I recently did this trip. It is long – around ten and a half hours so not for everyone. But the train is comfortable and you get a good view of the countryside as it changes from urban through agricultural to mountain and forest. Here are some hints and tips.
Buying Your Ticket
Book well in advance, as the train can be full. I would suggest 3-4 weeks ahead if possible. You want the Special Express 7 train which departs Krung Thep Aphiwat (KTA) central terminal at 0905 daily.
My advice is to buy your ticket via Thailand Railway online bookings here. I received instant email confirmation, and the e-ticket arrived via email a few days later. The ticket cost $AU77. Some aggregators are quoting about $20 less but check the fine print – they may want you to pick up a physical ticket somewhere. All seating is second class air conditioned; there are no sleeper options on the daytime train.
This story is part of our Slow Travel in South East Asia series. Read more here.
Preparing for Departure
Now this is very important….Stay somewhere close to the station the night before your journey. Morning traffic in Bangkok is horrendous and can be fully gridlocked. The KTA terminal is enormous. Make sure your driver drops you at Entrance 4, for the northern trains.
Otherwise, you can take the MRT to Bang Sue station, which connects with KTA. Keep in mind you will have quite a long walk through the terminal to get to the departure point.
Be in KTA 30 minutes prior to departure, to pick up snacks and board the train in a stress-free manner. The terminal is modern and the boarding process is slick; you don’t need to get there super-early. Expect the train to leave exactly on time.
Take your luggage on with you – expect a bit of a squeeze through the narrow doors. There is plenty of overhead storage to fit most backpacks and medium size suitcases. Large items will need to be stored on the shelves at the end of the carriage.
Enjoying the Trip
The journey takes about ten and a half hours and depending on time of year, the last couple of hours could be in the dark. Bring yourself some things to do for when you tire of the scenery.
There is no wifi or charging ports on the train so either bring a portable charger or be careful with your mobile usage. Mobile coverage becomes intermittent once you get into the mountains during the last four hours.
Seats are comfortable enough but you will want to get up and stretch from time to time. Toilets are adequate and the staff keep them clean.
There is no dining car so bring snacks and drinks. You can buy lunch…About an hour into the trip a lady comes round taking orders from a limited menu. What they clearly do is phone the orders ahead to a restaurant in one of the towns where the train stops. On my train the meals arrived at around 2.30pm. 60 Baht ($3) for some chicken and vegetables with rice and a sachet of stinky sauce, and a bottle of water. Not bad.
Arriving
The arrival in Chiang Mai is easy. It is a small station close to the city. There are a few taxi touts but they are quite helpful. I found myself sharing a tuk-tuk taxi with two other people and he charged us each 100 Baht ($5). Quite reasonable. Or you can try a Grab car.
Enjoy the trip and give me a thumbs-up if you found this helpful.
Steve is a former Army officer and technology manager, now semi-retired and living in Melbourne. He enjoys adventurous travel and believes that good stories should be shared. He founded the Dusty Boots Journal as a means to connect those with similar interests.