Bangkok and Luang Prabang are two popular stops on any South East Asia itinerary. You could fly between the two but if you want to cut down on air travel (and costs), you can take the train instead. The journey is fairly straight forward. However you can’t just buy a train ticket from Bangkok to Laos (either to Vientiane, Luang Prabang). Here is a step by step guide for travelling from Bangkok to Laos.
You will need to start with a train from Bangkok to Nong Khai, a town close to the border. This train is around 10 hours so I would recommend travelling overnight. The bed seats are fairly cheap and quite cosy.
Night train from Bangkok to Nong Khai
Buying tickets for the train in Bangkok
It is easy to buy train tickets from train stations in Bangkok in advance. You’ll need to pay in cash. Make sure you have enough money or visit an ATM before you joint the queue. You can purchase tickets from the central Bangkok station but the train to Nong Khai departs from Bang Sue station. This is easy to reach on the metro.
There are several seat options. You can chose either an upper or lower bunk. Lower bunks are slightly bigger and you will be closer to your luggage (under the bed) and get a window.
The beds are provided with a pillow, sheet, blanket, socket, curtain on the window and to the aisle. A free bottle of water is provided and there is a dining carriage. There is no wifi on the train so download any films or podcasts before you go if you don’t have a Thai SIM card.
Boarding the train at Bang Sue Station
The Bang Sue station seems to be the same as Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal which it will say on the ticket. It is easy to get to on the metro, the station is by Bang Sue metro station.
The station is very new and when we visited was completely void of shops or kiosks. I’d recommend stocking up on train snacks before you arrive.
There were no screens or boards in the long distance train area, so no information about the departure time or platform of the trains. Instead we joined a throng of travellers stood behind a barrier with station staff on the other side. In between answering the questions of confused tourists (me included), they would periodically shout out that certain trains have arrived and direct passengers where to go. I hope that this system is temporary but just be careful to get to the station in plenty of time to figure out where to go.
When we boarded the train, the carriages were arranged as seats. Shortly after departing, around 9pm, the seats were made up into beds. Beds were packed away again at 6am. The carriage lights stay on throughout the night. Whilst you do have a curtain that you can close to the aisle, light will still get in so I’d recommend bringing an eye mask.
Nong Khai Train Station to Vientiane
When you reach Nong Khai you will be greeted by a slew of tuktuk drivers offering transport to the border. This will cost about 50 baht each. You’ll likely be crammed in with other passengers and their luggage but don’t worry, it isn’t a long journey.
The Thai side of the border is straightforward, you may have to queue for 30 minutes or so. Afterwards you can hop straight onto a rickety old bus that takes everyone to the Laos side of the border across the Friendship Bridge. This costs 35 baht each.
The Laos side was a little more confusing for us at least. Even if you have an e-visa already, you still need to go to booth 1, labelled ‘Visa-on-Arrival’. They will give you a slip of paper to complete, which you then hand back with your passport and e-visa if you have one. If you need a Visa on Arrival, this costs xx and must be paid in cash.
After passing the border, again you will be bombarded with offers of a tuktuk but if you slip past them, you can take the 14 bus into Vientiane city centre for just 16,000 kip or 30 baht, you can pay in either currency.
The bus will take you to Vientiane Central Bus Terminal. From there you can easily pick up a tuktuk or walk to your hotel, depending on how far you have to go. If you intend to go to Luang Prabang or Vang Vieng, read on about buying train tickets within Laos. I’d recommend spending a day or two in Vientiane before heading onwards. It is an interesting city to explore and it will help break up your journey too.
Buying Train Tickets in Laos
You can’t buy Laos train tickets online, you can only buy them at the station or at the ticket booth in the Vientiane centre.
You can only buy tickets 2-3 days in advance. If you leave it too late, there is also a risk that tickets will sell out. Laos China Railway post updates on ticket availability on their Facebook page, so keep an eye on there. The train station is quite far out of Vientiane so instead of going all the way there just to buy tickets and then come back in a day or two for your train, you can buy your tickets in the city centre at the booth at the Vientiane Centre.
At the ticket booth in Vientiane Centre, you cannot purchase tickets with cash or card. It is transfer only, needing a Laos bank account. But there might be a person there that will pay for you, then you pay them in cash plus 20000 kip extra.
Getting the Train in Vientiane
Vientiane Train Station is quite far out of town but you can get the number 28 bus from the central bus terminal at 06:10 and 13:00. Each takes 30-40 minutes
Make sure you arrive with plenty of time to spare as you will need to queue up to enter the station and go through a security check. I would give yourself 30-60 minutes for this just to be safe. The 06:10 bus arrived with plenty of time for us to get the 07:30 train to Luang Prabang
The trains are fairly comfortable and clean. There was a very sparse snack trolley wheeled around but you probably won’t need much food for a 2 hour journey.
Make sure you keep your ticket safe, you will be checked prior to boarding the train, on the train and when exiting the station. Without your ticket you will need to pay for another.
When leaving Luang Prabang station you will be greeted with a row of taxis and minivans. If you want a cheaper option go down the stairs outside (or the elevators) towards the marquee. There you can buy a ticket to Luang Prabang for 35000 kip per person. The bus isn’t quite like a public bus with a timetable but rather it is a fleet of minivans, which depart when full. We we’re first in ours and we were on the move within 10 minutes.
The bus dropped us all off on Chaofa Ngum Road, near the night market and post office.
Cost of Travelling from Bangkok to Laos by Train
Firstly, below is the cost per person of travelling from Bangkok to Vientiane, Laos via the night train. These prices were from our trip in January 2023. Prices many vary slightly but this should give you a rough indication in case you want to compare to other transport methods.
| Cost | GBP | USD | |
| Metro to Bang Sue Station, Bangkok | 100 THB | £2 | $3 |
| Night train from Bangkok to Nong Khai | 994 THB | £23 | $29 |
| Tuktuk to Thai Border | 50 THB | £1 | $1 |
| Bus across the Thai-Laos border | 35 THB | £1 | $1 |
| Bus to Vientiane | 30 THB | £1 | $1 |
| Total cost | 1,209 THB | £28 | $35 |
Below is the cost of travelling from Vientiane to Luang Prabang in Laos. Again these prices are from our trip in January 2023 and prices may vary slightly.
| Cost | GBP | USD | |
| Bus to Vientiane Train Station | 12,000 LAK | £0 | $1 |
| Train ticket for Vientiane to Luang Prabang | 282,000 LAK | £10 | $13 |
| Bus to Luang Prabang | 35,000 LAK | £1 | $2 |
| Total cost | 329,000 LAK | £12 | $15 |
thank you for sharing.
Very informative. I hope one day i will follow your way to Loas from Bangkok. TQ
Very helpful. Thank you
Rejoice and be glad there’s no longer a cia jerk eager to find out if you were likely to write a story about what was going on in the war there. Memories of trips in the 60’s…at least the grass was cheap.
Thank you mak2, very informative
You are so nice, thanks for share your experience. I am JAL from Mexico.