Which is the best route from Hua Hin to Korat avoiding Bangkok?

[silver sea]

When travelling north from HH what signs do I need to look out for, please, to get onto the outer ring road to go around Bangkok and then onto Korat please? 

 

Someone said to me use Highways 4 to 35 to 9. It would be helpful, however, to have some place names, not just highway numbers, to look out for, so I know that I am heading generally in the right direction.

 

Thank you ????

Edited October 10, 2018 by silver sea

[55Jay]

If you're not using GPS, have a look at Google Maps and jot down the major city way points.  No matter what you do, obviously try to avoid major drive times when moving around BKK.

 

HH to Nakhon Rat

 

 

 

[KhunBENQ]

4 to 35 to 9

There is just one tricky decision.

#9 is the outer ringroad.

You come from the south on #35 and can then decide to use the western part of the ringroad and pass Bangkok north (as shown in previous post).

Or you can add a few miles, pass Bangkok on the south and go north on the eastern part of the ringroad.

To my opinion the eastern ringroad is better to use. Eight lane elaborated and enclosed (fenced) motorway.

 

Funny enough there is parallel thread asking about the opposite direction:

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1061383-best-driving-route-from-ubon-ratchathani-to-hua-hin

There I suggested this path:

https://goo.gl/6ofPaA

Ask your friend what the thinks, western or eastern ringroad?

 

The difference is just that the poster comes from Ubon and turns onto #2 while you will stay on #2 all the way after #9.

 

First ride? Ride alone? No smartphone? No GPS?

Can be tricky.

 

Example, find way from #35 to #9 south/eastern:

https://goo.gl/maps/cyBsbK2eCn22

Choose the wrong lane and off you go wrong direction for maybe 10 km or so (no way to turn).

 

It's quite an arduous task to describe the whole path with place names, sign plates etc.

Try your best to prepare with Google maps and streetview.

 

Complete route as I would suggest:

https://goo.gl/eJzzBd

 

Edited October 10, 2018 by KhunBENQ

[silver sea]

5 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

First ride? Ride alone? No smartphone? No GPS?

Can be tricky.

 

Thanks for your concern.

 

I shall be going on my PCX150. Yes I ride alone and no GPS. I have cheap nokia pay-as-you-go phone, but I will have my ipad with me. When I stop to refuel at PTT along the way, I can go into the amazon cafe and use the wifi to check my route. That’s why I wanted a few place names to check out on the way.

 

Two years ago, I drove on my previous PCX150 from Samui up to Vientianne for a new tourist visa and then back again. Round trip of 3,000 kms. Took 10 days.

Edited October 10, 2018 by silver sea

[KhunBENQ]

16 minutes ago, silver sea said:

I shall be going on my PCX150

Ouch!

That ridicules the suggestion to use the eastern ringroad.

Of course no motorbikes on the tollway allowed (#9).

Have to rethink or wait for other suggestions!

The western ringroad (post #2) is not a tollway, so should be OK for motorbikes.

 

Edited October 10, 2018 by KhunBENQ

[drtreelove]

The southern route shown in grey on the map in post #2 is sweet. Get on 34 at Samut Prakan to 314 then 304 through Chachoengsao and Prachin Buri all the way to NR.  But dude, get a smart phone with good battery life, (I've got a fairly cheap Huawei that goes all day) and Google Maps, it's a beautiful thing.

[KhunBENQ]

10 hours ago, drtreelove said:

The southern route shown in grey on the map in post #2 is sweet.

If the OP takes his time and enjoys a scenic route uphill through Khao Yai (#304) it's a nice change from boring highways.

[Kerryd]

Mods - could you move this to the Motorcycle forum ?

 

There are a number of bike riders that probably make the trip Pattaya - Phuket (or visa versa) that would know the route off by heart (for getting around Bangkok).

I have been trying to plot a route around (under) Bangkok for awhile using Google Maps and it is a pain in the @** when you are on a motorcycle due to all the toll highways (even on a big bike).

