Travelling to Thailand

Bangkok Trip 2023

Travelling to Chiang Mai (3 Days)

I planned to go to Bangkok for 3 days and travel to Chiang Mai for 3 days.

Hence, first I booked the hotel one night stay in Bangkok which is near Airport Rail Line where does not need to to take taxi.

To travel to Chiang Mai, I can able to buy travel Bus or Train.

Train tickets can buy 3 months in advance which can select the seat.

Notes : If you buy from the agents, you cannot able to select the seats and will get in trouble.

Stay at night bazaar in Chiang Mai and visited to Flower festivals, 3D Art Museum and Chiang Rai as day tour.

When we return to Bangkok, need to change the train ticket from Class 2 to Class 1 due to the restriction of kid cannot sleep on upper bed since agent gave us upper bed for the 8 years old kid.

Hence we took Special Express No. 10 to go back to Bangkok. We went to Pattaya directly with grab.

Hence, I would suggest that when you arrive to Chiang Mai, go to the railway station and buy the return tickets as you want or buy the bus tickets.

I learned from the trip is no need to buy tickets online. If it is not festive season, the tickets are always available.

You need to plan properly is

How to go there
- How to buy tickets
  - Understanding about tickets
Where to stay
- How to book hotels and price ( actually local can book hotel as well)
Where to go
- How to get to the places ( taxi is needed everywhere, you need data plan)

How to go?

Depending for budget and there are multiple varieties .

Private car

Travel public Bus

Train

Flight

Train

Other overnight trains on the Northern Line:

1st Class Sleeper

1st Class CNR

1st Class Daewoo

2nd Class A/C Sleeper

2nd Class CNR

2nd Class Daewoo

2nd Class Fan Sleeper
2nd Class Fan Seat
3rd Class Seat

Decide the train, understand about trains and tickets

There are four overnight trains on the Northern Line to Chiang Mai.

They leave from Krung Thep Aphiwat Station:

Rapid No. 109
Special Express No. 9
Special Express No. 10.
Special Express No. 13
Special Express No. 14
Express No. 51
Express No. 52

Rapid No. 109
- The first one to leave is Rapid No. 109 that leaves Bangkok at 2:15 p.m. and arrives in Chiang Mai at the inconvenient time of 4:05 a.m. This train has 2nd Class and 3rd Class seating in carriages with a fan, and 2nd Class sleepers with air-conditioning.

Special Express No. 9 & Special Express No. 10
- The second train is Special Express No. 9 that leaves Bangkok at 6:40 p.m. and arrives in Chiang Mai at 7:15 a.m. There is one 1st Class sleeper carriages and nine 2nd Class sleeper carriages.
- All of them are air-conditioned and are the newer Chinese-built CNR carriages. The return journey is made by Special Express No. 10. This leaves Chiang Mai at 6:00 p.m. and arrives in Bangkok at 6:50 a.m.

Special Express No. 13 & Special Express No. 14
- The third train is Special Express No. 13 that leaves Bangkok at 8:05 p.m. and arrives in Chiang Mai at 8:40 a.m. This train has 1st and 2nd Class sleeper carriages and 3rd Class carriages with seats and fans only. The return journey is made by Special Express No. 14. This leaves Chiang Mai at 5:00 p.m. and arrives in Bangkok at 6:10 p.m.

Express No. 51 & Express No. 52
- The fourth train is Express No. 51 that leaves Bangkok at 10:30 p.m. and arrives in Chiang Mai at 12:10 p.m. Although you arrive late and miss half the day, this is a good train to enjoy the scenery as it passes through Northern Thailand as the sun is rising. This has 2nd and 3rd Class carriages with seating and fans, and 2nd Class sleeper carriages with air-conditioning. Sometimes this train also has 2nd Class sleeper carriages with fans. The return journey is made by Express No. 52 that leaves Chiang Mai at 3:30 p.m. and arrives in Bangkok at 5:10 a.m.

If you want to know more about train time table please take a look at here

If you want to know the tracking of the trains look at here

Day – 1 : BKK

Day – 2 : Bangkok to Chiang Mai

Take bus left Bangkok at 6:30 p.m. and arrives in Chiang Mai at 6:40 a.m.

It was about 900 THB and treated is MC Donald chicken burger.

Cannot sleep properly due to bus stopped at several stops.

Do not go to bus station early, no seat, no waiting place, not polite at all. Please go punctual time at 6:30 PM.

The bus station lady is extremely rude and she said her aunty is passed away. I found that she is only one person handling and treating customers as enemies.

No matter what happened, she should handle customers properly.

Day – 4 : around the city

Around the city

Day – 5 : Chiang Rai

White Temple, Blue Temple, Singha Park.

Day – 6 : Back to BKK

At Chiang Mai railway station.

Day – 7 : Pattaya

Sunset Pattaya

Day – 8 (Ko Larn Island aka Coral Island)

Island is beautiful. There are two ports.

One is local main villager lives there and no sceneries around there, Only the large hotels and resorts are located named as Naban Port.

One is most popular and largest beach on Ko Larn island named as Tawaen Beach.

You can go there by three ways.

You can take public ferry. (It is only 30 THB)
You can take shared speedboat which takes about 15-20 minutes. ( 200 – 300 THB one way)
you can take group speedboat ( about from 480 THB)

One person is 30 THB.

Time Table for Ferry