Long distances between cities are best covered by train, bus or a short domestic flight; once you are in a city, metro, taxi or ride-hailing apps handle the rest. The one thing to plan around before any of that: Thailand drives on the left, as shown in the facts box on this page.
Between cities: train, bus or plane
The State Railway of Thailand runs 4,044 km of track across 47 provinces, carrying around 35 million passengers a year on four main lines radiating from Bangkok, including a 751 km northern line to Chiang Mai. Trains come in first, second and third class: first class means an air-conditioned private cabin, second class a mix of seats and sleeper berths, and third class open bench seating that is the cheapest way to travel but not the most comfortable overnight. Booking has been possible online since 1 February 2017, and as of that update long-distance special express and express tickets open 90 days ahead of travel; local and commuter trains are still sold only on the day, at the station.
Long-distance buses are the cheaper, more frequent alternative to the train, running from Bangkok’s northern, southern and eastern terminals to almost every province, with air-conditioned coaches on the busiest routes. Where a bus or train would take most of a day, a domestic flight between Thailand’s regional airports usually saves the time at a modest premium over the bus fare. In the south, inter-island travel is by ferry or speedboat rather than road, since many of the popular islands have no bridge connection to the mainland.
Getting around Bangkok and other cities
Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain and MRT subway cover the central business, shopping and nightlife districts and are the fastest way to dodge street-level traffic; fares are distance-based and paid with a rechargeable smart card or single-journey token bought at the station. Outside Bangkok, only a handful of cities (Chiang Mai’s planned system aside) have anything similar, so taxis, songthaews (shared pickup-truck taxis) and motorbike taxis do the same job.
Metered taxis are common in Bangkok and other large cities; insist the driver uses the meter, since a flat fare offered up front is usually higher than the metered one would be. Ride-hailing apps are a reliable alternative: Grab, which expanded into Thailand in 2013 and launched its motorbike-taxi service in Bangkok in 2015, now runs car, taxi and motorbike-taxi bookings throughout the app after its car-hailing service was formally legalised in 2021. Booking through the app fixes the fare before you ride and avoids the language barrier of hailing on the street.
Driving yourself
Self-driving gives you access to places buses and trains do not reach, but it means adjusting to left-hand traffic (see the facts box) and to driving conditions that can be more congested and less predictable than what you are used to at home, especially around Bangkok and on provincial roads at night. A rental car makes the most sense for exploring one region at a slower pace, such as the north around Chiang Mai; it is a poor fit for a Bangkok-to-islands itinerary where the train, bus and ferry network already does the job.
Practical tips
- Book long-distance train tickets for popular routes and holiday periods well ahead; sleeper berths on the overnight lines to the south and north sell out first.
- Keep small baht notes for songthaews, tuk-tuks and bus fares; card payment is the exception outside city taxis and the Bangkok metro.
- Agree a fare or confirm the meter is running before a taxi or tuk-tuk moves off.
- A rechargeable BTS or MRT card is worth it if you are basing yourself in Bangkok for more than a couple of days.
What to check before you go
- Whether your route is faster by train, bus or a short domestic flight, given the time you have.
- Current train timetables and booking windows for the specific route and class you want.
- Whether your destination city has a metro or relies on taxis, songthaews and ride-hailing instead.
- That you are comfortable with left-hand traffic before renting a car or a motorbike.