Travel to Lao - Luang Prabang vis train

[HauptmannUK]

A group of us (Thai and Falang) want to visit Luang Prabang for a few days.

Enter Lao at Nong Khai. Stay Vientienne for a day or two and then travel to Luang Prabang on the high speed train. Stay a few days and then return.

Any advice?

I gather that buying the high speed train tickets is difficult. Can anyone recommend an agent or hotel in Vientienne that can do this for us please?

[treetops]

There is an app that is intended to sell tickets but a dummy run couldn't get me all the way through.  You might have better luck or at least you'll see the timings and prices currently available.

 

[brianthainess]

I envy you, did years ago on overnight bus sleepers, beautiful country, stunning scenery. good luck with ticket.

[it is what it is]

48 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

I envy you, did years ago on overnight bus sleepers, beautiful country, stunning scenery. good luck with ticket.

 

just reminded me i was traveling in the early 2000s, laos had been given some inner city buses by a western donor country and were using these buses for long distance travel, not comfortable.

 

even earlier in the 1990s i visited and traveled by boat, before they had tourist boats, sharing the boat with locals transporting their goods and even livestock to market. those were the days...

 

as you say, beautiful country and i love luang prebang.

Edited January 15, 2023 by it is what it is

[Finlaco]

We will all be old one day and spend our time reminiscing oblivious to not adding any value to the OP question.

 

https://www.seat61.com/index-mobile.htm is the train guru website.  Richard Barrows has a Twitter account and he is into trains at the moment.  He may be able to help with options to use a travel agency etc....   There were issues with paying with a non Laos or China issued card on the official website.

[arick]

Friends just tried it but unable to get tickets can only get tickets to Vietanne 

[HauptmannUK]

Thanks for the replies.  Seems very difficult to book these train tickets. It appears the Chinese are running ticketing and only Laos or Chinese payment cards accepted. Contacted a couple of agents who advertise that they can get tickets (for a fee) but no response after several days. Other advice is to go to Vientienne and then get hotel/agent to get tickets for you - but have to do this couple of days before travel - rather inconvenient...

[sandyf]

On 1/23/2023 at 6:02 PM, HauptmannUK said:

Thanks for the replies.  Seems very difficult to book these train tickets. It appears the Chinese are running ticketing and only Laos or Chinese payment cards accepted. Contacted a couple of agents who advertise that they can get tickets (for a fee) but no response after several days. Other advice is to go to Vientienne and then get hotel/agent to get tickets for you - but have to do this couple of days before travel - rather inconvenient...

I have just returned but did it the other way round.

We flew to Luang Prabang from BKK, but you could do it from Udon Thani or Vientiane. Stayed in LP for 3 nights then took the train to Vientiane and crossed back into Thailand via the bridge. Flew back to BKK from Udon the next day.

We stayed at the Villa Oudomlith in LP and the guy there will get you train tickets. The fare is 242,000 Kip but he gets them via an agent and we paid 325K each. We booked on the 24th for the 26th and fairly straightforward, got on the C91 which leaves LP at 12.10 and got to Vientiane at 14.00. 

Very straightforward there, came out the station and straight on a bus to the Friendship Bridge, takes about half an hour and only 20K Kip or 50 baht.

I couldn't believe how quiet it was at the crossing. There was only about 20 on the bus and by the time I had changed what Kip I had there was no one at Laos immigration desks. Had to wait about 10 minutes to get enough people to run the bus across the bridge. Same on the Thai side, by the time I had filled in the TM6 the immigration desks were clear.

The train service is excellant and to get from Luang Prabang back into Thailand in about 3 hours was a bit of a surprise.

Although we arrived on the 23rd it was a holiday and the agents were closed. We could have gone to the station ourselves but glad we decided against that as it is a bit of a pain to get to. It is a bit the same at Vientiane, the station is out of the way so you don't really want to be going there without a ticket.

Good luck.

Edited January 28, 2023 by sandyf

[sandyf]

On 1/15/2023 at 7:18 PM, treetops said:

There is an app that is intended to sell tickets but a dummy run couldn't get me all the way through.  You might have better luck or at least you'll see the timings and prices currently available.

 

My wife had a look at that and she said at the moment only Lao and Chinese nationals can register to buy tickets due to restricted payment options.