Bangkok - Kanchanaburi - Koh Yao Noi - Phuket Trip: Live Practical Info

Hey everyone, We're currently in Thailand. I'm opening this thread to share practical info for those planning their trip. As for impressions and feelings—I love it, but I'll let everyone form their own opinions. The goal here is more about: how to do this or that, how to get there, etc.

We took an Air India flight. Contrary to what I’d read about this airline, the flight went smoothly. Since the first plane was 15 minutes late and the connection was reduced to less than an hour, Air India offered to change the second flight on the day of departure, which was really helpful. The screens were working, and legroom on the first flight was great. On the other hand, the food was just okay, but oh well.

We stayed at a hotel near the Chong Nonsi BTS station (3-minute walk). I’ll share reviews of my hotels once I’m back in France. :)

For money: we exchanged a little first at Super Rich in the airport, and later withdrew more using our Boursorama card. It’s more advantageous to withdraw with the card (declining their conversion rate) than to exchange at Super Rich.

We also got a SIM card at the airport for 15 days.

Quick note: I’ll be sharing info for a 14-day school holiday trip with a teen. So, unlike retirees (no offense to retirees, but time management is different), we only have 2 weeks, and teens don’t wake up early.

To get to the hotel, we took the Bangkok Airport Rail Link (ARL) to the last station and then the BTS. For our trips, we buy BTS / ARL / MRT tickets in cash at the counter.

Day 1: Visited the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun.

We really needed some sleep, so we left the hotel pretty late. To get to the Grand Palace, we took the BTS and then the boat. From Chong Nonsi station to boat pier N9, it took... 1h30!!!

When leaving BTS Saphan Taksin station, you need to go to the pier on the left. We bought boat tickets at the counter, and they put us in the waiting area for our boat (we were sold tickets for the blue line). We waited 15 minutes, the blue boat left first in the opposite direction toward Asiatique and then made a U-turn at Asiatique

At boat exit 9:

There are toilets; there are clothes vendors—we bought our daughter something to wrap around her waist for visiting the Grand Palace (100 baht). After visiting the Grand Palace, we walked to Wat Pho.

Water bottles are sold everywhere for 10 baht, but 20 baht at the Grand Palace.

After leaving Wat Pho, we went to the pier (exit N 8) to cross the river and visit Wat Arun. The crossing is easy and costs 5 bahts per person. After that, we had to cross back to get to the hotel. It's the yellow boat that stops at exit N 8.

So, for 3 visits, you should plan at least half a day.

At the hotel, we swam in the pool with an amazing view of the Mahanakhon tower and other nearby skyscrapers. I think the pool is really essential to recharge after sightseeing!

In the evening we ate at IconSiam, and we also enjoyed the view of Bangkok. We decided to go to IconSiam by BTS because we were tired of waiting for a boat for 15 minutes every time. But the BTS Gold Line isn’t very frequent either—we waited at least 15 minutes for it too. :)

Day 2: Ayutthaya

We went to Ayutthaya by train and came back by minivan.

To get there: we took the BTS to one station, changed at Sala Daeng for the MRT, and got off at Hua Lamphong. The station is signposted—easy to find. We bought our tickets at the counter (15 baht per person) and took the train at 10:15. The train is on the platform 15–20 minutes before departure, so you’ve gotta hurry to grab seats in the shade. With the windows open, the trip is super smooth. We arrived in Ayutthaya at 12:14 (1 hour to cross Bangkok and another hour on the road after Bangkok).

In Ayutthaya, we took a tuk-tuk that took us to the places to visit—it was great. Tuk-tuks are small. So, for 3 people it’s still okay, but I think 4 people will be searching for space for their knees! We paid 1,300 baht for about 4 hours, which was enough for us. We were worried we wouldn’t get seats together on the train, so we decided to go back by minivan. We asked the tuk-tuk driver to take us to the bus station, where we bought our tickets (70 baht per person).

Just a heads-up: if you want to return by minivan like we did, use the restrooms near the temples because there aren’t any at this "bus station." There’s a sort of restroom nearby (which I used—it was pretty sketchy, basically just a shower stall)—I’d avoid it.

