Some people have problems like this which is why they choose to use an agency such as 12Go even though there is a service charge. Less problems.

This is very helpful. My travel plan is to board the 2nd class night sleeper train (#10) from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Instead of booking online, I’d rather buy the ticket from the terminal for a less hassle transaction. My travel plan is for July 8, 2023 and I am going to buy the ticket at Chiang Mai train station on July 2, 2023 (the very same day I landed in Chiang Mai). My question is, given the dates and the route, and how early I am going to buy, what are the chances of me getting a booking a berth for my trip?

I just checked the tickets for the Saturday one week from now and there are some left. So, I would say your chances are good to do the same for July.

Oh ok sorry. How do you know there are some seats left? Where can I check that myself?

Great information here Richard, thanks. I believe you wrote earlier online tickets are available from 08:30 am. Do you know if the ticket office at Krung Thep Aphiwat station opens earlier than this? I want to maximize my chances of getting first class sleepers tickets on the Bangkok – Chiang Mai no. 9 train.

Yes I know people who were doing exactly that. But I cannot remember offhand exactly what time.

If you don’t know, there are ticket offices each end. There is a smaller one next to the entrance to the MRT and Red Line trains if that is how you are going there. Good luck!

Hi Richard, I want to book train from chiang mai to bangkok on 31 May 2023, but when I checked on dticket web it always shown “Data not found”. I don’t know what the problem is

Please read this blog: What does “Data not found” mean when trying to buy train tickets in Thailand?

Hi Richard, I’ve been following you on FB from Belgium. Great job! I’m looking for tickets Bangkok-Chiang Mai for beginning of August at 12GoAsia and it seems most days there are no sleeping trains. I was wondering if this possible that all sleeping trains for several days are already fully booked with 12GoAsia? Thx!

Officially tickets cannot be booked more than 30 days in advance.

Yes, I’m trying to get ticket from Padang Besar to Bangkok, the system keep show same issue.. “Data Not Found “.. I try several days.. still the same.. anyone can help ??

Probably because trains don’t go to Bangkok Railway Station from there. All long distance trains on the Southern Line now go to Krung Thep Aphiwat, the new terminal station.

Hi, firstly, great resource you are maintaining here, thank you!

I booked through dtickets for Bkk-Chiang Mai and then Chiang Mai-Bkk, but the website seems to have a bug! The Bkk-Chiang Mai tickets are for 13th May, which I have got, but if I now check the website for my trips, the description says 12th May, even if the ticket download is 13th May. Then the Chiang Mai-Bkk tickets were to be for 17th May, which is as shown on the My Trips page, but i just realised that they ticket says departure on 18th May! We only found out because the visa processing centre asked us about where we are staying on the 17th.

How do I connect with Thai railways from outside Thailand and get this sorted? I am nervous about asking for a trip change as the same confusion could happen. I can’t even make out if the printing error is at the ticket end or at the website display end.

I don’t think I can connect with 1690 from outside Thailand. Is there anything you can recommend? Thanks!

I’ve never done it but you should be able to change your tickets on the D-Ticket website. I haven’t seen the error you describe before and so I am not sure what to advise.

Thank you. Yeah I know this is a weird one. Is there any official email ID for customer support that I could write to or call from outside Thailand?

I could try the change tickets page, but now I am absolutely petrified that that one will make a similar mistake – i book for one date and it issues for another! Refunds mean some losses too.

I just had the same problem. We booked for the 24th of June. Our email and emailed tickets say 24/06/2023 departure. The app says 23/06/2023 departure.

Was there a resolution to this problem? Will my wife and I be able to use the printed paper in place of the app? Did we just get conned into paying for a ticket change?

Are you using the official D-Ticket website to buy the tickets or the app? Are you booking from abroad? Maybe it is something to do with your time difference? I am trying to understand what is going on here. But I would go with the date that is printed on the tickets.

Hello, I’m trying to figure out at what time the next day gets available on D-ticket in order to book as soon as possible. Do you know at what time (Thaïland time) they open the next day booking? Thank you.

Yes, officially from 8:30am onwards though I have seen them going on for sale a bit earlier.

je souhaite réserver deux cabines 1ere classes pour le 28 octobre. Nous sommes 2 adultes et 3 enfants (17-14-8 ans), pensez vous que l’on puissent tous occuper ces deux couchettes (la petite dormirai avec moi) ou dois je acheter un autre ticket en deuxième classe par exemple ? Je crois que les cabines 1et2 et 3et4 sont communicantes ?

Si je comprends bien, les réservations ouvriront le 28 septembre à 8h30 (heure locale thaïlandaise ?)

merci pour votre aide précieuse

Hello, I am trying to figure out how to get from Krabi to Bangkok and have settled on bus to Surat Thani and train from Surat Thani to Bangkok but I am not able to figure out how to book the train ticket.

Please advise if possible.

You have two choices. Either use the official D-Ticket website or use an agency website like 12Go. Links are at the top of this page. Just enter Surat Thani as the origin and Krung Thep Aphiwat as the destination. This is the new terminal station in Bangkok for long distance trains. I am actually doing this train trip in a couple of weeks. I am taking the overnight sleeper train.

You can buy on official D-Ticket site or 12Go. Links here: https://www.thaitrainguide.com/tickets

Hello, I am trying to book a ticket from BKK to Ban Klong Luk border for the end of this month. But the website and the app of D-ticket don’t show me a train to book, I tried other routes to check and those can be booked. It is less than 30 days, so it should be possible. Is something up with that train to the border?

For this train you can only book on the day. It goes from Hua Lamphong station.

Hi, i have planning to take a trip from Sungai Kolok to Bangkok using 2nd Class sleeper train 172. Do you have any information the seat number for lower bed located on right row (facing east). i want to see the scenery of the thailand sea.

Above the plan, on the left and right, it shows the direction the train is going. Unfortunately for you it says the destination name in Thai สถานีกลางกรุงเทพอภิวัฒน์ which is Krung Thep Aphiwat. So in this case the train is going to the right and the berths in the bottom row are on the righthandside of the train (good for sunrise in the morning). So, for example, berths, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 etc.

When booking train tickets through 12go for a trip including children, do you know if they issue the 50% refund on the ticket after booking? I wasn’t sure what their policy was for this trip, but we’re considering going by train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in July. Thank you!

I’m sorry, I don’t know the answer to that one.

