Ground travel BKK - Hua Hin, including local HH transport

[onthedarkside]

The wife and I are planning an upcoming trip to Hua Hin. I haven't been there in quite a few years, and she's never been there. So, can anyone local / familiar with the terrain offer some basic current info on traveling there, and travel once in town when you don't have your own car. Any help much appreciated:

 

Things like:

 

--Are the train routes from Hua Lamphong and the bus routes from Swampy Airport to HH running at present, and if so, what would be your preferred method of travel between them?

 

--If you take the airport bus that now ends up at the HH bus station at the far north end of town near the HH Airport, what's your options for getting from there onward into the more central parts of town? I read something about Bell bus company supposedly offering minivan trip from their bus station into town?

 

--Once in town, if you don't want to use motorcycle taxis, how to best get around?  Is there any Grab Taxi or other upon demand car taxi services operating there for local trips? 

 

And failing that, how about the songtheau service that used to run up and down Petchkasem Road, in terms of  hours of operation and prices?

 

Thanks again!!

 

[boriga]

As you have found, bus from airport and minibus to clock tower is the simplest solution.

 

Around town, Baht buses are running but less frequently and Grab taxi works fine.

[onthedarkside]

3 hours ago, boriga said:

As you have found, bus from airport and minibus to clock tower is the simplest solution.

 

 

Boriga, re the minibus you mention, is that a kind of add-on service operated by the same folks who run the Suvarnabhumi to HH airports bus line?   Or a separate operator that's simply running between HH Airport and the clocktower area?

 

What I read elsewhere (not sure if it's accurate or up-to-date) was that the same airports bus operator was then offering van rides from HH airport into town. What I read said, you could get a free ride if you just wanted to go from HH Airport to the clocktower area... Or, you could tell them what hotel you're staying at, and the van would deliver you direct to your own hotel for something like a 100 to 150 baht fee...

 

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any mention at all, that I could find, on the airports bus operator's website relating to any kind of onward van service running from HH Airport....

[MrJ2U]

15 hours ago, onthedarkside said:

Once in town, if you don't want to use motorcycle taxis

Rent a motorcycle.

 

Hua Hin is pretty nice to cruise around.

 

Pretty laid back.

 

My wife and I rented a Honda PCX 155.  It was around 300 baht a day.

 

We couldn't go anywhere we wanted when we wanted.

 

 

 

 

[theoldgit]

17 hours ago, onthedarkside said:

What I read elsewhere (not sure if it's accurate or up-to-date) was that the same airports bus operator was then offering van rides from HH airport into town. What I read said, you could get a free ride if you just wanted to go from HH Airport to the clocktower area... Or, you could tell them what hotel you're staying at, and the van would deliver you direct to your own hotel for something like a 100 to 150 baht fee...

 

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any mention at all, that I could find, on the airports bus operator's website relating to any kind of onward van service running from HH Airport....

 

Haven't been on that bus for a while, it's only just started running again and only once a day, but when we did use it regularly the conductress would ask passengers if they wanted onward travel, and a minbus would be waiting for them on arrival, I think they were 100 - 150 a person depending on where you wanted to travel.

 

Now there's only one bus a day, and very few airport arrivals, I don't know how they would operate.

 

There is another bus that runs from Ekkamai, mini or micro, and maybe one from the Southern Bus Terminal, I think the Ekkami bus drops off at Market Village, which is pretty central, and I'm pretty sure the other bus drops off at the bus terminal nearby, there's another pitch between the two.

 

Grab works fine. 

[onthedarkside]

16 hours ago, MrJ2U said:

Rent a motorcycle.

Thanks for the post. But in my case, I'm pretty averse to riding motorcycles in Thailand regardless, because of road safety reasons.

 

[MrJ2U]

10 hours ago, onthedarkside said:

Thanks for the post. But in my case, I'm pretty averse to riding motorcycles in Thailand regardless, because of road safety reasons.

 

Great roads.

 

But I understand if your hesitant.

 

Probably be the best time to give it a go.  You'll wonder why you never did it before!

 

Enjoy Hua Hin.

 

I'm taking the family there next week.

 

Megatix has some good deals on hotels (5 star).

https://megatix.in.th/

 

[onthedarkside]

1 hour ago, MrJ2U said:

Probably be the best time to give it a go.  You'll wonder why you never did it before!

