Aranyaprathet

Train

Aranyaprathet is the last stop on Thailand's eastern line. At time of writing, two ordinary trains depart for Bangkok daily at 06:40 and 13:55, costing between 48 and 211 baht depending on class, and take about six hours. From Bangkok, two daily trains depart at 05:55 and 13:05. For more information, visit www.railway.co.th.

Bus

Aranyaprathet's main bus terminal is located in town, six kilometres east of the border. Buses depart hourly from Bangkok's Morchit (northern) terminal from 06:00 to 18:00, and roughly every two hours between 06:30 and 16:30 from Ekkamai (eastern) terminal. From Aran's main bus terminal, first class air-con government buses and a number of minibuses can be caught to a handful of destinations. Sample fares include:

Bangkok (Ekkamai): Buses depart at 07:30, 10:00, 13:00, 14:30 and 16:30, cost 216 baht and take five hours.

Bangkok (Morchit): Buses depart at 05:00, 06:00, 09:30, 10:30, 13:30 and 15:00, cost 229 baht and take five and a half hours. These buses also service Chachoengsao, Nakhon Nayok, Prachinburi and Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Nakhon Ratchasima: Buses depart at 05:30, 09:00, 12:00, 15:00 and 17:30, cost 200 baht and take five hours.

Buriram: Buses depart roughly every two hours from 06:00 to 16:00, cost 180 baht and take three and a half hours.

Lopburi: Minibuses run every two hours from 08:00 to 16:00, cost 270 baht and take six hours.

Chanthaburi: Minibuses depart every hour from 06:00 to 17:00, cost 200 baht and take three hours. Onward transport to Ko Chang is available in Chanthaburi.

Rayong: Minibuses run every hour from 04:00 to 18:00, cost 300 baht and take five hours.

Pattaya: Minibuses run every hour from 04:00 to 18:00, cost 250 baht and take five hours.

A range of buses, minibuses and private taxis can also be caught from Rong Khlue market near the border. We suggest taking the buses from the main bus terminal in Aranyaprathet since they're more geared to locals rather than tourists and theft/scams are less of a concern. As a rule, we don't recommend cross-border tourist buses from, for example, Siem Reap to Bangkok as scams and theft can be a problem. Sample fares from the border include:

Bangkok (Victory Monument/Bang Na): Minibuses depart every two hours from 06:30 to 16:30, cost 230 baht and take five hours.

Bangkok (Khao San Road): Minibuses depart hourly from 11:00 to 14:00 and cost 250 baht. These also stop at Morchit station (190 baht).

Bangkok (Lumpini Park/Khao San Road): VIP buses with toilets depart roughly every hour from 12:00 to 20:00 and cost 300 baht.

Chachoengsao: Regular buses depart every half hour from 09:00 to 16:30, cost 140 baht and take four hours. Onward transport to Pattaya is available from Chachoengsao.

Private taxis are also available from the border at any time but are expensive. The cost for Bangkok is 1,900 baht and either Pattaya or Ko Chang is 2,200 baht.

Getting Around

Green songthaews run from the main bus station in Aranyaprathet to Friendship market at the border regularly throughout the day. The fare is 15 baht per person.

Tuk tuks and motorbike taxis are always readily available at the main bus station and Rong Khlue market. Tuk tuk drivers will ask for 100 baht (or more) for a one-way trip to the border but can be haggled down to 60. Motorbikes should cost less than that.