Bkk To Hua Hin

[turnaround]

Can anyone suggest the best ways to get to Bangkok International Airport to Hua Hin.

I know the options are train, bus or minivan but have no idea where they leave from and what times.

would be very grateful if someone can point me in the right direction.

Many thanks

[lomatopo]

As far as I know the only direct option would be taxi or limo.

Otherwise you'll have to make your way to Hua Lumphong for a train, Mai Tai Sai for a bus, Victory Monument for a mini-van.

There have been a gazillion posts on this so a search might yield valuable information?

http://www.huahintourism.com/transportation/

[craigt3365]

Do you mean Don Mueang or Suvarnabhumi? I moved this over to the DM Airport forum, but can move it over to the swampy forum if this was wrong.

Edit: I'll put it in the swampy forum for now.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

If the OP is starting from Suvarnabhumi...then one easy way is to take the Airport Rail Link service from the airport to the Phyathai BTS station (the other end point for the ARL line), then go one station up on the Sky Train to Victory Monument BTS station. Right there at the parking aisle adjoining the Century Movie mall, they have vans leaving for Hua Hin and Cha Am every 20 or 30 minutes throughout the day and into the early evening. Van fares to Hua Hin are cheap, though I don't have the price in front of me at present. Takes about 2+ hours.

[SunsetT]

If the OP is starting from Suvarnabhumi...then one easy way is to take the Airport Rail Link service from the airport to the Phyathai BTS station (the other end point for the ARL line), then go one station up on the Sky Train to Victory Monument BTS station. Right there at the parking aisle adjoining the Century Movie mall, they have vans leaving for Hua Hin and Cha Am every 20 or 30 minutes throughout the day and into the early evening. Van fares to Hua Hin are cheap, though I don't have the price in front of me at present. Takes about 2+ hours.

.......Me missus once took a minibus from Swampy bus station to Victory Monument for 40 baht after kissing me goodbye at the airport one evening......I give her enough for a taxi but she likes to make a profit......10 out of 10 for enterprise! I have used the above mentioned very good minibus service to Hua Hin many times. By the way, there are at least competing services running from different side roads adjoining Victory Monument. The only drawback is that its a lottery whether u get a young kamikaze driver or an older more sensible driver. Trouble is the bus and the train are so inconvenient. The bus service is from the Southern Bus station way over on the other side of the river, so a real pain to get to. And I think there are only one or two trains a day which r painfully slow.

[lomatopo]

.......Me missus once took a minibus from Swampy bus station to Victory Monument for 40 baht after kissing me goodbye at the airport one evening......I give her enough for a taxi but she likes to make a profit......10 out of 10 for enterprise! I have used the above mentioned very good minibus service to Hua Hin many times. By the way, there are at least competing services running from different side roads adjoining Victory Monument. The only drawback is that its a lottery whether u get a young kamikaze driver or an older more sensible driver. Trouble is the bus and the train are so inconvenient. The bus service is from the Southern Bus station way over on the other side of the river, so a real pain to get to. And I think there are only one or two trains a day which r painfully slow.

On average how long do you wait for the van to fill up and depart? Do you have to buy an extra seat for luggage?

I directed some visiting friends there a few months ago and they ended up waiting ~ 90 minutes for enough passengers to depart - with some pressure to pony up more cash to depart earlier, and they did have to buy two seats each, at 180 baht per, to accommodate their luggage. And they did comment on the speed factor, and since you are seated a bit higher than in a car there was a significant woozy factor as well.

I know when I am driving to/from Cha Am, with traffic at ~ 90 kph these mini-vans overtake traffic, weaving in/out and on either side's breakdown lane, at ~ 130 kph. But then I've never seen one crashed so most everyone probably makes it to their destination in one piece.

Edited September 10, 2012 by lomatopo

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Re Loma's questions above, I used to make a lot of van trips between BKK and Hua Hin via Victory Monument.

As far as luggage is concerned, I never saw anyone buying an extra seat on any of my trips, where I was always carrying a medium suitcase and maybe a travel bag. The vans I took lways had a decent sized luggage only area behind the back seats...and most of the Thai riders rarely seemed to be carrying much in the way of suitcases.

