[guide] Travelling to George Town, Penang and back to Thailand

[4evermaat]

I received a few questions about traveling to/from Pinang Malaysia, mainly to visit the Thai Consulate in Penang. I wanted to put out something comprehensive as I've done it a few times to where I have a system for getting to and from Penang quickly, cheaply, and err on the side of being informed. You basically have 5 major options:

1) Train International 35/36 from Bangkok to Butterworth. Departs daily @ 14:45 from Hua Lamphong and it is appx 1210 baht for 2nd class air cond lower sleeper. This same class is the only car that continues on to Butterworth without having to change. Best combination of price, comfort and direct travel IMO. It's usually late 1-2 hours, but it gets you there. If you are tall, large, or have small children, try to get the lower bunk. It is an all day/night trip if you are leaving from Bangkok. **Bring an extra blanket or long sleeve shirt as the a/c is cold.**

You can try to go cheaper with the fan sleeper, or more luxurious with 1st class sleeper. But you'll have to change cars to the 2nd class sleeper in Hat Yai anyway; only those cars continue to Butterworth (I don't know for sure if you have to purchase 2 separate tickets). Most of the other non-train travel options are about the same time when you factor in stopping/waiting between connections, except for driving or taking an airplane.

The Butterworth train station terminal is not much to speak of. They have made improvements and finished most of the construction. So at least the 2nd level waiting area is air conditioned, but there is still some things that need to be worked out. No luggage storage. No restaurants (must walk outside to Penang Sentral bus station area), No map of the city and popular destinations. When coming from thailand, usually just follow the crowd as most of them are heading for the ferry anyway. You can also ask staff if you are unsure.

Take the ferry from Butterworth to Georgetown for 1.20 RM. Exchange a few RM on the train before arriving at Butterworth to avoid getting caught out.

edit: There is another train #21 (Peninsular Express or Langkawi Express) that departs from Hat Yai @ 16:00 to Kuala Lumpur, but it does NOT stop @ Butterworth. You have to get off at Sungai Petani KTM station (appx 200 baht) around 21:00, walk across the street and transfer to the rapidPenang intercity bus to ButterWorth (EB 60). They leave appx every 40 min. and the bus takes about 70-80 min. Appx 4-5RM and puts you in Butterworth quite late, but the ferry service should still be running until 00:40. Remember, you still need ringgit to buy anything, where will exchange your money THB to MYR? Without an ATM card, you might be SOL until the morning, unless they will accept THB for that night Maybe you could catch the exchanger on the train as they exit in Pedang Besar.

rapidPenang also has another intercity bus to Butterworth for those coming from Johor Bahru via KL (train #20) toward Hat Yai at Parit Buntar.

2a) Bus / minibus from Hat Yai via Sadao/Danok. From other provinces, you'd have to connect by bus or train to Hat Yaai. Then either arrange a minibus to Penang from one of the tour companies outside the bus station (not sure if there is a booth inside bus station). A company worth checking out is Chao Vang Travel, 70/2 Lamaisongkraw Road, Hat yai, Songkhla 90110, Tel. 081-5995310, 089-7369480 GPS: 7.000861, 100.475750; 400-450 baht or so. I'm not sure if you must go to their shop or if they will pick you up @ the bus station; but you should be able to walk to it. If they have an early minibus, see if you can go directly to the Thai consulate.

A couple of exceptions:

2b) For those already at the Danok (Sadao) border, you can grab a minivan from in front of 7-eleven on the thai side. Take the one that takes you to Penang. If you catch it early enough in the morning, they *should* stop by the Thai consulate during the week. or you can ask them to be sure.

If you somehow cannot arrange a minibus from Hat Yai directly to Penang, you can catch one minibus from clocktower to the Danok border

, and then catch another one going to Penang in front of 7-eleven near border (thai side). You can also arrange a minibus to Padang Besar right inside the bus station. or take the red/strawberry song theaw to go to Padang Besar border.

