I absolutely love train travel in Southeast Asia, especially if they are done on one of those trains with open windows. This was not the case, though. I have heard that this night train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai was a beautiful journey, so I wanted to have the experience. I bought my ticket online; you can also do it on 12Go Asia, because it was easier for me.
Buy your train ticket from Bangkok to Chiang Mai HERE!
I was not in Thailand yet, and I know that train tickets can sell out days before the trip, so to make sure I had my desired bed on board, I had no choice but to buy it online. However, if you buy it at the train station itself, the ticket will be cheaper. The ticket price is 838 bh at the train station. If you can go to a train station days in advance just to buy the ticket, do it; but buying it online will avoid the hassle and sometimes turns out to make more sense.
Anyway, I have bought several train tickets in Thailand, and buying them online never allowed me the option to choose an upper or lower berth. But this time it was different.
Of course, a lower berth is better, not only because the upper berth doesn’t have a view, but also because it is wider and definitely more comfortable. I remember doing a trip in the upper berth, and I couldn’t even sit up straight, and I’m a short girl. The top bed is smaller and doesn’t have a window. If you can, choose the bottom one. Also, easier to access.
The trip by train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai is done mainly at night, so the view is something that won’t be enjoyed all the time, but the trip also includes several hours of daytime, so…
I bought the 2nd-class sleeper with AC. There was no fan option available. It wasn’t cold at all; the temperature on board was quite pleasant. No complaints from my side.
The train has bathrooms, a restaurant, and, surprisingly, no people walking by trying to sell all kinds of food and drinks. Instead, the restaurant workers go around with the menu to check if someone wants to order food. They had several options, but I didn’t need to buy anything. I took plenty of water with me and something to nibble on, just in case. This ride was shakier than I remember from other train travels… Usually the train swings, but I felt like this Northern Railway is worse than the Southern one. I have done several train rides to the south of the country, but this one train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai was definitely the one when the train was swinging more prominently. The bathrooms were constantly being cleaned, and toilet paper was constantly refilled.
The train departed from Krung Thep Aphiwat station in Bangkok at 8:05 pm sharp and was supposed to arrive in Chiang Mai at 8:40 am. As I thought, it didn’t happen, haha. From previous experiences, I was expecting some kind of delay, but it was delayed even more than I could have predicted. We arrived in Chiang Mai at about 10 am. So I think you shouldn’t expect this train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai to meet its schedule.
I slept kinda well; they provide a pillow and a comfy blanket, and besides the shakes, the night wasn’t that bad. What annoyed me the most was the fact that I woke up at 6:30 am with a lady shouting, “breakfast,” OH MY! Why so early?? I couldn’t sleep after that, and there were still many hours ahead on this journey. It was what annoyed me the most, as I could have slept for longer.
At around 8 am, the steward came to undo the beds and transform them into seats so the person sleeping up there could also enjoy some of the scenery. A very lush green one!
Note that the train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai was filled with foreigners. I can say that 80% of my wagon was foreign travelers, so if you are willing to meet some people on board, that can be a chance. I wasn’t willing to do this time, but I heard people connecting and exchanging contacts for the next few days in the city.
But Chiang Mai wasn’t my final destination. There was still more ahead, haha. My final destination was Chiang Dao, a place not far away and reachable by public bus, where I’ll stay for 1 month in a house up on a hill surrounded by nature. Check out more about Chiang Dao in the next post.
