Thailand's transport is cheap and frequent. Fly for anything over 500km (1-hour flights for $30–60), take the train for the historic routes, use buses and minivans for shorter hops, and hire a car with a driver rather than self-driving.
The short version
- Fly Bangkok–Chiang Mai and Bangkok–Phuket; both are under 1.5 hours and cheap.
- Overnight trains to Chiang Mai are worth doing once, in a sleeper.
- Minivans are faster than buses but driven aggressively — take the bus if you get car sick.
- A private car and driver is $80–120 a day and removes most of the friction.
Flying
Domestic flights are cheap and frequent: Bangkok–Chiang Mai is an hour, Bangkok–Phuket an hour and twenty. Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, AirAsia and Nok Air all fly the main routes.
Book three months out for the best fares. Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang are different airports — check which one your flight uses.
Trains
The northern and northeastern lines are slow, scenic and cheap; overnight sleepers to Chiang Mai are genuinely comfortable in first class. Third class is the most fun.
Book sleepers on the official State Railway of Thailand site, 60 days ahead.
Boats
Ferries and speedboats connect the islands; schedules shrink in low season and some routes stop entirely. Longtails are for short hops and are hired, not scheduled.
If a crossing matters, book the morning boat — afternoon seas are worse and delays cascade.
Private cars and drivers
For two or more people, a private car and driver is often cheaper than flights plus transfers, and far more flexible. Around $70–110 a day, fuel included.
We use our own vehicles and drivers on all our tours, which is why we can change plans mid-day.
What we actually book for travellers
For a private trip, the pattern we use most is internal flights plus a car and driver at each destination. Flights handle the long distances (Bangkok–Chiang Mai, Bangkok–Phuket, Chiang Mai–Krabi) and the car handles everything within a region, which is where the friction usually is — the 40-minute drive to a temple that has no taxi back.
A car and driver in Thailand costs $80–120 a day depending on the region and the vehicle, and that includes fuel and the driver's waiting time. Over a ten-day trip that is $800–1,200, and it replaces about the same amount in taxis and transfers while removing the two things that make travel days tiring: waiting in the sun and negotiating price.
For long trips with a rail element — the Chiang Mai sleeper, the Death Railway, the southern line — we book the train and have a driver meet it. That gives you the scenery without being stuck with a 13-hour timetable for the rest of the trip.