I don't know if there is a local song thaew that goes all the way to the Dannok border. There is supposed to be one that runs from the Bus station to the clock tower, or you can take a motorbike taxi for 40-50baht. The hat yai >> Dannok minivan makes several pickups and one of them is at the bus station, but I didn't see some ticket desk. So you may have to call the company if you don't go to their clocktower side street terminal (pictured above). Good luck if you don't speak thai.

2c) Bus / Minibus from Hat Yai to Pedang Besar (alt trip report) from the bus station. Or there is a red/strawberry local bus that goes to the Padang Besar border (44 baht), but it is supposed to take 80-120 mins to reach the border (minivan is faster, 50 baht, tickets are inside bus station). After crossing over Padang Besar land border, you can take any ETS train at the Padang Besar train station to Butterworth. Currently 5 trains daily, (09:45, 14:00, 16:15, 17:15, 18:00); Between 21-30 RM for adult tickets and 1/3 price for children. The last evening Langkawi train #20 @ 19:00 does not go to Butterworth directly--arrive at Sungai Petani 21:05 and transfer to the intercity bus to Butterworth.

A trick for those who don't want to wait for a direct train to Butterworth can take more frequent ETS trains from Pedang Besar to Sungai Petani (07:45, 09:45, 14:00, 16:15, 17:15, 18:00, 18:00--take the express, 1hr vs 3hr) and transfer to the intercity bus to Butterworth. You can double-check KTM train times directly from their site (login not required).

There is also some more limited coach bus services from Padang Besar that go directly to Butterworth: Plusliner leaving at 14:00 and 18:30 for 16RM--3.5 hours and passes through Kangar, Kuala Perlis, and Alor Setar.

You can also catch a not-so-frequent frequent local bus to Kangar, where you have more frequent options to Alor Setar / Penang. You might have better luck with a taxi to Kangar (shared if possible).

2d) Minibus from Phuket to Penang. There is supposed to be direct Phuket to Penang minibus service for 800-ish baht (not sure if Krabi or Samui has a similar service). They will be less frequent. This might be a more direct approach than having to get to Phuket town, Hat Yai, then find minibus or train to go to Penang. If this is true, I'm surprised this service isn't advertised more, In Penang going to Phuket, most of the tour companies advertise this option for about 80 RM, once or twice a day. Maybe someone can shed some more light on minivan companies who run these phuket >> penang vans. Or is it always 2 separate vans, transfer at Hat Yai?

3) Airplane - daily direct flights from Bangkok to Penang seem to be in the afternoon only. Phuket to Penang and Hat Yai to Penang direct flights are not as common or non-existent. All the flights seem to put you in Penang in the evening anyway, after the Thai consulate closes. There are also flights that make 1 stop in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore, which seems kind of out of the way. Looks like about 3000 baht 1 way for the budget airlines. It may be cheaper if you book early. <2000 baht is fantastic IMO.

From the airport, you can take a taxi to Georgetown for about 45 RM (you pay 50-100% more if you take one between 23:00 and 07:00). Or Take RapidPenang air cond bus 102, 401E, 306, or the new AT bus for 3RM.

The new "AT" bus passes through Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal, Komtar, Chulia St, and finishes at Welds Quay Jetty Terminal (ferry); appx 40-45 min end to end.

102 (RP image) Goes through Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal and Komtar first, then passes by Gurney Plaza, Batu Ferringhi / Hard rock cafe and finishes near the Butterfly Farm. Should take 20-25 min to get to Komtar, possibly extra 40-50 min to make it to Butterfly farm with traffic and stops.

The 401E (RP image) goes to Bukit Jambul (BJ) Shopping Komplex, Queensbay Mall, Komtar and Jetty. about 50-60 min depending on traffic.

306 (RP image) is quite a bit bit slower, covering more of the local area around the airport and passes through Bandar Baru Air Itam (Farlim night market - huge Wed market) and terminates at the Pulau Pinang hospital near Jalan Macalister (no Komtar?). So it depends on which side of town you want to go.

No weekly/monthly public tourist bus passes sold at the airport, you must go to Komtar or Welds Quay (Jeti) to get one (closed on Sundays).

