Overnight Train From Bkk To Chiang Mai

[aubreystrawberry]

My daughter and I are travelling in July and would like to catch a night train to Chiang Mai. Should we book online or do you think it will be safe to go to the rail station in June (two weeks before we want to take the train) and purchase our tickets in person. I just want to make sure we are able to sleep in the same car. Do the trains fill up in July? I believe it is the slow season but I'm not sure how this affects the trains. Any good advice? Thank you!

[lomatopo]

I think the SRT's on-line ticketing initiative is still off-line.

http://www.thairailticket.com/esrt/?language=1

I'm not if there are other purchasing alternatives, like from a travel agent. I have purchased tickets in the advance ticket office at Hua Lumphong - off to the right if facing the main status board - and have seen people purchasing hundreds of tickets at a time so think maybe these are travel agents of some sort.

While July might be slow season this really won't affect the trains as they are slow all year round. Also plan on the air-con not working, the train to be up to 8 hours late, the tracks to be washed out.

There are peak travel days surrounding the week-ends. but assuming you have some flexibility you should be able to get a 2nd class sleeper (has 4 beds, so you might be sharing it with up to four others: mother+father+2 kids). Purchase the ticket as early as possible. If you know someone here ask them to purchase for you. You can purchase tickets up to 60 days prior to your travel date.

[moe666]

I have taken this train several times but years ago it is not really a big deal to miss it, the service has deteriorated and the possibility of track washout in July is very good. Save your self 12 to 14 hours of loud noise from the tracks and the coupling devices fly and be there in 1 hour and enjoy Chiang Mai and the area.

[aubreystrawberry]

Thank you for your responses. So when you mean the tracks are "washed out" does this mean the train can go no further? We went on it in April and everything was on time and it was awesome. I just wanted my daughter to experience taking the night train but if there are possibilities of getting stuck, then yeah, plane sounds better. Tix are actually pretty inexpensive round trip. Thank you!

[Mario2008]

July is the rainy seasons, so has more delays and sometimes tracks washed away.

The exact date will be important, as during holidays and Fridays and Sundays there will be extra people traveling. Otherwise 2 weeks in advance should be enough.

[Jasun]

It should be fine booking a couple of weeks out. The only slight congestion you might get will be near the very end of the month when a lot of monks will be on the move, heading to the CM temples for the start of lent.

[kurtmartens]

I love taking the train .... its the wife that hates it and prefers to fly. My only issue with it is the bathrooms in the morning are a bit foul smelling. I've never noticed any loud noises from the coupling/decoupling myself.

I'd suggest buying online and as long as its not a holiday weekend, it should be fine.

[pomchop]

The train trip is an experience. It certainly is not necessarily the fastest/cheapest or most comfortable way to travel from bkk to CM. Expect it to be several hours late. Expect some noise. Expect dirty toilets and a bouncy ride. Expect to meet some characters.

And best of all expect a MEMORY that you may retell many times and laugh about the rain ride to CM rather than yet another non memorable airplane ride.

Travel is not always about the fastest/cheapest/most comfortable way to get from point a to point b....if that were always the case I would have missed out on some of my most memorable experiences.

[aubreystrawberry]

Thanks guys! We are going to take the train up and Pomchop, that is mostly why I would like my daughter to experience the train ride, it is def and adventure! We will just go with the flow which is the best attitude for travel!

[pomchop]

Thanks guys! We are going to take the train up and Pomchop, that is mostly why I would like my daughter to experience the train ride, it is def and adventure! We will just go with the flow which is the best attitude for travel!

Try and get a second class a/c sleeper with an upper for daughter and lower for yourself. the upper berths are slightly smaller than the lower ones and of course require a climb up a ladder to reach. There will be two more people in the same cabin as you as there are two upper and two lowers in each 2nd class cabin..the train staff will come in and convert the seats into beds and give you blanket etc.....take along some snacks and do not be surprised if you arrive in Chiang Mai several hours late.

[Gerald14]

I have taken the train two times. The first and the last time !!! We had problems with the air-condition as well as the engine broke down just out of BKK and it took about three hours to replace it. So in my view only a masochist will take a train here

[hansnl]

I have not taken any train to CM, or from CM to Bangkok.

Simply because I live in Khon Kaen.

What I did many times, however, is taking the train from and to Khon Kaen.

Indeed, mostly there is some delay, but that is acceptable for me.

Only once there was a locomotive breakdown near Ayuddhya resulting in a 3-hour delay.

But that also happened to me on my extensive train journeys in Europe.

If travelling alone, I take a 2-nd class aircon sleeper lower bed, if travelling with the wife a first class cabin, upper and lower bed.

