I'd like to travel from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet around April 16, during the Songkran festival.

Which means of transport is best for me, train or bus? I understand that the bus journey is normally quicker, but traffic during the festival can be a problem. Thanks you for your advice. Minnie

 

Aranyaprathet is a popular destination with visitors wanting to visit the border market or go to one of the seven the casinos in the area between the border checkpoints of the two countries. Foreigners also use this border crossing for their Thai visa runs or to enter Cambodia en route to the Angkor temples.

You are quite right that train journey to Aranyaprathet is quite slow compared to the bus. Aranyaprathat is located about 255 kilometres from Bangkok, and only six kilometres from the Cambodia border checkpoint in Poiphet. From here you can find buses that run to Siem Reap and Battambong. Trains from Bangkok are very slow and have only third class seats. No reservation is required, so you can just turn up at the station, buy a ticket and jump on the train. It leaves twice a day from Hualamphong Station: the first is at 5.55am and arrives at Aranyaprathat at 11.35am. The second one departs at 1.05pm and arrives at 5.35pm. A ticket costs only Bt48. 

If you travel by bus, it usually takes about four hours, and a ticket costs Bt207. Buses depart more frequently and if you miss one, you won’t have to wait too long for the next. But the quickest way of getting there is by van. They depart regularly from the Victory Monument and the trip takes three hours only. 

The Songkran festival ends on April 16, so the traffic will be congested on the inbound trip to Bangkok. You shouldn’t have many traffic problems getting out of Bangkok on that day.

 

 

Hi, I have some more questions regarding our trip to Northern Thailand in June. We were thinking of doing a portion of the Mae Hong Son loop from Chiang Mai. Would two nights in Pai and then another two nights in Mae Hong Son town be adequate time to do the area justice? We are considering renting a car for the Mae Hong Son loop. Is that a good idea or should we rely on alternative transportation? Mari

 

The Mae Hong Son loop is really interesting and the road conditions are generally very good. The only place where you might hit some traffic congestion is in Chiang Mai town, especially during the rush hour. Renting a car is by far the best way of driving the loop. The driving is easy and the traffic light. 

Driving from town to town in northern Thailand will be fun and I’d advise you to bring or rent a GPS for convenience. This will cut out a lot of worry about directions when you are on the road and allow you to enjoy more of the surroundings.  The mountain roads are not easy to drive and at 150 kilometres from Chiang Mai to Pai, it will easily take more than three hours. There are lots of bends and sharp curves to navigate, but you don’t have to bear a long distance drive in one go as there are many stops for coffee and snacks along the way.

I think five days and four nights along the winding roads will give you plenty of time to do what you want along the way. Do remember to fill up with petrol when you are in big towns, as gas stations are few and far between in the mountains. 

Pai has a lot going on in terms of tourism but you can still find plenty of quiet corners around there. The drive from Pai to Mae Hong Son is only two hours, but your last drive from Mae Hong Son back to Chiang Mai can be a long, unless you break it up in either Mae Sariang or Doi Inthanon for a night. Bon Voyage!