Nong Khai / Vientiane
Lao visa on arrival is available at this crossing, the most popular means of entering Laos by land. The crossing is actually around 20km from Vientiane and a few km from the centre of Nong Khai, but regular and affordable transport is available in both directions.
By train
The State Railway of Thailand has a train service from Bangkok to Nong Khai every day. For further information, contact the travel service unit, Tel. 1690, 0 2220 4334, 0 2220 4444, or visit the website www.railway.co.th http://www.railway.co.th/english/index.asp
We purchased first class sleeper seats from Bangkok to Nong Khai Mai for a price of Bht 1,077 one way. This was for the night train/sleeper, aircon car. You can buy the tickets in advance (I think as far as 60 days) but be careful that they are not very flexible in terms of refunds or changing day of departure
The morning was spent packing up our purchases from Chatuchak and segregating our Bangkok clothes from what we would be bringing to Lao. We jettisoned our 'city' clothes into a piece of luggage, export packed a Jumbo Box of things from Chatuchak and left them both with the hotel bell captain for storage during our trip to Lao. This is cheaper and probably safer (depending on your hotel) than keeping things in long-term storage at a train station or airport.
We were booked on train No. 69 for the Bangkok-Nong Khai trip, departing Bangkok's Hualumpong Train Station at 20:30 and arriving Nong Khai 8:40 the next day. (old info)
The train arrived in Nong Khai at about 9:00 the next morning. Although we used the sleeping car, it was a bit of a rough night - as I do not have much practice sleeping on trains. Besides, the view of the night sky kept us awake. Views of the contellations were fantastic - with nearly zero light pollution! If you are a fan of the night sky, I suggest you bring a field guide/star map, as the constellations seem to jump from the sky with clarity. Pulling into Nong Khai let us know we were in the boonies. Boarded the train in a city of 10+ million and awoke in Nong Khai, a small border town of about 25,000 people.
From the train station, one can hire a tuk-tuk driver, motorcycle or taxi to get to the border crossing point, the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. The taxi/tuk-tuk system is *very* informal at the train station, and it will be up to your bargaining skills to get the best price. We took a tuk-tuk for about US$3.00 total for two people and bags. The tuk-tuk took us to the crossing point, the 1,000 meter Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. It opened in 1994 and is one of the very few bridges over the Mekong. One has to officially exit Thailand here, with a chop to the passport, and catch a ride on a shuttle bus (about 20 Baht if I recall) that goes across the bridge to the Lao immigration check point. Have one passport photo ready, along with US$30 in cash for the Lao visa. One can fill out a visa application on the spot and enter Lao for a stay of 15 days.
Finally, after traveling 1/2 way around the world - we were in LAO!
The border was quiet, nearly desolate in its remoteness. We began to seek out transport to Vientiane. We understood from the guide books that it was about a 20 minute drive from the Bridge. Again, as with the train station in Nong Khai, the transportation system on the Lao side of the Friedship Bridge is informal. Bargaining is a must. Taxis, tuk-tuks and vans are available. It is not chaotic and I was actually surprised that there were not more taxis or people waiting. waiting for those who were crossing the bridge after arriving on the express train from Bangkok. Alas, we had a few choices of transport. We found a driver who understood our very rudimentary Lao and spoke enough english to get us to our guesthouse
The State Railways of Thailand are easily the best way to get around and see the country. Train travel in Thailand is comfortable, safe, cheap, environmentally friendly. And unlike flying, it's a genuine Thai experience that makes the journeys as much part of your trip as the destinations... In fact, Thailand has one of the best metre-gauge rail systems in the world. Taking the train is the best way to travel between Bangkok & Chiang Mai, and a train+ferry combo is the best way from Bangkok to Ko Samui. Train & bus is the best way from Bangkok to Krabi or Phuket. Heading for Laos? Hop on the Bangkok-Nong Khai train, as Vientiane is just across the river. Taking the train is also a wonderful way to travel between Bangkok, Penang, Kuala Lumpur & Singapore, the whole 1,249-mile journey to Singapore taking 48 hours and costing a mere $50/£33 one-way including sleeper berths for both nights. This page explains how to travel by train in Thailand, with train schedules, fares, and how to buy tickets both within & from outside Thailand
http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm#Bangkok%20to%20Nong%20Khai
How to buy train tickets
How to buy tickets at the station...