Reasonable kind of travel, reasonable prices, and indeed much more comfortable as a 6-7 hour busride.

And safer!

Never had an airco breakdown.

In a bus, yes!

[thrilled]

The train is ok if you aren't pressed for tome.I take the 1st class sleeper.I'm not sure about the amount.But at least ya can sleep in comfort most of the way.Ya might want to take some food with ya.The conductor wanted to get food for me at the baggage car.He didn't want me tom walk to get it.I'm pretty sure because of the tip.

[katana]

You can buy the tickets in advance from Thai travel agents eg in Khao San Rd in BKK. They print them off in front of you for a small charge of about 20 Baht. No need to go down to Hualumphong station for the tickets.
I did the trip a couple of times. You won't get much sleep, or see much from the windows.
Next time I might try the trip starting off in the early morning to see if it makes it any more bearable.

[alant]

The real authority on this is the website of "the man in seat sixty one" well worth a look. Buying from the railway station should be fine. Train 13 uses the single 1st class sleeper configuration, train 1 uses double 1st class (departs about 6pm) cabins. second class is open with curtain privacy. http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm#Bangkok-to-Chaing-Mai I made this admittedly not very good video on the late train 51 http://youtu.be/GEHmqWTewOs

[gerryBScot]

Like others I really love travelling by train: I have travelled most of the long distance routes in Thailand, inc BKK-CM on a couple of occasions, and where possible I always opt for 2nd class air. I've always had a pleasant trip including on one occasion where a fellow passenger came running after me as I had left my wallet in the seat. Said wallet contained 2000 $ US in travellers cheques so would have been an almighty pain in the butt losing this stuff. I like being able to stretch my legs and take a walk. Even if I don't sleep well I like being able to lie down stretch out. I am rarely on a tight schedule so delays are not really important. Never really had a problem. With the addition of two small kids in recent years it is easier however to throw everything in the back of the truck and drive. As others have said I doubt whether you'll have a problem getting tickets in JUly two weeks ahead of travel and you can buy tickets from any railway station or, for a small fee, use an agent.

[boonta19]

If you want a wagon with good sleeping facilities for 2 people, the price is approx. the same as taking a plane, and save a lot of time

[farmer floyd]

Dont miss this cause somebody here says slow etc. Was a great trip, left Bk about 7:00 pm got to see

BK from distance with lights etc. Met some Frenchmen and wife stayed up and helped them with English

and some girl stole his bottom bunk when he left to visit a buddy. Took some time to get her out and we had a good laugh, just get in with her dont let conductor help, haha

Got into Chiange Mai in early morning and rented a motorcycle for 4.00 a day and went anf had two chipped teeth worked on, cost me 35.00 and pretty dentist who went to dentist school for 4 years in Boston (daddy owned Business) and took 1 hour and they wanted 1300.00 in USA for 2 teeth put in bridge. I still have them and My Dentist said that is cheap way to add teeth but sure worked good

and if I break again will go back. Wife loved the trip too.

Stayed in guest houses for about 12.00-15.00 a night and later stayed in Pattaya for 300.00 month

and rent motorcycle for 3.00 a day ($90.00) a month. Cannot beat Thailand for cost, friendly, Beautiful

country. Dont miss au Nang down south near Crabby, SUPER So pretty,

[lomatopo]

So when you mean the tracks are "washed out" does this mean the train can go no further?

Do you know how to swim?

They round up buses to transport people around the areas where the tracks wash out, so ferry pax back and forth to north- and south-bound trains. This only results in delays of 18 hours or so. Assuming you have a lot of time, and enjoy the adventure of travelling rather than actually visiting locations then I'd absolutely recommend the train.

[deesquared]

2nd Class Aircon Sleeper is the way to go. It's a good price, comfortable and fun! But, in my experience, you need to book your tickets way in advance! Otherwise they won't have many of those left. They go fast. I would say 1 month early minimum.

[smotherb]

I take the train regularly from Hatyai to Bangkok, and several times on to Chiang Mai and back. I don't understand all these recommendations for 2nd class sleeper. If you want to share with a couple of strangers, maybe. However, if it were my child and me, I would prefer the 1st class sleeper. Private cabin with sink, cleaner--or at least less-used bathrooms--two per coach. Dinner, breakfast and drinks can be ordered, cabin service. I'd suggest bringing your own dinner and snacks and ordering breakfast. I enjoy the clackety-clack and I've never had an a/c problem in 1st class. Oh, yes, don't forget to order a bucket of ice--for practical reasons. Indeed, July may be a problem with flooding, but that may add to the adventure.

[aubreystrawberry]

Thanks y'all! I'll keep ya posted on what we do. I just read in the headlines though that there have been 700 dengue fever outbreaks in Chiang Mai in May alone, 2,000 this year! Wow!

