Choo-choo-choose to travel differently. By Sharon Kaserer

Airlines cutting flights, petrol prices rising—it seems that options are dwindling fast when it comes to ways to reach that holiday destination. So we propose considering a new age of the train, perhaps the most classic way to get from point A to point B. With a bevy of destinations to check out locally, try chugging there at a more sedate pace and maybe get to experience some old sights from a new perspective.

Weekend Escapes

Train travel in Thailand still has a few rough spots and predicting arrival times can be a bit of a dark art. Still, the State Railway of Thailand has a few aces up its sleeve to help soften these inconveniences. The highlight has to be the discount year-round weekend and public holiday roundtrip fares to various destinations. Be warned, not all of these offers are current, so it pays to call and double check before booking. Also the current offers only cover trains without air-conditioning. On the bright side, this means an even cheaper deal of B100 for adults and B60 for children. Rates for air-coned cabins are double these prices. There are fixed arrival and departure times every Saturday and Sunday, with the option of making a day of it or spending the night in the chosen destination.

Whether it’s for some fresh sea air or seafood, Hua Hin is the prime destination, and the picturesque train station alone is worth a visit. Its historic 1920s architecture and special Royal Waiting Room conjure up images of the golden days of train travel when the King and his entourage used to head to the coast by rail. Friday and Saturday trains (B382 for air-coned express) depart Bangkok at 6:30am and arrive in Hua Hin at 10:40am. Coming back, they leave Hua Hin at 3:40pm reaching the capital at 8pm each day.

More active water-based fun can be found at Sai Yok Waterfall, where you can go cave exploring and kayaking (not included in the train ticket price). Equally spectacular is the journey itself which passes such scenic sights as Phra Pathom Jedi and the River Kwai Bridge. The station is a good walk from the falls, but there are song taews that do the trip. Trains leave Bangkok at 6:30am and arrive at Nam Tok Sai Yok Station at 10:40am. With the return train starting off at 2:40pm, you might want to stay overnight!

Other destinations covered by this deal (though not always running) include Srinakarin Dam and Erawan Waterfall, the River Kwai Bridge and the Muang Sing Historical Palace.

Local Locomotion

Another worthy destination to be attempted by train is Sukhothai. The former capital, declared a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site in 1991, offers a wealth of old temples, laid-back style of life and the famous Sukhothai noodles. There are 11 trains a day, making the six-hour journey from Bangkok to Phitsanulok Station (B964/B1,164 for first class upper/lower bunks, B449 for air-coned sprinter). Only 59kms away from Sukhothai, a quick bus ride gets you to your final destination.

Going to Hat Yai to get a taste of some Southern flair is also a popular route (B1,394/B1,594 for first class). The famous Vegetarian Festival at the end of Sep/beginning Oct draws a fair share of onlookers and participants. The sprinter train leaving from Bangkok gets you there fastest, leaving at 10:30pm and arriving at 12:30am the next day. At B675 for second class, you get seats that can lean down.

With its lush natural surroundings and cool mountain air, Chiang Mai boasts more than enough sights and activities to keep all sorts of travelers occupied. There are six trains departing daily from Hua Lamphong, with the express overnighter leaving at 6pm and arriving at 7:15am the next morning. If you want to travel in relative comfort go for the first class sleeper (B1,253/B1,453 upper/lower bunks). The second class sleeper is also available at B791 for upper and B881 for lower bunks.

Go Inter

Want to cross borders? Get ready to spend a long time enjoying the beauty of Thailand’s vast landscape.

If you want to heed the siren song of our southernmost neighbors, two destinations in Malaysia can be reached on sleepers. The daily Bangkok-Sungai Kolok route leaves the capital at 3:10pm and arrives at the sleepy border town around noon the following day (B1,753 for first class, B977 for second class). Another option is the similarly daily Bangkok–Butterworth route, which also lets you continue onwards to Singapore (B1,210 for second class only).

Vientiane is another destination that can, with a touch more effort, be reached by train via Nong Khai. One of three trains that leave Hua Lamphong daily in that direction is the “Express 69” train at 8:05pm arriving at 8:25am the next morning (B1,117/B1,317 first class upper/lower bunks, B688/B758 second class upper/lower bunks). You should then be able to buy tickets to Vientiane at Nong Khai Railway Station, but there are currently some issues with this route, which won’t be resolved until later this year. You can still reach the Laotian town by a combo of the “Friendship Van+Taxi” that crosses the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge (van B20, taxi around B100).

Cambodia is also a feasible goal. Ride the daily 8:30pm sleeper car to Ubon Ratchathani (B1,200 for first class, B761 for second class), and hop off 12 hours later to catch the next bus over the border.

If your heart yearns for the golden age of steam and you are willing to dig deep into those coffers, then the Eastern & Oriental Express trains, with their old-fashioned steam engines and lusciously furnished cabins, offer the chance to take a real nostalgia trip. But such luxury also has its price, with tickets starting at B43,000 for a round-trip in a standard cabin. The four destinations offered are Chiang Mai, Vientiane, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, with various permutations and roundtrip combinations available.