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Travel blog featuring transport and accommodation guides in Southeast Asia

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Southeast Asia train travel guide

September 21, 2024 By James Clark 13 Comments

A guide to train travel Southeast Asia, featuring resources for buying tickets and reviews of rail travel in Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia railways index Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam Southeast Asia train travel resources Southeast Asia train travel FAQs Future Southeast Asia railways Cambodia Railway Operator: Royal Railway. Buy Cambodia train […]

Filed Under: Train Travel Tagged With: cambodia, indonesia, java, laos, malaysia, myanmar (burma), philippines, railway, singapore, southeast asia rail, sumatra, thailand, train, vietnam

Train Review: Dhaka to Chittagong

March 27, 2018 By James Clark 2 Comments

Train Review: Dhaka to Chittagong

Dhaka and Chittagong are the two biggest cities in Bangladesh, and there are several trains a day connecting the cities. It’s a far better option than the bus, so plan ahead if you are travelling between the two. I was originally looking for an agent to buy a ticket for me but my hotel was […]

Filed Under: Train Travel Tagged With: bangladesh, chittagong, dhaka, train

Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville by train

January 10, 2018 By James Clark 15 Comments

The railway line from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville was reopened for passenger services in 2016 after 14 years of being out of action. I’ve been to Phnom Penh numerous times and I have always admired the old train station, hoping that one day that train services would resume. If you want to ride the only […]

Filed Under: Train Travel Tagged With: cambodia, phnom penh, railway, sihanoukville, southeast asia rail, train, train station

Kanchanaburi to Hua Hin by train (with a bonus stop at the tallest stupa in the world)

August 3, 2017 By James Clark 5 Comments

Kanchanaburi to Hua Hin by train

Kanchanaburi is west of Bangkok on the Nam Tok railway line, separate from the main north and south lines. This line formed what was part of the Death Railway, which connected Thailand to Burma by rail. There has been proposals to connect Thailand and Myanmar by rail via this route, but for now it remains […]

Filed Under: Train Travel Tagged With: hua hin, kanchanaburi, nakhon pathom, southeast asia rail, thailand, train

Saigon to Phan Thiet by train – the easy way to get to Mui Ne

May 2, 2017 By James Clark Leave a Comment

Mui Ne is the popular beach resort area in Southeastern Vietnam. The actual beach area is between the towns of Phan Thiet and Mui Ne, though most people just say Mui Ne for the general area. Even though Phan Thiet is about 200km east of Ho Chi Minh City, it takes anywhere from 4-6 hours […]

Filed Under: Train Travel Tagged With: ho chi minh city, mui ne, phan thiet, southeast asia rail, train, vietnam

The Eurail Pass travel guide – choosing the best rail pass, and tips for your Europe travels

January 30, 2017 By James Clark 29 Comments

Eurail Pass Travel Guide

To travel by train is one of the joys of visiting Europe. For non-europeans there is a rail pass that lets you travel across the continent. This rail pass is the Eurail Pass, and this guide will help you decide which pass to get, and how to get the most out of your pass. Why […]

Filed Under: Train Travel Tagged With: eurail, train, train station

Nha Trang to Saigon by train

January 13, 2017 By James Clark 11 Comments

Nha Trang to Saigon by train

Vietnam by train is a great way to travel if you are making your way up or down the coast. While I wouldn’t traverse the whole length of the country in one go (especially when flights between Hanoi and Saigon are so competitive) it’s good for the stops in between. Trains in Vietnam follow a […]

Filed Under: Train Travel Tagged With: ho chi minh city, nha trang, southeast asia rail, train, vietnam

How to get from Bangkok to Vientiane by train

December 12, 2016 By James Clark 24 Comments

Bangkok to Vientiane by train

I like to travel by train in Southeast Asia if it’s a reasonable alternative to flying. For the trip from Bangkok to Vientiane, getting the train is a comfortable and economic way to go. First off I will say that the train doesn’t actually go to Vientiane; it stops at a station about 16km away. […]

Filed Under: Train Travel Tagged With: bangkok, laos, nong khai, southeast asia rail, thailand, thanaleng, train, train station, vientiane

Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth (Penang) by train

April 27, 2016 By James Clark 27 Comments

In 2015 the electrification of the train line between Kuala Lumpur and Butterworth was completed. On this modernised track the ETS (Electric Train Service) reaches a speed of 140 km/h. The ETS is one of the fastest trains in Southeast Asia. The remarkable thing about the ETS is that it runs on a metre gauge […]

Filed Under: Train Travel Tagged With: butterworth, kuala lumpur, malaysia, penang, southeast asia rail, train

Maeklong market railway, Thailand – The train that goes through a market

March 20, 2010 By James Clark 43 Comments

Maeklong Market

One of the more interesting train journeys in Southeast Asia I’ve had is riding through the Maeklong market railway in Thailand. Even if you’ve never heard of the town, you’ve probably seen a youtube video of a train going through a tightly-packed market, where market stalls are set up on the rails. The train barely […]

Filed Under: Train Travel Tagged With: maeklong, mahachai, market, railway, southeast asia rail, thailand, train, train station

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James Clark from Nomadic Notes

Hi, I’m James Clark, and I've been travelling the world since 2003 while running a location independent travel business. Nomadic Notes is a travel blog featuring travel guides and notes from my travels.

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