The vans do tend to wait until they're full or close to full. But I don't think I ever waited more than a half hour at the BKK end, specifically via the Century Movie parking area, and usually less. There seems to be pretty decent van passenger traffic between the two points, and as noted, going to the Sai Tai Mai bus station is inconvenient for most, and the trains are very slow.

In contrast, as noted, many of the vans do tend to travel quite quickly... There were a few times where I was a bit nervous at the speed and driving style. But generally speaking, the trips seemed reasonably safe and efficient. Of course, YMMV.

[wpcoe]

Is there any regular bus or van service between Sai Tai Mai bus terminal and Suvarnabhumi airport these days?

[jingjoe8]

on level 1 where the taxis and buses leave,next to the bus service that goes to pattaya for 135bht, there is now a booth with minibus going to hua hin for 350bht??not sure how regularly they leave

[Lakegeneve]

.......Me missus once took a minibus from Swampy bus station to Victory Monument for 40 baht after kissing me goodbye at the airport one evening......I give her enough for a taxi but she likes to make a profit......10 out of 10 for enterprise! I have used the above mentioned very good minibus service to Hua Hin many times. By the way, there are at least competing services running from different side roads adjoining Victory Monument. The only drawback is that its a lottery whether u get a young kamikaze driver or an older more sensible driver. Trouble is the bus and the train are so inconvenient. The bus service is from the Southern Bus station way over on the other side of the river, so a real pain to get to. And I think there are only one or two trains a day which r painfully slow.

On average how long do you wait for the van to fill up and depart? Do you have to buy an extra seat for luggage?

I directed some visiting friends there a few months ago and they ended up waiting ~ 90 minutes for enough passengers to depart - with some pressure to pony up more cash to depart earlier, and they did have to buy two seats each, at 180 baht per, to accommodate their luggage.

In the Victory Monument area, for popular destinations there are a number of different van companies. As with an airline, your service and frequency can depend on which one you pick.

There must be over a dozen threads on getting from the airport to Hua Hin so this I have posted this info before as have many others. The best options to get to Cha Am & HH from the VM area are the vans outside Century Plaza which adjoins the BTS station. Vans there depart every 20 mins on ave. There is also another company just 30ms away to the north past the 7/11, it has it's own garage. They also tend to depart every 30 mins and run to a timetable. Obviously, at peak demands times (eg. Sat morn) they depart more regularly if the vans fill quicker.

As with the VM area, the vans stop and terminate at different locations in HH so depending on your destination it can make a big difference which company you take. For example, one company terminates in Sasong rd just down from the night market, another in Phetkasem rd and another in Dechanuchit. (It can be no different if one takes a bus and ends up at the new Transport Company bus terminal some 2.5kms south of the center of town rather than at the one on Sasong rd - then you pay 100 baht for a tuk tuk to get into the center of HH).

I have never heard of anyone waiting 90mins for a HH van so it seems very unlucky but then anything is possible when travelling (train is delayed for 2 hrs, flight delayed for 3hrs, the bus gets a falt tire, your car gets stuck in a highway traffic jam due to an accident).

Luggage is usually fine if it can fit but if the van is fullish and no where to put a very large suitcase then is a seat it is and of course one must pay.

Speed wise, yes it is a problem.

If we all adhered to the expected standard of safe driving in our own country - assuming a country with safe standards - then we would never get into any vehicle EVER with a thai given the systematic lack of driver education and training, and the fact that many drive unlicensed, at all. And we would not drive on thai roads on the same basis. However, we do and as with anywhere we assume the risk. That being said if a van if driving at high speed one has to say something or get out if you really feel unsafe. Of course, the new regulations of last year imposing a 90km/h speed limit for vans is sometimes followed and sometimes enforced by the authorities.....

[thepanom]

If the OP is starting from Suvarnabhumi...then one easy way is to take the Airport Rail Link service from the airport to the Phyathai BTS station (the other end point for the ARL line), then go one station up on the Sky Train to Victory Monument BTS station. Right there at the parking aisle adjoining the Century Movie mall, they have vans leaving for Hua Hin and Cha Am every 20 or 30 minutes throughout the day and into the early evening. Van fares to Hua Hin are cheap, though I don't have the price in front of me at present. Takes about 2+ hours.

Cha-am baht 160.- Hua Hin baht 180.- pp