Travelling Thailand - Public Transport - Help Needed!

[ginab0beena]

Next year I am spending 5months in Thailand to do volunteer work. After I have finished my volunteering, I am going to travel around Asia. So far I have planned where I want to go, and what I want to visit. This is how far my plans have gone so far.

I am now trying to figure out the costs of transporting between certain areas which I want to visit, and the times in which the traveling will take. Unfortunately the interent is not proving to be very helpful, this brought me to here. I have read many posts on here which have been very helpful, I hope I can have the same amount of help. I need to know the following information : the price , travel time and approximate times of depature. I am not worried over whether this means using trains or buses but if responding please state to save confusion, looking for the cheapest option... The desinations i need information for are, as follows:

• Chiang Mai to Lampang
• Lampang to Sukhothai
• Sukhothai to Phitsanuolok
• Phitsanuolok to Pichit
• Pichit to Nakhon Sawan
• Nakhon Sawan to Chai Nat
• Chai Nat to Lop Buri
• Lop Buri to Ang Thong
• Ang Thong to Ayutthaya
• Ayutthaya to Nonthaburi
• Nonthaburi to Nakon Pathim
• Nakon Pathim to Bangkok

(Some places may be spelt wrong - not too sure on the correct spelling on all places..!)

Any information on how to get from each place to the other, price and travel time will be very helpful, as I need to get this sorted out before I go over to Thailand.

All help is needed and welcomed,

Thanks,

Georgina

[craigt3365]

Wow...You've obviously spent a lot of time putting this schedule together! Travel here in Thailand is very easy...no need to spend that much time figuring all these details out. They will all have changed by the time you get there anyway...and many options you won't find until you are in that city. A bus system connects pretty much every city together here. In the more touristy areas, there are minivans. A bit more expensive, but much quicker...though many places you list are a bit off the beaten track for most tourists.

There are also different classes of buses. Economy up to VIP. With price differences to match. As well as durations. Economy makes a bunch of stops and probably has no AC. VIPs are usually direct and very comfortable...much quicker. People speak English at all these bus stations, and signs are in English also.

My recommendation is to spend more time deciding on what you want to see rather than worrying about how to get to each place. It's really, really easy to figure out once you get to a city. Your guesthouse or hotel can help you with these details.

Some do like train travel here, but it is much slower.

[Ricardo]

Buses are cheap & easy & frequent, you're looking at only a couple of US$ for most of those journeys, just show-up at the local bus-station & buy a ticket for the next departure. If you really feel you need to know more, invest in a copy of the Lonely-Planet Guide to Thailand, you'll find it covers all your concerns !

For railways there is a more-limited service, but 3rd-class still costs peanuts and it's a fun way to travel & meet people, for a schedule you should look-up www.railway.co.th which has the schedules & helpful-info in English. You buy your ticket at the ticket-office just before your train departs, they're on-line to the ticketing-database, and you need only book in-advance for the longer overnight runs & if you want a 2nd-class sleeper or reclining-chair seat. Trains frequently run late, but 'mai pen rai' (no problem), as we say here !

Happy travels !

P.S. there's also a good Lonely-Planet Guide to S.E.Asia, but there is necessarily less-detail, for each individual country !

[CharlieH]

Good luck with your travels, make sure your work permit is in order.

Most "volunteers" dont realise they need a work permit.

Happy trails & have fun !

[Wavefloater]

As Craig mentioned, buses will likely come into play when you're traveling, and he's given you a lot of good information (which I hope you thank him for). I would only add to it that you should be careful about which bus you get on when you go to a city terminal. The standard buses that are blue and white are basically expresses and go more or less from point A to point B with no (or minimal) stops, but the blue, white and red (or orange, depending on how faded the paint is) do milk runs and will stop several times, making for a much slower trip. I don't believe they're any cheaper than the other ones, either.

[craigt3365]

As Craig mentioned, buses will likely come into play when you're traveling, and he's given you a lot of good information (which I hope you thank him for). I would only add to it that you should be careful about which bus you get on when you go to a city terminal. The standard buses that are blue and white are basically expresses and go more or less from point A to point B with no (or minimal) stops, but the blue, white and red (or orange, depending on how faded the paint is) do milk runs and will stop several times, making for a much slower trip. I don't believe they're any cheaper than the other ones, either.

Reminds me of when I took that "local" bus as it was leaving 1.5 hours earlier than the "express" bus. It was from Phuket to Khao Lak. Guess what...I had no AC and watched the express bus pass be about 45 minutes before I got there!

[ginab0beena]

Thank you guys you have been an amazing help! In all honesty I didn't realise the pubic transport was so good out there!