4) Drive. You can drive down through the Sadao/Dannok thai border via Bukit Kayu Hitam or go via Padang Besar. I'm not too familiar with the details for insurance paperwork, Only that you vehicle should be paid off, in your name, need english translation of your plates (from local DLT office) before leaving Thailand, At Bukit Kayu Hitam, make sure your window tints >40% visibility. There is a shop you go to get insurance and stickers just after clearing Malay immigration.

Satun (Wang Prachan/Wang Kelian) is supposed to be less slack about window tints. Deeper south, you have Betong and Sungai Kolok (Kota Bharu) land borders.

5) Ferry. Take the ferry from Satun to Langkawi. Then take another ferry directly to Penang or take a more frequent ferry to Kuala Perlis, then bus to Butterworth. A slightly more involved option is the ferry to Kuala Kedah, short bus to Alor Setar, and then bus Alor Setar to Penang. Check if any buses go to Komtar or at least Sungai Nibong bus station, could save you some walking to the Butterworth ferry.

You'll need a wall plug converter as Malaysia wall outlet plugs are different than Thailand; I think similar to UK plugs. A few guesthouses have put newer outlets that are multi-pronged and can accept most plugs, but don't rely on that. I paid close to 200 baht (20 rm) in a Malaysian 7-eleven. I found out later that some electrical shops nearby or Komtar may have them for 4 or 5 rm.

Transportation

You will be doing some walking here. There are bicycle carriages (tri-shaw) for up to 60RM an hour around GeorgeTown, but it is more for the experience in the local area. Taxis are available, but not as common for such a large city. They are at the major tourist destinations like shopping malls, Komtar, Batu Ferringhi. Jetty, bus stations, 7-eleven @ Chulia St/Love Lane. But otherwise, you would have to call one or use an app like GrabTaxi.

RapidPenang buses are the primary public buses. They are air conditioned, run often on most routes, and go to many places around penang island. The Tourist passport weekly bus pass 30RM has unlimited rides for 7 days; highly recommended. You can get it at Komtar, Weld Quay (Jetty), Penang Sentral, Bukit Jambul and their HQ offices, but they are closed on Sundays; Jetty and Komtar are your best bets. Unfortunately, their route maps are terribly organized for those new to Penang. Thankfully, a blogger has mapped out nearly all of their routes in a more rational format; many include complete routes on google maps! You'd be surprised how much use you can get out of that tourist pass even if you only stay for 2 full nights.

For long distance transport, Not much need to book early unless it is high season and especially during Ramadan you'd want to book any long distance travel 1-2 days minimum in advance. I got caught once during ramadan and had to pay 50RM for a minibus to hat yai trying to get it the same day.

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Hotels.

I'm not too familiar with all of the available options. But I do know there are price ranges from 15RM a day for fan bunk bed to 400RM night for some of the hotels with indoor pools along Chula St and the surrounding streets like Penang Rd and Lebuh Muntri. And if you want luxury, you can go out to Batu Ferringhi and the Hard Rock hotel et. al starts at 1000-ish RM/night, nice outdoor pool and of course the beach is there also along with the night market. Persiaran Gurney and Jalan Kelawai also have some high rise hotels. I've always preferred Love Lane or Lebuh Muntri guesthouses. Close to Chulia St, but near zero noise. simple, clean guesthouses or bunk beds. The better deals tend to fill up quick, so other than securing a RapidPenang pass, you should be settling into a room first and drop your stuff off.

Unless you are staying at a guesthouse or hotel that costs > 120-160RM/night, there's probably no advantage to reserving a room using agoda or other booking websites. Just walk up and get room. There are certain air con rooms or bunks I know to go to for a day or two, and then migrate to a more preferred location for the remainder of my stay. Star Lodge, Siok, That 80s guesthouse, Menu Cafe and Lodge are all solid choices with air con. Crystals Guesthouse is ok also, although some of the rooms might have an interesting smell to them.