It's easy to buy tickets yourself at the station when you get to Thailand. All long-distance express trains require a reservation, which can be made on the day of travel or up to 60 days in advance. Reservations are computerised, and the booking office at any main station can reserve seats or berths for any journey in Thailand. Your ticket will have the train time and your seat or berth number printed on it. In Bangkok, Hualamphong Station has a well-organised reservation office, open daily 08:00-16:00. From the main entrance, walk towards the platforms, and the reservation office is tucked away on the extreme right, more or less level with the entrance to the platforms. There's a queuing system: When you enter, take a numbered ticket from the machine and wait until your number appears on the display, directing you to a particular reservation counter. The staff are friendly and helpful. 3rd class local trains such as Bangkok-Ayutthaya or Bangkok-Kanchanaburi don't require a reservation, you just turn up, buy a ticket and hop on.
Other ways to buy Thai train tickets...
Although it's easy to book at the station, if you want to travel at peak Thai holiday periods (for example, around Christmas & New Year) or absolutely positively have to be on a specific train soon after arrival in Thailand, it's a good idea to book in advance. You can do this in several ways: Online, using the new system introduced in February 2009; By email direct to Thai Railways; Or by emil from one of several reputable Thai travel agencies such as Traveller2000. Each of these options is explained below.
1) Buy tickets online at www.thairailwayticket.com. New from February 2009!
Thai Railways have at last launched an online ticket booking website, with partners Prida Pramote, at www.thairailwayticket.com. The system will currently only book 2nd class sleepers on a few key routes & trains, including the best trains 1/2 & 13/14 between Bangkok & Chiang Mai, and key trains Bangkok to Surat Thani, but not yet Bangkok to Nong Khai for example. However, once it is running successfully they plan to extend it to other classes, routes & trains. Give it a go! Bookings open 60 days before departure, you can use this system from 60 days down to 3 days before departure. You need to register - it won't accept UK postcodes, so use that old favourite, '12345'. You pay securely by Visa or MasterCard, and print out your own ticket. I have successfully managed to register, and have made a test booking as far as the payment stage, but if you use it please let me know how you get on.
PN tested look like it worked
Traveller Graham Roberts reports (Feb 2009): "I have just used it successfully to book some Thai train tickets. Besides the limitations stated above, it will only accept bookings of 2 persons maximum (at a time) and it will not allow you to select upper or lower berth. I booked two tickets and was given one upper and one lower both together, and then I made another booking and was given one upper, no choice (it is in the same coach but some distance from the other two). Credit card payment went through successfully. I made a booking 52 days ahead. The website states you can go up to 60 days in advance. One is able to print off one’s tickets which look similar to those you actually get in Thailand. Once in Thailand I will try to change my tickets for the berths that I prefer."
2) Buy tickets by email direct to State Railways of Thailand, passenger-ser@railway.co.th...
To book with the State Railways of Thailand, email them at least 15 days (but less than 60 days) before your date of travel on passenger-ser@railway.co.th or fax + 66 2 225 6068. Your fax or e-mail must include the journey, date, train number, departure time, class, seat or sleeper (upper or lower berth), number of passengers, your name and e-mail address. You eventually will receive an e-mail confirmation, and you then collect and pay for your tickets at Bangkok Hualamphong station booking office at least 1 hour before departure. Bookings open 60 days before departure, but email bookings are only accepted more than 15 days before departure to give them time to respond. The Thai railways charge 200 Baht (£3 or $5) per email booking. Booking this way normally works well, but recently several people have said they waited up to 2 weeks for a reply, and one correspondent says he waited a month, so you may just have to be patient. Some people have recently (2009) reported that they haven't had a reply. If you have any problems, or need to make a booking less than 15 days before departure, try using an agency such as Traveller2000 or Thaifocus as shown below.
