The sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai is probably the most popular train service in Thailand. No wonder! Taking it is not only a way to get from point A to B, but it’s also quite an interesting travel experience that attracts thousands of tourists. And not only backpackers. Picture this: cozy sleeper bunks, the rhythmic lullaby of the tracks, and a night’s journey through the heart of Thailand’s countryside. The sleeper train no. 9 will make your journey from the urban sprawl of Bangkok to the tranquility of northern Thailand a memorable adventure.
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In this blog post you’ll find out how to book the famous sleeper train, which station it departs from, how long the journey takes and more. I’ll also answer the most important question: can you actually get any sleep when travelling on this particular sleeper train.
And by this particular sleeper train I mean the special express train no. 9 that travels between Bangkok and Chiang Mai on a daily basis.
Since booking a first class cabin is practically impossible, I travelled from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in the second class carriages. Do you want to know how it went?
Two years after writing this blog post, I actually did manage to buy first class tickets for this particular train. Do you want to know how I did it and is first class worth it? Find out here!
Keep reading!
Quick LINKS:
Jump to:
1. Which station does the sleeper train no. 9 depart from?
2. What time does the train leave?
3. How long does the journey take?
4. How much does the train cost?
5. What are the facilities on the train?
6. Where do you keep your luggage?
7. When is bedtime and how does it look?
8. What should you pack or prepare?
9. How to book a sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai?
10. Will you get much sleep?
To board the overnight Bangkok – Chiang Mai train you obviously have to be in Bangkok. But where exactly?
Train tickets were all sold out? That might happen. But I’m here to offer you an alternative: why not take a Super VIP bus that has only 20 seats? Spaceship vibes guaranteed. In my other blog post I share step by step guide on booking this fancy coach. Including the time it departs – there’s only one a day. The article is about the opposite direction, but booking process is the same.
Which station does the sleeper train no. 9 depart from?
Short answer: Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal. Also known as Bang Sue Grand Station – but let’s not confuse things. Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal is Bangkok’s main train terminal and the start and finish point for most long distance train services in Thailand. The station is new – it opened in early 2023, and quite big – it has 26 platforms spread over 3 levels. But finding the right platform wasn’t hard due to proper sign-posting.
When I was taking the sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai (September 2023), it departed from Gate B, Platform 1. But definitely check the departing gate properly, in case something changes.
The station at the moment has a small range of food and drink outlets, due to being super new, but you still can buy some snacks for the way. Toilets are naturally available as well.
What time does the train leave?
The sleeper special express no. 9 from Bangkok to Chiang Mai departs from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal at 18:40 (6:40 PM). The boarding started around 20 min before departure time, so it would be wise to be at the station at least 30 min before departure.
How long does the journey take?
The official timetable states that the journey from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on the sleeper train no. 9 should take 12 hours 35 min. The train departs from Bangkok at 18:40 PM and arrives in Chiang Mai at 7:15 AM.
I have to say, that the train I took back in September 2023 arrived in Chiang Mai exactly on time. But keep in mind that delays are possible, especially during wet season. Sometimes, because of the rain, the train might not depart at all.
How much does the train cost?
At the time of writing this blog post (January 2024) the pricing taken from the official Thai Railway website (I’ll share it later) looks as follows:
- Second class sleeper coach with Air conditioning – lower berth: 1038 THB ($30), upper berth: 938 THB ($27)
- First class sleeper coach with Air conditioning – charter room: 2446 THB ($70), lower berth: 1646 THB ($47), upper berth: 1446 THB ($41)
Lower berths are more expensive because…well, they’re better. I don’t know about the first class, but second class lower berths are bigger, more spacious and they have windows.
I kindly gave the lower berth to my boyfriend, and slept in the upper berth. And it was absolutely ok. But for eating, hanging out or admiring the views in the morning lower berth definitely wins.
What are the facilities on the train?
Naturally, there are toilets there. Nice, clean (at least in the beginning) and spacious. With running water. Equipped with toilet paper, paper towels and soap. And…well, it’s a train toilet…don’t know what else I can say about it. Toilets were fine.
You can also find a restaurant carriage and a “refreshment seller”.
The restaurant seemed to be a very popular place. It was actually quite busy during the journey. The menu wasn’t very fascinating (especially for vegetarians and vegans – I think french fries were the only option), but the queues to order food were quite long. You could either eat there, or have your order delivered to you berth.
I think twice during the journey there was a “refreshment seller” (I don’t know how to call this person, you know who I mean) walking around with some cookies and tea. He also had a menu and you could order dinner from him.
Little tip!
If you don’t want to order on the train, you can obviously bring food with you, like I did. Plant based burger from Burger King tasted exceptionally good on this train ride.
Where Do you keep your luggage?
Since the standard train place for the luggage (top shelf) converts into a bed, there’s obviously no way you can keep your luggage there. From what I saw, there was also no luggage storage somewhere in the carriage. The only 2 places where you could put your suitcases and backpacks were under the seat/lower berth and up on the ceiling.
The space under the seat was quite big. It fit my huge 110 liter suitcase. 2 of them actually. The ceiling spot is smaller, but I was still able to put my carry on sized suitcase there.
