Bus Tours from Phuket to Chiang Rai ?

Question

Hi

I need a bus from Phuket to Chiang Rai. I might have to stop in Bangkok and change the bus - not a big deal.

Do u know how much it will cost, where to book and if those busses are safe ? I heard sometimes they steal your luggage and valuables.

Answer 1

Its a heck of a journey, so go see a travel agent in Phuket andget their advice.

You can get a good air con coach and travel overnight to BKK.

I will then suggest you use Nacon chai air coach station or that you use the Railway service and travel by sleeper.

We have travelled by coach and never had a problem, but your best to carry all your valuables and to have suitcase locks in any event.

Answer 2

The ticket cost will be around $30 US, but you don't really want to do this. Bus journeys are boring in Thailand, and Phuket to Chiang Rai is about 24 hours on the road. You are very unlikely to have your luggage or valuables stolen, but long distance buses do have a high accident and breakdown risk. Unless you can fall asleep in a 30 ton formula I car being driven by a flawed copy of Lewis Hamilton, you are better off in the Aeroplane.

If you don't have the cash for the plane, I suggest you travel Phuket to Bangkok by bus in the daytime, take the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai (2nd Class A/c sleeper), and then bus the final four hours, Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, the next morning.

Answer 3

You need to go to the Bus Terminal in Phuket and get a ticket or see a travel agent.  Your go to the southern bus terminal in bangkok for about 700 to 1,000 baht depending on type of bus.  In bangkok you need to go to the Northern bus terminal at Mochit and get a bus to Chiang Rai.  A little more for the trip to Chiang Rai, both are long trips, I recommend using the Government Buses over the Tour Agent buses.  But that's up to you.

Answer 4

It would save a lot of time and agrevation to fly Thai Airways has a flight

07:25 Phuket ( HKT) Thai Airways Intl (TG)

14:45 Chiang Rai ( CEI)

7h20min 1 stop(s)

    Ã Â¸Â¿5,735.00

You might also try Nok Air.  Even if you can't get a flight from Phuket you can fly from Bangkok up to Chiang Mai in about an hour and fifteen minutes for 715 baht and then take a bus the rest of the way.

If you want the bus it will take about  2days and cost 2000-2500 baht (including food and I don't know where your going to shower).

Your going to have to take the bus from Phuket Bus Terminal Tel. [phone] to the Southern Terminal Station (862 km, Southern Bus Terminal Tel. [phone]) the approximate duration is 12-14 hours.  The price should be around THB 700 to 800.  Most buses leave in the evening and arrive in Bangkok the next morning before the commuter traffic (5-6 am)

Once you get to Bangkok you need to get from the SBT to Mo chit and there isn't an easy way to do this (easiest is to take a cab 150baht).  At Mo Chit you purchase a ticket to Chiang Rai another 700-800 baht another 12-14 hours and 850KM.  Then you sit in the terminal until the afternoon 5-6 pm when your bus leaves.  There is a baggage check were you can leave your bags for 300 baht for 24 hours so you can move around easier, go to the toilet 3 baht or get something to eat KFC, 7-11 and several food vendors are at the bus station.  Bring your own reading materiel because they don't have any books or magazines or papers in the English language and the TV is in Thai.

One other thing, one of the times I took the bus this happened.  The bus stops and drops people off along the way and of course its at night so you'll be sleeping.  One guy got off and they opened the baggage hold and the guy pointed out my bag and said it was his.  It was fortunate that the co-pilot on the bus remembered me (he was from my hometown).  The guy insisted the bag was his but they came on the bus and woke me up and when I started to get off the bus the guy apologized and said he was mistaken and took off.  If he would have gotten away with my bag what could I have done?  I gave the guy 100 baht for looking out for me but the point is you should think about flying.