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Home > Travel Guide > Getting to Thailand
GETTING
TO THAILAND
Thailand
has always been a popular destination and often
the starting point for exploration of the rest
of Southeast Asia, China and further points East.
Thailand is served by a total of over 80 international
airlines landing mainly in Bangkok, but also an
increasing number of international flights arrive
in Phuket, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai. Domestic airports
have also grown in number and all have connecting
flights to Bangkok and at least one other destination.
Thailand
borders Myanmar to the north and west, Laos to
the north, Cambodia to the east and Malaysia to
the south; all of these countries have various
land and water access points where the visitor
may enter or leave Thailand. The train is also
a convenient mode of transport, with connections
from Chiang Mai in the north to Bangkok and then
south across the border to Malaysia and on to
Singapore.
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 By
air
Thailand has four international airports, one each
in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Hat Yai, but Bangkok's
Don Muang Airport is the country's major gateway.
It is connected by daily flights to Europe, North
America,
Asia and Australasia aboard
the world's major airlines.
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flights, mostly from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang
and Hong Kong, land on a less regular basis at Phuket
and Hat Yai in southern Thailand, and Chiang Mai in
northern Thailand. Charter flights from Europe and the
Far East now arrive more frequently in Bangkok, Phuket,
Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and at U-Tapao for Pattaya. |
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By
train
The
only train access to Thailand is from Malaysia, but
there are no through routes by ordinary trains, although
connections are possible from both the east and west
coasts of Malaysia. On the west coast visitors must
get off the Kereta Api Tanah Melayu (KTM) train
(Malaysian Railway) at the border
of
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Besar and transfer to a train operated by the State
Railway of Thailand which then goes on towards Hat Yai,
terminating in Bangkok. The travelling time from Hat
Yai to Bangkok is about 16 hours. It is not recommended
that travellers try to get same-day express train connections
from the KTM to the State Railway of Thailand. An overnight
stay in Butterworth is advised.
From
the east coast travellers may take a bus or share-taxi
from Kota Bharu to the border town of Rantau Panjang
(about 20 minutes): A short walk across the border,
conduct immigration formalities and then take a tuk-tuk
to the train station in Sungai Kolok where trains
will continue onto Hat Yai for connections onto Bangkok.
There
is one direct through train - the Eastern & Oriental
Express (www.orient expresstrains.com/eando/train)
that runs from Singapore to Bangkok. An exotically
comfortable, luxurious way to travel, it takes 41
hours to complete the journey, including a two-hour
stopover in Butterworth with a tour of Penang; and
visit to the River Kwai with a boat excursion along
the river. Fares start at US$1,200 for a standard
double compartment. Frequency of the trains depends
on the time of year - between two and five per month.
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By
road
There are three road crossings on the Thai-Malaysian
border in Songkhla, Yala and Narathiwat. A modern
highway system from these points carries travellers
(Malaysian Railway) at the border
of
onto other regions. The governments of Thailand,
Laos,
China
and Myanmar have agreed to the construction of
a four-nation ring road through all four countries,
this should be complete by 2005.
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By
sea
Travel by sea is possible from Malaysia and ferry
crossings from China, Laos and Cambodia are also available.
From Malaysia it is possible to take a longtail boat
between Satun (right down in the southwest corner
of Thailand) and Kuala Perlis; boats cross quite
regularly.
There is also a ferry service
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from Langawi to Satun and Phuket, although timetables
and frequency may depend upon the season. There is a
small car and passenger ferry between Kota Bharu and
Ban Taba on the east coast of Thailand. Thailand can
also be reached from Laos by crossing the Mekong River
by ferry, although only at certain permitted border
points: Nakhon Phanom (opposite Tha Khaek), Chiang Kho
(opposite Huai Xai) and Mukdahan (opposite Sawannakhet). |
Luxury
cruises
In the past few years, many cruise liners have included
Thailand as their port of call. En route from Singapore,
Hong Kong, Europe and Australia, Thailand has become
a popular stopover, either as part of the liners' World
Cruise programme or as a Turnaround port.
For
berthing facilities, Thailand has two modern deep-sea
ports - at Laem Chabang, midway between Bangkok and
Pattaya; and at the island resort of Phuket. Both
can accommodate big liners of over 20,000 tons; while
the Bangkok Port at Khlong Toei is best for smaller
liners with gross tonnage between 12,000 and 16,000.
Once
in Thailand, shore excursions can be easily arranged
for cruise passengers through many good tour/ground
operators. One-day programmes in Bangkok include visits
to the many temples in Bangkok including the Grand
Palace and the adjacent Temple of the Emerald Buddha
Image; a tour of the floating market; a shopping spree
for quality handicrafts, Thai silk or jewellery at
many
shopping centres and boutiques.
Cruise
passengers can also choose to try their hands at the
famous Thai cooking. Half-day cooking classes can
be easily arranged at the many leading hotels and
resorts in Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket.
In Phuket, cruise passengers can
simply relax on the beach or go sightseeing to a few
of the local temples or choose to entertain themselves
with the spectacular shows at Phuket FantaSea or at
Simon Cabaret in the evening. Phuket is also winning
international recognition as a spa centre in Asia.Many
cruise passengers just head directly to one of the
island's many renowned spas to pamper themselves with
either traditional Thai massage or various facial
and body treatment programmes |
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round of golf can also be easily arranged at one of
the first-class courses dotted along the Bang Na-Trat
Road leading to Pattaya or at the famed Blue Canyon
Country Club and Banyan Tree Club & Laguna in Phuket.
Eco-tours such as diving, snorkelling, sea-canoeing
and windsurfing are just some of the activities on offer
at both Pattaya and Phuket. |
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