Driving phuket to Bangkok

Hi im am going on my first overseas trip in march

we are going to phuket for six nights and was thinking of driving from phuket to bangkok spending a few days there before flying home. has anyone done this trip by car before? would you advise it it, is it safe, is it hard and is it worth driving i.e is there good things to see along the way?

any other phuket/bangkok info things to see/do would also be great thanks.

Driving phuket to Bangkok

I%26#39;ve driven to Bangkok a few times.

If you are in a hurry, you won%26#39;t see much.

It is a long way. We always take 2 days to drive it and that is not enough IMO.

I have friends who claim to do it in 10 hours. They see nothing except a gas station and the highway.

We like to take the long route through Ko Lak and over the mountains past Ko SOk, and then much later in the day (we generally start at 6 am) when we are up around Chumpon, we like to head over to the sea on the east side and drive up the coast for a while.

We generally stay in that area or if i am energetic, will continue to our favorite hotel in Chaam.

I would like to really stop in Hua Hin someday but Chaam is nice and real Thailand and not so touristy like Hua Hin seems.

Then we have a leisurly morning, and still take another 5 or 6 hours to get to BKK.

If you only have 6 days in Phuket, you probably don%26#39;t have enough time to see things except the road, trucks, rubber tree and coconut trees on the sides of the roads and lots of traffic.

I think perhaps a better idea would be to do some driving northeast (krabi) and northwest (the road to Ranong) and see some of real Thailand that way without being so rushed.

Driving phuket to Bangkok

I%26#39;ve driven that route several times. Its a long 10 hour at least journey and best broken up with an overnight stop somewhere. Its a longer trip that it may appear on a map. However, I would advise you NOT to try it. Driving in Thailand is nothing like driving in Aussie, and lots of unofficial rules apply that might not seem like sense. Accidents are very common, and if anyone is injured then you may be detained by the police until it is sorted out. If you have a breakdown or accident in a remote area you may be in trouble as help could be a long time coming. Finally, Bangkok is not a city to drive in for the fainthearted; you may not know where many of the place names on signs refer to even though they are in English); many traffic lanes are turn left only, or turn right only, or U-turn only. It very easy to get lost, and very easy to get stopped and fined by the the very attentive traffic cops.

ok this sounds like experienced advise from both thanks.

ok so if we stay around phuket where should we go i mean phi phi and that are obvious but i want to see a few land markd like golden budda and stuff all good photo op stuff.

sorry if any of this sounds niave like i said first timers overseas

I agree, if you haven%26#39;t driven in Thailand before and your first overseas trip I wouldn%26#39;t do it.

When we do it we also stop Hua Hin area or Bang Saphan or Chumphon.

Perhaps something to think about for anyone wanting to spend 5 or 6 days and stopping at different places down the coast ( there are many beautiful places to see ) to do after a few visit to Thailand once you are more used to the way things are, driving style etc etc.

fiddledude, just a tip, if you want to stay around Hua Hin but not in the built up town area: when you take the %26#39;right%26#39; just after Pranburi heading into Hua Hin town about half way, say 4k take the turn right to %26#39;Khao Takiab%26#39;, that has Hua Don and Sua Son beach area with nice places to stay at the beach which is very nice area, 1,000 for Takiab beach or splash out at the Anantasila resort , about 2.5, ( Palms on the beach etc ), nice for a %26#39;quiet%26#39; night stop and excellent seafood restaurants right on the sands, or, when you head over the overpass just as you enter Hua Hin do a U back and take the Khao Takiab veer left past Chiva Som and Hyatt and that takes you to same area of beach.

Prachuap Khiri Khan town is also good place to nightstop, Hadthong Hotel is a large block hotel 1,000 a night place with great views over the bay, sleepy town but well worth seeing.

I would not recommend it.

I normally make this trip at night, which takes me about 10 hours.

But with different traffic behaviour than you%26#39;re used to, take a plane. You don%26#39;t have much time anyway, so that will save you some of your precious vacation time as well.

If you want to visit Bangkok, take cheap flight on Air Asia, takes about 1h 20m.

Agree with previous posts, It%26#39;s not easy to drive here. You would better try to drive a short trip around Phuket on your holidays here for observing. :)

If you travel with your children, Thai Airways has children fare but some airlines doesn%26#39;t provide, so the total costs of Thai Airways sometimes is cheaper. When I want to go to Bangkok with my wife and my kid, I fly with Thai Airway, it%26#39;s cheapest in currently. However, Air Asia has online sales promotion quite often, you would get lower cost.(Right now, Air Asia has their sales promotion until 10 Oct 08 for travel period on 26 Oct 08 till 28 Mar 09)