Hi,
Best advice I can give you is use this website: http://www.seat61.com/
I travelled overland from London to Singapore 2 years ago, using a lot of trains and found the information on that website invaluable. All the trains are safe (obviously keep your passport/money on you if you use sleeper trains), some more comfortable than others but if you want beds rather than chairs it's worth booking ahead..
Have fun it's an awesome way to travel
Hi
I used the same website whilst I was travelling around South-East Asia and found it invaluable in planning my way from Singapore up to Thailand, the opposite to your journey.
The trains are generally of a high / good standard, though depending on the type of train that you go on, some can be a lot older than others even if they are operating on the same route.
I would advise you use night trains especially if you have got a large distance to travel as some of the journeys can be very long. It’s a great feeling to go to sleep in one country and wake up in another without all the hassles of sitting on lengthy day buses from one place to another.
Once you have your quote for the train, I would check the discount airlines for a BKK-SIN fare. may fly this route for less than the train.
Hi,
We arrive in Bangkok on the 25th October and need to be in Singapore on 3rd November for our flight to perth.
We are thinking of travelling to Singapore by rail, does anyone know anything about this and roughly how much it will cost?thank you
When the airport in Bangkok was closed a few years ago I used the train to get to Singapore. All of the sleeper cars were taken by the time I got my tickets so I had to use the regular seats in Thailand.
On the Thailand portion they handed out blankets and had free snacks. On the Malaysian part of the train ride nothing free. I used the first class seats from Butterworth - Penang area to KL and from there to Singapore. Food on the Malaysian portion of the ride was available from the dining car. Chicken and rice dishes were pretty cheap. First class seating was something like what you have on a plane in business class but more shabby.
Both the Thai portion of the train ride and the Malaysian part of the train ride were chilly. Bring books if you are a reader. During the day you do see a little bit of the country but most often it is the cruddy backyards of factories and housing areas. During the ride there was a continuous clanking, jerking and banging that you have to get used to. If you are not a reader (if I have paperback novels I could sit for weeks probably) you might get a little bored. A sleeper car is better but more expensive than the regular seats.
A couple places you could stop at are Hat Yai in Thailand and Butterworth/Penang in Malaysia. Kings Hotel, Hat Yai, is only a short walk from the train station, Robinson Mall nearby to that hotel. Travel agency across the street from that hotel is good for local rides to Penang area or elsewhere. Penang has more "life" than the Butterworth area of Malaysia. I used a cheap hotel in Butterworth. Beer is cheaper in Thailand.
From Bangkok to Singapore (I had a flight leaving and had no real spare time to stop anywhere for longer) I don't think I spent more than a hundred dollars US for everything. This was when rates were more favorable though. Check current fares with seat 61. If you intend to get a sleeper car for the ride get the request in early!!!!
In Bangkok if you have a hotel that is on Sukhumvit Road or close to the Skytrain route you can use the Skytrain to get you to the subway at Asoke. The subway will take you right to the national train station for rides out of the city. I would get hot on train tickets right away especially if you want a sleeper car!
Always have luggage that you can lock. Bring a few snacks if you want. Possible overnight stop at KL too. Singapore is more expensive than KL for hotels, KL is more expensive than Penang/Butterworth and Hat Yai for hotels.
There is a crappy shower at the train station in Singapore and you can get some cheap eats at that train station, cheaper than the airport. I walked from the train station at Singapore to their nearest MRT stop and used that to get to the airport.
Good luck.
[ 01-Sep-2010, at 08:17 by karazyal ]
0 Response to "Bangkok to Singapore by rail, advice pls"
Post a Comment