Money exchange

You can exchange most physical currency of what you need in Penang. If you take the airplane, then banks have exchange booths there at the airport. MiniBus drops you off in Chulia St or at least Komtar; plenty of exchangers there, but do check the rates (see photo below). Near the Sadao border, Malay side the bus may stop at a rest stop right before the border that will allow any last minute change to/from THB. I am unsure about the Padang Besar border by bus/foot. The int'l train there will be someone from the Thai side who will hustle exchanges from THB to MYR. You will need at least 1.20 RM per adult for the ferry. If you will be getting a RapidPenang weekly bus pass (recommended), that's 30RM after you cross the river to Weld Quay terminal (RapidPenang ticket office is closed on Sundays). You can exchange a few ringgit here on the train near the border or there may be one more opportunity with the Malay server at the stop before Butterworth. There have been situations where that guy ran out, so try not to wait until the last second.

The Malay ATMs have a hard limit of 1500RM usually (if they give out 20s and 50s) and as little as 300RM (if they only issue 10s), and they do not charge any additional fees for non-Malay bank cards. Check with your home bank what fees they charge for using atm card internationally. You will always get the VIsa/MC rates, which is close to the TT rates.

You can use http://daytodaydata.net/default.aspx and select THB to MYR 'notes' enter in the amount of THB and see the appx rates. Lower is better.

Or also quick check with google search. When you are coming back, you can switch the currencies so that it is MYR to THB.

Recently is was 8.5 for 1 RM. But on Chulia St, some exchangers were asking for as much as 12 baht per 1 RM. A friend of mine got taken for 11 to 1RM a few weeks ago without first following my advice, so be careful. I would walk to the bank if you think the street exchangers are giving you a bad deal. The exchanger on the train usually has a good rate, and comes on in Hat Yai and departs @ Padang Besar border. If you walked to Padang Besar via the land crossing, you could wait for the train to come and meet up with the exchanger if you cannot find one in the town.

Internet.

Penang has a free wifi hubs and they will be labeled "Penang Free Wifi". It's a pain to signup because you need a Malay national ID number to do it (maybe that's now updated to accept any passport #) So if you do manage to get a free account setup, save the username/password so you can reuse it while you are in Penang and also when you return to Penang it should still work. The speeds are acceptable (free), but you can tell there is throttling when large files are being downloaded. Some guesthouses have their own private free wifi. But especially the budget hostels, YMMV. They often use the stock wifi router that came with their ISP....that combined with lots of users may not lead to the best coverage in the hotel.

If you want dedicated (and portable) bandwidth, you can instead go with Maxis Hotlink sim card which has better 3G (and supposedly 4g) coverage of the different prepaid carriers. There are 2 different sim cards, one with better calling plans and one primarily for internet usage; so just mention that you will use it primarily for internet so they can give you the correct sim.

Cost is 10RM and comes with 5RM credit. and some free (snail) internet; it's worst than dialup or the fair use cap on most Thai carriers. To get the fast internet, you must immediately top up and activate a package to get the fast internet. I did the weekly package for 15RM, which gives you 500+250 = 750 MB. After 12 hours, I got 1GB free bonus internet for 72 hours, which was a nice gesture. So the 5RM on the sim card + 10RM topup for a total of 15RM so I could tether some internet on my phone. Works great for mobile internet. The same shop across from 7-eleven on Chulia St that I used to get Digi sim now has Hotlink sim, they were pretty good about setting up plans. Make sure they change the USSD language to English first. I've also used the Maxis shop @ queensbay, but I believe there is one at Komtar, and several shops have them.

Don't forget to bring either dedicated USB / Mifi modem, or tether through your phone (you get phone # and internet). .

Dining

Lots of food choices around Georgetown for the foodie, and even veggie foodies (some are more hidden away than others). Between the malls, hawker stands, markets, and standalone restaurants you'll go all round eating from one place to another. It can become like a game and even addictive if you are not careful. My favorite 'hidden' fruit stand and 1RM orange juice is done 'correctly' (hand squeezed vs juicer) is the tiny Lebuh Ah Quee @ the edge of Little India parallel to Chulia St stop light (near the firehouse). 11:00-19:00 everyday. Fresh fruit 0.50-1RM. This guy gets waves of locals.

I also made my friend a believer of the samosas. Quite filling for 0.60RM or 1.20RM for the meat ones. My favorite spot is Penang Rd by the main police station; not spicy.