3) Buy tickets from agencies www.traveller2000.com, www.thaifocus.com, www.asia-discovery.com
You can book Thai train tickets through several reputable Thai travel agencies such as those listed above. These agencies will book trains for you and have the tickets waiting for you at your hotel in Bangkok, or they can send them to you in the UK by courier. Naturally, they charge a small fee for this. Traveller 2000 charges the normal Thai Railways fare plus (normally) a 300 Baht (£6/$10) booking fee but they now say they'll reduce this to 150 Baht (£3/$5) if you say you're been referred by seat61.com. You can pick up tickets at their office or have them delivered to your hotel. They charge 400 Baht (£6/$10) for airport delivery or whatever the actual overseas courier costs to your home country. Five seat61 correspondents have highly recommended www.traveller2000.com, saying they give good and reliable service, and two have recommended www.thaifocus.com (though another has said that Thaifocus charges higher fees) Shop around to check what fees each agency charges before booking. Reservations open 60 days (2 months) before departure, so you can't book before then.
How quickly do trains get fully booked?
People often ask, "Will I be OK booking my Bangkok-Chiang Mai ticket at the station on the day?". It's normally fairly easy to find seats or berths available even on the day of travel or perhaps the day before, especially if you aren't fussy about which train you take or in which class. But trains do get fully booked at peak Thai holiday periods. If you're flexible and aren't travelling in a peak holiday period, you'll be fine buying tickets when you get to Thailand. But if it's important to be on a specific train in a specific class on a specific date, then book in advance as shown above, it's worth the small agency fee to be sure of a place.
You can get a feel for whether to pre-book or just buy tickets when you get there by using the real-time seat availability check below. This shows how many seats/berths remain available on each train on key routes today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Would you have got a seat or berth in the class you want on the train you want if you'd been trying to buy tickets today for travel tomorrow?
How to check seat / berth availability at the Thai Railways website... (PN Tested - worked)
To get a feel for how quickly Thai trains get booked up, there's a seat availability check on the Thai Railways website, which will show you how many seats remain available in each class on each train on each date over the next month. The English version hasn't worked for some years, but the Thai version works, so here's how to use it, with thanks to traveller Bob McCormick:
Go to www.railway.co.th/seatcheck2/aseat.asp. It's in Thai, but don't panic, here's the translation.
The first drop-down box is for the route. The options are:
Top = Bangkok to Chiang Mai (Northern Line)
Middle = Bangkok to Hua Hin, Surat Thani, Hat Yai, Butterworth (Southern Line)
Bottom = Bangkok to Nong Khai (for Vientiane), Ubon Ratchathani (Northeastern Line)
The second drop-down box is for direction.
Top option = Trains leaving Bangkok
Lower option = Trains heading towards Bangkok
The next three fields are day, month, year (Remember that 2009 = 2552 in the Thai calendar!). Use two digits for 'month', so January = 01.
Click the button and you'll get a summary of seat or berth availability in each class on each train, in English. Easy when you know how!
Bangkok - Nong Khai (for Vientiane in Laos) |
Vientiane, capital of Laos, is across the Mekong River from Nong Khai in Thailand, which has direct daytime and sleeper trains from Bangkok. Work is in hand to extend the railway into Laos, but in the meantime, there are frequent buses and taxis available for the 23 km between Nong Khai and Vientiane, via the 1994-built Friendship Bridge over the Mekong.
