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From
Bangkok |
By Bus 
You
can catch the ordinary buses to and from Bangkok taking a
long 14 hours for the cost of 192 baht, while air-conditioned
buses are 350 baht and VIP is 403 baht, both taking 13 hours.
All buses depart from the main bus terminal in the center
of town called Southern Bus Terminal, but they can also be
flagged down along Phetkasem Road (Highway No. 4), the main
road through Phangnga.
One can get buses for Phangnga
departing Phuket bus terminal near the Thepkasatri intersection,
at 10.10 a.m., noon and 1.40, 3.30 and 4.30 p.m. The trip
to Phangnga takes 2 and a half hours and the one-way fare
is 37 baht for non-air-conditioned buses. Alternatively you
could rent a motorcycle in Phuket and navigate Phangnga
on your own.
Buses from Krabi leave every
half hour, cost 36 baht and take 1 and half hours to Phangnga;
air-conditioned buses leave hourly and cost 52 baht. There
are ordinary buses from Surat Thani
cost 55 baht and take
3 and half hours. If you wish a more comfortable trip,
air-conditioned buses
depart
from destinations around Southern Thailand include Ranong,
two or three departures per day for 120 baht, Hat Yai, six
departures per day for 196 baht, Trang, 11 departures per
day for 121 baht and Satun 2 departures per day for 196 baht.
By Train 
The
State Railway of Thailand operates daily train departing
Hua Lam Pong Station in Bangkok to Surat Thani where
you can catch the local
buses which
take almost two hours
to get to Phangnga.
Trains to Surat Thani leave
Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong terminal at 1.30 pm on rapid train,
2.35 p.m. on special express, 3.15 p.m. on special express,
3.50 p.m. on rapid, 5.05 on rapid, 6.30 p.m. on rapid, 7.20
p.m. on express, and 7.45 p.m. on rapid. The train
takes 10.5
to 11 hours to arrive
at Surat Thani. The most convenient train leaves at 6.30 p.m.
on rapid No. 41 and it arrives at 5.44 a.m. Fares available
only for the 2.35 and 3.15 pm special express train are 470
baht in first class and 224 baht in 2nd class,
not including the rapid/express/special express surcharges
or berths.
There
are no 3rd class trains direct
to Surat Thani from
Bangkok, but you can
take the trains from Chumphon to Surat Thani on the ordinary
Nos 119 or 149 that cost 25 baht.
The Sprinter or first class
special express No 981 leaves Bangkok daily at 10.35 p.m.
and arrives in Phun Phin at 7.20 a.m. for 370 baht. There
are no sleeping berths are available on this train.
It is rather difficult to get
long-distance trains from Phun Phin to other provinces in
the south. You are recommended to take a bus, especially heading
south toward Phangnga. The trains are very often full and
it’s a drag to take the bus 14 kilometers from town to the
Phun Phin train station and be turned away. You could buy
a “standing room only” 3rd class ticket and stand
for an hour or two until someone vacates a seat down the line.
Advance train reservations can be made without going all the
way out to Phun Phin station at Phantip travel agency on Talaat
Mai Rd in Ban Don, near the market/bus station.
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