 

As I mentioned above, I've been to HH before (many times in fact), just not in recent years, including the past two years of COVID restrictions.

 

So, my knowledge of current conditions on the ground there relating to transport is pretty thin!  ???? 

 

Last time I was there, both the airport buses between BKK and HH and the local songtheaus along Petchkasem Road were running full on...  That was back when there were still hordes of foreign tourists around, and the nightclubs were packed!

[MrJ2U]

3 minutes ago, onthedarkside said:

 

As I mentioned above, I've been to HH before (many times in fact), just not in recent years, including the past two years of COVID restrictions.

 

So, my knowledge of current conditions on the ground there relating to transport is pretty thin!  ???? 

 

Last time I was there, both the airport buses between BKK and HH and the local songtheaus along Petchkasem Road were running full on...  That was back when there were still hordes of foreign tourists around, and the nightclubs were packed!

Ive been there a few times during COVID-19.  

 

A few months into It I must have been the only person on the beach.

 

I couldn't believe how inexpensive the beachfront resorts were.

 

Enjoy yourselves!

 

 

 

 

[Outbackoz]

https://www.huahintoday.com/hua-hin-news/hua-hin-suvarnabhumi-airport-bus-resume-service/

 

The above may provide some info, Local taxi services still ok Green busses still running along Phetkasem  trust this helps

 

[Marvest]

I was at the RRC Bus Station near Hua Hin airport today (December 22, 2021).  The Bell Travel Services bus is operating between Hua Hin and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.  It has two departures from Hua Hin; 10:00 and 16:00.  It departs from Suvarnabhumi Airport at the lower level door #8 at 10:30 and 14:00.  The afternoon bus looked nearly full.  I suggest purchasing a ticket in advance if possible.  The trip takes about 3.5 to 4 hours one way.  THB294 per person one way.  Bag is THB20.  The bus from Hua Hin to Pattaya is NOT running.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, Marvest said:

I was at the RRC Bus Station near Hua Hin airport today (December 22, 2021).  The Bell Travel Services bus is operating between Hua Hin and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.  It has two departures from Hua Hin; 10:00 and 16:00.  It departs from Suvarnabhumi Airport at the lower level door #8 at 10:30 and 14:00.  The afternoon bus looked nearly full.  I suggest purchasing a ticket in advance if possible.  The trip takes about 3.5 to 4 hours one way.  THB294 per person one way.  Bag is THB20.  The bus from Hua Hin to Pattaya is NOT running.

 

You can also book and pay for the Swampy to HH or return bus trip via their website in advance, and obtain your travel certificate in advance, thus not having to worry about availability on any given day. There is an extra convenience charge, I believe, of 50 baht or so per person.

 

https://rrcticket.com/customer/Webhome

 

 

You can also book and pay for their add-on (I believe) van drop off service to various hotels in the area, with the pricing running usually 100 to 150 baht per person.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 12/24/2021 at 12:47 AM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

You can also book and pay for the Swampy to HH or return bus trip via their website in advance, and obtain your travel certificate in advance, thus not having to worry about availability on any given day. There is an extra convenience charge, I believe, of 50 baht or so per person.

 

https://rrcticket.com/customer/Webhome

 

 

You can also book and pay for their add-on (I believe) van drop off service to various hotels in the area, with the pricing running usually 100 to 150 baht per person.

 

 

As mentioned above, the Swampy to HH bus service does offer a follow-on  van service from the bus station direct to local hotels for a 100 or 150 baht extra fee. That van service can be booked online as part of the bus ticket, paid for direct at the Swampy bus counter, or paid for upon arrival at the HH bus station.

 

However, a bit to our surprise, it turns out they DO NOT offer the same kind of van pickup service for return trips -- taking you from your HH area hotel to the HH airport bus station. That part, you'll have to arrange on your own, although the bus station staff did refer us to a van driver who provided us the return trip from our hotel back to the bus station.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Here's the latest/current details for the Swampy-HH bus service:

 

 

The bus does not stop along the way going either direction. And the only thing provided on the trip is a single bottle of water. Though the bus itself is VIP class, very comfortable, well air conditioned and has plenty of leg room and seats that can recline.