Greetings from South Africa. I’m hoping you can help. I see a fair amount of literature on social media and websites, about a first class sleeper between Bangkok and Chiang Mai. I cannot, however, find any platform on which I can book this. Has this particular first class cabin been discontinued? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

It’s there but it sells out very quickly on that route. Certainly at this time of year because of the holidays. You can buy on the official website or agency sites like 12Go.

I used 12go asia service to buy joint train\ferry ticket to Thai gulf islands from bangkok. Now they have only buses ..i wrote to them and answered they dont offer train ticket anymore like that. Any idea where else i can book something like that ? (bangkok to koh phangan or tao )

We’re trying to book single tickets from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Ayutthaya for five of us. I tried to do it via 12GO and through the official Thai Railways site but keep getting error messages. Any advice? We’re coming off an overnight train from Surat Thani (arriving 7.45am) and want to book onward tickets that minimise our wait.

Only long distance trains go from Krung Thep Aphiwat. Yes they do indeed stop in Ayutthaya, but when your journey is less than 25% of the total distance you cannot buy in advance.

I need help to purchase 2 Special Express Sleeper tickets from Chiang Mai to Bangkok on May 6 2023 before I book air tickets from Koh Samui to Chiang Mai (4/24-5/1). Please let me know what are Chiang Mai and Bangkok train station’s names. Thanks for your help.

The main terminal in Bangkok is called Krung Thep Aphiwat. You can only book 30 days in advance. If you are abroad and need assurance of getting a ticket then it is best to use the services of an agency such as 12Go. Link is in the original post.

Hello Richard, first of all, thank you for this useful website. We would like to book tickets for the #85 sleepertrain from Nakhon Pathom to Surat Thani through 12goAsia. But 12goAsia doesn’t offer these tickets. So my question, if we book tickets from Bangkok to Surat Thani, can we board the train in Nakhon Pathom instead of Bangkok with these tickets?? Second question, is it true you have to pick up the tickets from 12goAsia by yourself in Bangkok (that is what I understand from there website?) Or do they give you online tickets? Thank you in advance, whishing you a nice day

To answer your first question. Yes you can board the train at a later station and also get off at an earlier station. Obviously you cannot do it the other way round to extend your journey.

Yes your problem with 12Go would be that they will probably ask you to pick up your tickets in Bangkok if you booked from there. I don’t really understand why they don’t send you an e-ticket.

Maybe if you live in Thailand you might want to use the official website a D-Ticket.

Hi Richard 🙂 Thank you for the great post! I have booked separate tickets for me and my friend, ended up having two tickets with my name and passport. How do I manage this? Is it possible to change the name and passport from one of the tickets? I cannot find any info at the webpage, or any section where to do it. Also, is there any way to call the call center (1690) from outside Thailand? It doesnt seem to work if you call from EU (including the Thai prefix number). Thank you!!

They’ve never cross checked the name on my ticket with my passport. I’ve given tickets away to people before with no problem.

Hello Richard,

This is Ayan here. First of all, kudos to you for such an effort. You almost pick every piece of information and build a website which in turn make life easy for other travelers.

However, I do have a question related to SRT ticket booking. In case someone book the ticket from location which is outside of Thailand and choose “pay at the station” option while making the payment. Then within how many days the ticket has to be collected from the counter. For eg. if I book my ticket for March 11 and choose “pay at the station”, then is it possible to collect the ticket, from the counter, on the journey date(11th March)?

That option is no longer available. It stopped last week. Online you can only now pay by credit card or debit card.

I realize most trains out of Bangkok leave from the new station, but can one still buy tickets at Hualamphong for departures from other stations?

Yes you can buy tickets at any station for any train as it’s all computerized now to a central database.

Thai Railways train tickets delivery by 12go.asia. What is the easiest way to pick up tickets when leaving from Krung Thep Aphiwat? It there an office near Krung Thep Aphiwat? Can you relay on the delivery of ticket to the hotel in Bangkok?

I don’t know for sure but someone I met there said he picked his up from the cargo office at Bang Sue Junction next door.

I am trying to get from Bankgok ro Chumphon by train with a touring bicycle. Do all trains take bicycles, or do I have to know which do and which don’t?

I assume I cannot book the bicycle in advance, so I am guessing I am best off to book everything at the station when I get there. Is this a fair assumption?

Thanks for the great website – coffee or three will be on their way when I get to BKK

You can only take a full sized bicycle on a train that has a cargo carriage. For example trains No. 171, 169, 167, 85, and 83 all head south. Unfortunately you cannot load it at Krung Thep Aphiwat. You need to take it to Bang Sue Junction next door about three hours before departure time. Then there’s no guarantee there will be space.

However if you have a folding bike then it is no problem to take it onboard yourself for free.

Hi Richard. Thanks for everything, very helpful.

Question. I have 3 names (First-Middle-Last).

On the SRT D-Ticket app they have First Name and Last Name columns. But I realise they don’t allow “Space” in between.

Eg; Since I have 3 names, I’ve got to group either my “1st and 2nd name” or “2nd and 3rd name” together in one of the columns without a “Space”.

Eg; Real Name: Richard John Barrows

First name; RichardJohn Last name; Barrows

First name; Richard Last name; JohnBarrows

I was wondering if this would cause an issue if I book a ticket?

Thanks Richard

Do you really need to enter your second name? Best to just use your first name and family name. And anyway, they don’t actually cross check with your passport on the trains.

There are 8 of us. We plan to travel from Hat Yai to Bangkok and then to CHIANG Mai on 13 March 2023 and back to Hat Yai on 19 March. We plan to travel in 1st class sleeper train all the way. Are tickets still available online? Pl advise.

13th March – Hat Yai Junction to Krung Thep Aphiwat: Special Express No. 32 https://www.thaitrainguide.com/timetables/no-32

Nine 1st class Cabins still available.

14th March – Krung Thep Aphiwat to Chiang Mai : Special Express No. 9 https://www.thaitrainguide.com/timetables/no-9/

Only 2nd class carriages available for this route as 1st Class sells out very quickly.

From Krung Thep Aphiwat to Nakhon Sawan, only the Northern line or the NE line also?

I don’t see Krung Thep Aphiwat listed on D-Ticket web site.

very hard to figure out round trip weekend trip.

Thank you for all the work on this, very helpful

There are seven trains from Krung Thep Aphiwat to Nakhon Sawan. It’s on the Northern Line. The best one is Special Express No. 7 which is 2nd Class with A/C and meals included: https://www.thaitrainguide.com/timetables/no-7

A cheaper and slower train is Rapid No. 111: https://www.thaitrainguide.com/timetables/no-111/

One of my next jobs is to do route planners to help people. My apologies I haven’t done it yet. My day job keeps me busy and I only just came back from a weekend train trip and had to go straight to work from the station.