I have planned where I want to go based on the things I wanted to see whilst in Thailand; hopefully after reaching Bangkok I will make it across to Cambodia then onto Vietnam - i found a website called seat61 which had loads of information on travelling between those countries!

I am a bit of "I need to know everything" when planning things which is a bit of a downfall as my plan will probably change against once im over

I guess I will be living on these forums tons over the next year as everyone seems to know everything I don't ! Is this because you live there or have travelled ? I'd love to know, and thanks again you all have been fantastic!

Georgina x

[fishhooks]

That Seat 61 site looks very comprehensive.

http://www.seat61.com/

[nong38]

If you like train travel look at state railways of thailand, that will show you the website you need, the Northern Line runs from Chang Mai down to Bangkok, a lot of the places you mention will pass through, you can see the timetable and the prices. Buses will likely be more frequent and maybe cheaper but you will get an idea. Also, some stations are not in the town/city, Nakhon Sawan is about 8kms south west of the place, so its a Baht Bus into town, The trains dont go to fast either, 1 metre quage, so if time is an issue!

Bus from Nakhon Sawan into Bangkok is 180 bts for 240 km, hope that helps.

[healthcaretaker]

OP,

I can only give you the following 10 most important tips for bus travel(that Lousy Planet travel guide don't mention yet) to help you make your trips much easier::

1) Buses will be cheaper and more frequent.

2) Look at the map with those places and see if there is any other place/town between them. If there is, there may be no direct bus and you may have to change bus.

3) If I don't remember wrongly, Chiang Mai bus to Lampang is not at the 2 major bus stations. It's near the Chinatown/Flower Market close to the TAT office.

4) Make enquiries at the bus station/terminal for your next connection as soon as you arrive.

5) Most ticket counters do NOT have those places names in English, ticket sellers speak very little or no English but don't let that worry you. As soon as you arrive get a Thai(yr hotel staff or airport offices) to write down well for you all those places names in Thai. It will be very useful. It is much more safer than trying to pronounce them. The Thais usually don't get it.

6) Learn a few simple words in Thai. It's better than knowing nothing. I just asked a few words in the 'Learn Thai Language" forum here. Words like "what time"(while u can point to your watch) "next bus" "first bus""last bus" "any stops ?"(while you can use yr head to nod or shake) "next stop" "toilet" "where" "ticket"will be most useful to you.

7) Every Thai town's bus terminal will have the name of the town written in Thai only, no English. Bus drivers and conductors mostly don't speak English. So make sure you have no. 5 above done well. It helps to recognise b so you will be less likely to miss to alight in case no one reminds you.

8) In every bus terminal, ask for the Government Company Bus counter. They are cheaper and also more reliable. Their counters usually have the signs 999 or 998. Someone please help to give more info on this one.

9) Don't leave your luggage unattended. If you enter the toilet and wish to leave it outside, get the toilet attendant(who collects money for your entrance) to llok after it for you. If you pass to the bus luggage compartmernt, make sure you are given an identity tag. They always do.

10) Don't be afraid to strike up a conversation with anyone near you at the the waiting lounge or inside the bus. They can be very helpful to you especially in reminding you where to get down.(my major problem in Thailand bus travel beside buying the ticket).

Don't worry. If you have the above done well, your travel will be very easy. Thai people are very friendly and extremely helpful; so much so they can be HELPLESSLY helpful too. They seldom say "no" or "i don't know" to tourists. They may try to help you and cause you much delay without help eventually ......

Welcome to Thailand and enjoy your trip !!

[mikecwm]

I am a bit of "I need to know everything" when planning things which is a bit of a downfall as my plan will probably change against once im over

I think we have the crux of the problem here- and good that you realise it can (will) be your downfall.

I once met an American couple travelling around New Zealand when I lived there. Met them at my Mountaineering Club hut in Arthur's Pass where I was doing some work.

The next morning I took them to the bus station with instructions on how to get to (and the key to) my apartment in Christchurch.

They had never experienced anything like this before, being super organised people who had to know their schedule for the next month down to the exact hotel they would be staying at.

They must have spent months planning their visit to New Zealand - and I was messing up their schedule.

They're still (well, he is anyway) super organised. I don't think anything will ever totally change that.

I did help them to shake loose a bit and accept that life is an unknown - and best enjoyed as spur of the moment adventures. That way you leave an opening for other people or events to step into your life and completely change it.

I used to make long range plans covering many years - and guess what - I almost always ended up doing something else / living on a different continent than I planned.

To quote a car bumper sticker I saw once "The journey is the Goal".

Relax and enjoy Thailand / Asia / Life.

All the best.

.

