Booking the Train from Aranyaprathet to Chiang Mai!
by Lily
(S.L.C. Utah USA)
Thailand Trains - ideal for budget travelers!
Hi I am currently in Cambodia & want to book 2x train tickets from Aranyaprathet via Bangkok to Chiang Mai, but am finding it completely impossible to know how to do this on the internet.
Please can you help me!!!.
Lily
Comments for
Booking the Train from Aranyaprathet to Chiang Mai!
By Train - Aranyaprathet to Hualamphong Train Station by: Kevin (Administration)
Two trains a day each direction connect Aranyaprathet with Bangkok's Hualamphong Train Station. In the the Hualamphong-to-Aranyaprathet direction (i.e. to Cambodia), trains depart at 05:55 and 13:05, arriving at 11:20 and 18:05 respectively. In the Aranyaprathet-to-Hualamphong direction (i.e. to Bangkok), trains leave at 06:40 and 13:55, arriving at 12:05 and 19:55, respectively. The fare is 48 baht; the surcharge for a bicycle is 80 baht.
WARNING: The official Thai railroad site (railway.co.th) had been a virus host for months as of Feb 2010. If you want to browse there, Google Chrome is smart enough to tell you if it is still infected. - buy your ticket at the station NOT ONLINE!
If you are starting at the border and heading to Bangkok, once you clear the border mess look for a tuk-tuk or taxi to take you to the train station, as it is several miles. Tuk-tuk should cost about 80 baht (there is an ATM near the taxi/shuttle area), but they will gladly take a few US dollars.
All trains are 3rd-class, which means no A/C (windows open for a substantial breeze). There are toilets and sinks. Seats are a mixture of padded bench, padded bucket, and wooden bench types. Choose the shady side of the train. The train is a great opportunity to watch people, countryside and wildlife. During the dry season, do not be alarmed when smoke and ash blows through the windows; they burn the rice fields.
There are many food and drink vendors that work the cars, so there is no need to bring food, as that offered by the vendors is both delicious and cheap. If you see a vendor selling thick bamboo tubes, that is "bamboo rice", a mildly sweet and savory sticky rice, most easily eaten with chopsticks. Many things wrapped in banana leaf are fishy/chili substances that are peculiar to Western palettes but also very tasty. Eat raw salads at your own risk. The vendors speak no English at all.
Once you arrive at Hualamphong Train Station in Bangkok you should then IMMEDIATELY book your onward ticket to Chiang Mai (hopefully for the same day!)