Good evening, Thanks for your attention.

If this is the start of a story that will continue, it might be better to post it in the "travel journal" section, since that one lets you come back to your posts without any time limit (unlike the 2-hour window in the "regular" sections). That way, you can edit your texts, add to them, or upload photos later on.

In the first row of the minivan, it was impossible to stretch my legs. Plus, the AC was blowing right at me (I turned it the other way after because I was cold). Anyway, I preferred the train. But the minivan works too—the driver dropped us off at BTS Mo Chit station, which was great for getting back to the hotel.

Visiting Ayutthaya can easily be done in a day, so if you have 2 weeks of vacation like we did, I don’t see the point of staying overnight in Ayutthaya and moving around with all your stuff, checking in and out of hotels, etc.

Honestly, I don’t know. I didn’t want to make a real travel journal with descriptions and impressions, but really just give practical info to those preparing their trip. I’m not going to add photos. So, I don’t know what’s best.

If it’s not meant to be a travel journal, don’t change a thing.

Good call taking the train to Ayutthaya from Hualamphong instead of Aphiwat—saved you from paying the unnecessary Rapid or Express supplement on such a short trip, plus no need to book ahead and more frequent departures.

Waiting for the "Bangkok to Kanchanaburi route" part...

We took an Air India flight. Contrary to what I’d read about this airline, the flight went well. Since the first plane was 15 minutes late and the connection was under an hour, Air India offered to change the second flight on the day of departure, which was really helpful. The screens worked, and the legroom on the first flight was great. On the other hand, the food was average, but oh well.

I recently read a very negative review about this airline on VF, which matched what I experienced 10 years ago. Maybe we shouldn’t rush to recommend this airline.

My question is: why not choose airlines that are always highly rated, like Emirates or Qatar?

Oh, and I almost forgot the most important part: thanks for this feedback—it’ll definitely help some folks out!

I don’t recommend Air India—I just said that for us the flight went well, we’ll see about the return. We took Air India for the price: 820 € per person from Saturday to Friday during school holidays with only one stop. The airlines you’re talking about had prices over 1000 € for the same dates (buying 11 months in advance).

After Ayutthaya—the pool, then we went out to eat. We didn’t feel like taking the metro or anything, so we stayed in the neighborhood. That’s how we ended up at the Patpong night market. A tiny market with food and knockoffs, and constant pitches to check out a ping pong show, even though we were with a teen!

Day 3: Mahanakhon SkyWalk, Lumpini Park, Chinatown

Our hotel doesn’t do laundry, but they provide a washing machine (70 baht per cycle) and a dryer (60 baht per cycle). I did a load, and while it was drying, I got a massage: 1 hour of full-body Thai massage. The hotel’s price for this massage is 395 baht.

If you and/or your teen aren’t afraid of heights, the Mahanakhon SkyWalk is a great attraction. For us, it was a 2-minute walk away. The SkyWalk costs 1,000 baht, and SkyWalk + tilt (our daughter’s choice) is 1,300 baht. I don’t recommend buying in advance since these attractions depend on the weather.

You buy tickets at the entrance for a half-day. They asked us our daughter’s age—she’s 13, so it was fine. I don’t know if there are any restrictions for kids under 13, maybe for the ride.

After the Mahanakhon Tower, we headed to Lumpini Park, which is just one BTS station away from the skywalk (Chong Nonsi - Sala Daeng). Then we took the MRT from the same station (Si Lom) for two stops (Hua Lamphong) to visit Chinatown.

Two things not to forget:

A small backpack to carry water bottles—we drink constantly. We forgot ours and had to buy one at the Décathlon near Si Lom station. For women: tampons, as they’re hard to find here. No problem with sanitary pads, but tampons are scarce.

Day 4: Travel to Kanchanaburi / Visit to Wat Ban Tham

I looked at several options for getting to Kanchanaburi. I considered the train, but you’d have to wake up really early since there are only two trains a day—the first one leaves at 7:43 AM. There was also the option of taking a minivan from Mo Chit. In the end, we decided to take a bus from the Southern Bus Station. To get there, we took a taxi.