[afarang]

Just to clear up a few misconceptions. There are 5 classes of intercity buses in Thailand.3rd class are all orange, non air ,no toilet, stop anywhere and everywhere,are extremely slow, but on many routes are being phased out. Not so many left ,now. 2nd class,also no toilet, but have air-con and have red stripe along both sides. ( Private operators). On some routes ,will stop anywhere. Drivers are sometimes maniacs, on minor intercity routes, but generally on routes from Bkk. are good. 1st. class are all toilet equipped and have air-con.Only stop at Bus stations ,. V.I.P. superior seating, good. Limited stops, so travel time on long distance routes is shorter.Some DO NOT stop at bus stations, in the country.So, sometimes difficult to travel on, i.e. to find where to catch them. Then there is a relatively new class - known as Chan 4,which means Super V.I.P.These seem only to run from Bkk.. to major population centres ,such as Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, etc..The cheapest fares are 3rd. class. Each higher class is more expensive.But V.I.P., is still not very expensive, given the extra comfort and shorter travel time.All long distance buses will stop for a meal break , at some point, of about 20 minutes. Happy travelling, Bill

[jfchandler]

OP... I'd generally agree about the bus system advice given above... However, I'd add one caveat... Most of the city to city connections you listed in your original post are small/smaller cities... not major bus transit destinations... So on most of those routes, you'll probably only have the choice between first and second class bus service... and you'd really only want to use second class if you want to take forever to get to your destination.

The service terms also are a bit misleading, and some bus companies use different terms to describe their better offerings... like VIP or Gold service. The general rule is, the more expensive the ticket, the better the bus accommodation. First class buses, which usually are 40 seat type models, are OK but not that great for longer, 4+ hour trips. I wouldn't exactly consider the Thai bus system's version of "first class" as "first class"... But then again, everyone has their own traveling style.

As for the railways, they pretty much go everywhere, but the quality of the accommodation may not be any more comfortable than the buses...and usually is slower... although like the buses, there are express trains with fewer stops and then there are local trains that stop everywhere, and can take forever to go long distances.

In some of the larger cities upcountry, Khon Kaen and Korat for example, there also may be two different bus terminals in the city...one for non-air con buses and the other for air con and VIP buses... So you want to be aware of that potential, depending on your location, to make sure you go to the correct place to catch the correct bus.

Here's the English web site with schedule and route info for the State Railway of Thailand:

http://www.railway.co.th/English/Time_HTML.asp

Here's the web site for The Transport Co., one of the larger bus service providers in Thailand. It's in Thai language, but you can use Google Translate or similar services to translate any page you're interested in.

http://www.transport.co.th/main.asp

Here's the schedule page for Nakhon Chai Air, another of the better private bus companies... They don't go everywhere, but they do go a lot of places...

http://www.nca.co.th/runway.php

By the way, there are at least three different large bus stations in Bangkok, each with different services and different sets of destinations... For north or northeastern destinations, the one you'd most likely be traveling from would be the Mochit Bus Station not that far from the Mochit BTS station at the end of the Sukhumvit Skytrain line.

Mochit is also a good location for you, because the bus station there has more than one hundred different bus company counters, each selling tickets for a different route or route, spread out over multiple floors. They also have a customer service desk where folks usually speak English at the front entrance. So if you go in with a list of desired destinations, they can usually direct you to what number counter is selling tickets to that place/places.

The center hub for van services heading out of Bangkok is Victory Monument, which also is a stop on the Sukhumvit Skytrain line. From there, you can get van transport to almost anywhere within driving distance of Bangkok.

[beano2274]

Nakonchai air are the best buses around for traveling mostly from Bangkok upcountry, however their website is only in Thai.

[daveyravey]

Wow you have been given lots of great info here. I live in Thailand 10 years already and as a rule of thumb on long journeys , 1kilometer of journey on a bus might cost maximum1 baht. It sometimes works out cheaper on longer journeys. I dont really know an instance where it is expensive more than this.

Maybe you should consider Koh Chang on your itinery as its a good stop off point between Bangkok and Camodia. The bus from Bangkok to Koh Chang is 309 bahts at the moment and includes the ferry. I estimate the distance to be around 350 kilometers. Koh Chang is beautiful place to be relaxing and Bangbao fishing village and lonely beach lovely. Many travellers go there on the way to cambodia and when returning.

