Luxury Train Travel Thailand

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Mike

 

The Eastern and Orient Express in Thailand

Eastern and Orient Express Nong Hin Thailand

If you have ever travelled on the State Railway of Thailand(SRT) you would probably say I am crazy to suggest that there can be such a thing as luxury train travel in Thailand given that most of the rolling stock is rather old and dilapidated. You might also add that the trains are slow, dirty, rarely run on time and have to stop frequently to let other trains pass on the single metre gauge track.

You would be right of course since Thailand Railways does not offer luxury train travel although they do in all fairness provide an interesting alternative for getting around the country and meeting the Thai people at budget prices in reasonable comfort.

Eastern and Orient Express

Observation Car Eastern and Orient Express

Observation Car Eastern and Orient Express

However you can have luxury train travel in Thailand if you really want it.  It comes at a price mind and is supplied by a private company called the Eastern and Orient Express(in Thailand/Malaysia/Singapore) which is part of the group of companies, that amongst other travel associated things, provide luxury rail travel in Asia, the UK, Europe and Peru.

Until recently the chance to experience this luxury, some might say opulent, train travel in Thailand was limited to travelling from Bangkok to Singapore via Kanchanaburi(Death Railway) Butterworth(Penang) and Kuala Lumpur.  However the company has just introduced a new feature to their schedule that they call, “The Chronicles.”

All of the “chronicles” tours involve Thailand to some degree although the “Epic Thailand” and the “Tales of Laos,” focus on discovering different areas of Thailand with the former visiting Issan, Lampang and Chiang Mai and the  latter visiting Issan and Laos on the new rail link to Vientiane.

As I said above luxury train travel in Thailand is not cheap with prices for the Bangkok to Singapore train starting at $2,320 and the “Epic Thailand” trip starting at $8,900.

But then again if you need to ask the price perhaps you are better off doing the same trips on Thailand Railways.

Related posts:

  1. Travel Guide Bangkok to Chiang Mai
  2. Thailand Travel Guide
  3. Travel Guide Bangkok to Phuket
  4. Thailand Bus Travel
  5. Thailand Travel Guide Prachuap Khiri Khan
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  • http://www.strayandsnap.blogspot.com Snap

    Mike I’ve ridden on overnight trains in China, Vietnam and Thailand, and each time I swear that it’ll be the last time. I’m not a big fan of trains, but judging from their website, this service looks quite impressive and as you mentioned, quite expensive. Probably a nice way of seeing a country if you’re a train enthusiast.

    • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

      Hi Snap, I actually like train travel, I saw a lot of India that way. I couldn’t afford these prices but I would use SRT to do the same trips. I have already done Singapore- Bangkok leg a great adventure a few years back, think it cost me about £30 using overnight sleepers and breaking the journey up.

    • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

      Hi Snap, I actually like train travel, I saw a lot of India that way. I couldn’t afford these prices but I would use SRT to do the same trips. I have already done Singapore- Bangkok leg a great adventure a few years back, think it cost me about £30 using overnight sleepers and breaking the journey up.

  • http://thaiconnoisseur.blogspot.com Peter_M

    Mike, I saw a Rick Stein cookery show last year in which he traveled round SE Asia. One leg of his journey saw him on a train trip from Bangkok to Penang in Malaysia. The scenery through the deep south of Thailand looked absolutely beautiful. That is a trip I plan to do (the economy version rather than the Orient Express version!). I have been on some spectacular rail journeys in my life in Europe, Canada (through the Rockies) and USA, but have yet to experience rail travel Asia style! An oversight that will be rectified post haste! Example: I always fly to Chiang Mai. Why? I can see so much more of Thailand if I travel by train.

    Thanks for this further nudge in the right direction.

    Peter

    • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

      Peter, as I said to Snap I have done the “Orient Express” journey but the economy version. It was great fun. I travelled Singapore-KL had a few days there then onto Butterworth for Penang and a few more days before heading north on the International train to BKK.

      Met some great folk, and yes the scenery in the south and Peninsula Malaysia is fantastic.

      Well worth the effort.

  • http://www.thaisabai.org Martyn

    Mike the prices you list for ‘Luxury train travel in Thailand’ are very expensive and beyond the means of most tourists. I have travelled on Thailand’s standard trains on quite a few occasions and although their amenities and fittings are basic at best I think that’s all part of the adventure and romance of a holiday. I love travelling on Thai trains but it is often far quicker to go by bus. The trains do snake around their routes quite a bit.

    I thought I’d try out your new image option. Not sure how to resize the photo.

    • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

      Hi Martyn, the image shows as a thumbnail then you can click on it to see original file. Looks great to me in FF. Not much luxury on the local to Wang Po, is that Malcolm I see waving from the third carriage?