Real pork can be difficult to find, but not impossible. Usually the chinese restaurants will have the fried/roast pork selection. But it may take a google search or walking around to know where to go. The old Sky hotel on Chulia St will sometimes open for lunch and they will often have a line of people getting their 'fix' There was also another restaurant Sin Nam Huat on a side street off Chulia St. Lebuh Cecil Market supposedly has the best roast pork.

This is a pretty comprehensive list of most of the hawker food places around Georgetown. Eat your heart out.

Thai Embassy

The Penang Consulate (alt link) is located across the street from St Christopher's Primary school which is at the corner of Jalan Macalister and Jalan Cantonment. Jalan Nunn is a side street of another side street Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman (Ayer Rajah Rd) in a residential neighborhood. Jalan Nunn also intersects with Jalan Utama. Either you take a taxi (12-20RM), catch a bus (2RM) or walk to get there (exercise). I've updated the different bus routes needed from the last report:

1) [easiest with 1+km walking] Take the 101 on Chula St or Komtar to Jalan Kelawei (near Gurney Paragon). Jalan Cantonment should be the next stop after sleeping budda (Lorong Bangkok). Walk down Jalan Cantonment about 20 min. If you went to Gurney Paragon, you went a little too far. You can still get off and walk back a little, take a side street down to Jalan Burma. The 101 runs every 10-20 minutes. If at Komtar, you can also take the less frequent #102 (Teluk Bahang)

2) [Easy and much less walking] Take the #10 from either the Jetty or Komtar towards Botanical Gardens. You will get off on Jalan Utama @ Jalan Nunn (just after you cross over Jalan Macalister). Walk down Jalan Nunn and the Thai consulate will be on your left.

3) [Easy with walking] Take the 103 from Komtar to Jalan Burma. (You will pass Gurney Paragon/Plaza and the bus circles around Jalan Bagan Jermal to Jalan Burma). Then either:

a) [Easy] Continue with 103 on Burma and get off at the stop before Jalan Cantonment. You'll see baskin robbins, Domino's Pizza, and Maybank on the right. Turn right at traffic light and walk down Cantonment about 20 min.

[intermediate, much less walking] immediately after turning left on Jalan Burma, you'll see #304 buses parked on left. Get off and switch to the next available 304 to Bukit Gedung. 304 goes down Jalan Cantonment. You can also wait for the 304 at the same stop before Cantonment in front of MayBank/Dominos.

4) [easy-intermediate, 1km walking]. Take the 101, 102 (Teluk Bahang), 103 to Island Hospital (roundabout @ Macalister and Lebuhraya Peel). Walk up Jalan Macalister 1km and turn right onto Cantonment.

If you are coming from Komtar area, it's shorter and quicker than going to Jalan Kelawai and then walking down Cantonment near Gurney Paragon or Jalan Burma.

5) [intermediate-advanced, less walking] Take the #202 or #203 from Jetty/Chulia St/Komtar to Jalan Air Itam and Jalan Scotland ( cross over Jalan Scotland and then get off at the next bus stop). Cross the street to Shang Wu primary school and switch to the #306 on Jalan Air Itam going to Pulau Hospital. You'd get off at St Christopher's primary school (Jalan Macalister and Jalan Cantonment).

**note: you have to trust these google maps and steps. The drivers don't always know where the Thai Consulate is and many times will default to telling you to "just take the 101". If you don't have a RapidPenang bus pass, just tell them the closest street intersection or major landmark you will get off at. Each bus leg will be 1.40 or 2RM max, bring exact change.

You can also walk it from the Jetty/Chulia St/Komtar in 50-70 min. It's appx 5km and you should start at around 07:30ish so that you are on time and not too hot. From Jetty, walk past Chulia St to and turn right on Jalan Magazine. Continue on Magazine behind Komtar and at the 5 way intersection, continue 'straight' onto Jalan Macalister. Continue on Macalister 4.5KM all the way to Jalan Cantonment. About 3/4 of the way there, you'll see a Island Hospital and a roundabout where Macalister becomes one-way again, but with traffic facing you. Continue on Macalister and turn right onto Jalan Cantonment. If you went to Jalan Utama, you went too far....but you can turn right onto Utama and then quick right to Jalan Nunn. I would only recommend this for the morning run when you drop off passport. It is quite hot and muggy during the day.