[afarang]

Sorry ,j f., not correct,on these minor routes ,you will only have 3rd. or 2nd. class buses.Given time, yes some 1st. class buses will appear. Many of these minor routes are still only 3rd. class.. Most 1st .class buses are perfectly acceptable, and are generally of the same standard of coach, as in foreign developed countries.that is they have reclining seats, are air- con ,and toilet equipped. Railways go everywhere?, Absolute arrant nonsense.Thailand has one of the most appalling rail systems in the world. Isarn has 23,000,000 people. It has 2 rail lines.90% of Isarn people have no possibility of using rail travel. I, myself live 90 kilometres from the nearest rail line.You are quite wrong about your bus terminals.All of the primary bus terminals, such as Korat ,cater to ALL classes of buses.The new terminals, generally only cater to 2nd. and 1st. class, The Transport Company, is owned by the Thai Govt.. Most of its services are 2nd. class.And duplicate the services offered by Private operators. Though they have started to offer some 1st. class services, + a few V.I.P. buses. Still in its infancy. Morchit Customer service desk? Generally unattended.Ticket sales , on multiple floors? No, The ground floor is for the Northern line. The 3rd. floor is for Isarn. Only 2 floors sell tickets. Regarding Nakornchai Air, yes you are quite correct. They are , possibly THE best operator in Thailand.

[jfchandler]

AF, re various of your comments...

OK...I said 1st or 2nd class, not 2nd or 3rd... (I've never traveled on 3rd for a city to city trip)... But the point was... the small city routes aren't going to have a lot of service choices...

Re Thailand 1st class buses, yes, calling them generic "coach" would befit what they are... But sitting in one of those seats for a multi hour trip isn't an especially comfortable or pleasant experience...at least for me.

I have no idea what you're talking about about Thailand's rail system. It does effectively cover all regions of the country... And frankly, it probably does have stations in the places most people would likely choose to go... even if that doesn't happen to be where you live... The link above to the SRT web site shows the lists of the stations available along the major regional routes.

Re the bus terminals, the fact is, there are a number of different larger cities upcountry that, like Bangkok, have more than one bus terminal, and they're generally named as "air con" or "non air con" terminals... A person needs to know which terminal the bus they want is leaving from when taking a taxi or tuk tuk from a hotel and such...

Re Mochit, yes... Northern on one floor and Isaan on another floor...plus quite a few other areas of destinations available as well. Two floors is multiple...you know...

And re the Mochit service desk, I've never had any problem being able to find a staff person there...on "multiple" visits for "multiple" trips and "multiple" times of the day. But as with anything in Thailand, YMMV.

Sorry ,j f., not correct,on these minor routes ,you will only have 3rd. or 2nd. class buses.Given time, yes some 1st. class buses will appear. Many of these minor routes are still only 3rd. class.. Most 1st .class buses are perfectly acceptable, and are generally of the same standard of coach, as in foreign developed countries.that is they have reclining seats, are air- con ,and toilet equipped. Railways go everywhere?, Absolute arrant nonsense.Thailand has one of the most appalling rail systems in the world. Isarn has 23,000,000 people. It has 2 rail lines.90% of Isarn people have no possibility of using rail travel. I, myself live 90 kilometres from the nearest rail line.You are quite wrong about your bus terminals.All of the primary bus terminals, such as Korat ,cater to ALL classes of buses.The new terminals, generally only cater to 2nd. and 1st. class, The Transport Company, is owned by the Thai Govt.. Most of its services are 2nd. class.And duplicate the services offered by Private operators. Though they have started to offer some 1st. class services, + a few V.I.P. buses. Still in its infancy. Morchit Customer service desk? Generally unattended.Ticket sales , on multiple floors? No, The ground floor is for the Northern line. The 3rd. floor is for Isarn. Only 2 floors sell tickets. Regarding Nakornchai Air, yes you are quite correct. They are , possibly THE best operator in Thailand.

[jfchandler]

And re the OP's original list of destnations and their rail station status (by my rough reckoning):

Chiang Mai -- yes

Nakhon Lampang -- yes

Sukhothai -- an hour or so from Phitsanulok

Phitsanulok -- yes

Pichit -- closest station is Phitsanulok

Nakhon Sawan -- yes

Chai Nat -- nearest station at Takhli (18 km)

Lop Buri -- yes

Ang Thong -- short bus ride from Ayuthaya

Ayutthaya -- yes

Nonthaburi -- Bang Bamru station?

Nakon Pathom -- yes

Bangkok -- yes

Also, here's a pretty good guide and picture show of the Mochit 2 Bus Station...

http://thaitransit.blogspot.com/2008/05/mega-mochit-2-bus-terminal.html

[healthcaretaker]

Too many cooks spoiled the soup

Hope the OP don't get frighthened off.

Some of you are overfeeding with unnecessary info that confuses the OP.

Those "classes" will confuse him. he probably won't have much choices for class. He wanted cheapest option. Usually I choose what comes near.

Did OP mentioned he will travel from BKK to Cambodia ?

[fishhooks]

Did OP mentioned he will travel from BKK to Cambodia ?

I think Georgina may not be a "he"

[daveyravey]

Did OP mentioned he will travel from BKK to Cambodia ?

YES in post #7

I think Georgina may not be a "he"

Seems a female name to me.