Bangkok ► Nong Khai (for Vientiane)
Km Train number: 133 77 69 * Classes: s,2,3 DRC 1,S 0 Bangkok (Hualamphong) depart: 18:40 18:30 20:00 22 Don Muang depart: 19:27 19:13 20:50 71 Ayutthaya depart: 20:12 19:47 21:41 624 Nong Khai arrive: 07:35 05:05 08:25 630 Tha Naleng (Laos) arrive: -
-
10:05 **
643 Vientiane (Laos) arrive: See notes A & B below...
Classes...
1 = 1st class sleeper. S = 2nd class sleeper (air-con). s = 2nd class sleeper (non-air-con). 2 = 2nd class seats. 3 = 3rd class seats. DRC = Diesel Railcar express with 2nd class air-conditioned seats, meals included.
* Recommended trains.
** Three cars of the overnight train 69 from Bangkok & train 70 to Bangkok are extended to/from Tha Naleng in Laos as from 5 March 2009 (the 1st class air-con sleeper, one 2nd class air-con sleeper, one 3rd class car).
Note A: Local transport Nong Khai to Vientiane: Nong Khai is a few kilometres from the Friendship Bridge over the Mekong River linking Thailand to Laos. Take a local tuk-tuk taxi from Nong Khai railway station to the Nong Khai bus station. A shuttle bus runs from the bus station across the Friendship Bridge to Laos every 20 minutes throughout the day, fare about 30 baht. It stops at Thai immigration 5 mins after leaving the bus station then crosses the Friendship Bridge to arrive at Lao customs & immigration some 10 mins later. You now remove your luggage from the bus luggage hold and go through Lao customs. Take another tuk-tuk to your chosen hotel. In the reverse direction, make sure you allow plenty of time for frontier formalities before catching your train. Try this link for more information on the shuttle bus.
Note B: New rail connection to Vientiane from March 2009: Work to extend the Bangkok-Nong Khai railway across the Friendship Bridge into Laos started in 2007, and the new line is due to open as far as a new rail passenger terminal at Tha Naleng, just on the Laos side of the Friendship Bridge some 13 km from Vientiane, on 5 March 2009 (it had been due to open in April 2008, but was delayed). An extension to the suburbs of Vientiane is being studied, in the meantime plenty of local buses & taxis are available between Tha Naleng & Vientiane city centre.
Nong Khai (for Vientiane) ► Bangkok
Train number: 76 * 70 * 134 Classes: DRC 1,S,3 s,2,3 Vientiane (Laos) depart: See notes A & B above... Tha Naleng (Laos) depart: - 16:15** - Nong Khai depart: 06:00 18:20 19:05 Ayutthaya arrive: 15:30 04:23 05:34 Don Muang arrive: 16:12 05:22 06:26 Bangkok (Hualamphong) arrive: 17:10 06:25 07:30 How to buy tickets Map of train routes in Southeast Asia Check seat/berth availability Taking bikes
Fares
1st class sleeper
a/c express train
2nd class sleeper
a/c express train
2nd class seat
a/c fast railcar
2nd class seat
ordinary train
3rd class seat
ordinary train
Bangkok-Nong Khai 1,217 (£17, $30) 778 (£10, $18) 498 (£7, $11) 388 (£5, $9) 258 (£4, $7) Children aged 0 to 3 and less than 100cm in height travel free, children aged 4 to 11 and under 150cm travel at half fare, children 12 years old and upwards (or over 150cm high) pay full fare.
The 2nd class sleeper fares shown here are for a lower bunk, a narrower upper bunk is 50-100 baht less. Non-air-con sleepers (available on a few trains) cost 160-200 baht less than the air-con variety. You can check fares at www.railway.co.th (but do this by selecting 'timetables' as the fares shown at the bottom of each timetable page include the air-conditioning supplement, sleeper & special express supplements. If you select the 'fares' option, the fares shown don't include those supplements.
Railway to Laos opening March 2009... The new rail terminal at Tha Naleng, just on the Laos side of the Friendship bridge. In early 2009, some Bangkok-Nong Khai trains will be extended to start/terminate at Tha Naleng. Photo courtesy of Bob Fletcher