How can I buy train ticket bangkok to surathani in15 days in advance

Buy on the D-Ticket website. Link at the top of this page.

i planning my trip to Thailand. I and my 5 friends wish to travel by Train from Surat Thani do Bangkok. Is there possibility to by ticket for six peaople by one registered account?

Thanks, Chris

Yes, one person can buy on behalf of others. You will have your name on each ticket in the top lefthand corner that says “Reserved by…”. But you need passport details of each person.

Bonjour Richard, je voudrais réserver un trajet sur le site dticket. Il faut s’enregistrer et y mettre une identification. Je ne sais ce que cela signifie. Je voudrais réserver un billet le 18/2 de Bangkok à Chiang Mai avec un arrêt à Ayutthaya et reprendre le train de nuit. Merci

It means your passport number. If you are having trouble then you should use one of the agency sites such as 12Go .

Hey Richard,

Fantastic website – thanks for all the hard work you’ve put in!

We are two adults and three children (aged 11, 9 and 5) looking to book an overnight train from Surat Thani to Bangkok (and ideally connecting on tom Ayuthaya). Two quick questions: what class would be best given there are five of us – can we all squeeze into two first class cabins? And how can we book – I read that booking an e-ticket is not advised as the kids might be placed in upper berths, which is not allowed. Any advice? Is there a reputable travel agency that might be able to sort all this for us? Thank you!

Train 85 is the most popular one for this route as it arrives at a good time (8:35am). It also has 1st Class sleeper carriages. You can book two cabins next to each with connecting doors to make more space. If you child is less than 100cm tall than they can travel for free and yes they can share the cabin. If all children are taller than 100cm then you would need to book three cabins or go 2nd Class. The child under 100 cms has to share your seat/berth. In 1st Class berths are quite wide. As for allowing children in the upper berth, I am not sure if there is a specific rule or not, though I have seen children up there. But to be honest, once the curtains are pulled no-one really cares and so it is up to you if you then switch around. Even easier to do in the private cabins as they have locks on the inside.

No. 167 is an alternative sleeper to take. This arrives at 7:47am. However there are no 1st Class Cabins.

Call the hotline 1690. Their English service is very helpful. For booking tickets, you could try 12Go as they have English language support. You won’t get that support on the official website.

Thanks for your kind words. The website actually has a long way to go to be very useful. A page on catching a train from Bangkok to Chumphon and Surat Thani for the boats to the islands is on my list of things to do. I plan to do this trip in March/April which is my summer holidays.

BTW, these trains now leave from Krung Thep Aphiwat station. Timetables have changed so double check before you go. I’m still waiting for them to release the official timetables. I only have timetables that were leaked from the back office.

Hello, I’ve tried to book night train tickets to Chiang Mai forApril, but as you mentioned, you can only buy 30 days in advance with the D-Ticket website. I tried 12Go but they only have 1 seat left in 1st class (we’re 4). Does that mean the train is already fully booked or will it be possible to buy tickets 30 days before the departure date? We don’t want to wait until then and risk that there’s no ticket available. Thank you in advance!

I am not sure why 12Go would say there is only one ticket left for April when tickets don’t officially go on sale until 30 days before. But I do know that 1st Class carriage to Chiang Mai always sells out quickly. There are only 12 cabins. Two berths per cabin.

I am planning on meeting up with 12Go next week to have a tour of their office and to chat about how they do things. I might be in a better position to answer next week.

Hi Richard, brilliant website, thank you. We are 2 friends travelling from Koh Tao to Chiang Mai 21 Aug. Are we able to book now using 12Go or do we need to wait until 30 days prior? Do we need to stay overnight in Bangkok to catch the 1st class from Krung Tgep Aphiwat? The website mentions village health volunteers receive 20% discount. I will be teaching English as a volunteer in an orphanage. Do I just need my O visa as proof? Thank you.

If you book on the official D-Ticket website you cannot book more than 30 days in advance. but if you book through 12Go you can do it far in advance and they will be the first in the queue the minute tickets goes on sale. 1st Class is very difficult to book as it sells out quickly. The train eaves in the evening and so if you arrive in Bangkok in the morning then there is no need to stay the night. I don’t believe foreigners can get that discount.

Hello! I’ve been looking into taking the overnight sleeper Train #9 from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, and looking to get a 1st class cabin, however it seems only possible to buy 2nd class tickets via the links you provide. Am I missing something? Would appreciate any advice!

Have you tried the official D-Ticket website. That might be easier.

Hi Richard. Thank you for useful article. I would like to ask if there is any chance that one can buy ticket at train station for train that is fully booked online ( similar to tourist quota idea – that some tickets remain available for over the counter purchase only ). Do you know if Thailand railways keep some extra quota tickets available? in other words, if there is no ticket at D ticket site – does it make sense to go in person to train station and ask if they might have ticket for such train? Thank you for answer

Yes, that is correct. They don’t put all tickets for sale online. So if it is full, then either call 1690 and ask them or go to your local station.

Hi Richard, When you buy your ticket online, can you access the train with your electronic ticket or do you have to exchange it at the station for a printed one? thanks for your answer

You can just show them the screenshot of your ticket. No problem. Some conductors now have QR-Code Readers and all they need to do is to scan the QR Code on your ticket.

I am trying to book a train from Padang Besar to Bangkok, but everything more than 7 days in advance is showing up as unavailable. Does this route have stricter limits on how far in advance you can book? Or is there some issue right now with online bookings?

Seems fine to me. Are you using the official Dticket website? Are you choosing Padang Besar and not Padang Besar (Thai)? If travelling from 19th January, are you choosing Krung Thep Aphiwat as your destination?

I’ve been trying to buy first class tickets last few days from the official Thai Railway site, but tickets always show sold out as soon as new date gets updated. So, Will I be able to get tickets if I go to station and book from there?

I presume this is for one of the CNR sleepers. Popular routes like Chiang Mai sell out quickly as soon as they go online at 8:30am. You can reserve by calling 1690 but you will have to pay at the station within 24 hours.

I wish you could do an article on how to bring motorcycle on the train. I see some people bring motorcycles on train. Would love to know what’s the procedure. Planning to ride to the north of Thailand from Malaysia. The train ride really help saves on time and cost to go to the north of Thailand.