We took a taxi to get there.

Did you pay the price shown on the meter when you arrived?

Songsam, I stand corrected: it was Bolt, 260 bahts.

Bus trip to Kanchanaburi: uh, I don’t recommend it... It was a small bus (between a coach and a minivan), so everyone had to keep their luggage with them. It was okay for me, but my husband and daughter were really uncomfortable. For the return trip, we took a Grab—1,500 baht from the hotel in Kanchanaburi to the hotel near the airport (so, crossing through Bangkok).

In Kanchanaburi, we stayed at Good Times Resort—it was great. I really liked the hotel and its restaurant. We ended up booking a day trip organized by the hotel, which is a really good option if, like us, you're short on time. Everything was well organized, no complaints.

We stayed at Lilac Relax Residence, and I think it's a good hotel for spending a night before your flight. The hotel offers free shuttles to Suvarnabhumi Airport (every 30 minutes from 6 AM to midnight), and we're taking the 7 AM shuttle tomorrow.

We also discovered a really great all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue place. Yeah, it doesn’t make sense to eat Korean while in Thailand, but we really wanted meat, and I loved this spot: Gangnam BBQ Lat Krabang. They don’t take reservations—you just show up and wait. They give you a number in the queue, and you wait until you’re called. Bring mosquito repellent. We were the only foreigners in the restaurant. We paid about 29 € (a little over 1,000 baht) for the three of us (all-you-can-eat). So if you're near the airport, I’d definitely recommend this place.

Songsam, I stand corrected: it was Bolt, 260 bahts.

Disappointed 😕🙁

Trip to Kanchanaburi by bus: uh, I don’t recommend... it was a small bus (between a coach and a minivan), so everyone had to keep their luggage with them. It was okay for me, but my husband and daughter were uncomfortable.

So you took this:



For better comfort, it’s best to take the real bus. Same number (81), same price, same frequency, same travel time, same departure points, and luggage compartments:



For the return trip, we took a Grab, 1500 bahts from the hotel in Kanchanaburi to the hotel near the airport (so, crossing Bangkok).

Agencies in Kanchanaburi offer airport shuttles, but it’s not cheap (around 500 bahts per person) and tourists are packed in like sardines.

Songthaew, yes, but it was the only option offered (or we didn’t understand). When we arrived at the station a little after 9 AM, the ticket counter told us there was only a bus at 11 AM. We tried to take a Bolt (displayed price around 1,100 baht), but the driver wanted double the price for the return trip. We said no and waited for the bus.

We were given a meet-up at 10:30 AM at the counter and followed the bus driver to his bus. So, how do you take bus 81? It’s too late for us, but maybe useful for others.

In Kanchanaburi we stayed at Good Times Resort—it was great. I really liked the hotel and its restaurant. We ended up booking a day trip organized by the hotel, which is a really good option if, like us, you're short on time. Everything was well organized, no complaints.

Great choice. Though, the rooms facing the pool do get some noise. The restaurant is really good and lets you choose the spice level on a scale from 0 to 10 when you order.

We booked a deluxe triple room, and it was great. The setting is gorgeous.

Yes, but it was the only option offered (or we didn’t understand). When we arrived at the station a little after 9 AM, the ticket counter told us there was only a bus at 11 AM. We tried to take a Bolt (displayed price around 1100 baht), but the driver wanted double the price for the return trip. We said no and waited for the bus.

I’m not sure what to tell you, especially since in recent years for Bkk-Kan I’ve mostly taken minivans, reserving the blue-and-white bus 81 for Ban Pong <-> Kan trips, which I also do often. That said, I’ve taken the Bkk-Kan route on the blue-and-white bus 81 several times and never had an issue buying my ticket at the proper counter. Maybe you unknowingly went to the minibus counter (they’re different counters)?

The fact that they gave you a meet-up time and the driver was waiting at the counter is strange... How much did you pay per person, and were there Thai passengers in your minivan?

