Catching Train Between Bangkok and Hua Hin

Trains for Hua Hin leave from Bang Sue Grand Station, Bangkok’s newest train station. There is a Special Express service that leaves at 7.30am and takes around 3 hours to get to Hua Hin, then train then continues down to Surithani. Most other trains take 4 hours or more. Opened in January 2023, the train station has recently changed it’s name to Krung Thep Aphiwat  which literally means prosperity of Bangkok. The sign out the front still shows Bang Sue Grand Station.

Bang Sue Grand Terminal is the largest train station in South East Asia. There are 26 stations and the terminal building is over 600 meters in length. This place is huge and so underutilised. This first opened in January 2023, and the number of trains leaving from here has been slowly increasing but the terminal is probably at under 10% capacity.

The plan is for Thailand to build high speed bullet trains to go between Bangkok and Chiang Mai and Bangkok to Surithani which is the route to Hua Hin. Once the high speed rail is built, they are saying it will take around 1 hour between Bangkok and Hua Hin. Sadly those trains wont be ready until the 2030s.

As well as some vending machines, Bang Sue has a fair few small stalls now selling food drinks and snacks.

My train left excactly at 7.30am and arrived into Hua Hin 5 minutes early. For passengers going further south, then expect a short delay before this train carries on. I think it sat here at Hua Hin for over 15 minutes

The cost of a ticket is 330 baht for a 2nd class ticket. They did not ask me if I wanted a ticket for 1st Class but honestly I think the 2nd class seats are just fine for this 3 hour journey.

The train takes off at a very slow rate at first before picking up to some decent speed as we were leaving Bangkok. There is not a lot to see along the way, except for loads of small towns, some huge rice paddies. Once you enter Pracaburi province, you will see the scenery change with some beautiful limestones moutains. Once you see these, you are about 30 minutes out of Hua Hin.

There is a toilet on the train but you’ll need to be good at using a squat toilet

Train from Hua Hin to Bangkok

The return trip from Hua Hin to Bangkok, the fastest Special express train is about 3 hours 30 minutes. Not sure why it is 30 minutes slower to get back to Bangkok. You can only buy 2nd class tickets on this special express train and only 1 day before your train leaves. I went to the train station 3 days before to buy a ticket and they said cannot. Computer said No. I went back 1 day before and they told me the Special Express was sold out. I tried to buy a ticket for the ordinary train which takes 4 hours but they said only sell ticket 1 hour before train leaves.

Hua Hin has a new multi-level train station which open in early 2024. The old historical station still receives some local trains but all the long distance trains uses the new train station, which is opposite the tail end of the historical station.

So i took a taxi from Hua Hin direct to my hotel in Bangkok for 1600 Baht. I paid a 500 Baht deposit at the ticket counter in the heart of Hua Hin, then paid the driver 1100 when I arrived in Bangkok.

See the video Best Things to do in Hua Hin