Thanks Zyra

I will try and work on a guide. I saw cargo carriages with motorcycles at Su-Ngai Kolok station. So you can cross the border from there. For Padang Besar, you probably cannot put your motorcycle on a train until Hat Yai.

I will pay more attention to this and add info to the guide.

Hi Richard & Sawardeekap 🙏

Always enjoy reading your updates and posts on rail travel in Thailand and your train journeys 👍

Can I ask if it is possible to purchase tickets for my upcoming trip on Sleeper Train 45 to Padang Besar at Thonburi Train Station near my home instead of going to Hua Lamphong or KrungThep Aphiwat stations? I’m planning to travel on 3rd February. When do ticket sales start for this train?

I understand I can also purchase tickets via the D-Ticket website, but just like to explore more options.

Thanks Richard 🙏

Yes, in theory you can buy tickets from any station. They should all be hooked up to the computer network. Tickets go on sale 30 days in advance. I am actually on this train this afternoon though I don’t know yet if it will go all the way to Padang Besar due to the bombed track.

I wish to purchase a ticket from Chiang Mai to Bangkok departed on 21 Jan 2023 but it stated data not found. May I know how many days in advance I can start to purchase the ticket which supposed to be departed on 21 January 2023.

Please revert asap as I don’t want to miss a train departed on 21 January 2023 (Sleeper train).

Thanks Fadhil

You need to choose the destination as Krung Thep Aphiwat as after 19th January trains don’t go to Bangkok Railway Station.

Hi Richard, I found your site and specifically this info by googling the same error message (Data not found when looking up the trains from Ubon Ratchathani to Bangkok). Very helpful, thank you so much!

It seems to be a common problem. Maybe I should write a separate blog about this.

yeah this problem occured almost a week before already and do not know what is happening ? hope they fix it asap as i’m going to travel to thailand in the early of april by songkran with my family there. god bless

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Trains in Thailand

When time does not push, traveling by train is my favourite option for long distance trips in Thailand .

Overnight trains, specially. Over the years, I’ve taken several overnight trains between Bangkok and Chiang Mai , Nong Khai and the South, and they keep being my option of choice. VIP overnight buses can be very comfortable and are always a much faster option, but in my opinion if time is not an issue they can never beat the train experience and atmosphere.

if time is not an issue, VIP buses can never beat the train experience and atmosphere

Thailand has a broad railway network that allows to travel -or at least get quite close- to most of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, except for the mountainous areas of the North.

Trains in Thailand are cheap, and comfortable enough if you choose the right class/train car. They are a good option both if you like to socialize and if you prefer to read or even do some work with your laptop. You can easily stretch your legs, move to the next carriage or have a snack at the restaurant car while enjoying the moving landscape and a slow pace of life.

Trains are also a good option for some mid distance trips . For instance, what better means of transportation could there be to visit Kanchanaburi than train, with a glorious arrival across the bridge on the river Kwai? In any case, it is highly recommended to properly check all the details before deciding whether it is a good idea or not to take a train for a particular route . Especially in the hottest months, when you better make sure not to get stuck in a third class carriage with hard seats and no air-con, stopping at every hamlet you pass by on the way to your destination.

But travelling by train in Thailand is generally only a good idea for long and mid distance trips. For short trips, taking trains in Thailand usually doesn’t make much sense , unless you’re a big fan of trains and don’t mind spending most of the day for a trip that you could well do in half the time by bus.

Here you can find:

Map of Thailand Railway Network

Thailand’s Railway Network in a nutshell

Thailand’s railway network is managed and operated by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) , and has a total length of about 4.400 km.

There are 4 main lines:

• NORTHERN LINE : connects Bangkok with Chiang Mai , the main city of North Thailand, 751 km (467 mi).

Most popular stations among travellers : Ayutthaya , Lopburi, Phitsanulok, Lampang, Lamphun, Chiang Mai.

• NORTHEASTERN LINE : this line splits in two to connect Bangkok with most of the main cities of the vast region of Isan (Thailand’s northeast) . Both end stations connect with the Laos border: Nong Khai (with central Laos) and Ubon Ratchathani (with south Laos).

Most popular stations among travellers (Northern stretch) : Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Nong Khai (Laos border).

Most popular stations among travellers (Eastern stretch) : Pak Chong (for Khao Yai National Park ), Nakhon Ratchasima, Buriram, Ubon Ratchathani (Laos border).

• EASTERN LINE : connects Bangkok with Aranyaprathet, at the Cambodian border , 225 km (158 mi). It splits in two at Chachoengsao Junction, and goes south for 123 km until Ban Phlu Ta Luang.

Most popular stations among travellers (Eastern stretch) : Aranyaprathet (Cambodian border).

Most popular stations among travellers (Southern stretch) : Chonburi, Pattaya.

• SOUTHERN LINE : connects Bangkok with the Malay border , at Sungai Kolok, and with a length of 1,144 km (711 mi) is the longest railway line in Thailand.

Most popular stations among travellers : Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon , Surat Thani, Sungai Kolok (Malaysia border).

And among the shorter railroad lines, there is a quite popular one:

• KANCHANABURI LINE : the short Western line is known as Kanchanaburi line, and stretches for about 199 km to Nam Tok.

Most popular stations among travellers : Kanchanaburi .

Why trains in Thailand are a great option for mid and long distance trips

Here’s a few good reasons:

🕤 Slow down your pace

Yes, it’s slower than a bus, but are you really in a hurry? If you are, bus it is. If you are not, give trains a chance and enjoy its relaxed atmosphere .

📖 Read, write or work comfortably

Trains move in a regular pace following a rather straight line, so you can read, write or work comfortably enough on your laptop without any risk of experiencing motion sickness.

👅 Socialize

Trains offer a better opportunity to socialize , and when socializing backfires, with an opportunity to move to the next carriage or the dining car. Over the years, while travelling by train in Thailand I’ve met remarkable characters , including many fellow travellers. How could I forget the karaoke-restaurant carriages that used to be found in some trains covering the overnight Northern and Northeastern lines, where you could hardly get any of the waitresses to get you a beer since they were joyfully fighting each other to get the mic and sing out loud popular Thai pop tunes.

Some memories come to my mind . I’ve met an English sailor who regularly visited his Thai girlfriend paying for his trips by smuggling Thai cigarettes into England, a Thai train worker who very dangerously earned a bonus by offering tourists to smoke an opium pipe in a tiny train room, or a former Thai gang member from a Bangkok suburb who was on a trip with friends but couldn’t cross the Lao border, since he didn’t have a passport and was afraid he’d be arrested if he stepped into a police station to get one.