Consulate opens from 09:00 - 11:30 and takes applications during that time only. It reopens at 14:00 to 16:00 for passport pickup of the previous day's drop-off. It's unlikely that you can get rush service. You can use some of the guesthouses around Chulia st to do the running for you for 40RM (tourist) and 60-100RM (non-imm; not sure why it's more). Remember that the Consulate can be closed occasionally for Thai or Malay holidays. Check ahead.

There's a van with a guy Daniel that makes photocopies and does passport photos for reasonable prices. But you were already prepared and brought all your required paperwork (including passport photos) in a sheet protector before you got to the embassy, correct? Nevertheless, backups-to-backups don't hurt. And he arranges tickets onwards to KL, Hat Yai, etc. The Hat Yai one can pick you up at the embassy around 14:30-15:00, just after the 14:00 passport pickup time.

Time Zone

Malaysia is GMT +8 vs Thailand's GMT +7, so remember to adjust your clocks +/- 1 hour when crossing the border.

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Onward Travel

If you are looking to travel onwards from Penang, to Kuala Lumpur or other destination, then you may be able to do it via Train or Penang Sentral Bus station (alt link) on the Butterworth side (ferry), or Komtar and Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal (alt link) on the Georgetown side. You can get to Sungai Nibong via taxi for appx 20RM or RapidPenang bus for 2RM: AT, 301, 302, 303, 304, 306, 307, 401 (not 401e), 502 @ Komtar or Chulia St in some cases. Some of the long distance buses that go to Sungai Nibong also go to Komtar, so it is worth asking. Also, air travel is now a little easier because flights done within Malaysia are now domestic, and are cheap/frequent.

The AT, 102, 401E, and 306, take you to the airport.

It's a good idea if you are coming or going to Penang via coach bus, that you clarify if it will be going to Butterworth (Penang Sentral) or Georgetown (Komtar, Sungai Nibong) as the difference could mean some walking, especially with lots of luggage.

And for the train, using the intercity bus from ButterWorth to Sungai Petani (towards Padang Besar) or Parit Buntar (towards Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru) can help you catch trains that bypass Butterworth train station.

Traveling back to Thailand is basically just the reverse of what you did to get to Penang. But let's summarize some additional notes:

- The Weld Quay ferry to Butterworth is free. To catch the 14:00 Butterworth international train #36 towards Bangkok, make sure you are waiting at the gate by 12:00. Ferries run much slower at off-peak times and that will give you enough time to ensure you get there by 14:00. The train is usually late anyway, but I was caught once arriving at 14:20 and the train had already left. 100 RM lesson.

- RM isn't very valuable outside of Malaysia. If you have lots of RM, try to exchange most of it locally at a bank or street exchanger first. Then exchange the remaining at the airport/train/land border. Avoid taking RM coins to the land borders. You want to avoid going too far into Thailand with too much RM, unless you intend to return to Penang. The exchange rate will not be the best depending on the banks, they do not accept RM coins, and it's just one more thing you have to think about. Exchange whatever you have left at the border/train/etc exchanger is likely your best option; double-check MYR to THB notes. (alternate google quick-check).

- Minivan to Hat Yai. Swiss Travel, 395 Chulia St (Chao Vang's sister company in Penang), 04-2620133, 04-2620306. 35RM Other travel agents may offer something similar.

Newsia in Komtar has a coach bus to the border, then you change at Hat Yai. There may be other companies that run vans or buses as well, but you may have to switch vans @ the Sadao border. Also 35RM

Good idea to buy at least 1 day in advance in most cases, especially before a weekend or holiday.

You can also catch a minivan going back to Hat Yai, Thailand directly at the Thai consulate Penang when it is open. 40RM, the guy Daniel that works in the photocopy van sells tickets. If you buy from somewhere else, verify that they can pick you up at the Thai Consulate. They usually leave 14:30 -15:00, which means you need to be at the consulate by 14:00 to pick up your passport.

