The Prachuap Khiri Khan Train Station: EVERYTHING You Need to Know
If you take the train from Bangkok to Prachuap Khiri Khan, this is where you’ll arrive. There’s only one train station serving the city of Prachuap Khiri Khan, which makes things pretty straightforward! Read on to learn everything you need to know, from location to transportation to how early you should arrive.
Where is the Prachuap Khiri Khan train station located?
The train station is centrally located at the end of the major east-west street that runs straight to the pier. If you’re traveling light, you can easily walk from the station to the pier in under 10 minutes. To get there, just walk straight out of the train station and keep heading straight until you reach the water.
Note: many of Prachuap Khiri Khan’s hotels and guesthouses are located near the pier. If you’re staying in one of these and traveling light, you may not need transportation from the station. We tend to stay further away at our beloved Golden Beach Hotel, but if we were staying downtown and only had a couple small bags, we would probably just walk from the train station.
How do I get from the Prachuap Khiri Khan train station to my hotel?
Usually, there are tuk tuks waiting outside the train station to take you to your destination in town. To find them, walk out of the main entrance of the train station and look slightly to your left. They typically park in front of the left side of the train station, on the same side of the street.
If you don’t see any tuk tuks immediately out front, you may need to wait for a few minutes.
If it’s been 5-10 minutes and you haven’t found a tuk tuk, we recommend calling your hotel. They should be able to contact someone to come pick you up.
As far as we can tell, there are no taxis in Prachuap Khiri Khan. The staff working at the train station also aren’t able to call a tuk tuk or assist you with transportation. (When we asked once because there were no tuk tuks in sight, we basically got a casually shrugged “no taxi” as a response.)
If worst comes to worst, you can’t find a tuk tuk, and your hotel can’t help you, you may need to walk a bit. Head straight out from the train station along the road that dead-ends at the station. Within about 10 minutes, you’ll find yourself in front of the pier in the main downtown area of the town. Many hotels and guesthouses are right here, but if you still need a tuk tuk and couldn’t locate one at the train station, you’ll have a better chance here.
Can I buy train tickets at the Prachuap Khiri Khan train station?
Short answer: yes!
Longer answer: we’ve found that several of the people working here don’t speak much English, so unless you’re fluent in Thai, this may be a challenge. Prepare to struggle with communication, and be proactive about pointing out which time and class you want. (At one point, we were almost booked onto an early morning train in 3rd class, when we wanted the afternoon train in 1st class.)
The alternative is to book online at thairailwayticket.com. (Struggling to find Prachuap Khiri Khan on the stations list? Check to make sure you’ve selected “Southern,” because this station is on the southern line.) Once you’ve booked online, you’ll need to print out your tickets. Your hotel may be able to help you with this.
How do I know where to catch my train at the Prachuap Khiri Khan train station?
I’m including this because it’s the sort of thing that my paranoia urges me to worry about every time we travel. (“What if there are 20 train tracks and unclear signs and we’re late because of traffic and don’t know where to go and miss our train?!”
Trust me when I say that you can’t miss it. This train station is tiny, nothing like the giant multi-tracked Hua Lamphong in Bangkok. There’s only one track for passenger trains, and the employees working there will happily confirm that an arriving train is yours if you show them your ticket.
Basically, just wait on the platform and you’ll be fine. All passenger trains stop at the main platform. The only possible way to find the wrong train is to go wildly wandering across industrial train tracks, which is probably not something you should be doing anyway!
How early should I arrive at the station before my train is due to depart?
Okay. So. First things first, a disclaimer: always use your best judgment and get to the train station, airport, bus terminal, or whatever with as much time as you decide is necessary.
With that said: we never go to the train station in Prachuap Khiri Khan early anymore.
The first time we took the train from Prachuap Khiri Khan to Bangkok, we got there an hour early to be safe. (I guess it’s been drilled into us by airports that you need to arrive safely early, you know?)
Everyone at the station seemed confused, although pleasant enough. Anyway, we sat and waited for an hour until our train was due to arrive.
And then we sat and waited for another hour.
And another.
Yes, our train was around two hours late. By that time, we were grumpy, tired, and covered in mosquito bites. We don’t recommend this.
I’ve never heard of a train getting through Prachuap Khiri Khan early. Now, we show up about 10 minutes before our train is due to depart (did I mention my transit paranoia?!) but I really don’t recommend stressing about getting there early.