Since the main danger of travelling in Thailand are the road accidents, travelling by train in Thailand may well be the safest means of transportation. Just take the common sense precautions against bag lifters, keep your valuables with you or safely locked, and enjoy the ride.

🤑 Cheap price

Price depends on the class you choose, but trains in Thailand are always cheap, and sometimes even ridiculously cheap . I remember a long daytime trip from the Cambodian border to Bangkok, sitting on 2d class, which took most of the day and cost me about 1 euro. Overnight trains will cost a bit more than a VIP bus, but you’ll sleep on something that resembles much more a real bed, and you’ll still be saving the cost of 1 night hotel/guest house.

🏃‍♀️ Stretch your legs

You can stretch your legs in a VIP bus as well, but in a train you can actually do much more than that. Being able to walk along the corridor from carriage to carriage possibly doesn’t qualify as exercising, but it is a great advantage on long overland journeys.

🛌 Comfy beds

Well, not exactly, but possibly much better than you may expect . In the evening, shortly after dinner time, train staff will appear and ask you to stand up for a few minutes while he rearranges your seat into a bed with a few pulls and pushes . Clean bed sheets right out from a plastic laundry package, a small pillow… and a blanket, especially important not to freeze overnight if you travel in an air-con carriage! You won’t have the soundest sleep in your trip, but it will possibly be much better than during your trekking homestay.

🍗 Food on board

Since 2014 it is forbidden to drink alcohol on board of trains in Thailand . The days when you could drink a Singha beer at the restaurant car, while chatting with fellow travellers or enjoying the landscape outside the window, are long gone. But you can still have a basic Thai meal, a soft drink and a snack at the restaurant car, or at your seat if you prefer. Train staff makes some extra baht by selling food to the passengers, so buying your meal on the train is not only convenient, but also a nice way to help these underpaid workers who almost literally spend their whole working years on the train.

Before meal times train staff walk along the corridor, showing a food menu so passengers can order their meal in advance. They’ll bring the food to your seat, or you can eat at the restaurant car. Expect simple Thai dishes, a bit more expensive than they would be on the static outside world.

Current upgrade of the Railway Network in Thailand

At the moment of writing these lines a major change is about to happen. Bangkok’s central railway station, Hua Lamphong, is about to be replaced by the brand new Bang Sue Grand Station , located 9 km in Chatuchack district, in the northern suburbs of Bangkok. It will be Thailand’s new railway hub, the terminus for all long-distance rail services from Bangkok .

With its 26 platforms and about 275,000 usable m2, it has become the largest railway station in all of Southeast Asia. It is linked to Bang Sue MRT subway station, and an elevated walkway connects to the new Mo Chit bus terminal. At the time of writing, the future of Hua Lamphong remains unclear , since its closure and conversion into a museum and commercial area has been repeatedly delayed due to opposition, and still remains operative so far.

the future of the old Hua Lamphong train station remains unclear

The relocation of Thailand’s railway hub, besides easing traffic congestion in the capital, is central to the plan to develop the country’s rail network. The main development will be the construction of a high-speed rail network , a project that was approved by the Thai Parliament in 2010 and is slowly implementing.

Of the 4 high-speed lines initially projected, the main priority is the Northeastern, which will connect Bangkok with China through Laos , linking with Laos’s brand new Chinese-built high-speed railway, which started operating in late 2021. This line is the only one currently under construction, while the Northern one to Chiang Mai has been turned down due to low passenger projections. Plans to build a Southern line to Hua Hin (which would be extended to the Malaysia border in the future) and an Eastern line to U-Tapao airport keep slowly moving forward.

Most popular Overnight Train trips in Thailand

First, one general reommendation for all overnight trips: it is highly advisable to book lower beds , since the price difference with upper beds is small, and you’ll get views and much more room above your head, instead of an elevated coffin.

Train Bangkok to Chiang Mai

Special Express trains 9 and 13 depart Hua Lamphong at 18:10 and 19:35, and take 13 hours when they don’t delay.

Number 9 is newer and a bit more expensive, and offers 1 st class private cabins with 2 beds (1,450-1,650 THB/bed; 2,450 THB/whole cabin), and 2 nd class beds along the carriage corridor (about 1,000 THB).

Number 13 is older and cheaper: 1 st class private cabins with 2 beds (1,250-1,450 THB/bed; 2,000 THB/whole cabin), and 2 nd class beds along the carriage corridor (about 800 THB). We have an article covering the whole night train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai experience .

Train Bangkok to South

There are half a dozen daily trains connecting Southern Thailand with the capital. One of the most popular train stations in the South is Surat Thani, convenient for taking a ferry to the main islands in the Gulf of Thailand (Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan, Koh Tao), visiting Khao Sok National Park, or taking a bus to the main tourist destinations by the Andaman Sea (Krabi and Phuket).

There are currently 2 overnight Express trains offering beds:

• number 83 is bound for Trang and departs at 17:00, and
• number 85 is bound for Nakhon Si Thammarat and departs at 19:30.

The journey to Surat Thani takes about 11 hours with both, provided there are no delays, and prices are almost the same with both: 1 st class private cabins with 2 beds (1,150-1,350 THB/bed; 1,850 THB/whole cabin), and 2 nd class beds along the carriage corridor (about 700 THB).

Train Bangkok to Nong Khai

There’s a Special Express (train 25) departing Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong at 20:00, which takes about 11 hours. It offers 1 st class private cabins with 2 beds (1,350-1,550 THB/bed; 2,350 THB/whole cabin), and 2 nd class beds along the carriage corridor (about 900-1,000 THB).

How to book train tickets in Thailand

First of all, you must know that it is highly advisable to book your train tickets at least a few days in advance, especially for the most popular overnight routes like Bangkok-Chiang Mai, since beds often sell out.

DTicket, the official website

I’d say DTicket website has 2 minor downsides :

❌ You have to register in order to buy tickets.

❌ The website is not as user friendly as the other 2 online platforms we’ll see below. Basically because some information is not clearly displayed or just not found, there are some dead links, and some content is only available in Thai.

Baolau, our recommended choice

In my opinion there are a few advantages of baolau :.

✅  Lists the official fares, without mark-up . Simply adds a small fee for the ticketing, which makes it still a cheap option.

✅ Allows cancellation.

✅ There is no need to collect the paper ticket before travelling , since Baolau issues e-tickets which are a valid boarding pass and can be used to board the train at any departure station.