In Kanchanaburi, we stayed at Good Times Resort—it’s great. I really liked the hotel and its restaurant. We ended up booking a day trip organized by the hotel, which is a really good option if, like us, you're short on time. Everything was well organized, no complaints.

Great choice. Though, the rooms facing the pool do get some noise. The restaurant is really good—you can choose how much chili you want on a scale from 0 to 10 when ordering.

Where exactly is it located? (Kanchanaburi is quite spread out.)

I suggest you check Agoda and type the hotel name. There’s always a map that shows where the place is in relation to the rest of the city.

Given how spread out Kanchanaburi is, I’m not sure you can really say any hotel is well-located. At least this one’s on a river.

We paid 180 baht per person, and there were Thais on the bus—even two monks.

Bangkok to Koh Yao Noi travel. Since it was my first time in Asia, I didn’t want to take too many risks, so I booked the transfer from Phuket Airport to the hotel in Koh Yao Noi via 12GoAsia. In Bangkok, we took the hotel shuttle to the airport at 7 AM for our Thai Airways flight at 9:40 AM. We were well ahead of time. The flight went smoothly. The flight ticket cost us 45 € per person—twice as expensive as low-cost airlines—but I wanted to ensure the transfer and was worried about potential delays with budget carriers. No delays with Thai Airways, though we had a 1-hour wait at Phuket Airport since our car was booked for 12:30 PM. When I made the reservation on 12GoAsia, I provided my French phone number and was regularly contacted via WhatsApp with updates like where the car would be and when it was arriving, etc.

This complete transfer cost us around 80 € for the 3 of us. Our boat was at 1:30 PM, and at the exit, a tuk-tuk was waiting to take us to the hotel.

We paid 180 baht per person and there were Thais on the bus, even two monks.

The price is a bit higher but not excessive, so at first glance nothing really abnormal. Unless you might have gone to the wrong counter, I don’t see how you could have ended up in a minibus. But hey, you arrived safely—that’s all that matters.

We went up for the ticket counters, and the one for Kanchanaburi was all the way at the end on the 1st floor.

Koh Yao Noi: I really liked the Koh Yao Seaview Bungalow hotel. If you're looking for super beautiful beaches, you shouldn't come to Koh Yao Noi: there's a very strong tidal effect, the sea retreats 100-150 m. During low tide, you can watch crabs—it's fun. We came to this island for the excursions. The hotel offers two types of excursions: one to nearby islands for 4-5 hours (I recommend it), price: 2500 baht for the longtail boat just for you and 300 baht per person to enter the national park; the second is in Phang Nga Bay, for a full day, 4500 baht/boat + 300 baht/person to enter the parks + 600 baht/kayak if you want to do that.

During the first excursion, they give you masks and snorkels for snorkeling, and during the second excursion, they provide headlamps for exploring the caves.

I preferred the first excursion. The second one is half-interesting, half "tourist trap." I really enjoyed visiting caves and swimming on an island where we were alone! The "tourist traps": kayaking (or canoeing?), the floating village (restaurants for tourists and souvenir shops), James Bond Island—way too crowded and souvenir vendors on the already tiny beach. I don’t regret doing both, but if you’re short on time and have to choose, I recommend the first one (at 2500 bahts).

The Koh Yao Noi to Phuket transfer. I found a boat + minivan transfer to the hotel in Phuket on 12goasia. So, we asked for a taxi (tuk-tuk) at our hotel since neither Bolt nor Grab are available on Koh Yao Noi. The tuk-tuk was on time, 100 bahts per person. The other connections were cheap—I just showed the reservation to one of the speedboat guys. In Phuket, a minivan labeled "Kamala + Patong" was waiting for us.

The hotel in Patong: Thanthip Beach Resort. 300 m from the beach (3-minute walk), pool, a large triple room. I love swimming in the sea, but I don’t like sunbathing, so it was exactly what I wanted: I’d wake up early, swim, and then head back to the hotel. In the morning, Patong Beach is really pleasant, but in the afternoon, it gets too crowded. I chose this route for the return because it’s pretty easy to get back to France from Phuket. For the hotel-to-airport trip, we took a Bolt for 530 baht.