Meself, the wife & 12 year old daughter need to get from K.L. up to Koh Phangan, Thailand, a couple of days before christmas . . . Is this likely to be an awkward one to manage or can we expect to just turn up & buy whatever ickets are nessacary, bearing in mind we arrive in K.L. on December 19th & are staying at Traders for two nights - hence heading north on the 21st. Looks like the 8pm train from K.L. to Butterworth is straightforward but from there the options get a little confusing/non existant.
Any advice appreciated.
Reply to this Hello Mister Munkey, you are one of my favourite mascots on Travelblog!
There is no Christmas holiday in Thailand, so that will be beneficial for you insofar as getting tickets.
I've done a bit of research, and it appears that once in Butterworth, catch train 36 bound for Bangkok and leaving at 13:45, will take you through Surat Thani, from there you can catch a ferry to your destination by getting to the Donsak pier. There are several ferries a day and they take about 3.5 hours.
The website for the
State Railway of Thailand has the information you need. The "Available Seat" link does not work, but the Timetable tab for the Southern Line does. For the ferries, just do a Google Search of "Ferry Koh Phangan" and the first few links have all the details.
Reply to this Cheers Camel.
From the looks of it, there's plenty of options other than just the train. Bussing it from Butterworth via Hat Yai might be fun . . . . We'll not bother booking anything in advance then, just turn up & sort it on the day. I quite enjoy the adventurous side of hotfooting it but Mrs M prefers the less stressed "organised" method. As long as I can convince her we'll not be stranded, all will be well, :-)
Reply to this I just answered a similar question on the same page, see my answer there. I would advise you to book in advance. You need to do this through the Malaysian railways site as it is not possible with Thai railways. It is really easy, you do not have to pay, just reserve the seats then pay at Kl station when you collect them callcentre@ktmb.com.my is the addres. Give them your travel plans and they will mail you back with a confirmation booking ref.
Reply to this All sorted now.
Booked on the 8pm train to Butterworth will then play it by ear as to whether we bus/train via Hat Yai to Surrathani from there.
Thanks chums.
:-)
Reply to this Great news - enjoy the trip and look forward to reading the blog!
Reply to this Thought the train stopped in Surat Thani. Maybe I forget? Worth checking though
Reply to this It does - eventually but that involves a 6 or 7 hour wait at Hat Yai, if the timetables are to be believed. We' aiming at getting the night ferry from Surat Thani rather than from Don Sak to save the aggro of the 40k bus ride out. Doing it all on the train means missing the Surat boat by 15 mins :-/ Bussing it up gives us at least half a chance of making the easier option or make a day of it & buss it straight to Don Sak. . . . . . Its always nice to have a Plan B in the bag!!
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