➡️ BOOK TICKETS WITH BAOLAU HERE

Within 24 hours after completing the payment, you will receive the itinerary, ticket confirmation and payment receipt by email, and your electronic ticket attached in PDF format. You can also access Manage your reservation through the web and download the electronic ticket to your device.

Changes are allowed up to 1 day before departure, only once. Customers can change seats, class, schedule or destination within the same route, but not the name of the passenger. Seat change is free, subject to availability. Change of class, schedule and destination, within the same route, costs THB 50 if the ticket is for Second Class Seat or Third Class Seat, and THB 80 if the ticket is for First Class Bed, Second Class Bed or Second Class Seat (A/C)

Cancellation is available up to 1 day before departure.

• 20% of the fare per ticket (or minimum THB 20) + THB 30 per ticket if more than 4 days left for departure
• 50% of the fare per ticket (or minimum THB 20) + THB 30 per ticket if 1-4 days left for departure
• No refund is allowed if there is less than 1 day left for departure

12go, another option

Where to collect the paper tickets:

• Bangkok : at 12GO office in the DOB Building opposite Hua Lamphong railway station.
• Chiang Mai : for trains departing from Chiang Mai railway station tickets can be picked up either at the parcel office inside the train station or 24/7 from the check-in counter in Bossotel , right in front of the railway station.
• Elsewhere : ask 12GO to send your boarding passes to your hotel or the parcel office inside the Railway Station that you’re going to depart from, at an an additional cost.

✅ One nice thing about 12GO is that at the time of booking you can choose among many options just in case your chosen seats/berths are not available , which can save much time on support communication. Options include ‘Not Flexible’, ‘Flexible Seats’, ‘Flexible Class’, ‘Flexible Departure Within Same Day’ and ‘Flexible Departure within 2 Days’.

➡️ BOOK TICKETS WITH 12GO HERE

Changes : you can change the date/time once, subject to availability and not less than 24 hours before departure, for THB 100.

Train Station Counter and travel agencies

And well, although we live in the digital age, let’s not forget about the classic train ticket booking methods. You can book train tickets at any little travel agent shop in Thailand . Just make sure to choose a honest agent, and check the official price at the official website of the State Railway of Thailand , so you know exactly what fee the agency is adding on top. And of course you can buy the tickets at the station counters , although if you are in a big city it can be time consuming to buy your tickets in advance, so often it is more convenient to use one of the websites mentioned above or a travel agent.

Price comparison between train ticket booking platforms

We compare the prices of Dticket (the official website), Baolau and 12Go. Here you have the results:

Prices of the trains from Bangkok to Chiang Mai:

Prices of the trains from bangkok to surat thani:, prices of the trains from bangkok to nong khai:.

Author of ‘Laos, a cultural guide’, a very complete Spanish book about the culture, history and society of Laos. Jordi, from Barcelona, traveled to the region for the first time in the 1990s, and since then has worked as a blogger, tour leader and travel designer for Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

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The Ultimate Guide to Train Travel in Thailand

In general, train travel in Thailand is both straightforward and rare, at least for foreign travelers. Well, let me back up a bit.

Foreigners who can travel through Thailand without getting on a train usually do. Those who have no other option—usually backpackers, and usually because of money—take trains relatively often.

Of course, even this is too simplified an explanation of a relatively nuanced topic. Let’s delve more into it, then, shall we?

Where in Thailand Can You Travel by Train?

Compared to other countries, both in Southeast and Northeast Asia, train travel in Thailand has relatively limited utility. This might seem counterintuitive, given that the list of destinations accessible by train in Thailand is fairly long:

• Phitsanulok ( Sukhothai )
• Nong Khai (Laos border)
• Aranyaprathet ( Cambodia border)
• Padang Besar ( Malaysia border)

To be sure, a variety of factors hold Thailand back, from slow travel times and inconvenient schedules, to the decidedly un-modern infrastructure for procuring train tickets in Thailand.

FAQ About Thailand Trains

Do i need to book thailand train tickets in advance.

Up until a few years ago, I never bothered making Thailand train reservations in advance. Whether I was riding an overnight departure to Chiang Mai, or just taking a day trip to Ratchaburi, I was more than willing to roll the dice at the ticket window. If you do want to book in advance, you can either go early, in-person, to Hua Lamphong Station, or use an online service like 12Go .

Are Thailand’s sleeper trains comfortable?

Overnight trains in Thailand are an experience everyone should have at least once. They’re also one that, in spite of having been upgraded over the years, is far from luxurious. With this being said, there are worse things than having a lie flat bed in an air-conditioned car, or being able to dine on Thai food while riding the rails.

Do trains in Thailand run on time?

Train travel in Thailand, like any other sort of travel in Thailand, is not always reliable. I’ve taken many train journeys that lasted hours longer than planned, even without any obvious delays. To echo what I said in the previous section, trains in Thailand are about the experience, not (necessarily) the utility.

Are there fast trains in Thailand?

I’ll speak more about the prospect (or the specter, depending upon who you ask) of bullet trains in Southeast Asia in a couple of paragraphs. What I’ll say for now is that in addition to being delayed more often than not, Thailand’s trains are not what you can call fast. Even the “Express” service of the Airport Rail Link ceased operating, for God’s sake!

Is it safe to travel by train in Thailand?

The more general question of “is Thailand safe?” is a pretty murky one. However, I will say that in all my years of traveling in Thailand, I’ve never heard of a derailment or any other major incident. This is the upside of how slow trains in Thailand are, I guess! Perspective, it seems, is the key to making sense of things.

Thailand’s (Maybe) High-Speed Future

If you’ve spent time in Thailand over the past decade, you might have realized that high-speed rail service is always “just a few years away.” You might also be aware that whether Thailand’s future bullet train can take you to China and Singapore or just to Isaan , it will be hubbed at Bang Sue Grand Central, a new station that opened in December 2021.

Train travel in Thailand, of course, is the same as anything else in the Kingdom: You should largely only believe developments when you see them with your own eyes, and maybe not even then. I would personally be shocked if meaningful high-speed rail travel exists within Thailand’s borders before 2025—but that’s just me.

Other Ways to Travel in Thailand

The good news? Thailand domestic flights largely make up for train travel’s deficiencies, particularly in terms of frequency and your choice of airlines. Moreover, increased service and competition (at least, again, before Covid) has caused the prices of the flights to dip lower with every year. Some were kind of expensive when I first started traveling in Thailand!

