Bus Vs Train To Hua Hin

[sabaijai]

Heading to Hua Hin tomorrow from Bangkok. Railway schedule says the train takes 3 hours and 40 minutes, southern bus station says the buses take 3 hours. Given that you usually end up waiting a half hour or more for the next bus, that doesn't make much difference, plus from where I am in Bkk the train station is closer than the southern bus station, so I'd save time there.

I know Thai trains typically leave on time but arrive late. Just wondering how late the Hua Hin train usually is.

[Macx]

Seems like the trains are popular these days. You might want to check for tix availability before leaving. Last time I planned on taking the Express/Rapid, showed up at the station, but no tix, so went on the Snail which left an hour late and took near 5 hrs to get to HH

If I do it again, I'd get to the station and see if the Express/Rapid is on time and have seats available. If not, I'd wing it over to Victory M and hunt down a minibus asap.

Have a good trip

[taxexile]

an alternative way to get to hua hin .

the dusit hotel in bangkok runs a daily minibus to hua hin , leaves at 3pm , takes 2.5 hours. cost 600b.

it will drop you at the dusit just north of hua hin , and then transfer you into hua hin if you wish.

its a comfortable trip , water and newspapers provided.

you will need to call them first to book , 022369999 , ask for the sprinter to hua hin.

the minibuses from victory monument leave every half hour or so , about 200b , and take you to the market in hua hin , less comfortable than the dusit bus , and they sometimes drive very fast.

Edited December 13, 2008 by taxexile

[sabaijai]

Thanks, taxexile. The Dusit van departs a bit late, as I'm only going for one night and would like arrive with some daylight and beach time left. The 9.20am train would be perfect if it arrives close to the 1pm scheduled arrival. The Vic Monument option sounds like it would be even quicker. Do they leave from the Century Cinema?

[Macx]

Haven't been to Victory M for minibus in awhile. Might be worth to check the recent bus threads on the forum.

The Dusit option sounds good. Thanks for the tip, taxexile.

There's also an outfit running to Prachuap from Central Pit Gao. They start from 6am or earlier, and leave hourly. Newer minivans. But they don't actually enter HH, they'll leave you at the intersection on the highway and you'll have to find your way into town. They also charter the van if you need the whole thing, or want a specific destination (about 3000 for BK-Prachuap) 089205863

[DivinGuy]

Thanks, taxexile. The Dusit van departs a bit late, as I'm only going for one night and would like arrive with some daylight and beach time left. The 9.20am train would be perfect if it arrives close to the 1pm scheduled arrival. The Vic Monument option sounds like it would be even quicker. Do they leave from the Century Cinema?

Yes, just go from BTS to the shopping center by the theaters and you can't miss the minibuses. I do this trip fairly often. Most drivers are okay, but there are a few really crazy ones, and the only cases of road rage I've seen in Thailand have involved the minibus drivers. Fast and cheap, but not for the faint of heart.

[jasreeve17]

I always get the train, sometimes picking it up at Talingchan, as the trip through the city is the slowest part (particularly on the return leg when you can't get off at Talingchan...)

Thai friends tell me that the Victory monument van is good, but I don't go for it due to accident potential (or just a crazy driver making me anxious for 2.5 hours)...

Have a nice break.

[sabaijai]

Quick report: I took the train down. Left on time at 9.20am but arrived an hour late at 2pm. Unreserved third class. Plenty of room in my car, had two bench seats to myself. Enjoyed the ride, except for the soot buildup on face and clothes Paid 44 baht for the ticket. My Thai companion rode free, part of the rot fai free pheua prachachon (free trains for the people) deal.

Came back via 200 baht minivan. Instead of riding all the way to the Vic Mon, had them let me off in Thonburi near the Saphan Khwaen bridge. From there took a taxi to my place. The van took exactly and hour and a half from Hua Hin to near the bridge, quite impressive. The driver drove very fast but didn't take unreasonable chances, never tailgated other vehicles, etc. Conclusion: train is worth doing for the scenery, van more comfortable and quicker by more than half.

[chiangmaibruce]

Just some further feedback on this issue for those travelling in the future. We just got back from a holiday in Hua Hin. We used the train from Chiang Mai-BKK-HH and rerturned via car and air. The train tickets were 2nd class on both sectors. There was a world of difference b/w the chiang mai-bkk trip and the bkk-hh trip. The latter part of the trip involving a carriage that was only fit to drop in the ocean as an artificial reef!

It was the dirtiest most-broken down piece of rolling stock I have ever seen. Almost everthing was broken (seats, footrests, etc) and you could only see out of about 2-3 of the windows in the entire carriage - all the rest were opaque as water had penetrated b/w the two layers and caused condensation, mildew etc. Oh, but the air con worked ok. There was no space for anything other than small bags - apparently larger bags and cases were meant to have been loaded on a carriage at the end of the train (no announcement or sign at the station). We were booked on car 2 from memory but there was no car 2 in the train (or car 3 i think). there were very few staff on the train and they didn't look happy.

Unexpectedly they served a meal via an airline trolley system (plus for this) but they served us only about 15 mins before we were due in HH.

180 degrees of difference with the train from chiang mai which had lots of happy staff, carriages in good condition, etc etc. For the BKK-HH leg I would recommend a minibus, or if you are a family with kids and cases then get a driver with car for about 2,000-2,500 baht if budget allows.