How to Book Online Train Tickets in Thailand
Thailand is a fantastic country to explore by train, and in this guide you can learn how to easily book your train ticket online.
Whether you want to take the train to popular tourist destinations like Chiang Mai or travel overland to Malaysia, Cambodia, or Laos, it is all possible by rail. You can even reach popular Thai islands such as Phuket and Ko Samui by combining the train with a ferry, saving you from a long and uncomfortable bus journey or an unnecessary domestic flight.
Train travel in Thailand is not only affordable, but also comfortable, and it allows you to truly see the country as you travel – something you cannot experience by bus or plane!
Booking Thai train tickets online
By far the best website for booking train tickets online in Thailand is 12Go.
12Go is a highly reliable booking website where you can easily book all your Thai train tickets. It has a user-friendly interface, accepts all foreign debit and credit cards, and instantly sends your e-ticket for the train directly to your email inbox.
Another great feature of 12go is that its booking engine displays all available transport options. In addition to trains, it shows fares for minivans, buses, private taxis, ferries, and even domestic flights in Thailand, allowing you to easily compare options and choose the one that best suits your needs in terms of price, comfort, or schedule.
Use the search tool below to see all available transport options for the route you plan to travel in Thailand!
Most popular train routes in Thailand
Because of its unusual geography, almost all railway lines in Thailand are centred on the capital, Bangkok. While Bangkok is well connected to most of the country, travelling between different regions by train often requires going via the capital.
These are the main train routes in Thailand:
- Bangkok to Chiang Mai: This route features both daytime trains and overnight sleeper trains.
- Bangkok to Surat Thani (for Phuket, Krabi, Ko Samui): Take one of the several daily sleeper trains from Bangkok to Surat Thani in southern Thailand, where you can transfer to a bus for popular beach destinations such as Krabi on the mainland, or continue to the islands of Phuket and Ko Samui with a bus and ferry combination.
- Bangkok to Vientiane, Laos: On this route you can choose between daytime and night trains to the Thai border station at Nong Khai, or take the international sleeper train that travels directly from Bangkok to Vientiane.
- Bangkok to Cambodia: There are no direct trains from Thailand into Cambodia, but you can take one of the two daily services from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet and the Thai border station at Ban Klong Luk, from where you can walk across the border to Poipet. Once in the Cambodian city of Poipet, it is easy to find a taxi or bus to Siem Reap (for Angkor Wat) or Battambang.
- Bangkok to Malaysia: There are multiple options to get from Thailand to Malaysia by train, depending on which destination in Malaysia you want to reach. For destinations in Western Malaysia (Langkawi, Penang, Kuala Lumpur), take a night train from Bangkok directly to the Malay border station of Padang Besar. Alternatively, take a night train from Bangkok to Hat Yai and then a local train to Padang Besar. At Padang Besar, you can take an onward train to Arau (for the Langkawi ferry) and Butterworth (for the ferry to Butterworth on Penang). To reach Kuala Lumpur, change at Butterworth onto another train further south into Malaysia.
To reach destinations in eastern Malaysia from Thailand, take a night train from Bangkok to Sungai Kolok and walk across the border to Rantau Panjang in Malaysia. From there, you can take a bus or taxi to Kuala Besut for a ferry to the Perhentian Islands, or to the Merang jetty for a ferry to Redang. From Rantau Panjang, you can also connect to the Malaysian railway stations at Tumpat or Wakaf Bharu to board a sleeper train along the famous Jungle Line to Johor Bahru.
Apart from the mainline routes mentioned above, the following railway lines also offer useful train services for tourists:
- Bangkok to Kanchanaburi: The town of Kanchanaburi is the best base for exploring the Bridge over the River Kwai. If you want to cross the actual River Kwai railway bridge, you need to continue a few miles beyond Kanchanaburi by taking the train to Nam Tok. Two daily trains.
- Bangkok to Ayutthaya: There are multiple trains a day to get from Bangkok to Ayutthaya if you want to visit the temples and ruins of the ancient capital of Siam.
The trains mentioned above can all be booked through 12Go.
About Thai trains
On trains in Thailand you will come across the following travel classes. Note that not all classes are available on every train.
- 1st class sleepers: Fully lockable 2-berth compartments on night trains, with a washbasin. Berths are sold individually, so as a solo traveller you will share with another passenger of the same sex, unless you buy both berths for private occupancy.
- 2nd class sleepers: Open plan sleeper carriage on night trains, with berths on either side of the aisle. Each berth has a privacy curtain.
- 2nd class seats: Standard seats, usually in a 2+2 configuration. Often, both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned coaches are available for booking.
- 3rd class seats: Padded or wooden benches. Usually crowded with local people, and non-air-conditioned, but with the advantage of fully opening windows.
Thai sleeper trains usually have a restaurant carriage where you can buy meals and drinks. Otherwise, you are welcome to bring your own supplies or purchase food and drinks from the many vendors on the platforms at intermediate stops. Note that consuming alcohol on Thai trains is strictly prohibited.
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