Chanthaburi - traffic jam at weekends?

[henrik2000]

Hello, has Chanthaburi town a traffic jam and chaos at weekends? Are there some days busier than others?

• I might want to check into a downtown hotel with private parking on a weekend noon or afternoon.
• I understand the popular Chanthaburi gem market is Fr, Sat, Sun 11-18. I am not interested in this market, except for avoiding it and the potential traffic chaos around it.

I am uncomfortable with the monster car the agency gave me unasked for. Do you see good reason to avoid driving into downtown Chanthaburi Fri, Sat, Sun? Once the car reached hotel parking, i won't use it anymore until check-out on whichever day.

Thanks for your real-life experience!

[marin]

Chantaburi is not Bangkok, you have nothing to worry about, but I would bet you will. 

[gomangosteen]

The one times we avoid going to or through the city is between 4-6pm on Friday, and if there's a festival around the lake as this diverts traffic. Small town stuff, it's nothing like I've experienced in larger cities here.

 

I mostly cycle, survived so far.

 

Enjoy your stay.

 

Coast road traffic jam

 

[HappyExpat57]

Only Friday afternoons where a large group of religious folks gather to do a mini Hajj. The rest of the time is standard Thai mayhem but quite tolerable.

[henrik2000]

Expat and Mangosteen, thanks!

[thecyclist]

Chanta is one of the most "spread out " cities in Thailand. never seen a real traffic jam there, nothing like pattaya ,where traffic can be worse than Bkk on a long weekend.

[henrik2000]

Hi all again, thanks for information again! I read so much about this supposedly crowded gem market (which doesn't interest me), that I wanted to know more about the traffic situation because exactly on a Friday afternoon I might go into Chanthaburi downtown by car; but I moved that date now.

 

Actually I'll bring my bicycle and it seems two of you here are bicyclists, even showing the photo of a rare bicycle lane. I'll have two bases in Chanthaburi town and Khung Wiman and have drawn up some slow, hopefully pretty bicycle routes already; maybe later I have some questions, but it's still a month hence.

[gomangosteen]

On 1/5/2025 at 11:48 AM, henrik2000 said:

Actually I'll bring my bicycle and it seems two of you here are bicyclists, even showing the photo of a rare bicycle lane. I'll have two bases in Chanthaburi town and Khung Wiman and have drawn up some slow, hopefully pretty bicycle routes already; maybe later I have some questions, but it's still a month hence.

Happy to offer suggestions on my preferred cycling routes; we're between city and Khung Wiman I go there often. Less keen on city riding but there's options to avoid the worst of it if you're in no hurry. 

 

 

[henrik2000]

Thanks Mangosteen, I'll be back soon by pm.