Is It Worth Travelling By Train In Thailand?

 Meandering through the countryside passing rice fields  and babbling streams. Relaxing with your friends and  eating amazing Thai food on your way to the rural  north. Making some new friends and learning Thai with  the locals. A train ride in Thailand is high on the list of  things to do for many people. However with  recent horrific tragedies the reputation of Thai trains  has been severely tarnished. New rules, including a ban on alcohol sales, mean many people are now using alternate methods of transports. So is it worth travelling by train in Thailand?

The Positives

– You get to see some amazing scenery. There are great places to travel through and see. From temples to sprawling cities and local villages to forests.

– The food vendors bring through a variety of cheap eats. You can try many different snacks or get a full meal. The prices are very good starting at 10 Baht for a snack.

– The private sleepers are reasonably good and you can get a decent nights sleep.

– 3rd class is very cheap. From Pak Chong ( Khao Yai ) to Bangkok I paid 23 Baht and its free for Thai citizens.

–  Hua Hin train station is magnificent. If going there I recommend doing at least one way of the trip via train, you wont be disappointed.

The Negatives

– Its slow. Very slow sometimes, and often delayed. My most recent journey was supposed to take 3 hours. It took 5.

– The online booking system is not straight forward. It involves emailing and hoping your date is available. Arrive on the day and chances are you wont get a first class sleeper.

– The ticket prices for long overnight journeys are comparable to flight prices. The arrival of many competing low cost airlines has reduced flight costs and increased their frequency.

– It can get crazy hot. If you are on a very busy train and happen to end up in 3rd class you will feel like you’re in a sauna. And you might not even get a seat.

Is It Worth Travelling By Train In Thailand?

So as you can see there are lots of positives and negatives regarding train travel in Thailand. Overall I would suggest that a journey from Bangkok to a far away location is best done by plane. With prices starting at around 900 Baht you can get a cheaper prices than a 1st class sleeper train ticket. Even if the plane ticket does cost more you still get better value for money in my opinion with the shorter travel time and convenience.

However, for a short journey it is worth considering the train. If you have spare time then you can take a slow ride to your destination. From Bangkok you can easily reach Auythayya, Hua Hin and Pattaya so sit back watch the world go by and enjoy a day on the train.