soblue2001 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 I'm planning to get 22.00 train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on Tuesday 26th February. Does anyone know if you have to book in advance or can I just roll up at around 8 o'clock and buy ticket. Is it possible to book online from UK? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolstoy Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 In my experience, if you want an aircon seat, you need to book at least a few weeks in advance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andvari26 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 You need to book in advance to be sure of a seat, if you have no contacts here to make a booking on your behalf I suggest you leave a day at least after your arrival in Country, go to Hua Lamphong station ASAP after arrival & get a ticket, that is the only way to ensure you get on board, or fly - you can book online with Thai Air or Bangkok Air - easy and saves time & stress ! when special fare deals are on you can get 1 way for 1,800 baht = Bargain, Bkk Air also has a lounge for all class fares at all Airports ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyL Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 You can book tickets on-line using a private company that operates under license from the State Railway of Thailand. As mentioned, it would be a good idea to book at least a few days in advance to insure getting an aircon sleeper. Dr. Google is your friend. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris1970 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 i have used it 3 times and just turned up and brought a ticket on the same day, the lower bed costs alittle more but on some trains it's a bit wider and has a window, you could possibly book a ticket at the airport when you arrive or at any travel shop . doubt you need to worry about aircon in feb especially at night. i think the price is around 700 baht 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinnieTheKhwai Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 The 22:00 departure isn't a very good train. (Not the fastest, not the nicest). It's well into the afternoon the next day before you make it to Chiang Mai. I would recommend the 18:10 or 19:35 departures. Out of those two I think I'd do the 19:35 one; the 18:10 has slightly nicer seats/beds, but it gets to the North so early that you don't get the good views in between Lampang and Lamphun. So I'd go for the 19:35 one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellodolly Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 You need to book in advance to be sure of a seat, if you have no contacts here to make a booking on your behalf I suggest you leave a day at least after your arrival in Country, go to Hua Lamphong station ASAP after arrival & get a ticket, that is the only way to ensure you get on board, or fly - you can book online with Thai Air or Bangkok Air - easy and saves time & stress ! when special fare deals are on you can get 1 way for 1,800 baht = Bargain, Bkk Air also has a lounge for all class fares at all Airports ! Orient Thai is only 1,550 Baht one way all the time and it allows 20 kilo of luggage. I believe they all have a 20 kilo luggage except Air Asia they are 15 kilo. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soblue2001 Posted February 14, 2012 Author Share Posted February 14, 2012 Thanks for all responses - plenty of good advice ta. My plane arrives BKK from Dubai 6-40 pm, hence wanting / being stuck with the last train. Didnt think I'd make it to train station to get the 7.35pm one. I'm prob 30 kilos luggage and golf clubs (if anyone fancies a game??), hence much cheaper to get on a train. Nancy L - I did try google prior to posting question and the train site poorly translated from Thai to English - couldn't get my head around it. One train station was called Dutch Cigarettes and another was called I punched her!!!! I have a contact in CM and I've asked them to try to book the last train. I'll have a look at Orient Thai -ta -the others were no use, and Chris - I'm hoping you are right - thats prob what I'll go for. How booked can the last train be on a Tuesday nite? Worst comes to worst I'll just grab a seat. Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricardo Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 You need to book in advance to be sure of a seat, if you have no contacts here to make a booking on your behalf I suggest you leave a day at least after your arrival in Country, go to Hua Lamphong station ASAP after arrival & get a ticket, that is the only way to ensure you get on board, or fly - you can book online with Thai Air or Bangkok Air - easy and saves time & stress ! when special fare deals are on you can get 1 way for 1,800 baht = Bargain, Bkk Air also has a lounge for all class fares at all Airports ! Orient Thai is only 1,550 Baht one way all the time and it allows 20 kilo of luggage. I believe they all have a 20 kilo luggage except Air Asia they are 15 kilo. Nok's cheapest tickets are only 15 kgs too, although I've heard that their ff-cardholders get an extra 10 kgs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E1717007 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 you can book online. http://www.thairailticket.com/esrt/Default.aspx?language=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfokevin Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I would suggest booking in advance if you want a AC seat or sleeping car... Last time we showed up in the morning they were gone because a tour group took most of the AC train car... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyL Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 (edited) you can book online. http://www.thairailt...aspx?language=1 Thanks! That's the link I was looking for when I did my previous post. Yes, definitely book in advance. You can't always count on getting a sleeper because of tour groups and I doubt you want to sit up all night in third class (assuming the train even has third class cars) Hubby and I retired to Thailand in 2008 with four large pieces of luggage plus carry-on bags. The first-class compartment was well worth the investment for peace-of-mind about the safety of our luggage. But, in all fairness to Thai rail, we've never had problems on our numerous second-class overnight trips, but we've never had that much luggage. The staff at the rail stations were very helpful with all the luggage. Despite the aged and slightly grimy railcars, travel by rail is so much more civilized that air cattle cars. You don't feel like they think you're a terrorist, no need to undress for a security screening, you can walk around the train, the food is better and sometimes they have rousing karaoke in the restaurant car. All this for less than the cost of a night in a hotel. Edited February 15, 2012 by NancyL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 How booked can the last train be on a Tuesday nite? Worst comes to worst I'll just grab a seat. In February - it can be fully booked........ in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elektrified Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Considering the amount of Thai tourists here for Royal Flora, it could be fully booked in advance. I've tried 3 or 4 times over the last 5 years to get a seat from BKK to CM at the last minute and have never been able to. Always best to book a few days in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolstoy Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 NancyL, I believe that the private room is VIP. 1st class is the aircon car with upper and lower berths. Not that it really matters but if booking online the OP might not get what he/she wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andvari26 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 OK here is an option - a luxury bus called NakornChai - Air - must be the 1st Class option, I have not taken it yet, but I have many friends who do this in preference to flying - it is 809 baht, excess luggage no problem, full leather seats with massage I believe, movies on demand on every seat, I am very keen to try it myself - http://www.nca.co.th/firstclass.php - see what you think ! Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 NancyL, I believe that the private room is VIP. 1st class is the aircon car with upper and lower berths. Not that it really matters but if booking online the OP might not get what he/she wanted. No, the private room is 1st class and the carriages with upper and lower are second class air con. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soblue2001 Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share Posted February 15, 2012 Thanks for replies (I'm male btw) Tried booking on the link, but it kept jumping back to Thai. My brother lives in CM so I've mailed him to see if he can buy ticket at CM station. Whilst the link was in English it appeared there were only two types of ticket left, so yeah, maybe best to get booked in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elektrified Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 OK here is an option - a luxury bus called NakornChai - Air - must be the 1st Class option, I have not taken it yet, but I have many friends who do this in preference to flying - it is 809 baht, excess luggage no problem, full leather seats with massage I believe, movies on demand on every seat, I am very keen to try it myself - http://www.nca.co.th/firstclass.php - see what you think ! Good Luck Good company. Comfortable, clean buses. Need to book in advance as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vagabond48 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 We live15 minutes (by foot) from the train station so taking the train is very convenient. Just to show how quickly tickets can go, today I bought two 2nd class fan sleeper tickets going to Bangkok for Feb 23, 8 days from today. There were only 7 tickets left, and only upper sleepers. Now there are only 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris1970 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 looks like the aircon ones are sold out already. if someone buys a ticket for you in chiang mai how are they going to get it to you ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soblue2001 Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share Posted February 15, 2012 looks like the aircon ones are sold out already. if someone buys a ticket for you in chiang mai how are they going to get it to you ? that my friend is a very good question. I suppose there's enough time to post it, or I'd thought he might get an e-ticket that he could forward onto me and I'd print off in UK I'll go back onto the link and try to persevere. Getting worried now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soblue2001 Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share Posted February 15, 2012 Right - it's BOOKED!!! thanks for link..........finally got it to work. £18 - happy with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thakkar Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 In case anyone's interested, the following website on train travel has lots of info on train travel in Thailand: http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E1717007 Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Right - it's BOOKED!!! thanks for link..........finally got it to work. £18 - happy with that. print out the pdf ticket for boarding 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyL Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 NancyL, I believe that the private room is VIP. 1st class is the aircon car with upper and lower berths. Not that it really matters but if booking online the OP might not get what he/she wanted. No, the private room is 1st class and the carriages with upper and lower are second class air con. uptheos is correct. They do have something they call "air conditioned reserve saloon" on their website that looks like it would be a lot of fun if you're with a group. It's a private railcar -- cost is a little under 48,000 baht for Bangkok-Chiang Mai. Don't know if that includes their 50% surcharge for one-way vs. round trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
healthcaretaker Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 It's very time consuming and more costly than the bus. I always take the bus; faster, cheaper, better service and for me, more comfortable; but I know many people don't like to be in a bus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolstoy Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 NancyL. You are right. Sorry for doubting you. I just remembered wrong it was 10 years ago when I got the private room. If I recall it was about 4K baht though. Not really worth it since flights are much cheaper now. Anyone who advises taking the bus doesn't read the news. Though I have never had a problem from CM to BKK, you read all the time about major crashes and everyone dying a few times a year whereas I cannot recall a single crash of a plane or train in the past decade here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
healthcaretaker Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 NancyL. You are right. Sorry for doubting you. I just remembered wrong it was 10 years ago when I got the private room. If I recall it was about 4K baht though. Not really worth it since flights are much cheaper now. Anyone who advises taking the bus doesn't read the news. Though I have never had a problem from CM to BKK, you read all the time about major crashes and everyone dying a few times a year whereas I cannot recall a single crash of a plane or train in the past decade here. There are road accidents too of all kinds of vehicles whereas I cannot recall a single accident of someone in a wheelchair on the road; so are you going to sit in a wheelchair wherever you go instead ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I cannot recall a single crash of a plane or train in the past decade here. Plane Crash in Thailand Leaves 89 Dead: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296946,00.html Pilot killed in Thai plane crash: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8182962.stm and don't forget (though not in last decade) 100 die in Thailand plane crash: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/1998/12/11/thaicrash981211.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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