 

I was just doing a route plan a couple weeks ago, had it worked out (more or less) from Pattaya to just below Samut Songkhram on highway 35 and was trying to figure out where it was legal for big bikes to start using. Every on ramp had a sign showing no bikes were allowed and then I happened on a stretch where a number of bikes from a well known motorcycle club were pictured riding on the highway. scrolled further down and sure enough, still no bikes (legally) allowed until after you cross the Mae Klong bridge.

(As far as I could make out at least.)

I asked a Thai friend how he does it on his big bike and he said just take Highway 3 to Samut Prakan and use the ferry. Very helpful. 

 

 

[metisdead]

Quote

Mods - could you move this to the Motorcycle forum ?

 

Moving now. 

[Burma Bill]

I drove part of this route from Nakhon Phatom recently. Follow route 4 towards BKK. (in your case route 35). Left onto route 9 heading north/north east eventually joining route 1 from BKK. Take route 1 towards SaraBuri where you will join route 2 for Korat. There is major construction work on route 2 in the Pak Chong area. No need for GPS etc. Routes are clearly signposted - follow the numbers.

[rwill]

If you take 4 up to Nakhon Pathom.  You could take 321 up to 346 to the upper part of 9.  On 346 you even get to see a 747 parked on the side of the road.

[Kerryd]

I've been trying to look at the route on Google Maps and it looks like the easiest way maybe to take #4 and stay on it until you are nearly in Bangkok, then take the off ramp and follow highway 9 north (staying beside it, not on it). It looks like eventually, well north of Bangkok, that the "frontage" road merges with the highway proper and bikes can ride on it.

Just into Ayutthaya there is a tricky intersection but it looks like if you stay on # 9 (heading to Saraburi/Nakhon Ratchisima) it merges with Highway 1 until you get to Saraburi.

 

Then in Saraburi (the city) to turn right onto Highway 2 and follow that straight to Korat.

 

So:

Highway 4 to Highway 9 (left onto highway 9).

Highway 9 to Highway 1 (to Saraburi).
Highway 1 to Highway 2 (a right turn in Saraburi city).
Highway 2 to Nakhon Ratchisima.

 

This is actually looking pretty easy. I've been following the route on Google and it looks pretty straight forward.
Highway 4 turns into "AH2" and also "Phet Kasem" road but appears to also keep it's #4 designation so basically you stick on that until the Highway 9 turnoff.

From the HH Clock tower to the Kasemrad Hospital it is 210 kms on Highway 4.
550 meters past the hospital is the left turn onto Highway 9 (heading to Bang Bua Thong).

Stay to the left when you've gone through the turn so that you don't get onto the "tollway" road (which ends up into an elevated U-Turn heading back to Bangkok).
(Eventually the Frontage road and the highway merge.)

About 61.5 kms along highway 9 and you hit that weird intersection. It's actually another 500 meters but you should start paying attention as a lot of roads merge/diverge there.
At 62.1 you see that the middle and right lanes continue as highway 9 so get into the middle lane.

 

About 600 meters more is another off ramp and the sign board says Highway 1 (both ways). Again, stay in the middle lane or you will do a loop-d-loop and be heading back to Bangkok).

You go around a curve to the right and a couple other roads merge together and basically you are now on Highway 1 heading to Saraburi. At about the 64.3 km mark there should be a PTT on the left side of the road.

About 52 kilometers past the PTT you will need to start looking for the Highway 2 turn off in Saraburi.

There is a big signboard overhead showing the 2 lanes on the right going to highway 2. They lead onto an elevated ramp which in turn lands you on Highway 2.

From the bottom of that ramp, carry straight on #2 to Korat. The intersection of Highway 2 and Highway 309 is about 142 kms along.

 

After that you are on your own !

Lets see, my unofficial mileages total about 469 kms. Real distances will vary depending on where you start/stop and so on.
According to Google it's about 460 kms.

(Note - there are ways to go that would make the trip a wee bit shorter, but also make it a lot more complicated. I was trying to stick to the simplest route to avoid having to do 53 different hops, skips and jumps that save 15 kms to get to a place that only needs 4 skips but is a few kms longer getting there.)
(K.I.S.S.)

Edited October 11, 2018 by Kerryd

[Chongalulu]

51 minutes ago, rwill said:

If you take 4 up to Nakhon Pathom.  You could take 321 up to 346 to the upper part of 9.  On 346 you even get to see a 747 parked on the side of the road.

