Road trip from Chiang Mai to Hua Hin

[didster]

Hello. Has anybody done a road trip to Hua Hin from Chiang Mai (and return)?. Have a child and a dog on board too. Any tips or places to stop off on the way? Was thinking of Ayutthaya and Sukothai. Any advice greatly appreciated

Thanks Leanne

[true blue]

done it three times,Enroute to patong,went the chinat way,Takes about 9hours to hua hin,reasonably good roads,mainly dual carriageway.

Edited April 3, 2016 by true blue

[khwaibah]

Highway 1 is under repair and you can be held up due to traffic, also the parts that aren't being repaired are like a washboard. Besides that as said its about a 9 hour drive.

[anto]

I can vouch for Ayutthaya as being worth stopping to see .Maybe overnight there .It has an area with many guest houses ,and restaurants .

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I wouldn't stop anywhere and just drive Hua Hin, leaving Chiang Mai seriously early, like 5 or 6am. Then you get there in the afternoon.

Take the #9 ring around Bangkok so you don't get caught there. No need for the really exotic shortcuts through the boonies of Central Thailand, not worth it.

But if you do want to stop, Sukhothai is a bit too early and not on the main Highway #1, and Ayutthaya you're nearly there.

If you do want to stop then I'd make it Kamphaeng Phet, which is actually a nice place with some stuff to see, and half way to Bangkok, and directly off the main Highway. (Unless this is mostly tourist travel, then Sukhothai is objectively more impressive, of course.)

Edited April 3, 2016 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Rotweiler]

We did the trip to Sam Roi Yot (about 100km past Hua Hin) 2 weeks ago. When doing that trip (twice a year) we always overnight at Chi Nat - the break makes the trip MUCH easier.

The traffic through Bangkok is terrible with lots of construction. Fastest route to partially bypass Bangkok is to use Kanchanaphisek Road.connecting to Highway 35.

Route WILL take you a total of 10-11 hours because of construction delays.

[Rotweiler]

I should have mentioned that Kanchanaphisek Road is also known as Highway 9 - and was mentioned above as a preferred route.

[itsmylife]

A hotel that allow the pet dog he bring along is the place he need to check it out first.

[Sparkles]

Highway 1 is under repair and you can be held up due to traffic, also the parts that aren't being repaired are like a washboard. Besides that as said its about a 9 hour drive.

Did Highway 1 down as far as Khampaeng Phet recently and being dry season there are many road works underway and not a lot of activity to get the job done.

Encountered a lot of trucks heading back to Bangkok empty ,care is needed they are in a hurry.

[augustwest]

done it three times,Enroute to patong,went the chinat way,Takes about 9hours to hua hin,reasonably good roads,mainly dual carriageway.

True blue could you tell me routes you took please.

The one time I made trip met FIL in Bangkok 8 hours

Then followed him to Hua Hin 5 hours

13 hours I won't do again but 9 is definitely doable.

I have available a pool villa anytime I want in Hua Hin and would drive straight through

[grin]

We've taken an alternate route that skips Bangkok altogether. From Chai Nat take 340 to Suphan Buri. Then 321 to Nakhon Pathom and 4 on down. The first time we tried this route we were just bored with the normal route but it is mostly 4 lanes and an easy drive with completely different scenery. Using this route during off peak hours it took slightly less time than going down to Bangkok and using 9 as a bypass.

[jonwilly]

Done trip over 6 times.

Me and my GPS.

I honestly think that unless you Mrs is a good map reader, the Chi Nat route is preferable.

GPS at speed is hard to follow and my Garmin gets confused when "Mortorways" meet/depart.

The Chi Nat route is straight forward, especially if you use the Motorcyclist trick of planning your route, writing out in Large Letters and I would suggest sticking to your Steering wheel hub.

john

PS I know Thailand does not have true Motorways/Autobahns.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

A hotel that allow the pet dog he bring along is the place he need to check it out first.

All hotels allow dogs. In the truck in the parking lot. Usually a kind security dude around to keep an eye on the dog as well.

Or if you like to keep the dog close then motel/resort style accommodation works best, with some individual bungalows scattered around. Dog can usually stay on the porch then.