[deepcell]

I did a trip to south thailand with my daughter, it was a nice trip, really was very nice! But, you need to plan in advance, I mean buy the ticketd in advance (3 or 4 days in advance), I got a problem about tickets, I went to Hua Lom Pong Railway Station just 2 hours before departure without a ticket and I and my family need to wait for the next train. (7 hours waiting). Then buy your tickets in advance! In my opnion traveling buy train is safe in Thailand, problems can happen in any place. I did it for so many times since 2007 and I never have a problem. Good trip with your family, they will love the trip.

[jasonsim9119]

Train will be a great experience if you are not rushing for time and most importantly, safer than buses. 2nd class A/C ฿881 per pax. Go for lower cabin for both of you, you can ask for the same cabin compartment. It's definitely more comfortable. If you are keen to chill out, you can try going to the restaurant after 7.30pm. That is when majority of the foreigners party/hang out there. Note: Not all trips has chill out party. Out of my 5 trips, 3 has. Reason: If a few foreigners begin drinking/hanging out in the restaurant, the staff will begin to play some music to create the atmosphere. If nobody, the ALL train staff will start watching TV programs and occupying the restaurant. Early morning, 6am onwards, you can also proceed to the restaurant as well (Non A/C)Window Opened, most tourist will hang out there as to enjoy the view of Thailand,taking pictures etc. **Remember never stick your head out of the train window for the breeze. Last week while travelling, a guy got his head injured badly during the night as he stretched his head for the cool breeze and the train has to be delayed while attending to him. Have fun!

[Torrens54]

Never taken the train in Thailand. Many years ago when I was Travel Editor for a newspaper in Australia, I joined a bunch of other journos who were invited to attand the Elephant round-up in Surin.

We had an excellent overnight stay at the Oriental in BKK but were then told we'd be going by bus as Thai State Railways were On-Strike. The two large Tourist Coaches had a 3-car-Tourist Police- escort all the way. Very exciting and the Elephant Round-up was spectacular but it was a shame we missed the train. Then again, if the aircon is unreliable, there is No-way anyone is going to get me on a train.

[Wavefloater]

I have taken this train several times but years ago it is not really a big deal to miss it, the service has deteriorated and the possibility of track washout in July is very good. Save your self 12 to 14 hours of loud noise from the tracks and the coupling devices fly and be there in 1 hour and enjoy Chiang Mai and the area.

That's too bad to hear that things have deteriorated so much. I've taken an overnight 2nd-class sleeper both up to CM and down to the Malaysian border from BKK and enjoyed it very much. That was about 10 years ago though, and the tikity-tick sound of the rails and slight swaying were very relaxing, I thought. I fondly remember being lulled into a nice sleep by them.

[rosst]

I have taken this train several times but years ago it is not really a big deal to miss it, the service has deteriorated and the possibility of track washout in July is very good. Save your self 12 to 14 hours of loud noise from the tracks and the coupling devices fly and be there in 1 hour and enjoy Chiang Mai and the area.

Goodness gracious me, lets be tourists instead of travellers, take a plane and see bugger all.

No, take the train, meet the locals, take your fruit, bucket noodles and live a little.

take your toilet paper, sorry napkin on a roll, have some fun.

try to book two lower berth soft sleeper, book on line if you can.

It is a wonderful trip, contemplate buying a Thailand tourist rail ticket which for three thousand Baht, you can travel by train for twenty one days on all tracks but only once each way.

You can get on and off wherever you like or go sleeper end to end.

Travel is about the people, not the places.

[raybal5]

I have done this trip a few times. Never booked in advance. I purchased the tickets a few hours before departure at the station. So if you booked 2 weeks in advance you will have no problems at all.

[lomatopo]

I would prefer the 1st class sleeper.

As would everyone, but there are very few per train, just a single carriage's worth, and these are usually sold out. If you know some someone affilated with the SRT you can usually get these but otherwise it does require quite a bit of advanced planning. An alternative might be to buy all four berths in a 2nd class AC "room"; just make sure they are actually in the same room as the SRT employs a somewhat unusual numbering scheme.

Agree the toilets in 2nd class are extremely foul after the 14+ hour journey from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. I'd bring some rubber boots, and cleaning supplies so you can at least get close to the facility.

Also agree on keeping the windows closed, to avoid blow-back, given the amount of detritus gets thrown out windows on trains.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/634075-train-defenestration/

[Sydneycraig]

1st class can become booked up a couple weeks before ... This happened to me so I booked 2nd class. Then at the station upgraded to 1st as they re-release unsold agent ones on the day (or at some point)

Trip is awesome ... An experience, and unless you are on a limited timeframe well worth it.