Some people also opt to catch the 16:45 direct flight to bangkok (Air Asia). Again, making sure you are at the Consulate by 14:00 helps greatly. Catch a cab (maybe someone will split with you if you are lucky), or if you already checked in online, you could attempt to take the bus from Jalan Macalister back to Komtar and walk inside Komtar and take AT, 102, or 401E to airport. Or walk fast up Jalan Cantonment to Jalan Burma in front of Maybank and catch any bus to Komtar. Or do a combo of both: take a quick taxi (10-12RM) to Komtar and catch bus. But the taxi should be 30-35RM to airport....might be worth the money to make sure you are on time, and you aren't as sweaty running around.

- If you don't want to take the 36 int'l train from Butterworth to Bangkok, you can take the #20 to Hat Yai, thailand, but that one is much earlier. You'd likely have to take a 05:00 ferry (free), walk to Penang Sentral and take the next available intercity bus to Sungai Petani (EB 60) for 4 RM. Catch the Sungai Petani train (19RM?) for @ 08:15 and it arrives in Hat Yai @ 11:20

- usually there is not that many scheduled transport options going to Thailand after 16:00, unless it is something chartered. So if you've miss out by around 15:30, just suck it up and wait until the next day. You have one last shot at Butterworth. Either take the train direct to Padang Besar, or walk 2 min to Penang Sentral and take the RapidPenang intercity bus to Sungai Petani (EB 60), then transfer to a Sungai Petani train to Padang Besar (07:56, 08:01, 08:16, 12:28, 14:08, 15:30, 20:00; a little over an hour) . But the minivan service to hat yai may stop around 18:00-ish, unless that has changed. I doubt the local bus to hat yai would run too late either. I also don't know what time the border closes. Unless there is another way, maybe you are better off waiting in Malaysia until the next day with more morning and afternoon options.

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What started as a simple how to ended up taking almost a month of putting it off and finding all the links. Enjoy and add feedback as appropriate. Fortunately the browser window didn't crash in between. Special thanks to Ryan, who ended up finding out about the hat yai minivan leaving direct from thai consulate without having to go back to Komtar or Chulia st.

[PattayaPhom]

Great report, Id just add to transport is motorbike rental, Thai licence is legal, petrol is exceptionally cheap and rental prices on a par with here.

[dean008]

I would like to add the authorities have made a complete mess of the station, and whereas It used to take just a few mins to walk to the ferry from the station (via a gate at the end of the platform), you now have about a 15 minute trek (the gate is now locked and not accessible), up and down over 100 steps (there is a lift but it can't accommodate a train full of passengers) to get to the ferry in the sweltering heat.

The last time I went I took a van to Hat Yai and caught the train to Bkk there, its about the same price and you need to leave at about the same time but, you avoid the silly station and get to spend a few hours in Hat Yai, not stuck in a train (easier if you are traveling light).

[asanee]

@2d. Those supposed direct vans from HKT/Sam etc to Png are all with a change into the regular vans in HYai.

@1.train. Its is a litttle cheaper to only book in TH as far as Pdg Besar and buy the new ticket at the KTMB desk-you have 1 hr anyway. Also good exchange from the cafe/restrt in the train stesyen-2nd floor. or pop into SuperRich or others before setting off when in BKk and knowing about how to. You DO need 2 sep. tickets from SRT if you switch seats/cars in Hyai and thus are penalised with paying twice the express supplmt. In that case its better to use another cheaper train to Hyai and use any van from there-no need for office-touts will be awaiting you and scream out at platform.

Note: untill 1/1/14 KTMB had a 50% DIScount for seniors, ID only proof needed. This is NO more-its now with a Malay MyKAD ID-accessible as such also for farang/foreigners, but only if you live long time in MY.

Rapid PNG buses are with exact cash only to use-most fares are 1 or 2 MY in town. 3 MYR to airport. They also have a free shuttlebus as far as Komtar in the old Png area, also stopping near ferry.

[xen]

If you want to have MYR in your pocket before you go we have exchanged THB for MYR at Vasu money exchange in soi 7 Sukhumvit.( I persume super rich is the same). It would be better exchange rate than on the train, but do your sum first, then do another exchange anoyher exchange in Penang.