Which is not to say that land transport in Thailand isn’t useful. For smaller cities and towns, especially in the North and Isaan, buses in Thailand are one of the only ways to travel (assuming you can’t take a song-thaew instead). Within cities (except for Bangkok , whose ever-expanding BTS SkyTrain and MRT lines are increasingly convenient), taxis and Grab are the best option .

Other FAQ About Train Travel in Thailand

Can you travel by train in thailand.

You can absolutely travel by train in Thailand, although it’s not always possible or advisable. For example, while you can easily take a train direct between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, the journey to Phuket is more complicated. Namely, you need to ride an overnight train to Surat Thani, then get a bus or van to Phuket. Flying is easier and these days anyway, is cheaper!

How much is a train ticket in Thailand?

Train ticket prices in Thailand are generally low, but then you get what you pay for. For instance, you can get a lie-flat bed in an air-conditioned bunk from Bangkok to Udon Thani or Chiang Mai for around 1,000 THB. While this is a comfortable way to travel, it’s not quick. For the moment anyway, you won’t find any Shinkansen in Thailand.

How do I book a train in Thailand?

Most local travelers buy their Thailand train tickets at the station on the day of departure. If you’re organizing your trip in advance, and want to book train tickets now for peace of mind, consider using a third-party travel agency (such as 12goAsia) to book tickets up to 60 days before your journey.  

The Bottom Line

Train travel in Thailand is relatively straightforward, especially since it’s unnecessary in most cases. While a bullet train (to somewhere) may eventually be built, today’s trains in Thailand are largely utilitarian, and represented an authentic, if outdated form of transport. With this being said, even if you don’t “need” to ride a train in Thailand, I’d recommend doing so at least once. It’s not always comfortable and it’s certain not efficient, but it’s definitely an experience.

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Five best rail journeys in Thailand to experience slow traveling

Unforgettable train journeys for exploring Thailand at a relaxed pace

One way to savor the beauty of Thailand at a slower pace is by hopping on a train and relishing the picturesque landscapes passing by the windows. With a 4,845-kilometer intercity railway system traversing the nation, train travel allows you to explore Thailand off the beaten path. From the historic Death Railway to the leisurely rail to Hua Hin, and the enchanting night sleeper train to Chiang Mai, here are Thailand's five best train journeys offering unique perspectives to various destinations.

Bangkok-Chiang Mai

Departure: Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal

Journey Time: 10-13 hours

The Bangkok-Chiang Mai route ranks among the most scenic and romantic rail journeys in Thailand. Departing from Bangkok at 6.40 pm, the train passes through the dark central plain. As it ascends into the North, passengers wake up to misty mornings and breathtaking dawns in Lamphun. The journey reveals stunning mountain valleys, lush evergreen forests, verdant rice paddies, and charming farmhouses through the windows. At Chiang Mai, await beautiful temples, delectable local cuisine, warm hospitality, and an even more captivating landscape. The Train 9, a Special Express with comfortable sleepers, is the preferred choice for overnight journeys.

Bangkok-Hua Hin

Departure: Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal  and Hua Lamphong Stations

Journey Time: 3-5 hours

For a delightful journey from Bangkok to Hua Hin, Train 261 stands out as an excellent option. Departing from Bangkok (Hua Lamphong) Railway Station at 9.40 am, the train passes through Bangkok's suburbs and then ventures southwest amidst endless coconut plantations. Enjoy the scenic countryside views and observe people from various walks of life going about their daily routines. As you arrive at Hua Hin Railway Station, you'll be captivated by its iconic classic design, dating back to 1910 (refurbished in 1926), offering perfect photo opportunities. While in Hua Hin, explore the local market for street food delights and an abundance of fresh seafood.

Bangkok–Kanchanaburi

Departure: Thonburi (Bangkok Noi) and Hua Lamphong Stations

Journey Time: 5 hours

Famous worldwide as the "Death Railway" due to its tragic history of more than 100,000 war lives lost during World War II construction, the Bangkok-Kanchanaburi journey is now a renowned rail experience. Today, a 130-km-long section of the original railway track is still in use, offering a poignant journey through serene nature and scenic riverfronts. The train departs from Bangkok at 7.50 am and 1.55 pm daily, providing opportunities to visit significant landmarks such as the Bridge over the River Kwai, Tham Krasea viewpoint, and a picturesque waterfall.

Bangkok-Ayutthaya

Journey Time: 80-120 Minutes

Dating back to 1896, the Bangkok-Ayutthaya railway remains one of Thailand's longest-running routes, connecting the Thai capital to its former kingdom. Today, it offers one of the most accessible ways to travel from Bangkok to the historic city, with 32 trains running daily. Hop aboard the commuter trains at Hua Lamphong (preferably during off-peak times) and secure a window-sided seat to enjoy the pleasant breeze and scenic countryside passing by. You’ll soon arrive in Ayutthaya, where you'll be mesmerized by the enigmatic ruins of ancient temples and palaces, as well as a captivating gold treasure exhibition from the former Siam capital.

Bangkok-Buriram

Journey Time: 5-7 hours

Buriram, located in Northeastern Thailand, is renowned for its ancient Khmer temples, Prasat Hin Phanom Rung, and Prasat Muang Tam. Train travel is an excellent way to reach this historic city. The journey unfolds dramatically as you pass endless rice paddies in Ayutthaya, ascend the Korat upland to Nakhon Ratchasima, and soak up the scenic Isaan landscape adorned with fields, palm trees, and charming hamlets. Depending on the train, the entire trip lasts between five and seven hours.

Let’s hop aboard and savor the allure of Thailand in an alternative, unhurried journey!

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8 of the best train trips in Thailand

Exploring Thailand by train can be one of the best ways to see the country. And there is no better time than now to experience the old-style charm of train travel before Thailand modernises the rail system.

It’s a time of change for the Thai rail network. Work is underway on high-speed rail lines and newer trains are gradually replacing the old. In Bangkok, the classic Hualamphong train station has fortunately been spared the wrecking ball, but a vast new modern terminal — Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (aka Bang Sue Grand Junction) — now serves long-distance trains in and out of the Thai capital.

Many travellers will have fond memories of train travel in Thailand using the old trains. Although change is slowly taking place, the joy of train travel in Thailand remains. In our round-up of some of the best train trips in Thailand we’ve included a little bit of everything. From ordinary trains to luxury carriages, and short journeys to overnight sleeper routes. Featured here in no particular order is our selection of some of the best train journeys you can take in Thailand.