This is the route I now use (several times) by car. It keeps you further from the outskirts of Bangkok traffic and the roads aren’t too bad. Kampaeng Sang (spelling) is a waypoint I put on the sat nav to define the route. 

[jkcjag]

You appear to be in a time warp before smartphones and google maps, so buy a map of Thailand and figure it out. They are still available in bookshops.

[Bredbury Blue]

Google maps now has a motorbike option for planning routes (previously it was car, cycling or walking only). It shows to routes going west of bkk.

[shaurene]

Go to the main bus station and follow the Korak bus. 

[Kerryd]

2 hours ago, Bredbury Blue said:

Google maps now has a motorbike option for planning routes (previously it was car, cycling or walking only). It shows to routes going west of bkk.

I've been trying to find that option with no luck. Would be really handy as almost all the trips I do are on motorcycles.

How do you access that option ? (I'm searching for it now.)

[ballpoint]

I haven't gone this way for a few years now, but used to do it on my bike quite often.  A fairly stress free route was to take highway 4 to Nakhon Pathom, turn left onto 321, then right onto 346 at Kamphaeng Saeng.  Stay on 346 all the way to the Western Ring Road (highway 9), turn left onto that and follow it to highway 1, then on to highway 2 at Saraburi and that takes you to Korat.  I wouldn't advise staying on highway 4 all the way to the Western Ring Road, as the traffic can get pretty heavy on that stretch.

[JulesMad]

Best route is of course a personal choice... Go over Suphanburi and you avoid all of BKK ????

 

[metisdead]

Unhelpful "just take the bus" posts have been removed. 

[moe666]

8 hours ago, JulesMad said:

Best route is of course a personal choice... Go over Suphanburi and you avoid all of BKK ????

 

Yes the OP says avoid Bangkok but everyone has him going within heavy traffic of Bangkok. As you said up to Suphanburi the op just needs to get a good road map or check out google.

[steve73]

Can you take motorbikes on the Ferry to Pattaya...? 

 

From there it's an easy ride through Kabinburi and over the mountain at Khao Yai. 

 

Certainly more pleasant than highways 1 & 2.

[KhunBENQ]

50 minutes ago, steve73 said:

Can you take motorbikes on the Ferry to Pattaya...?  

Bet no and isn't it shutdown currently?

 

... “Therefore, the company has halted its service from Sept. 20 to Oct. 31.”

[Kerryd]

The heavy traffic close to Bangkok might not be an issue, depending on when you make the trip.

 

As the OP is going to be on a 150cc scooter (PCX150), it shouldn't present that much of an issue in any event. That is why I suggest the simplest route. Not sure at what time "Google" made that trip but the traffic didn't look that bad, especially for scooters (hard to tell from still shots though but they didn't seem to be in many traffic jams when they took the latest images).

 

Personally, if I was making that same trip (on a scooter) I'd try to be turning from #4 onto #9 by maybe 7am. Depending when you are going, you may consider leaving HH early on a Saturday or Sunday morning, when there may be less morning traffic around BKK. Once you are on/beside the #9 it should be fairly clear sailing (if you are there in the morning) as most of the traffic would be heading the other way (into Bangkok) most likely.
 

Then again, if it was me I'd probably be on the big bike and take an even wider route around BKK. I just had a look and I too would probably use the route suggested by rwill but then I ride around the country a lot and am not too worried if I take a wrong turn now and then.

(I don't use GPS on the bike, but will have my route plotted on Google Maps and often have a "route plan" jotted down on a note pad which I review at every stop or if I think I've made another "oops").

 

I'm actually thinking that may be the way I'd go if I do make a trip to Phuket/Krabi one day. Just say screw it and go around the north of Bangkok. Adds a few kms to the trip, removes a few "*$&%&(*()@!" from it as well (maybe) !

 

[HAKAPALITA]

On 10/12/2018 at 1:30 AM, JulesMad said:

Best route is of course a personal choice... Go over Suphanburi and you avoid all of BKK ????

 

Thats the Best one ive found, i use it for Car, but its Bike Friendly and light traffic.