[Lancashirelad]

Very imformative post. Thank you for taking the time to write it.

[asanee]

YOu have to rewrite the whole of the train section from 1/.1. As per then KTMB will completely reorganise its all-eletcric service and the rumour is, that the INTernational express will also be cancelled. SRT has already announced several new shuttle diesel sets HYai-PBesar. Better to link into seat61.com for uptodate info. These ''guides'' as above tend to become pretty fast outdated and old stories are only helping history and not actual travellers.

[asanee]

FERRY BTW-Penang: only pay TO island, its free from Png. Ditto for the toll on the bridge.

[Denim]

Have to agree that the second class sleeper is absolutely freezing cold and without warm clothing or an extra blanket it can be really uncomfortable.

Penang is a great place Well worth staying a few days as there is plenty to see and do and not spoilt by legions of tourists.

[4evermaat]

YOu have to rewrite the whole of the train section from 1/.1. As per then KTMB will completely reorganise its all-eletcric service and the rumour is, that the INTernational express will also be cancelled. SRT has already announced several new shuttle diesel sets HYai-PBesar. Better to link into seat61.com for uptodate info. These ''guides'' as above tend to become pretty fast outdated and old stories are only helping history and not actual travellers.

This seems to be a very recent development. Do you have any links to a specific article from SRT/KTM that will completely cancel the 35/36 int'l train service? It is the only int'l service of its kind. Adding more shorter shuttles does not necessarily mean that the longer one will be cancelled. There is no advantage to the customer to make the customer switch trains TWICE (once at hat yai, and then again at padang besar) to go all the way to penang.

Life is always changing. That doesn't mean that trip reports and guides become useless. The guide can always be updated when more concrete and verifiable changes to the 35/36 train schedule are confirmed as being implemented. Even then, I would wait until the new service rolls out before making any definitive comments on it. Writing a post about a regular train service that has been running since at least the 1970s and then only a week or so later later a rumor hits that it may be discontinued in a matter of weeks is hardly 'fast outdated' IMHO.

Guide already mentions that the ferry from weld quay to butterworth is free.

I would prefer if we kept the thread more peaceful and not let it become a rant over speculation of potential service changes. Lots of other TV threads for that.

----

In response to those recommending money exchange to MYR/RM inside thailand at some private exchangers. This is good option, but mainly limited to those people who are already traveling nearby those places. The int'l train rate and rates at either a Malay bank or reputable Malay private exchanger are usually pretty good.

Edited December 25, 2015 by 4evermaat

[Inyourendo]

Great post.....thanks.

Tell me, is the 2nd class sleepers comfortable and grouped together for family of 4 ?........i may have missed it....but what time does it get to the thai border....if changing trains from 1st class to 2nd ?

[4evermaat]

Great post.....thanks.

Tell me, is the 2nd class sleepers comfortable and grouped together for family of 4 ?........i may have missed it....but what time does it get to the thai border....if changing trains from 1st class to 2nd ?

Families and large groups travel in 2nd class all the time. Assuming there is room, they will usually book the beds so that you will be across from each other i.e. 2 lower and 2 upper bed bunks that face each other. If you have a toddler or smaller child, you can save a bed and the child can share with an adult (lower bed preferred). If they are taller than I think 60 or 70 cm, then there is a fee of appx 300 baht or so you pay on the train to the ticket stamper (depends on the length of the trip, they give you a written receipt). An extra blanket or long sleeve shirt is recommended regardless of transportation mode.

This page at seat61 has the times chart. But it is around 07:30-08:30 in the morning.

Edited January 10, 2016 by 4evermaat

[Jonathan Fairfield]

An excellent report. Thanks for sharing

[Fairynuff]

Great report. Generally quite accurate from my experience. Air Asia's most delayed route is Penang to Bangkok. Almost all my flights back have been delayed, once by 5 hours.

[rhodie]

Very useful information. Great post.

[jcnbkk]

Thanks for your informative post

[Dannie88]

Any info on the buses from Phuket bus terminal 2 that goes direct to Penang?