1) Death Railway, Kanchanaburi

One of the most memorable train journeys in Thailand transports you from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi via the historic Death Railway . The highlight of the trip is the section of track which takes travellers across the Bridge on the River Kwai and on to the remarkable Wang Po Viaduct. This breathtaking section of track was originally built by POWs and forced labour during the Second World War. Travelling across the wooden trestle bridge is a poignant reminder of the horrors that took place here.

The State Railway of Thailand runs tourist excursion trains at weekends , but arranging a trip independently on any day of the week is easy to do. Ordinary trains run daily from Bangkok Thonburi to the end of the line at Nam Tok in Kanchanaburi province. Although it’s possible to do this rail journey as a day trip, it’s better to spend at least one night in Kanchanaburi town to explore the wartime sites .

2) Mae Klong Railway Market, Samut Songkhram

The market at Mae Klong was already established when authorities decided to build a railway line there. In typical Thai style, a compromise was reached. As the trains slowly approach the market, the vendors pull up their canopies and umbrellas and lower them again after the train has safely passed through. This happens eight times a day.

Known in Thai as ‘ Talad Rom Hoop ‘ (Folding Umbrella Market) Mae Klong Railway Market is a popular day tour from Bangkok, but with a little planning it’s possible to travel there independently by train and enjoy a birds-eye view as the train passes through the market.

Travel to the market is on local trains departing from Bangkok Wongwian Yai station. The journey from Bangkok involves two trains. The first takes you to Samut Sakhon (known locally as Mahachai). It’s then a short walk through a fresh market to the harbour and a quick ferry ride to Ban Laem. From here it’s another short train journey to Samut Songkhram and Talad Rom Hoop .

Tickets can’t be purchased online or in advance. Instead, tickets must be bought at the station in person on the day of travel. For more details, Richard Barrow’s excellent Thai Train Guide includes a comprehensive guide to getting to and from the Mae Klong Railway Market.

3) Singapore to Bangkok on the Eastern & Oriental Express

At the opposite end of the scale to the Mae Klong Railway is the epic journey between Singapore and Thailand on the Eastern & Oriental Express . This once-in-a-lifetime trip treats travellers to refined luxury, impeccable service and spectacular scenery.

From Singapore, through Malaysia and on into southern Thailand, the Eastern & Oriental Express also takes in the route west to Kanchanaburi with the train crossing the iconic River Kwai Bridge before ending its journey in Bangkok.

4) Bangkok to Chiang Mai sleeper train

The overnight sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai is one of the most popular train services for international and domestic tourists. Departing Bangkok in the early evening, passengers can wake up to the sight of the train climbing through the mountains and jungles of north Thailand.

Watch the train attendants expertly transform the daytime seats into beds before you nod off to sleep with the gentle sway of the train. From the people you meet on board to the scenery you wake up to, the overnight sleeper train journey from Bangkok to Chiang Mai can be the perfect introduction to the delights of Thai train travel.

There are four overnight services on the Bangkok to Chiang Mai route. Special Express No. 9 uses the newer style train carriages pictured above. Although the newer style trains are undoubtedly more comfortable and better appointed than the older carriages, whichever sleeper service you take this is a memorable experience.

First and second class sleeper carriages In the second class carriages, lower bunks are worth paying a little extra for. They are bigger than the upper bunks and also have the advantage of a window. There is also the option for female travellers to book a berth in a carriage which only allows women and children. First class carriages have two berths per cabin. If you are travelling solo and don’t want to share with a stranger you can pay an extra 1,000 Baht to have the cabin to yourself.

5) Chiang Mai to Lampang

For another perspective of the scenic north Thailand train route, hop on a local daytime service from Chiang Mai to Lampang. The absence of air-conditioning (there are fans) is a distinct advantage on this journey. With windows down and the breeze blowing through this is the ideal way to appreciate the lovely scenic views.

The train passes through quaint rural stations and over the White Bridge (Saphan Khao) at Tha Chompu in Lamphun province before reaching Doi Khuntan National Park. It is here where the train travels under the mountains and through what is currently the longest train tunnel (0ver 1,300 metres) in the country. The Khun Tan train station also has the distinction of being the highest on Thailand’s rail network sitting 577 metres above sea level.

Spend a few days exploring Lampang before travelling south by train to Phitsanulok for Sukhothai . Or simply take the daytime train back in the other direction from Lampang to Chiang Mai and appreciate those fabulous views all over again.

6) The ‘Floating Train’: Pasak Chonlasit Dam, Lopburi

On weekends and some public holidays, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) runs a number of special excursion trips. Amongst these is the trip from Bangkok to Pasak Chonlasit Dam in Lopburi province. Surrounded on both sides by water, it is this section of track across viaducts on the dam which has earned this journey the nickname of the ‘floating train’.

Trips to Pasak Chonlasit Dam are usually arranged in the cool season months from November to January. Tickets go on sale 30 days in advance, but because this trip is so popular with Thai travellers tickets tend to sell out quickly. Refer to the SRT ticketing website for more details or call the SRT helpline (available in English) on 1690 for more details.

7) Steam train to Ayutthaya

The steam train trip to Ayutthaya is another of the special excursions arranged by SRT. There are actually around half a dozen chances each year to travel on steam trains in Thailand to different destinations close to Bangkok, but the Ayutthaya trip is the most popular.

The dates of the steam train trips to Ayutthaya are usually:

• 26 March (anniversary of the opening of the first public railway)
• 28 July (in honour of King Rama X birthday)
• 23 October (anniversary of the death of King Rama V)

As with the other SRT excursions, tickets go on sale 30 days in advance but do sell out quickly. The steam trains use the older style third class carriages so windows can be lowered.

8) Hua Hin to Prachuap Khiri Khan

The route between Bangkok and the coastal resort of Hua Hin is certainly one of the most popular routes in Thailand. In fact, it was the opening of this route in the early 1900s that led to Hua Hin establishing itself as a seaside resort for royalty and high-society travellers from Bangkok. While this can be an enjoyable journey to take, there is a less well-known but more scenic option from Hua Hin.

From Hua Hin, take the daytime ordinary train along the coast to Prachuap Khiri Khan. The ordinary train is a bargain at around 20 Baht for the three hour trundle south from Hua Hin to the provincial capital. Sit by an open window and soak up the sights and sounds of this coastal route.

This is also a great opportunity to spend a few days exploring the charming coastal town of Prachuap Khiri Khan before continuing your journey by train south to Chumphon and the Gulf Coast Islands or heading back to Hua Hin.

Useful links

• Exploring Thailand by train
• State Railway of Thailand (SRT) website
• SRT online ticket website
• Richard Barrow’s Thai Train Guide

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