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Getting Around During Songkran Festival

Songkran brings about some unique travel patterns that you should be aware of. In this guide we aim to identify the key tips to help you find the sweet spot between travel and schedules so that you'd not need to experience some of the worst bottle necks in Thailand.

If you want to get around Bangkok during Songkran, jump here!

Disruptive Songkran travel patterns that you should know about​

Let's first cover the main events causing travel bottlenecks during Songkran festival period, and then we will list out the ways to avoid the most congested times, and share tips on how to plan out a nice and relaxed holiday schedule during the festival times.

Locals driving back to hometowns​

We are not talking about tourists here nor any minor ticks in numbers of wheels on the road. We are talking about millions and millions of Thais on their seasonal migration route back home! This causes congestion mainly on the roads, and does not carry the same impact on other forms of transportation, as unintuitive as it may sound.

With this increase in the vehicle numbers on roads, traffic will become a nightmare. As an example, a drive from Bangkok to Khon Kaen in North-Eastern Thailand typically takes around 3-4 hours - during Songkran it is not uncommon to take around 10-12 hours!

Songkran traffic

Domestic tourists (long vacation)​

This is different from locals heading back to their hometowns, who occupy the tarmac towards all directions away from Bangkok, but especially on the North and North-Eastern routes.

Songkran is the main holiday season in the Thai calendar, and another million or a few prefer to spend long holidays from work - well, just like you - by traveling. Indeed, Songkran draws a lot of domestic tourism these days.

Although vast majority of the domestic travel focuses on other destinations than what foreign tourists usually prefer, this does cause significant amount of congestion on airports and bus terminals.

Foreign tourists​

Although foreign tourist arrivals are constantly high and somewhat predictable - Thailand being among the most visited countries in the world - foreign Songkran tourists does play a major role filling the otherwise emptying Bangkok city center. The proportion of foreigners in Bangkok may seem much larger during the festival time as locals at the same time retreat in large numbers.

Foreigners usually prefer airlines for domestic travel, and this adds to the congestion on the airports. Secondary effect would be on the popular bus routes, especially towards Pattaya, Hua Hin and Trat (Ko Chang).

Best tips and tricks to avoid the worst Songkran travel bottlenecks​

Refrain from exiting Bangkok on the road between 11th and 13th of April!​

Easier said than done! Especially if you've got your tropical holiday resort booked and paid with no refund policy, right?

We would recommend you either take a flight either before peak rush (11th or before) or during the celebrations (13th onwards), or if you must travel on these days, take a train. Train is really the only option that does not get overly crowded nor stuck in traffic.

Stay in Bangkok over the peak weekend days (11th - 13th April)​

Well isn't this just a rephrasing of the previous tip? Not exactly. We are strongly encouraging you to experience the peak of Songkran in Bangkok, it's a lot of fun!

In Bangkok you have a reverse effect of the rest of the country - hotels have plenty of availability, prices are reasonable, and the city is mostly not as busy as usual! Yet, arguably the best Songkran events are at your disposal.

By spending the peak travel enjoying your time in Bangkok, you save a many travel hours. Once crowds start flocking back inwards, you shall proceed moving outwards, filling the emptying airplane routes and resorts for much cheaper price and lesser crowds!

Book your flights and buses in advance​

Leaving bookings to the last minute will cost you... A lot. Or perhaps, as often is the case, you're left with only subpar options, to put it nicely. Making your moves a couple of months in advance makes a whole lot of difference.

You know these days people are so busy and so stressed, they really tend to leave everything to the last minute, and you have a great chance to stand out in this regard.

Use a train for short-medium distance travel​

This really deserves it's own section, although we mentioned this in earlier tip.

Especially if you must travel during the peak days (12th - 13th), train is still a decent option! But, unfortunately, train network in Thailand is not exactly the widest, and decent air-conditioned trains do not run every direction.

Hua Hin is a very good choice to travel to on a train, and other destinations on the southern mainland coastline. But keep in mind, trains a bit slow, so it's probably not a good idea to go further than Hua Hin (South), Pattaya or Rayong (East) or Ayutthaya (North), unless you have a lot of time to spare, of course.

No need to be afraid of the Thai trains, they are not over-crowded (like India, for instance) and tickets are not overbooked. You can find train schedules and more information in the state railway company's website.

Fly super early or late​

If you must travel during the peak days, we advice you to take one of the inhumanely early or late flight to avoid the extreme crowds. Still, if you can, don't take domestic flights out of Bangkok during these days.

Don't ride a motorbike during Songkran (safety first!)​

Unfortunately Songkran is the worst time for road accidents, in a country with a lot of road accidents... There are many who drive intoxicated, while there will be a lot of water on the roads, and some are even splashing water on motorbikes... Is it worth risking it? We don't think so.

This applies to everywhere in the Kingdom, but especially in Bangkok.

Transportation in Bangkok during Songkran​

If you are staying in Bangkok during Songkran, lucky you! You will be welcomed with plenty of affordable transportation options to choose from, with generally fewer crowds than any other week of the year. Things do get more tight closer to the festival hot spots of the city, and we try to shed some light on those questions in the Bangkok events guide.

  1. BTS and MRT: The urban rail likes - MRT is the subway, while BTS is the skytrain. The most convenient way to get around Bangkok, at least for the parts that are are connected
  2. Grab: The "Uber" of South-East Asia. The app is translated in English and you can choose cash as payment method. Grab offers various modes of transport, such as taxis, cars (private hire), motorcycles (grab bike), minivans and more. Grab is very popular, cheap and most of all, safe. Preferred by locals as well. And remember: do not use motorcycle rides during Songkran!
  3. Public taxis: Although they cover the entire city, for regular tourist they are not the most convenient option. Although pure scams are not extremely common, tourists are usually overcharged.
  4. Canal boats: Only the lines along the Chao Phraya river are common among regular visitors, and for those bits a canal boat will be a very fast, cheap and convenient way to get around without any traffic jams.