Little backpacks or tote bags you can just store on your bed.
When is bedtime and how does it look?
Bedtime on no. 9 sleeper train starts pretty early. I’d say it’s too early. The staff member began making beds around 30 min after departure. I was still having “dinner”, when I had to grab all my things from the seat and let him make the beds. Around 19.45 all the beds in our carriage were made.
If you’re travelling as a couple and you have lower and upper berth booked it’s ok – you can still hang out on the lower berth. But if you’re a solo traveller and you booked an upper berth for example, you kind of have to spend all your time there from then on. And as I said, upper berth has no window and is a bit smaller.
But the whole “making beds” process was very fast and efficient. While watching it, I could tell that it wasn’t the first time that the staff member had made an entire carriage worth of beds.
Aaa what does the bed “include”?
A sheet, pillows with pillow cases and a blanket wrapped in plastic so you knew it was fresh.
The whole bed set-up was actually super nice and comfy.
What should you pack or prepare?
If you don’t want to dig into your luggage every 3 min, there are a few things worth preparing earlier and keeping handy.
Thing you might need include:
- reusable water bottle;
- noise cancelling headphones;
- eye mask – the lights are on for the whole night. You can obviously close the curtain, but it won’t be completely dark in your “little compartment”;
- a hoodie – although it wasn’t too cold on the train, plus you obviously have a duvet;
- toothbrush and toothpaste;
- a little towel;
- wet wipes (if you want to have your evening wash);
- hand cream, lip balm and some other cosmetics you might find useful;
- phone charger;
- a book or a kindle (if you want to).
You can also take this time to learn more about eco-friendly travel and read my easy guide. Well, you want to travel on the train – that’s a first step to becoming an eco-friendly traveller. You got this!
traveller without making an effort
How to book a sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai?
Ok, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. Let’s finally answer the most important question of this blog post: how to book the sleeper train no. 9 from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.
It’s packed with my favourite temples, markets, cafés and local gems – all neatly pinned and ready to use!
Pay attention, because it’s important.
Firstly, you’ll probably read on other blog posts, that you should book tickets via 12go Asia (Asian transport booking website). You’re not going to hear that from me.
In fact, I’ll advise against that and tell you NOT TO BOOK your Bangkok-Chiang Mai tickets trough 12go Asia.
Why?
Because I personally hate this website. After many many screw-ups on their part, including leaving me and my boyfriend somewhere in Vietnam, without a simple “I’m sorry”. If it wasn’t for a friendly local who contacted the bus company, we’d be stranded in Ninh Binh.
But if my hatred towards 12go Asia isn’t enough for you (it shouldn’t be), let me explain how their booking services work in this case.
Firstly, when using their website you don’t actually book the tickets. You kind of make an inquiry that you want to purchase the ticket for this particular time and date. Then someone from their company has to physically go to the train station on your behalf and try to book the seats you requested. So obviously the seats you had chosen might not be available on that day and you might end up with some random seat allocation. If you’re alone, that’s not a big deal, but if you’re a group or a couple, you might end up having seats all over the train. I saw that happening.
Secondly, since someone has to go to the train station, you don’t get your confirmation right away. It might take a day or two to find out that you got the tickets you wanted, or at all.
Thirdly, since 12go Asia is a middleman, the price there is higher than on the actual Thai railways ticket website.
And last but not least, you do not receive your tickets by email. You either have to go pick them up from a 12go Asia office or have them posted to you. Which obviously takes longer. And they only send within Thailand – excluding islands!
And…
Sorry, one last thing. You might read on other blogs or even on 12GoAsia that train tickets are “released” only 30 days before departure. That’s not true! I’ve personally bought train tickets in Thailand more than 30 days in advance, twice! Using the website I recommend, you can actually book up to 6 months ahead – provided the tickets are available, of course.
So yep, I hope that’s enough to discourage you from buying train tickets through 12go Asia.
So where and how do you actually buy the no. 9 train tickets?
Via the Thai railway website. This way you’ll be able to choose your seats, pay and receive the tickets within a few minutes.
How does it work?
Easy!
Ok, maybe not that super easy, but I’m sure you’ll manage. Even though the booking process might sound a bit scary in the beginning, I promise you it’s not.
important tip
If you’re not in Thailand while trying to buy the tickets, switch your VPN to Thailand! I use NordVPN – it works perfectly! Without Thai VPN on, the website might not work at all. Use my special link offering an amazing Black Friday discount and try NordVPN for yourself!
Step-by step booking process!
1. Go on dticket.railway.co.th.
2. Change the language to English in the top right corner.
3. Before you start picking your train, you should register an account. You can do it in the later steps too, but it will be way more annoying.
4. Once you’ve registered, you will be sent a confirmation email. It will probably go to your junk and it will be in Thai. Click the big blue button to confirm your email.
5. After confirming your email, go back to the website and log in.
6. Next, Choose Krung Thep Aphiwat from the “origin” section and Chiang Mai from the “destination” section.
7. Choose the travel date and the number of passengers.
8. After clicking “search”, you’ll be presented with a list of trains.
9. Choose the 18.40 special express no. 9.
10. You’ll see a few “options”, but they’re all for the same train and class: second class Air Coach, sleeping coach. The difference is only in the number of seats in the carriage. If you’re lucky enough, first class will be also available – but I doubt it.
11. On the screen you’ll see seats that are available (green) and seats that are taken by male (blue) or female (pink). You will already have been assigned seats, but if you want to change them click “delete” and you’ll be able to pick any available seats.
12. The seats work in pairs (upper and lower) from left to right. So you need to use your counting skills. To save myself explanation, I’ll show you on the screenshot what seats to pick to sit “together”.
Just FIY, my boyfriend and I had seats no. 1 and 2 and were sleeping above and below each other.
13. Click “next” and you’ll be shown additional passenger information. Don’t forget to select “foreigner”. When you’re done, click “next”.
14. You’ll be taken to the booking summary. Check if everything is correct and choose the payment method. As a foreigner you (usually) can only pay by credit/debit card.
15. Pick the type of your credit/debit card.
16. You’ll go to the secure payment page. Fill out your card details and “click” submit.
You’ll probably be asked to choose the currency you want to pay in. I recommend picking Thai baht.
17. After paying you will receive an email with your booking number and your tickets.
18. Print the tickets! Digital tickets are accepted nowadays, but it’s always safe to have a printed copy.
Super important tip!
Book your second class tickets way in advance. Especially during high season which in Thailand begins in November and ends in February. I’d say 2 months in advance should be enough. As I mentioned before, this train is super duper popular.
For off-season trips, 2-3 weeks in advance should be fine.
Another important tip.
The Thai railway booking website is not perfect and sometimes you might be kicked out or it might take ages to load. But don’t get discouraged, it will work eventually. If you want to increase you chances use Mac, not Windows. The website seems to work slower on Windows.
Again, if the train tickets were sold out, you can try getting to Chiang Mai with the second best option – a 20 seater Super VIP bus! It’s even faster than the train. Click here for booking instructions.
And now the most important part…
Will you get much sleep?
If I have to be completely honest, I didn’t. But not because it was uncomfortable or noisy on the train. The people in my carriage were actually super quiet and everyone seemed to go to sleep at reasonable time. BUT the train itself was kinda loud. The clonking and squeaking and the noise of the rails weren’t much of a rhythmic lullaby to me. The noise actually kept me awake for the most of the time. I was trying to sleep with my noise cancelling headphones, but since they’re big, I couldn’t find a comfortable enough position. Moreover, the train stops quite a lot, so whenever I managed to drift off, the sudden braking movement woke me up.
But I still enjoyed the ride.
Plus, this is only my experience. Other people seemed to have no trouble sleeping. One guy closed his drapes the second the beds were made and woke up the next morning. So you know, probably everything depends on how tired you are.
Did I sleep better in first class? Find out here!
Ok, that’s enough of this! Hope my quick guide to taking the special express sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai will be useful to you. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments.
If you’re looking for unique places to visit in Chiang Mai, check out my “hidden gems in Chiang Mai” blog post. I sneaked in there a few classic Chiang Mai spots too, so you can pick and choose what you like.
And most importantly, enjoy your trip!
If you’re already in Northern Thailand, try a meditation retreat! It only takes 3 days!. Read my full guide to 3 day meditation retreat in Thailand.
Hi, it’s Aga, the author of this blog. If you found this blog post interesting, entertaining or useful, please think of buying me a virtual coffee to support the site’s running costs. But if you know me, I might actually spend it on coffee. Thanks!
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Hi there, trying to book this train way in advance as per your recommendation, but the available dates stop after 2 months. Am I not understanding the website or are tickets further in advance not available?
hey, sorry to hear that. If you’re not currently in Thailand, I’d recommend switching your VPN to Thailand. I just tried to purchase to tickets for the end of June and was able to do it. So yes: switch your Thai VPN, log in and then try it. Hope it works. Good luck.
Thank you very much for such detailed info. Used this to book Chiang Mai to BKK.
That’s s great to hear! Enjoy your trip!
Hi there, did you catch the train there and back or fly back to Bangkok from Chiang Mai?
hey! I took the train only one time: from BKK to Chiang Mai. Flew from Chiang Mai to a different country. But you can easily take it back too 😉
This is a great post!
Thanks for all of the info and instructions.
No worries! Happy to help 😉
Thank you for the detailed info. I was able to book from BKK to Chiang Mai. I booked the 18:40 tomorrow. What time do I need to check-in?
that’s great to hear! There’s no check-in process really. You just have to be at the station at least 30 min before departure. The gates opens around 20 min before departure. Have a great journey.
Thanks a lot Aga! I just bought our train tickets for this summer.
Can’t wait!
I’m happy to hear that! Have a great time in Thailand and enjoy your train journey!
Thank you!!! Too bad I didn’t read your blog earlier because I would have tried to get first class using vpn. Everywhere else, I was told to wait until two months before. That wouldn’t have worked anyway. Train was almost booked three months in advance. So a big thank you.
3 months in advance? Man! Yes, VPN is important. I discovered it myself not that long ago 😉 well, now you know how to do it next time 😉 enjoy Thailand!